Rating: 
Summary: Dated, but still fun
Review: As a classic Sci-Fi novel it reads pretty good. Much of the futuristic speculative science is not yet either obsolete nor proven impossible 60 years later. Some of the high-tech foreseen by Vogt includes a society run by a mega-computer which selects leader based on a mental discipline and philosophy called "Null-A." Our hero enrolls in the annual selection by the computer after some years of study. Selected winners are sent to an imaginative colony on Venus. Everything in perfect order, until he finds out that his brain has been tampered with, he isn't who he thinks he is, and nothing is as it seems. The Earth is a pawn in a galaxy wide political plot wherein one evil dictator is planning to destroy Earth and Mars as and use it as justification to start a huge interstellar war. Our hero finds out that his brain has been genetically augmented to give him extra abilities, and his body is being cloned and the clones receiving his mental patterns so that when he is killed the clone takes over without loss, a sort of immortality. Typical of early sci-fi the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts. There is a woman in the plot, and he almost but not quite manages a relationship. In Vogt style it ends when he gets tired of writing without the reader finding out what ever became of the space war. Still, it's an entertaining read on a lazy afternoon.
Rating:
Summary: Dated, but still fun
Review: As a classic Sci-Fi novel it reads pretty good. Much of the futuristic speculative science is not yet either obsolete nor proven impossible 60 years later. Some of the high-tech foreseen by Vogt includes a society run by a mega-computer which selects leader based on a mental discipline and philosophy called "Null-A." Our hero enrolls in the annual selection by the computer after some years of study. Selected winners are sent to an imaginative colony on Venus. Everything in perfect order, until he finds out that his brain has been tampered with, he isn't who he thinks he is, and nothing is as it seems. The Earth is a pawn in a galaxy wide political plot wherein one evil dictator is planning to destroy Earth and Mars as and use it as justification to start a huge interstellar war. Our hero finds out that his brain has been genetically augmented to give him extra abilities, and his body is being cloned and the clones receiving his mental patterns so that when he is killed the clone takes over without loss, a sort of immortality. Typical of early sci-fi the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts. There is a woman in the plot, and he almost but not quite manages a relationship. In Vogt style it ends when he gets tired of writing without the reader finding out what ever became of the space war. Still, it's an entertaining read on a lazy afternoon.
Rating: 
Summary: NULL-Sci-Fi
Review: Have you ever read a story and then wondered what you had read? That was my question after finishing this bedtime thriller. I really got interested in Gilbert's plight, not knowing who or what he was, not knowing why he had a second embryonic brain? And I liked his encounters with asexual Pat Hardie--there always seemed to be hope for a romance there. But I finished the story frustrated and feeling like I had been set up with the first book of a trilogy. Frankly, I knew less about Gilbert on the last page than I did on the first. Yes, we found out he was a pawn, like every character in the story, but what kind of chess game was this? Who were the real life players?I never quite grabbed the non Aristotelian stuff and General Semantics also left me cold. Why would one write a novel instead of an essay, to interest others in semantics. Semantics is a word game. Semantics worries about words, sets of words, and loses sight of the forest while examining the trees. And nothing in the story showed that Null-A characters were any better or worse off than non Null-A characters. Null-A's were as good at being pawns as were the others. Anyway, it seemed like the Null-A characters were all undercover, pretending to be Aristotelian. And no, I don't want the Author explaining the story in a belated Introduction. So I doubt I'll bother to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: NULL-Sci-Fi
Review: Have you ever read a story and then wondered what you had read? That was my question after finishing this bedtime thriller. I really got interested in Gilbert's plight, not knowing who or what he was, not knowing why he had a second embryonic brain? And I liked his encounters with asexual Pat Hardie--there always seemed to be hope for a romance there. But I finished the story frustrated and feeling like I had been set up with the first book of a trilogy. Frankly, I knew less about Gilbert on the last page than I did on the first. Yes, we found out he was a pawn, like every character in the story, but what kind of chess game was this? Who were the real life players? I never quite grabbed the non Aristotelian stuff and General Semantics also left me cold. Why would one write a novel instead of an essay, to interest others in semantics. Semantics is a word game. Semantics worries about words, sets of words, and loses sight of the forest while examining the trees. And nothing in the story showed that Null-A characters were any better or worse off than non Null-A characters. Null-A's were as good at being pawns as were the others. Anyway, it seemed like the Null-A characters were all undercover, pretending to be Aristotelian. And no, I don't want the Author explaining the story in a belated Introduction. So I doubt I'll bother to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Science and Sanity
Review: I first read this novel some 30 years ago and was interested, because of it, in General Semantics that is a basis behind the novel. For years I searched for 'Science and Sanity' by Alfred Korzybski but it was well out of print. (Now that I have the resources of the Internet at my fingertips I'm sure my search will be more productive.) I did learn more about General Semantics from various books I read on linguistics. I'm still interested in the Null-A concepts but on re-reading this novel I'm not as satisfied in it as a lead in to General Semantics (but then it did trigger my initial interest). Science Fiction writers do often take up ideas and educate the readers with them - often technological or scientific ideas - but not always. Philip K Dick introduced the concept of empathy to me ('Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep') in a way that I will never forget. Unfortunately I do not believe Mr van Vogt does such a good job here. As for the story - it's a good yarn with some really radical ideas and excellent imagery.
Rating:
Summary: Science and Sanity
Review: I first read this novel some 30 years ago and was interested, because of it, in General Semantics that is a basis behind the novel. For years I searched for 'Science and Sanity' by Alfred Korzybski but it was well out of print. (Now that I have the resources of the Internet at my fingertips I'm sure my search will be more productive.) I did learn more about General Semantics from various books I read on linguistics. I'm still interested in the Null-A concepts but on re-reading this novel I'm not as satisfied in it as a lead in to General Semantics (but then it did trigger my initial interest). Science Fiction writers do often take up ideas and educate the readers with them - often technological or scientific ideas - but not always. Philip K Dick introduced the concept of empathy to me ('Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep') in a way that I will never forget. Unfortunately I do not believe Mr van Vogt does such a good job here. As for the story - it's a good yarn with some really radical ideas and excellent imagery.
Rating: 
Summary: Ingenius in every aspect , unbelivengly entertaining.
Review: I must tell you : I'm not objective. I can't be when it comes to Van Vogt. This book is sheer delight. Plot-twists on plot-twists , strong-willed and self confident hero ( as always ) , ingenius enemies and problems to be handled , the usuall magnificent huge scope , and that trait which I cannot define that makes Van Vogt's writings more than just a super-entertaining story. I just could'nt stop reading , could'nt take my eyes of the book. And another thing-I was conscious of my delight while expiriencing it-and that't something to remember! "A World Of Null-A" is one of the greater books of Alfred Elton Van-Vogt. Buy it-no matter the price.
Rating: 
Summary: genius jumps to conclusions
Review: I was disappointed by this book. I had hoped for a brain thrilling breakthrough, new perceptions on exceptional thinking processes. Unfortunately the protagonists simply jumps to his seammingly farfetched (aka non Artistotelian?) conclusions askes a leap of faith for the readers. I'd much rather have learned more about how to change for A to null-A thinking. Of course it is a book best seen in the time it was written (copyright 1945). The structure, with it's chaotic start, that puzzles the reader for the first couple of chapters, is something not commenly found after the 50's. And yes, it is a sf classic, but no, it's not a good read that I can recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Classic in its time
Review: If this book was released today I don't think it would be as critically praised as it has been and regarded as an outright classic of Golden Age SF. It's not that standards were lower back then, but the audience was different and looking for a different type of story, one that audiences today probably aren't as interested in. Of course, keeping in mind that, all nostalgia aside, most of the Golden Age SF, except for a handful of notable authors was mostly derivative crap, this book looks pretty good indeed. It's original, for the most part it's readable and often times fairly exciting. What we have here is a hero who has no idea who he really is fighting against an enemy and being manipulated every time he turns around. Like most novels of the period, Van Vogt wasn't about to let something as simple as plot get in the way of a good story and it shows. The book is supposed to be based around the concept of General Semantics which I admittedly know nothing about and didn't learn much from the book itself . . . the concept is never really fully explained except for general asides and most of the stuff "fully null-A people" would do strikes me as mostly common sense (attack an army at night? it takes a logical system of thought to figure that out) so I suspect there's more to it than Van Vogt shows us. The best way to read this book is as quickly as possible, preferably in one sitting . . . plots shift gears and scenes change so quickly and ideas are tossed out with such uncaring glee that when you're immersed in the story, it's great fun. But when you take a step back to think about it, you're not so pleased. But the ideas and the feelings are what make this story work and explains why people still read it fifty some odd years after its publication . . . it's certainly not for the sophisticated writing or the depth of charactization but simply because it's a fun book that at best will get you interested in General Semantics and at worst will simply entertain you.
Rating:
Summary: Classic in its time
Review: If this book was released today I don't think it would be as critically praised as it has been and regarded as an outright classic of Golden Age SF. It's not that standards were lower back then, but the audience was different and looking for a different type of story, one that audiences today probably aren't as interested in. Of course, keeping in mind that, all nostalgia aside, most of the Golden Age SF, except for a handful of notable authors was mostly derivative crap, this book looks pretty good indeed. It's original, for the most part it's readable and often times fairly exciting. What we have here is a hero who has no idea who he really is fighting against an enemy and being manipulated every time he turns around. Like most novels of the period, Van Vogt wasn't about to let something as simple as plot get in the way of a good story and it shows. The book is supposed to be based around the concept of General Semantics which I admittedly know nothing about and didn't learn much from the book itself . . . the concept is never really fully explained except for general asides and most of the stuff "fully null-A people" would do strikes me as mostly common sense (attack an army at night? it takes a logical system of thought to figure that out) so I suspect there's more to it than Van Vogt shows us. The best way to read this book is as quickly as possible, preferably in one sitting . . . plots shift gears and scenes change so quickly and ideas are tossed out with such uncaring glee that when you're immersed in the story, it's great fun. But when you take a step back to think about it, you're not so pleased. But the ideas and the feelings are what make this story work and explains why people still read it fifty some odd years after its publication . . . it's certainly not for the sophisticated writing or the depth of charactization but simply because it's a fun book that at best will get you interested in General Semantics and at worst will simply entertain you.
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