Rating: 
Summary: Great in its Time
Review: Flash Gordon move over. Way back when the world was new, this was the book to read for space opera. In its time it rates five stars, at the millenium (oh, so its a year-and-a-half away, don't quibble!) it is definitely dated. We have men being real men and women being real women. We can depend on the "good guys" to take care of us. Shades of the Authoritarian Years, Batman! For those of you too young to remember Batman, the series, on TV (no not the cartoon!) I think you will find fainting femmes and trustworthy side-kicks a bit dated. Triplanetary seems to have been written to "set the stage" for the later books in the series - I'm not sure which was written first, chronologically, but it sure seems like a prequel. Now-a-days we expect a little sophistication, a little subtlety and a little less than perfection in our heroes and in our villians. If we agree that "Space Opera" need only describe a world where all the kids are above average, where there is just one "Good" and all the rest either "Evil" or lazy and/or ignorant then this is good "Space Opera". I recommend you read the second and third books in the series (First Lensman and Second Stage Lensman -if my memory has held up to these 3 decades) and then go back to this one. I loved this series and still do, but it is a creature of its author's time/worldview (mine too, I guess).
Rating: 
Summary: This is a classic for readers of all ages!
Review: I first read the lensman series as a young girl. My father was an avid science fiction reader and had the entire 6-book series, which I started to read in the early fifties. Back then, you didn't do book reports on science fiction books. They weren't considered "literature." Oh, the wasted time I spent on some of the books considered "appropriate" for a 10-year-old girl! I spent as much time as I could reading these wonderful lensmen books (as well as other great sci-fi writers). While the dialogue might seem old-fashioned today, the stories themselves are timeless. What a wonderful experience awaits the new reader!
Rating:
Summary: Lensmen Forever!
Review: I first read this series in the 50's in grammar school, and it blew my mind. Then I read it again in the mid-60's when I was in college, and I still loved it. Then I lost my copies and went searching for replacements, and recently found the newest editions -- and I enjoyed them immensely once again. Yesterday, I solemnly handed my six volumes of this story to my 13 year old son, who is dyslexic, and I'm sure the Lensmen will soon rank with Harry Potter. As long as there is a perception of good and evil, this series will rank among the greatest ever written. You can read the other reviews for the details, but read the series as well -- you'll get hooked immediately!
Rating:
Summary: Lensmen Forever!
Review: I first read this series in the 50's in grammar school, and it blew my mind. Then I read it again in the mid-60's when I was in college, and I still loved it. Then I lost my copies and went searching for replacements, and recently found the newest editions -- and I enjoyed them immensely once again. Yesterday, I solemnly handed my six volumes of this story to my 13 year old son, who is dyslexic, and I'm sure the Lensmen will soon rank with Harry Potter. As long as there is a perception of good and evil, this series will rank among the greatest ever written. You can read the other reviews for the details, but read the series as well -- you'll get hooked immediately!
Rating:
Summary: Best Series Ever
Review: I first read this series in the early 70's with the late 60's, early 70's release. During those years homework, exams, and term papers had to wait until I got and read the next volume of this series. Much of the science today we know to be untrue, however, because they were written by a scientist with that mindset we can forgive these things. Additionally some of his speculations have subsequently been verified with current discoveries, vis a vis negative matter (anti-matter) However the best part of this series is the great StoryTelling. This is an art which today even many of the more famous authors have not mastered. Doc Smith is the greatest StoryTeller of the gendra, and the Lensmen Series is his best work. I have reread my copies at least 100 times, I am now happy to be able to replace them. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: The Lensman series is excellent. Some of the best 1950s SF.
Review: I read these books in high school in the late 1950s and have never forgotten them. They are true classics of Science Fiction and rank among the very best. A must for collectors and readers alike!
Rating:
Summary: A great premise setting novel for a great series.
Review: I read this about 27 years ago as an adolescent. This is an absolutely fantastic start to a terrific series of books....perfect for a young mind who is just getting into sci fi. After completing Triplanetary and the following Lensman books, The Foundation Series is a natural. Triplanetary is the foundry wherein science fiction buffs are created.
Rating:
Summary: A outstanding Sci-Fi Series and story too
Review: I read this whole series many years ago and have been seeking to get the whole series again. I lost them when I moved. can wait to repurchase them. I've waited a long time. I wish some day they would make a movie of this like the Star Wars movie. it's a better story.
Rating: 
Summary: Lensman Series, Book 1
Review: I wanted to read this book as I recently read a review on the Star Wars movies that stated this series was a basis for the Jedi Knights. In the end I enjoyed this book, but I found it slow in the begining although this is somewhat necessary as it provides the backdrop for the later books in the Lensman series.E. E. Smith does a good job of using actual history (Rome, World War I,World War II), legend (Atlantis) a fictional basis for the universe and time as a whole. While written 60 years ago, the terminology/technology is not terribly out of date by today's standard of writing and science fiction in general. Looking at the other reviews Phyed-rautha says it very well. I am not an avid reader (maybe a book every other month) and the fact I had difficulty putting it down leads to my high rating. I lower the rating (from 5 stars) due to the slow start.
Rating:
Summary: Lensman Series, Book 1
Review: I wanted to read this book as I recently read a review on the Star Wars movies that stated this series was a basis for the Jedi Knights. In the end I enjoyed this book, but I found it slow in the begining although this is somewhat necessary as it provides the backdrop for the later books in the Lensman series. E. E. Smith does a good job of using actual history (Rome, World War I,World War II), legend (Atlantis) a fictional basis for the universe and time as a whole. While written 60 years ago, the terminology/technology is not terribly out of date by today's standard of writing and science fiction in general. Looking at the other reviews Phyed-rautha says it very well. I am not an avid reader (maybe a book every other month) and the fact I had difficulty putting it down leads to my high rating. I lower the rating (from 5 stars) due to the slow start.
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