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Rating: 
Summary: If this is what you are looking for, you found it
Review: These are definitely stories of more historical than literary interest. Jack Williamson is an amazing writer, but also an amazingly prolific writer, and let's face it, they can't all be gems. These were stories produced by the word for the pulps, and it shows. I will buy and read the other volumes in this beautifully produced series, but this one at least would make slow going for anyone not a dedicated fan of the author and/or the era.
Rating: 
Summary: Sci-Fi they way they used to write it.
Review: These stories are from 1928-1931 and appeared mostly in Amazing Stories magazine, an early "pulp" rag of which the only survivor is the still-available Weird Tales (Quarterly). Jack Williamson was in his early 20s when he wrote these, and the tales are full of the passion, excitement, wonder and naivete of a young man. These are "space operas" in the truest sense -- fantastic landscapes, shakey science, high adventure, and beautiful girls (who seem to always appear out of nowhere, for no reason other than to titilate; they often don't speak English, but they're eager to learn!). Not literature, but who cares. I found this book so entertaining, I bought the other two currently available. I wish the original illustrations could have been included -- the covers of the original magazines are cleverly used to decorate the endpapers though. Also, the typesetting is not up to standard. ITC Garamond is not ideal for text setting (there are no true small caps, text figures or ligitures available, and the X-height is HUGE), and there are double spaces between sentences. I can forgive these shortcomings because they are not a serious impediment to the enjoyment of the material, and the stories are a real joy to read. The titles of the stories on offer are: The Metal Man, The Girl from Mars, The Alien Intelligence, The Second Shell, The Green Girl, The Cosmic Express, The Birth of a New Republic, The Prince of Space, and The Meteor Girl. The publisher, who is doing a real service by preserving these gems, says the series will total about seven volumes. I'm the first in line.
Rating:
Summary: Sci-Fi they way they used to write it.
Review: These stories are from 1928-1931 and appeared mostly in Amazing Stories magazine, an early "pulp" rag of which the only survivor is the still-available Weird Tales (Quarterly). Jack Williamson was in his early 20s when he wrote these, and the tales are full of the passion, excitement, wonder and naivete of a young man. These are "space operas" in the truest sense -- fantastic landscapes, shakey science, high adventure, and beautiful girls (who seem to always appear out of nowhere, for no reason other than to titilate; they often don't speak English, but they're eager to learn!). Not literature, but who cares. I found this book so entertaining, I bought the other two currently available. I wish the original illustrations could have been included -- the covers of the original magazines are cleverly used to decorate the endpapers though. Also, the typesetting is not up to standard. ITC Garamond is not ideal for text setting (there are no true small caps, text figures or ligitures available, and the X-height is HUGE), and there are double spaces between sentences. I can forgive these shortcomings because they are not a serious impediment to the enjoyment of the material, and the stories are a real joy to read. The titles of the stories on offer are: The Metal Man, The Girl from Mars, The Alien Intelligence, The Second Shell, The Green Girl, The Cosmic Express, The Birth of a New Republic, The Prince of Space, and The Meteor Girl. The publisher, who is doing a real service by preserving these gems, says the series will total about seven volumes. I'm the first in line.
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