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Lensman #1-3
Chronicles of the Lensmen, Volume 1: Triplanetary / First Lensman / Galactic Patrol
First three books in one - Triplanetary - First Lensman - Galactic Patrol This book collects the first half of the first - and one of the most famous --space epics of all time. With these books "Doc" Smith laid the foundation for all science fiction to come, crediting what David Weber "the great archetypes of the genre".
709 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1937
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483 people want to read
About the author
E.E. "Doc" Smith
217 books325 followersEdward Elmer Smith (also E.E. Smith, E.E. Smith, Ph.D., E.E. “Doc” Smith, Doc Smith, “Skylark” Smith, or—to his family—Ted), was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and an early science fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 19, 2012
George Lucas and the creators of the Silver Age Green Lantern both owe Doc Smith's estate some fat cash. Here's why:
The Lensmen are, to put it simply, a galactic police force armed with starships and most of all, the Lens. The Lens is a large gemlike object set into a wristband that allows the wielder to use telepathy, among other things.
The first book, Triplanetary, is mostly background material and setup for later stories although there are some good space battles.
Things really pick up with the second book, First Lensman. Virgil Samms receives the first Lens from Mentor on Arisia, Rock Kinnison runs for president, and the Galactic Patrol is formed.
The Galactic Patrol has more action than the previous two books put together. Kimbal Kinnison, grandson of Rock, traipses around the galaxy hunting the Boskone pirates, ascending to the next stage of Lensmanship along the way.
The Lensman stories lay the groundwork for lots of science fiction that came afterwards. I'm looking forward to the second volume in the series.
The Lensmen are, to put it simply, a galactic police force armed with starships and most of all, the Lens. The Lens is a large gemlike object set into a wristband that allows the wielder to use telepathy, among other things.
The first book, Triplanetary, is mostly background material and setup for later stories although there are some good space battles.
Things really pick up with the second book, First Lensman. Virgil Samms receives the first Lens from Mentor on Arisia, Rock Kinnison runs for president, and the Galactic Patrol is formed.
The Galactic Patrol has more action than the previous two books put together. Kimbal Kinnison, grandson of Rock, traipses around the galaxy hunting the Boskone pirates, ascending to the next stage of Lensmanship along the way.
The Lensman stories lay the groundwork for lots of science fiction that came afterwards. I'm looking forward to the second volume in the series.
July 24, 2014
The two volumes of "The Chronicles of the Lensmen" deserve five stars NOT because they are great literature, NOT because the dialogue is scintillating, NOT because the characterizations of the main protgaonists are deep and probing, NOT because the plot is sublte and thought-inducing, because none of that is true. As a work of literature, it can best be compared to the so-bad-its-good Japanese movie serial "Johnny Sokko and His Giant Robot".
But in the final analysis, none of that matters. This is among the first and by far the most grandiose of the "space operas" that formed the groundwork for a lot of the "Great Age" of science fiction that followed. Aside from that, it's a wonderful series of adventure stories, in which each successive book attempts to come to a climax even yet more climactic than the preceding one as the agents of Absolute Good strive against the agents of Absolute Evil. For these reasons alone, these volumes deserve five stars.
If you are not happy without assigning deeper philosophical meaning to books that may not have any deep philosophical meaning, you could look at the "Chronicles" as the apotheosis of the Great American Hero of the 1930s and '40s -- male, white, obviously superior to everyone but charmingly self-effacing, morally incorruptible, who encounters stiff resistance but always comes through in the end. Or, you can just enjoy the stories for what they are.
But in the final analysis, none of that matters. This is among the first and by far the most grandiose of the "space operas" that formed the groundwork for a lot of the "Great Age" of science fiction that followed. Aside from that, it's a wonderful series of adventure stories, in which each successive book attempts to come to a climax even yet more climactic than the preceding one as the agents of Absolute Good strive against the agents of Absolute Evil. For these reasons alone, these volumes deserve five stars.
If you are not happy without assigning deeper philosophical meaning to books that may not have any deep philosophical meaning, you could look at the "Chronicles" as the apotheosis of the Great American Hero of the 1930s and '40s -- male, white, obviously superior to everyone but charmingly self-effacing, morally incorruptible, who encounters stiff resistance but always comes through in the end. Or, you can just enjoy the stories for what they are.
November 29, 2014
Over all a good read. Absolutely a defining moment in space opera. Though I'd have to say the end of the 3rd book is just about the worst I've ever encountered. just a touch of prologue would be nice. The worst part of all three books, is the first book itself, "Triplanetary", getting accustomed to the terms and usage was a little off putting. It was especially odd seeing familiar terms used in an unfamiliar manner, and being a child of the 70's and 80's, the changes in sci-fi vocabulary made acclimating to these books a bit awkward, but not insurmountable and very worth while.
I have seen modern reviews of these books that complain of the sexism. While yes, it is there, it is not an overwhelming theme of the books. By and large it is presented more as chivalry,particularly in context with the honorable nature of the main characters. (Also keep in mind, the series was written in the 1930's, a vastly different age from ours.)
I have seen modern reviews of these books that complain of the sexism. While yes, it is there, it is not an overwhelming theme of the books. By and large it is presented more as chivalry,particularly in context with the honorable nature of the main characters. (Also keep in mind, the series was written in the 1930's, a vastly different age from ours.)
May 23, 2013
Actually there are plenty of sci-fi books that I think are MUCH better written than this. But I think this is an early classic and so a must read. I first read this series when I was at school and have reread it many times. Though I now think much of it is not really so well written, I still love it!!!
If I read it critically from my perspective as a Christian then there is much about the world view behind it with which I disagree (actually that is true for so many books science fiction, fantasy or otherwise).
If I read it critically from my perspective as a Christian then there is much about the world view behind it with which I disagree (actually that is true for so many books science fiction, fantasy or otherwise).
November 11, 2008
If you're a fan of modern science fiction, you should put these on your 'must read' list. You can't have read any number of Heinlein or Asimov books without catching a reference to these awesome and genre defining books. I waited for 15 years to find a reprint of them all together so I could finally enjoy them. Well worth the wait.
January 28, 2013
Space opera at its best. Ignore the reviews from those who wanted this to be more; it isn't a great epic, it's a fun space adventure.
July 4, 2020
Overall, I enjoyed this collection. It has the first three books collected in one volume, which makes it nice and easy to read. The print was large enough not to strain the eyes. However, there are numerous typos scattered throughout the book. I am not sure if those typos are from the original stories/books or not, or if they have something to do with this printing of the “first three books” in the series. Most of the typos are misspellings of words, proper nouns remaining lower case as opposed to capitalized, and some punctuation issues. In the “third book,” however, there is an entire paragraph that is repeated twice, verbatim. The “first two books,” despite being written last, are used to set up the events in not just the “third” book but the rest of the series as well.
The character development is a bit dodgy throughout the books. I think the author does a better job of creating the alien races and the different characters making up these alien races than he does of creating human characters. It was so weird how “helpless” and ineffective the women were in this supposedly advanced society of the future. Even when the reader is told about a particular female character’s various qualifications for the position she holds, those qualifications tend to go out the window for some hackneyed reason. While I liked some of the human characters in each of the books, I did not feel they were as well-developed as members of the alien races. I guess that is okay, but I still felt like I was missing out because of how the humans were written.
A part of me has been wanting to read these books for years, but I have never gotten around to it. On the one hand, I cannot say I have missed much by not reading them. At the same time, I can see why so many people hold these books in high acclaim and say they were fairly instrumental in the lives of many sci-fi fans (including authors, directors, writers, etc.). I ended up starting the series because of how prominent they were in the “recently found” “lost Heinlein” story that was never published before now, and it provoked my interest enough to finally get around to reading them.
I have reviewed each book individually:
Triplanetary: my link text
First Lensman: my link text
Galactic Patrol: my link text
The character development is a bit dodgy throughout the books. I think the author does a better job of creating the alien races and the different characters making up these alien races than he does of creating human characters. It was so weird how “helpless” and ineffective the women were in this supposedly advanced society of the future. Even when the reader is told about a particular female character’s various qualifications for the position she holds, those qualifications tend to go out the window for some hackneyed reason. While I liked some of the human characters in each of the books, I did not feel they were as well-developed as members of the alien races. I guess that is okay, but I still felt like I was missing out because of how the humans were written.
A part of me has been wanting to read these books for years, but I have never gotten around to it. On the one hand, I cannot say I have missed much by not reading them. At the same time, I can see why so many people hold these books in high acclaim and say they were fairly instrumental in the lives of many sci-fi fans (including authors, directors, writers, etc.). I ended up starting the series because of how prominent they were in the “recently found” “lost Heinlein” story that was never published before now, and it provoked my interest enough to finally get around to reading them.
I have reviewed each book individually:
Triplanetary: my link text
First Lensman: my link text
Galactic Patrol: my link text
November 13, 2019
While I admit, The Lensmen is a bunch of fun, I did not finish the first book in the series. This is for some very specific reasons that do not, necessarily reflect poorly on the book itself.
The Lensmen is a classic set of action-adventurer space opera stories from the early golden age of the scifi genre. For my purposes, as a professional writer of fiction doing research on a genre I specialize in, I am reading to catch up on the current leading edge of SFF. The Lensmen is much like a rough-and-tumble movie serial from the 1930s (the period when most of it was originally authored) and captures a certain kind of hyperbolic language of the arch-villain and the space ray that was essential to the development of the form of SFF but reads as pretty dated by today's standards.
Was the text a thrilling guilty pleasure of high adventure and action between characters who's dialogue was straight out of a gangster movie staring Edward G. Robinson? Absolutely. Is it still worth reading? Sure...just not for me at this time; I am more interested in current hard scifi written after the postmodern turn. So, I do not mean to condemn the work (it really IS a lot of fun to read), and I may well return to the series when I am able to read purely for fun and entertainment, but for now (and purely based on my own personal tastes and needs as a reader), I give it three stars and a passable recommendation.
Prepare to launch rockets! Fire all power space-beams! Com'er and give me a kiss, why don't'cha, you big galoot! Attack the aliens!!!
The Lensmen is a classic set of action-adventurer space opera stories from the early golden age of the scifi genre. For my purposes, as a professional writer of fiction doing research on a genre I specialize in, I am reading to catch up on the current leading edge of SFF. The Lensmen is much like a rough-and-tumble movie serial from the 1930s (the period when most of it was originally authored) and captures a certain kind of hyperbolic language of the arch-villain and the space ray that was essential to the development of the form of SFF but reads as pretty dated by today's standards.
Was the text a thrilling guilty pleasure of high adventure and action between characters who's dialogue was straight out of a gangster movie staring Edward G. Robinson? Absolutely. Is it still worth reading? Sure...just not for me at this time; I am more interested in current hard scifi written after the postmodern turn. So, I do not mean to condemn the work (it really IS a lot of fun to read), and I may well return to the series when I am able to read purely for fun and entertainment, but for now (and purely based on my own personal tastes and needs as a reader), I give it three stars and a passable recommendation.
Prepare to launch rockets! Fire all power space-beams! Com'er and give me a kiss, why don't'cha, you big galoot! Attack the aliens!!!
May 6, 2022
If this book had been written today, I would have given it two stars - but for the time, the "over-the-top" and sexist nature of the book were commonplace.
The story of a futuristic society trying to combat crime and piracy - not just on Earth (or Tellus) but across multiple planets and finally multiple solar systems - is very intriguing and thought-provoking. The idea that there are both good and evil super-powers who seek the mastery across multiple galaxies is also very interesting, as is the manner in which they "do business" (so to speak). I'm re-reading the series again so I know how it turns out, but the writing is superb - resolving crisis after crisis as stepping-stones to the final denouement - holding the reader's interest not only in the short-term but also throughout the series.
It is definitely over-the-top science fiction and there are inconsistencies (as, for example, when a poison gas can be safely inhaled through multiple layers of water-soaked cloth - but is also toxic in water), but I enjoyed it.
The story of a futuristic society trying to combat crime and piracy - not just on Earth (or Tellus) but across multiple planets and finally multiple solar systems - is very intriguing and thought-provoking. The idea that there are both good and evil super-powers who seek the mastery across multiple galaxies is also very interesting, as is the manner in which they "do business" (so to speak). I'm re-reading the series again so I know how it turns out, but the writing is superb - resolving crisis after crisis as stepping-stones to the final denouement - holding the reader's interest not only in the short-term but also throughout the series.
It is definitely over-the-top science fiction and there are inconsistencies (as, for example, when a poison gas can be safely inhaled through multiple layers of water-soaked cloth - but is also toxic in water), but I enjoyed it.
March 8, 2019
Okay, I've been trying to find this series since 1993. I heard all about the series from REAL hard-core SF friends of mine back in college.
After finally finding a place with reasonable prices, I dove in. This book is a collection of the first Lensmen books by EE Doc Smith. And it is an 100% unapologetic product of its time - the 1940's.
Any novel written remotely close to it today, would never see the light of day. But for its time, it is a masterpiece.
Step back in time and challenge yourself with some genuinely tough and innovative reading. Just remember where and WHEN it came from. Highly entertaining!
After finally finding a place with reasonable prices, I dove in. This book is a collection of the first Lensmen books by EE Doc Smith. And it is an 100% unapologetic product of its time - the 1940's.
Any novel written remotely close to it today, would never see the light of day. But for its time, it is a masterpiece.
Step back in time and challenge yourself with some genuinely tough and innovative reading. Just remember where and WHEN it came from. Highly entertaining!
December 4, 2017
A remarkable book. Despite being written in the 40's and 50's, it is still a great story. Forgiveness must be extended with a distorted view of the future from the 50's sensibility ('calculating machines' being large and heavy and requiring punch-cards, a lack of non-caucasian characters, and the female characters, while written from an extremely forward view for that time period, seem dated). Surprisingly complex planetology & alien cultures. A story that arcs over an aeon, and more specifically over a stretch of several generations. Definitely reading the rest of the series.
October 25, 2019
This is one of those classics that you read for the background knowledge of the genre. It is the first of the space epics, comprising Triplanetary, First Lensman, and Galactic Patrol, and is continued in Volume 2. This first volume took me nearly a year, but I was reading a LOT of other books at the same time.
January 3, 2023
I don't like to rate any book too low as I know all about the amount of work invested, but I had to let this one go.
If anyone could recommend a really good space opera (research for me) let me know! Thank you
If anyone could recommend a really good space opera (research for me) let me know! Thank you
August 23, 2018
Read on LibriVox (free audio books in the public domain) as separate books.
January 6, 2019
Great series, it was a bit rough getting through the first book, but I enjoyed the entire series. Will read it again.
February 2, 2022
A second read. This is serious 'boy's own stuff' where men and real men, and girls are real girls, and aliens are no pussies. Amazing how the age is reflected, e.g., smoking on a spaceship? Really?
August 9, 2011
Coming from the pulp magazine era, E.E 'Doc' Smith's Lensmen books seem barbaric to me. The characters are 2-dimensional soldier-boys, there are holes in the plot a mile wide, he goes out of his way to portray his women as inferior, and his casual attitude to slaughter goes beyond the worst excesses of military fiction. I picked up this book based on its reputation as the Grand-daddy of all space operas - one which the mighty Star Wars was supposed to borrow from. Indeed a major part of Triplanetary, the first book in this collection, involves the heroes being captured by an evil overlord in his 'death-star'. Besides the fact that the heroes adventure around the galaxy with little regard to Einstein, there aren't many more comparisons. What's kept this book in the sci-fi culture so long is the sheer ambitiousness of the author - Smith has an agenda, and The Lensmen is his manifesto. Indeed, the Lensmen are the very pinnacles of civilization. The are the guardians of the galaxy who can never be defeated by drugs, piracy, immorality, corruption, or malevolent will. As simplistic as this sounds, Smith never lets his characters off easy, and they are put through every challenge he can imagine. Neither are their enemies pushovers and the Lensmen are often equally matched with only wit or determination tipping the balance for them. I found it interesting that the character's were often so similar to each other that when they had dialogue it was like Smith was having a conversation with himself. He pounds his message home again and again, across lightning fast scenes (skip ahead 2 pages and you'll be lost), yet the books don't repeat themselves. Triplanetary is mostly a ridiculous series of ever-escalating spaceship battles, First Lensman is more of a simplistic political and espionage thriller, and Gray Lensman is a solo space-hero adventure. I'm sorry if this review is inconsistent but so is the book. Gray Lensman was probably the best of the three and I'm looking forward to the final three in the series. I'd recommend this book to young teenagers or people looking for a bit of history / nostalgia, but I'd warn casual readers to stay away, especially readers comfortable with the relative sophistication of modern sci-fi. Instead I'd recommend Simon Green or Jack McDevitt.
January 20, 2013
EE "doc" Smith is the father of space opera so I set out to read all the lensman series including the precursors, Skylark and Skylark 3. Fun reads and very nice sense not only of the development of Smith as a writer but of a whole category of Sci-Fi.
I finished reading the three novels in this volume. I had read a whole bunch of Kindle EE Smith done from the pulp magazine versions as they were published. The Lensman novels show substantial writing growth from the earlier Skylark novels. I enjoy the rather stereotyped relationships between the guys and gals ... reminds me of the books I read when I was young that were not as smutty as books have become.
I finished reading the three novels in this volume. I had read a whole bunch of Kindle EE Smith done from the pulp magazine versions as they were published. The Lensman novels show substantial writing growth from the earlier Skylark novels. I enjoy the rather stereotyped relationships between the guys and gals ... reminds me of the books I read when I was young that were not as smutty as books have become.
May 6, 2009
This is vintage sci-fi and might be hard to find. It is a six book series, with the last four being written from 1937-1948. The prequel stories were added later. This is the "Tolkien" of Space operas. The super-science that it features is also very telling of it's age; spaceships that travel through the ether, and no computers. The main plot concerns the lensmen which are the galactic police. Humans so totally incorruptible that they are the only ones trusted with thwarting massive transgalactic plots.
Want to read
November 16, 2009Extremely tough read, with a myriad of characters bouncing around with several having double identities. Another one to try to read again, if for nothing more than seeing where the genre of 'Space Opera' began.
January 31, 2014
Clunky but groundbreaking.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews