December Books 8) Triplanetary

Dec 18, 2005 13:03

8) Triplanetary, by E.E. "Doc" Smith ( Read more... )

writer: ee doc smith, bookblog 2005

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Comments 8

swisstone December 18 2005, 14:44:24 UTC
Triplanetary isn't very good. If you're going to read any 'Lensman' book, I'd go for Galactic Patrol, which, though chronologically the third, was the first written for the series proper (Triplanetary was written before, but only later retconned into the series). (I may be wrong about that, but I believe that's how it works.)

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Well, now... seawasp December 18 2005, 15:50:00 UTC
First, "Triplanetary", while chronologically first, is actually a "fix-up" novel that Doc retconned into the series. Nothing wrong with it, in my view -- I actually like it a great deal -- but a purist would start with "Galactic Patrol" and pretend he knew nothing of the backstory, because in the original published version there was NO prologue explaining what was going on. The readers didn't find out about the Arisian-Eddorian element until FAR later.

And it WAS good. For its time. It's STILL better than a hell of a lot of other things -- like some of the old Doctor Who adaptations, which had prose so clunky I couldn't read it to my 8 year old.

Naturally, I'm an unrepentant Smith fanboy.

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Re: Well, now... nwhyte December 18 2005, 15:55:38 UTC
Agreed on the Doctor Who adaptations. Well, maybe I should give Galactic Patrol a go...

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nickbarnes December 18 2005, 17:43:56 UTC
Although I have been familiar with both works, the connection between Triplanetary and The Fish That Ate Pittsburgh has only just occurred to me.

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nwhyte December 18 2005, 20:42:05 UTC
You have the advantage of me on the latter!

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nickbarnes December 19 2005, 11:13:31 UTC
Ah, The Fish That Ate Pittsburgh, aka The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. Something of a cult item. My recollection is that there is a book of the same title, although Google and Amazon both deny it.

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nwhyte December 19 2005, 11:39:09 UTC
ADDALL is your friend.

The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, Based on the Screenplay By Jaison Starkes and Edmond Stevens, by Richard Woodley, Bantam Books, NY, 1979, ISBN 0553130870.

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wyvernfriend December 18 2005, 23:49:47 UTC
Triplanetary is probabaly one of my least favourite Lensman books and my enjoyment of the series is probably helped by the fact that I read the rest first.

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