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A review by chrisgordon65
Triplanetary by E.E. "Doc" Smith
4.0
This was one of the most beloved series of my childhood, and my introduction to space opera, so there was a bit of trepidation in going back to see if the magic was still there.
Largely, but not completely, yes.
In some respects this is one of the most influential science fiction works of all time. It's one of the earliest space operas and many (including me) credit it for inspiring Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5 and many other Space Opera staples. In fact the Jedi aren't all that far removed from Lensmen (who you don't get to meet in this first volume) and the Green Lantern Corps in DC comics are entirely based on the Lensmen, with DC acknowledging that by naming two lanterns Eddore and Arisia.
But back to this book.
For a start this volume was retrofitted to provide an introduction to the subsequent books in the Lensmen series. The main part of the novel was written in 1934 and the first half was added in 1948 to provide a running start through history that describes how the Arisians became aware of the Eddorians, how they intervened in a bit of genetic manipulation involving that cheeky planet Earth, and how the characters possessing the traits of "red-bronze-auburn hair and gold-flecked, tawny eyes", and usually the name Kinnison, took centre stage in significant moments in history.
So it reads a bit disjointed for that remixing, but I didn't mind that. For me the bits that jar are occasions where the dialog aims to be romantic, but is now extremely dated, unrealistic and even nauseating, taking you out of the already stretched suspended disbelief) and also the the pseudo scientific explanations offered for space travel and defensive measures (inertia-less drive, rods, beams, rays and screens, to name a few, that seem to overlap and become hard to visualise).
That being said, this second go at the series DID bring back a rush of memories and enjoyment. I was a massive fan of pulps, including Tarzan, Conan and Sherlock Holmes, in my early teens and would read these whenever a chance presented. As a regular pulp reader, I have a fairly high tolerance for dated or unrealistic dialog but Smith should really leave "the feels" to others.
The ideas are still, in many cases, breathtaking even if some of the political and social subtext and narrative are more a product of the pre and post war period it belongs to. Ironically, while the romantic dialog ratchets the cheese right up to 11, Robert Heinlein suggests that Smith's plan for future books was to have the genetically perfect Kinnison siblings breed amongst themselves which was quite a daring thought for its day and anything but corn-ball.
My fondness for the books probably elevates the star rating I gave it... and that includes the fact that I know subsequent books, where the Galactic Patrol and the Lensmen come into being, are stronger. But I found myself flying through the pages, which is a good sign. I think true fans of ANY genre do well to read the classics and this certainly qualifies. Without reading this, I wouldn't have read the Foundation series, Dune series, Riverworld series, Pliocene Exiles etc etc.
For all it's flaws, the swashbuckling style is in every page and that's harder to recreate or find in later works. One thing old science fiction pulps offer is a world unrestrained by all of today's pesky science that prohibits so many out-there ideas. Also, a lot of them hail back to a more optimistic time, and that's not a bad thing at all. And if nothing else attracts you, it's cheap as chips on Kindle, so I suggest you give it a crack.
Largely, but not completely, yes.
In some respects this is one of the most influential science fiction works of all time. It's one of the earliest space operas and many (including me) credit it for inspiring Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5 and many other Space Opera staples. In fact the Jedi aren't all that far removed from Lensmen (who you don't get to meet in this first volume) and the Green Lantern Corps in DC comics are entirely based on the Lensmen, with DC acknowledging that by naming two lanterns Eddore and Arisia.
But back to this book.
For a start this volume was retrofitted to provide an introduction to the subsequent books in the Lensmen series. The main part of the novel was written in 1934 and the first half was added in 1948 to provide a running start through history that describes how the Arisians became aware of the Eddorians, how they intervened in a bit of genetic manipulation involving that cheeky planet Earth, and how the characters possessing the traits of "red-bronze-auburn hair and gold-flecked, tawny eyes", and usually the name Kinnison, took centre stage in significant moments in history.
So it reads a bit disjointed for that remixing, but I didn't mind that. For me the bits that jar are occasions where the dialog aims to be romantic, but is now extremely dated, unrealistic and even nauseating, taking you out of the already stretched suspended disbelief) and also the the pseudo scientific explanations offered for space travel and defensive measures (inertia-less drive, rods, beams, rays and screens, to name a few, that seem to overlap and become hard to visualise).
That being said, this second go at the series DID bring back a rush of memories and enjoyment. I was a massive fan of pulps, including Tarzan, Conan and Sherlock Holmes, in my early teens and would read these whenever a chance presented. As a regular pulp reader, I have a fairly high tolerance for dated or unrealistic dialog but Smith should really leave "the feels" to others.
The ideas are still, in many cases, breathtaking even if some of the political and social subtext and narrative are more a product of the pre and post war period it belongs to. Ironically, while the romantic dialog ratchets the cheese right up to 11, Robert Heinlein suggests that Smith's plan for future books was to have the genetically perfect Kinnison siblings breed amongst themselves which was quite a daring thought for its day and anything but corn-ball.
My fondness for the books probably elevates the star rating I gave it... and that includes the fact that I know subsequent books, where the Galactic Patrol and the Lensmen come into being, are stronger. But I found myself flying through the pages, which is a good sign. I think true fans of ANY genre do well to read the classics and this certainly qualifies. Without reading this, I wouldn't have read the Foundation series, Dune series, Riverworld series, Pliocene Exiles etc etc.
For all it's flaws, the swashbuckling style is in every page and that's harder to recreate or find in later works. One thing old science fiction pulps offer is a world unrestrained by all of today's pesky science that prohibits so many out-there ideas. Also, a lot of them hail back to a more optimistic time, and that's not a bad thing at all. And if nothing else attracts you, it's cheap as chips on Kindle, so I suggest you give it a crack.