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Rating: 
Summary: Van's best series in one big book
Review: "The Weapon Shops of Isher" is an interestingly mosaic novel based on a few short stories published in the '40s, and the plot strands understandably hardly touch, but the overall effect is one of a nice cross-section of this society."The Weapon Makers," a 1943 novel that was written as a finale to the stories that made up "The Weapon Shops of Isher" is even better than the first, and is perhaps Van's finest novel. The plot is very straight-forward but nonetheless full of surprises and interesting turns. The writing style is far better than most of his output, which when combined with the excellent plot and characters makes an outstanding masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Van's best series in one big book
Review: "The Weapon Shops of Isher" is an interestingly mosaic novel based on a few short stories published in the '40s, and the plot strands understandably hardly touch, but the overall effect is one of a nice cross-section of this society. "The Weapon Makers," a 1943 novel that was written as a finale to the stories that made up "The Weapon Shops of Isher" is even better than the first, and is perhaps Van's finest novel. The plot is very straight-forward but nonetheless full of surprises and interesting turns. The writing style is far better than most of his output, which when combined with the excellent plot and characters makes an outstanding masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusion about two different books
Review: Another reviewer has reviewed a different book. "Reviewer: Trevor J Hall (see more about me) from PERRY,, ME USA At last the two books of the life of the mutant prince of the House of Lin have been combined in one cover...." This is actually a review of _Empire of the Atom_, an SFnal re-telling of Robert Graves's _I Claudius_, and a quite different book, also by Van Vogt. As to the books at hand, they are some of vV's best, but suffer from all his characteristic faults -- the too frequent plot changes, the endless consipiricies (often where the leaders of two opposed sides are secretly the same person) a society whose economic basis is dubious at best. But it is a page-turner, and one that keeps this reader returning from time to time. A classic that any SF fan should read sometime or other.
Rating:
Summary: Confusion about two different books
Review: Another reviewer has reviewed a different book. "Reviewer: Trevor J Hall (see more about me) from PERRY,, ME USA At last the two books of the life of the mutant prince of the House of Lin have been combined in one cover...." This is actually a review of _Empire of the Atom_, an SFnal re-telling of Robert Graves's _I Claudius_, and a quite different book, also by Van Vogt. As to the books at hand, they are some of vV's best, but suffer from all his characteristic faults -- the too frequent plot changes, the endless consipiricies (often where the leaders of two opposed sides are secretly the same person) a society whose economic basis is dubious at best. But it is a page-turner, and one that keeps this reader returning from time to time. A classic that any SF fan should read sometime or other.
Rating:
Summary: Confusion about two different books
Review: Another reviewer has reviewed a different book. "Reviewer: Trevor J Hall (see more about me) from PERRY,, ME USA At last the two books of the life of the mutant prince of the House of Lin have been combined in one cover...." This is actually a review of _Empire of the Atom_, an SFnal re-telling of Robert Graves's _I Claudius_, and a quite different book, also by Van Vogt. As to the books at hand, they are some of vV's best, but suffer from all his characteristic faults -- the too frequent plot changes, the endless consipiricies (often where the leaders of two opposed sides are secretly the same person) a society whose economic basis is dubious at best. But it is a page-turner, and one that keeps this reader returning from time to time. A classic that any SF fan should read sometime or other.
Rating:
Summary: a classic by a giant in the field
Review: At last the two books of the life of the mutant prince of the House of Lin have been combined in one cover. A E van Vogt is a master wordsmith, 'thus died a whole legion of men', and this is one of his masterpeices. Somehow both dated and yet timeless this is the career of a mutant prince overcoming his handicaps and ultimately triumphing against his political foes, inspiring loyalty in his companions and gaining the cooperation and admiration of his piratical foes. The tale is told in a somewhat ironic vein which is unforgettable. I have spent many years wishing for a further sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Justly reprinted
Review: I have not seen this edition, but both the component novels, "The weapon makers" and "The weapon shops of Isher" are old friends. These are among the better of van Vogt's works, perhaps not the absolute best, but close. For books written some fifty years ago still remarkably readable. Justly reprinted. Note that "The weapon makers" was written first but that "The weapon shops of Isher", added later, is a prequel. The stories are also different in tone: "The makers" is highly dynamic (almost dynamite), while the "The shops" is much quieter.
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