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Summary: One of the best series in all of Science Fiction.
Review: I've been reading science fiction for 30 years. Oddly enough I only discovered the Lensman series 5 years or so ago from a reference in one of Heinlein's books. This was a fortunate discovery as they represent some of the best SciFi I have ever read. Do yourself a favor, get at least the first two books in this series. If, for some reason they don't appeal to you then pass them around. Believe me, someone will really appreciate it.
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Summary: Read The Copyright Page!
Review: If one reads the copyright page one discovers that the latter third of Triplanetary was originally published in 1934, five years before Asimov had his first story published. The 1948 date is when Triplanetary was first published in book form with new material.
The books are of an era long gone, and to judge them the standards of today is a diservice.
And as SF (or stef as it was called, sci-fi not having been invented until the 50s) of the era they're much better than most of what was being published then.
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Summary: Great Escapism Coupled to Some Ugly Flaws
Review: It is impossible for me to approach this series with anything but mixed feelings. I first read it decades ago, and it was written even earlier, between the two world wars when Captain America seemed something more than cardboard. This series hooked me on a lifelong addiction to science fiction, so I cannot view it impassively. It will always be associated with pleasant discoveries.This series arouses so much nostalgia in readers that any criticism of it risks sending my review ratings into the toilet. However, maturity compels me to critique it honestly, and the light of objectivity reveals some harsh and ugly flaws. First, the good stuff. This is an unpretentious series entirely devoted to plot. The superficiality of the characters doesn't detract. Nor do the simplistic, cartoon-like settings. The story barrels along like a runaway train, and performs admirably as escapist adventure fare. Think Buck Rogers meets Conan the Barbarian. And because it doesn't pretend to depth and doesn't employ any artifice, the simple-minded nature of the story is actually quite engaging. Moreover, the cheesy dialogue and the hammy characterizations are a lot of fun, adding to the Buck Rogers like feel. But the series is also deeply disturbing. As a product of its era, it is burdened with the baggage of its insular xenophobia. Its rah-rah jingoism is not only grating, but troubling, especially in light of the fruits that such jingoism has since borne. Mindless chauvinism may be tolerable in dime novels, but not in science fiction, a genre that has always worked to expand horizons and promote a higher awareness. Here, the setting aside, we might as well be reading a comic book. These books do not invite us to think. The good guys are obvious in the crudest sense of the word. The bad guys, even more so. And the death, genocide and mass exterminations that course through the series are all excused on the implicit understanding that bad guys deserve to die and good guys deserve to do the killing. I have heard this series referred to as a "classic of the genre" When I compare it to true classics of the genre like, 2001, Dune, Foundation, or Fahrenheit 451, where every loss is real and where death leads to anguished soul-searching, I cannot help but shudder at how utterly callow this series is. If you think of science fiction as nothing more than pulp fiction in an unconventional setting, and you are prepared to discard your moral compass, then this series is a great action flick with its requisite allotment of pyrotechnics and mega-death. The good guys [prevail] while the bad guys get squashed like bugs. But if you consider science fiction to be something more than mindless fluff, if you expect it to engage you with a higher set of ethical values and touch upon the larger themes in life, then this series is a failure. One thing is certain: despite its pioneering pedigree and its many firsts, a "classic" it most assuredly is not.
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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: Great book for all ages
Review: My husband read these books in the 1950's and now he re-reads them to our 12 and 14 year old sons. They are their favorites. We have bought the re-issued versions and our boys read them over and over. Great for those who love science fiction.
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Summary: Thank God this book is back in print!
Review: My old copy of this book and the rest of the series was getting a bit dog-eared. I just got my new copy of the book and couldn't wait to read it again. Though this first book is more of a "pre-quel" to the rest of the series, it still has its great moments. This new edition also has a good introduction which gave me more information about E.E. "Doc" Smith, the person. Anyone who loves science fiction shold read this series.
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Summary: The Lensman Series
Review: One of the Best Science Fiction Books I have Ever read, a true fact. I would say anyone that wants a true glimpse on the history of the universe should read these books.
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Summary: Mandatory reading for science fiction fans
Review: Simply stunning. While many will feel the dialogue is old-fashion, bear in mind the era in which it was written. The astute will recognize the origins of a certain collection of "knights" that wave around flashy light sabres. Even Lucas acknowledges that the Lensmen were an inspiration for his Jedi Knights. This is the original stuff, and its wonderful, imaginative, and never ever dull.
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Summary: THE BEST SPACE OPERA EVER WRITTEN..
Review: SOME OF THE CHARACTERS JUST ESCAPE BEING CARDBOARD CUTOUTS AND SOME OF THE DIALOG IS BARELY THIS SIDE OF CUTE - BUT - NOTHING EXCEPT PERHAPS THE "FOUNDATION" SERIES COMES EVEN CLOSE TO THE INCREDIBLE SCOPE AND ABSOLUTE GRANDEUR OF THIS SERIES. WHAT A JOY IT WILL BE TO READ THIS SERIES AGAIN FOR THE 5TH TIME AND WHAT A SHAME IT IS THAT MANY YOUNG SCI-FI READERS MAY NEVER READ IT EVEN ONCE.
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Summary: beginning of one of the best and most creative series ever!
Review: thank you for returning this series to print. it is by far one of the best ever written, rivaled only by the foundation series. to any sci-fi fan who has never read this or other doc smith books, it will be money you'll be glad you spent.
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