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kaiysea's review against another edition
I didn't realize this book was written long ago, so the level of casual misogyny was shocking. I felt slightly better about it after finding out when it was written, but I still couldn't finish it. I'm sure it was good when it was written.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
1.0
I am so glad I read these books out of order. If I had read this book first, I never would have bothered to read [b:First Lensman|826521|First Lensman (Lensman, #2)|E.E. "Doc" Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387725740s/826521.jpg|812249]. This book was just awful, awful, awful! I hope [b:Galactic Patrol|209506|Galactic Patrol (Lensman, #3)|E.E. "Doc" Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388555182s/209506.jpg|1371012] is better.
aoc's review against another edition
3.0
Triplanetary has gone through some rather strange history as a novel, primarily being much shorter in its original release and without many of the prologue stories we get in the novel nowadays. As it has happened with some of my reviews previously you can read Triplanetary for free by clicking on the cover seeing as it has entered free domain
Where to even begin with a space opera hailing from what was arguably the golden age for genre as far as literary works go? Well, I guess I could touch on what I previously mentioned – this final release of the work was not exactly how it began. Putting aside the fact it was serialized in parts it originally also only dealt with the latter half of the work, and even that was reworked for the final version to include references and tie-in more closely to the entire Lensman series. Which I guess makes the entire thing ironic that for me, as it is right now, it's the newly added prologue that really connects an otherwise very generic SF story to a greater whole and gives weight to events.
Until the original story begins in the second half we are treated to two supreme races; Arisians and Eddorians. They're two polar opposites of each other and yet both are bent on shaping the universe with their hands. Arisians take the role of the archetypal mentor race that was content just observing how things shaped up for the most part and interceded where appropriate for their grand master plan until they met the Eddorians who are just as archetypal evil race doing evil for it's own sake and superiority over everyone else. Sadly, this doesn't mean they're stupid and Eddorians in fact have arguably just as much success as Arisians do even taking into account they subjugate and kill without qualms. This results in a long game of sorts because Arisians realize full-out confrontation between the two would just result in destruction of everything, and it's decided they'll oppose the Eddorians covertly and using others. Book than fast forwards multiple times to different epochs; from fall of Atlantis, Roman times to three World Wars after which there's a break and the original story begins. It was the less engaging part for me so I'll just say it concerns a special agent operative for the Triplanetary government raiding a pirate's artificial moon, government itself finally creating an inertialess drive and there's also a first contact scenario with another race that seeks to claim all the iron it can.
Basically, Tirplanetary the novel is kind of a jumbled mess of many ideas but I rather liked it regardless. I just wish more of said ideas were better explored because it keeps switching to multiple POVs in a relatively short story so it ends up being disorienting. I wish I could tell you more about how it ties into the series at large, but seeing as this is the first book that may be kinda difficult at the moment.
Characters are a sore spot for the story because, well, there really aren't any that get much of a spotlight in the first half because it blazes through so much time so fast. Something is clear, though – Arisians are definitely either encouraging certain characteristics in groups of people or there's a more going on with the story I'm not yet privy to. Triplanetary story proper gets more fleshed out, though. Triplanetary Patrol agent Conway Costigan is our so characteristic for the period protagonist who is seemingly everything rolled into one, from a badass soldier to genius scientist and ladies man. He and crew, of which captain Bradley stands out as support, get rolled up with the whole pirate moon affair and our hero's love flame Clio Marsden ends up coming for the ride. Much to my own surprise she's not as useless as I imagined she would be even if she does still swoon over her man. Pirate boss apparent Gray Roger comes off entirely purposefully almost a a non-character, but has a darker secret that was added with the rewrite and I liked him as the antagonist. Definitely worth mentioning are also the characters working on faster-than-light engine and they're all awesome in their own non-awesome way.
I alluded to it previously, but Triplanetary is written in that very '30s and '40s style of SF where you can immediately tell the author had a background in chemistry of some sort the way he throws term at you. This strangely enough ages the work in my opinion. Not to say that's a bad thing, but coming to it from the way modern SF is written it's definitely odd. While it may suffer from weak characterization it espouses the approach of showing and not telling with rarely present narrative dumps on the reader. This in return means you may not understand what everything characters are talking about is, but I prefer that organic approach. First and second half also feel like contrasting parts in how they approach storytelling purely because one is a setting primer while other is the actual story.
I may have given the impression I didn't like the novel, but that's pretty far from the truth. It was very much enjoyable and sure got me motivated to check out the rest of the Lensman series.
Where to even begin with a space opera hailing from what was arguably the golden age for genre as far as literary works go? Well, I guess I could touch on what I previously mentioned – this final release of the work was not exactly how it began. Putting aside the fact it was serialized in parts it originally also only dealt with the latter half of the work, and even that was reworked for the final version to include references and tie-in more closely to the entire Lensman series. Which I guess makes the entire thing ironic that for me, as it is right now, it's the newly added prologue that really connects an otherwise very generic SF story to a greater whole and gives weight to events.
Until the original story begins in the second half we are treated to two supreme races; Arisians and Eddorians. They're two polar opposites of each other and yet both are bent on shaping the universe with their hands. Arisians take the role of the archetypal mentor race that was content just observing how things shaped up for the most part and interceded where appropriate for their grand master plan until they met the Eddorians who are just as archetypal evil race doing evil for it's own sake and superiority over everyone else. Sadly, this doesn't mean they're stupid and Eddorians in fact have arguably just as much success as Arisians do even taking into account they subjugate and kill without qualms. This results in a long game of sorts because Arisians realize full-out confrontation between the two would just result in destruction of everything, and it's decided they'll oppose the Eddorians covertly and using others. Book than fast forwards multiple times to different epochs; from fall of Atlantis, Roman times to three World Wars after which there's a break and the original story begins. It was the less engaging part for me so I'll just say it concerns a special agent operative for the Triplanetary government raiding a pirate's artificial moon, government itself finally creating an inertialess drive and there's also a first contact scenario with another race that seeks to claim all the iron it can.
Basically, Tirplanetary the novel is kind of a jumbled mess of many ideas but I rather liked it regardless. I just wish more of said ideas were better explored because it keeps switching to multiple POVs in a relatively short story so it ends up being disorienting. I wish I could tell you more about how it ties into the series at large, but seeing as this is the first book that may be kinda difficult at the moment.
Characters are a sore spot for the story because, well, there really aren't any that get much of a spotlight in the first half because it blazes through so much time so fast. Something is clear, though – Arisians are definitely either encouraging certain characteristics in groups of people or there's a more going on with the story I'm not yet privy to. Triplanetary story proper gets more fleshed out, though. Triplanetary Patrol agent Conway Costigan is our so characteristic for the period protagonist who is seemingly everything rolled into one, from a badass soldier to genius scientist and ladies man. He and crew, of which captain Bradley stands out as support, get rolled up with the whole pirate moon affair and our hero's love flame Clio Marsden ends up coming for the ride. Much to my own surprise she's not as useless as I imagined she would be even if she does still swoon over her man. Pirate boss apparent Gray Roger comes off entirely purposefully almost a a non-character, but has a darker secret that was added with the rewrite and I liked him as the antagonist. Definitely worth mentioning are also the characters working on faster-than-light engine and they're all awesome in their own non-awesome way.
I alluded to it previously, but Triplanetary is written in that very '30s and '40s style of SF where you can immediately tell the author had a background in chemistry of some sort the way he throws term at you. This strangely enough ages the work in my opinion. Not to say that's a bad thing, but coming to it from the way modern SF is written it's definitely odd. While it may suffer from weak characterization it espouses the approach of showing and not telling with rarely present narrative dumps on the reader. This in return means you may not understand what everything characters are talking about is, but I prefer that organic approach. First and second half also feel like contrasting parts in how they approach storytelling purely because one is a setting primer while other is the actual story.
I may have given the impression I didn't like the novel, but that's pretty far from the truth. It was very much enjoyable and sure got me motivated to check out the rest of the Lensman series.
stephenmeansme's review against another edition
2.0
Has some amusing moments, but ultimately comes off as a bad representative of Golden Age pulp excess, including some cringey two-fisted casual mass murder by nerve gas in the third part.
rheren's review against another edition
4.0
Well, you've gotta take it for what it is: old-style science fiction. The characters are simple: the good guys are incorruptibly good and the bad guys are horribly bad. The science is pretty eyebrow-raising. However, for a good entertaining light reading this classic is well worth enjoying. It moves fast and has very creative and imaginative aliens, which is good.
robertgar's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
balconyfalconry's review against another edition
1.0
When I was small, my grandfather would always regale me with narratives from one of his favorite space operas, Doc Smith's Lensman series. Though I know a lot about it (and how it's kind of an ur-text for the Green Lantern story, being a galactic patrol given powers by a group of ancient watchers to battle ancient space evil), I'd never actually read any until now. It's rough going.
Smith has some compelling ideas and creations, but its difficult to find in the blocky prose. Characters are static and wooden to the point I gave up trying to tell any of the men apart. The lone female character (damsel in distress and love interest) is an unfortunate product of a bygone time. I may read further because this truly felt like an almost tangentially related and developed prequel to the more serial promise of the Lensman series. I just hope the writing loosens up.
Smith has some compelling ideas and creations, but its difficult to find in the blocky prose. Characters are static and wooden to the point I gave up trying to tell any of the men apart. The lone female character (damsel in distress and love interest) is an unfortunate product of a bygone time. I may read further because this truly felt like an almost tangentially related and developed prequel to the more serial promise of the Lensman series. I just hope the writing loosens up.
awilderm23's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
Fun pulpy romp reminiscent of ERB but with more spaceships. The sexism doesn’t age well
Fun pulpy romp reminiscent of ERB but with more spaceships. The sexism doesn’t age well