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Summary: The best science fiction i`ve ever read
Review: I hope that anywhone of the movie makers will film the lensmen stories They will beat starwars and startrek for miles
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Summary: Skip the Clute review, read the book!
Review: I liked the book a lot. It's clear though, that John Clute doesn't like Doc Smith and would rather be reading a Jane Austen novel. Skip Clute's intro and go for the main event!
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Summary: A beginning is a very wonderful thing
Review: I think probably the most relevant point one could make about Smith's work, and one which quite gratifyingly has been made in other reviews, is that it is one of the best ways to enter this genre. That is exactly what happened to me, way back when in New Jersey.A neighbor gave me a copy of Triplanetary to read, and I was hooked. Off I went on my continuing voyage into the unknown, made known to us by great writers like EE 'Doc' Smith. I have read other works I like equally or better, in some ways, but really, nothing compares to the sheer joy of discovering the genre through Smith's books. It's kinda a 'first-time' thing. I commend these books to you without reservation. I strongly agree that, should you wish to introduce a child to this thought provoking genre (well, sometimes it is) than these are the books to do that with. Enjoy.
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Summary: If only I were reading it for the first time..
Review: I was a little kid when I read this book, but seeing it again reminded me of what a great series it is part of. It was all created by Edward E. "Doc" Smith, Ph.D. Sure the book is dated but it was written in the 1940s and that was almost a different world than the one that came to be. Example: amid all the super-advanced technology, computers don't play a role. The illustrations (great ones by A.J. Donnell, by the way) show hats and haircuts and aerodynamic spaceships you won't see outside of a classic film festival. Sure you can kick some holes in the plot and none of the book is politically correct, but wow it is fun! Your first time with the Lensman books is something you won't forget. Go get them and enjoy! And how I wish I could read them all again for the first time, learning about Arisia, evil Eddore and the Lens of Civilization. It was just plain fun.
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Summary: Seminal series that influenced all subsequent SF. A Prereq!
Review: Many great writers took inspiration from this series and many more readers cut their philisophical teeth on it. It may have influenced my world view more than any other single item when I first read it at age 11, and it certainly opened up the worlds of great ideas and noble investigation of the rest of the genre to me. I recommend that you read the series (even though it is a little dated and melodramatic by today's standards), AND that you use it to introduce children ages 11 and above to the joys of the genre.
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Summary: A great series
Review: One of the only 6-book series I've enjoyed enough to finish. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Fast Paced--leaves me panting and dizzy with excitement1
Review: Smith rewove his spell with his second prequel to the Lensmen books. I confess that I have never read anything so energetic and face paced; in fact, every chapter is a novelette in its own right. Why haven't these books been made into films or miniseries?! This book is essentially the story of the call of Virgil Samms as the First Lensman. With his lens, he is able to crack a futuristic drug ring. Many subplots involve the expansion of the Lensmen corps, the election of one of the Lensmen as North American President, and the formation of the Galactic Patrol. So is this book Sci-Fi? Is it crime drama, a la "Dragnet?" Is it politics? I don't know: it crosses many genera and is as thick as "Dune" or "Lord of the Rings." I am impressed with the leap from the thin stories of Verne and Wells, to this tick and meaty tale of the future. Admittedly there are some anachronisms, such as references to the Ether Theory, and vacuum tubes on the space ships. One character even references a "Slip-stick," which is a slide rule. But this aid to the charm and quaintness, and do not detract from a great story. The originally thin characters round out and actually become people in this novel. I think this series finally comes alive in this book, and breaks out of the pulp mold. I see seeds of Smith's world cropping up in Star Trek, Star Wars, Forbidden Planet, Babylon Five, and other pre-WWII sci-fi novels. Truly, it was a golden age. I am absolutely hooked on this series and eagerly await reading the remaining books.
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Summary: Let's Not Go Overboard
Review: Space opera as an art form from the golden age of SF. E.E.Doc Smith (a Dr. of nutrition of all things!) wrote one of the best (if somewhat dated) SF series. The Lensman spawned cartoons, comics, and a second, much lamer, series (not by Smith.) This is the ultimate battle between good and evil, dark and light, spanning time and space. Corny - you bet. Unforgetable? Yep. If you like SF (and you must, otherwise you would not be here, right?) then read this series. It was out of print for many years - now it's back. Grab it while you can!
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Summary: A series all true SF fans MUST read
Review: Space opera as an art form from the golden age of SF. E.E.Doc Smith (a Dr. of nutrition of all things!) wrote one of the best (if somewhat dated) SF series. The Lensman spawned cartoons, comics, and a second, much lamer, series (not by Smith.) This is the ultimate battle between good and evil, dark and light, spanning time and space. Corny - you bet. Unforgetable? Yep. If you like SF (and you must, otherwise you would not be here, right?) then read this series. It was out of print for many years - now it's back. Grab it while you can!
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Summary: Lensman
Review: The Lensman series is a great series, a foundation of science fiction. It came before Isaac Asimov, and started the subject of interplanetary colonization. I certainly recommend it to a science fiction fanatic.
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