Customer Reviews (1)

Through Time and Space with Little Nell
_Earth's Last Fortress_ by A.E. van Vogt (1960) and _Lost in Space_ by George O. Smith (1959) is an Ace Double reprint of two venerable old... Well, not exactly classics... But solid pieces of entertainment. The van Vogt was originally published as a novella in a 1942 _Astounding_ under the title "Recruiting Station." The Smith was first published in a 1954 _Startling Stories_ under the title "Spacemen Lost." Both novels feature plucky heroines with heroic fiances who find themselves in a heap of trouble until almost the last page.

In _Earth's Last Fortress_, the heroine is accosted by the sinister Dr. Lell to work as a secretary at a recruiting station for a foreign Democratic country. ("Do you believe in the Caledonian cause?") She soon finds that it is in reality a recruiting station run by a dictatorship for a war that stretches up and down the centuries and which threatens to wipe out our universe. She also finds that Dr. Lell has her in his power every step of the way... Or does he? The last line of the novel may have inspired the title for a 1950 Fritz Leiber story. If the story seems a bit overly familiar to some readers, remember that this is the story that was being imitated by a lot of younger whippersnappers. I give it a four star rating.

_Lost in Space_ is a bit more conventional. A passenger liner explodes in space. From that point on, Smith juggles three subplots. The first involves the heroine who is cast adrift in a lifeboat with two amorous and less than savory males. The second involves the rescue party, led by her fiance, that is faced with the problem of finding two life boats in ten _cubic_ light years of space. The third concerns an alien warship that is observing the entire operation-- with officers cooly debating whether the human race should be exterminated or merely enslaved. Smith carries these plots out to a logical (if not altogether believeable) ending. The cover cites a _Galaxy_ review that gives the novel a three star rating. I would rank it about the same.

The cover to _Lost in Space_ is a fairly conventional spaceship in the style of Edward Valigursky. The cover to _Earth's Last Fortress_ is by Ed Emshwiller and features the wall of a city, a line of soldiers standing rigidly at attention, a pile of bodies, and a sky full of warships looping and exploding in manic patterns in a pink sky overhead. You might assume that this cover is a "symbolic" representation of the novel, but it is not. It is an illustration of an actual scene in the novel. You might want to read the novel just for the sake of catching that scene. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Swashbuckle and Collapse
In this out-of-print novel from 1980, A.E. van Vogt constructed a very interesting collapsed universe with some thought-provoking background themes on authority and free will. In 1704 AD, a pirate named Fletcher finds himself mixed up with people from millennia in the future and an army of oddly religious robots. In a highly creative turn of cosmic events as created by van Vogt, Fletcher's deep atomic connection to the very life and death of the universe has caused time to collapse and events and people from different time periods to get mixed up with each other. van Vogt's conceptions of time and relativity are very intriguing for any reader with deep sci-fi thoughts, but the plotting of this novel is rather clumsy and difficult to follow, especially with van Vogt's use of skips in the time stream, which become more confusing than exciting. The idea of collapsing time could have been used for far deeper explorations and excitement concerning alternate histories and the potential dangers of time travel. Meanwhile, other than Fletcher the characters are shallow and poorly defined, while van Vogt's prose tends to get very wooden and ponderous when he starts exploring philosophical and cosmological themes. But this old book is still worth tracking down for fans of classic sci-fi, as van Vogt's basic story is a wonderful twist on tried-and-true concepts form the genre, with some rewarding exploration of deeper ideas. [~doomsdayer520~] ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Loved it!
It has more plot twists than a book 10 times the size.It has dated technology references.It has characters launching into explanations of Van Vogt's theories and philosophies.It has retro-futuristic ideas about women and relationships...BUT THAT'S WHY IT'S GREAT!What's the point of science fiction that doesn't at least temporarily ask you to think differently, whilst giving you an insight into how the world thought at the time it was written?

I'm giving up
I've been trying to read this thing for a week now, and I'm giving up. The story is about some alien world, Diamondia, where some energy eating alien species adopted human food and mannerisms some centuries ago but now have started a very bloody war against the half billion humans who now inhabit their planet.Compounding the mix are the Earth Federation and some mysterious telepathic "darkness" that takes over people's brains.Our hero is from the Earth Federation Negotiating Committee who is there to negotiate peace, or let the humans fall to cut expenses.Various factions plot against each other in a confused tapestry of irrational but deadly subplots.Technology on this fictional planet ranges from extremely futuristic to mundane 20th century.Taxies are very much like 20th century earth.Psycho hypnosis projectors are futuristic.We're also supposed to believe that the alien prostitutes are suitable and more fun than human prostitutes.Some allusion is made to conflict between human men or "males" as the author calls them and the women who have not joined the "women's union."I found it confused, dull, and disappointing.Read it if you're a die hard Van Vogt buff or student of 20th century Sci Fi classics.

A hard one for Van Vogt avid readers.
I'm afraid i did not enjoy this book very much. The MASTER is known in his fluctuating quality of works ,and this one is not of the better ones.

Not a bad book at all , BUT - somewhat slow ,the action-level is way down than the usual ,and the book is not as idea-filled as many others.

Though written in '72 and being late Van Vogt ,it's not that. After all "Battle of forever" is from '71 ,and demonstrates perfectly the MASTER's simple ,almost naive ,yet ultra-imagenative ,and overwhelming ,never-read-before-and-since ,powerfull style.

I would recommend it only to true Vogtians ,that know what he's capable of ,and just have to read whatever he wrote ,like me. Don't worry too much guys ,it's not as bad as "Book of Ptath" ,but no "Silkie" either.

An alien world that FEELS alien!
Many authors have tried to write books set on alien worlds.This author succeeds where others fail.He makes the reader feel as though it is an alien world, and not just a dressed up Earth.

This book is set in a world in which humans are threatening the native extraterrestrials through cultural assimilation.This is a similar problem which has been seen with the Native Americans in this country.

The author does not preach.His story is not about this assimilation.This is merely the setting.Instead, the story has more to do with a communications device.The device has a lot to do with the difficulty between the indigenous life and the humans.

I would recommend reading this book, but it is not for everyone.A.E. van Vogt tends to be difficult to follow.It took me 2 readings to catch all the important details, and even now there are lingering questions in my mind.Nevertheless, van Vogt is entertaining, he makes the reader feel as though he is on an alien world, and, most importantly, this book will make the reader think.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Good early Space Opera by Vogt
A. E. van Vogt spins a great space opera in this short (157) page volume. Mission to the Stars--as it was later known--was originally published under the name The Mixed Men. Here is a brief plot summary: The Lady Gloria Laurr, Gran Captain of the Earth Space ship Star Cluster is sent (initially to map) the renegade civilization (called the Fifty Suns) of Dellians, non-Dellians, and Mixed Men in the Greater Magnetic Cloud. The Mixed Men are second class citizens in the Fifty Suns civilization and have the weigh the benefits and disadvantages of declaring the presence of their culture to the Earth vessel. Maltby, the hereditary leader of the superhuman Mixed Men who is also an officer in the Fifty Suns space fleet is presented with a series of moral choices. I will not give away anymore of the plot but it involves a "forced" (in an interesting way) romantic element.

A. E. van Vogt writes with admirable prose for the time (especially the introductory chapter). I was also very impressed with his use of female characters - most importantly the Lady Gloria Laurr. Albeit, the two main characters, Gloria and Maltby aren't particularly well rounded but then again rarely do we find well rounded characters in space opera of this time. Also, the uniqueness of Gloria's position in sci-fi of the time is reduced substantially by the end - i.e. she is a "career woman" who "needs a husband". That said the far future technology is fantastic, the plot moves quickly (a little too quickly in some places to the detriment of interesting detail and depth), the dialogue is almost always pretty weak, and sadly Vogt skimps on many interesting battle scenes involving the powerful Earth ship Star Cluster. All in all, this was a quick, fun, light, and interesting read.

A Golden Age Commentary
This is a book with two titles, Mission to the Stars and The Mixed Men, and as such I'm posting this review under both books.

Van Vogt writes about a refugee people who escaped from Earth's clutches thousands of generations ago and mixed, Dellians with non-Dellians.The result of this union is a race of Mixed Men who are telepathic supermen.These people are hiding within the countless stars of the Greater Magellanic Cloud and call themselves Fifty Suns.Into this cloud comes an Earth warship, more powerful than the combined resources and power of the entire Dellianic race. It's the Captain of the Star Cluster, Lady Gloria Laurr, who is determined to subjugate these wayward humans back under Earth's control.

The leader of the Mixed Men fights back, falls in love, and then becomes distrusted by his own men.It's a grand drama and one of the earliest space operas I've read.I loved the writing for its simplicity, straight-forward and nothing wasted in advancing the plot.The dialogue is a bit stilted . . . okay, it's a lot stilted .. . but it fits in with the era in which van Vogt wrote the novel.All the characters except Maltby, the leader of the Mixed Men, and Laurr are carboard throwaway characters, reminding me of the legion of red-shirts used up in the many seasons of Star Trek series.

It's a fun read, especially if you don't think about it too much.

- CV Rick

The Dellian Series
"The Mixed Men" by A. E. van Vogt is a novel created from three previously released works as well as a new section linking them together.It was first published in 1952.As one would expect with shorter works of fiction, there is not a great deal of time spent in character development, and this problem was not corrected in the creation of the novel.The result is a decent, but far from great work of fiction.These stories are collectively known as the Dellian Robot series, and all the stories from this series are included.The novel was also published under the title "Mission to the Stars".

The novel takes place in the far future, as an Earth ship discovers a human far from where any should be.They quickly learn that he is a Dellian.Dellian Robots are not actually robots, but instead are a group of humans which were altered by the use of a matter transmitter.It made them less creative, but much stronger than normal humans and less subject to nervous strain.After hatred and bigotry forced them to flee, along with some non-Dellian humans and they had remained hidden for fifteen thousand years.During that period, Dellians and non-Dellians had found a way to breed, the offspring being known as Mixed Men.The novel falls easily into the four sections from which it was created.

Preface:This was first published as the short story "Concealment" which was originally published in "Astounding Science Fiction" in September of 1943.In this story, the Earth ship, Star Cluster, discovers Gisser Watcher, a Dellian on a meteorite weather station.He realizes the ship's origin and tries to destroy himself, but the Earth ship contains technology far beyond what he anticipates.This story introduces the Lady Gloria Laurr, the Grand Captain of the Star Cluster.It also introduces Lieutenant Neslor the psychologist who examines and questions Gisser Watcher and ultimately realizes what he is.

Chapters 1 - 7:This is the linking material written specifically for the novel.It was also published as a novella under the title "Lost: Fifty Suns" in a book of short fiction under the same title in 1972.In this story, the Star Cluster searches for the 50 Suns of the Dellians.Lady Laurr broadcasts messages to the citizens of the 50 Suns (located in the Greater Magellanic Cloud) announcing that Earth knows they are there.She promises benefits for the first to come forward in an attempt to get one group of Dellians to betray the location of all.This story introduces the Mixed Men, and their hereditary leader, Maltby.In this story we learn just how much more powerful the single Earth ship is than the entire 50 Suns, however, the abilities of the Mixed Men are also learned and provide a significant advantage to Maltby.

Chapters 8 - 15:This was first published as the novelette "The Storm" in "Astounding Science Fiction" in October of 1943.This story includes the attempt to trick the Star Cluster into destroying itself, and more on the incredible technology of Earth as they thwart the efforts of Maltby and the Dellians.This also includes the greatest amount of character development in the novel, as Maltby is forced to fall in love with the Lady Laurr, and an accident resulting in their being stranded on a planet together results in her falling in love with him the natural way.In the end they are rescued, and a marriage is implied.

Chapters 16 - 23:This was first published as the novelette "The Mixed Men" in "Astounding Science Fiction" in 1945.It was also nominated for a retro Hugo in 1996 for novelettes written in 1945.This is easily the best part of the book.The story covers Hunston taking control of the Mixed Men and leading a revolt against the Dellians in an attempt to take control and defeat the Star Cluster.Maltby is not trusted by the Mixed Men, and is left behind by the Star Cluster.He is forced to find his own way back to his wife, learning that he has gained some support among the Dellians.

All in all, these are a decent set of stories, but they really work much better when taken as short fiction rather than as a novel.None of these stories are particularly easy to find, and this is especially true of the last one.If you enjoy early science fiction, then this is a good book to pick up if you can find it.

A light, intergalactic love story that young women may enjoy
Lady Gloria Laurr, Grand Captain of the Earth ship Star Cluster, is exploring the Greater Magellanic Cloud when she stumbles upon an outpost of the vast new empire that calls itself the Fifty Suns in this light, upbeat, intergalactic space opera. Settled by the outcast Dellians and their sympathizers long ago, the Fifty Suns hope to avoid outside interference by staying hidden, but how will that plan be received by the unreconciled Mixed Men - those of mixed Dellian and non-Dellian ancestry? Will they be content to maintain the status quo, or will they try to sell out to the Earth ship in hopes of gaining the equality and recognition they've so long been deprived of?

This book is certainly entertaining and fast-paced - almost too fast.There are places where even major plot points are just glossed over for no obvious reason.Only two characters are dealt with in any detail: Captain Laurr and Captain Peter Maltby, hereditary leader of the Mixed Men, and even these two aren't especially well rounded.Maybe the biggest weakness is the lack of substance.Instead of delving deeply into the sociological problems faced by men of mixed race, the emphasis is more on their (and specifically Maltby's) unusual psychic abilities.In fact, the social order isn't really filled out to any great extent, which might lead one to believe that the real thrust of this novel is the romance that develops between the two main characters.This, coupled with the presence of a very strong, independent, female protagonist, leads this reviewer to recommend this book for young women who enjoy far-flung science fiction romance.Others may find this book enjoyable; it really isn't bad, but neither is it very memorable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another Vogt
This novel has some totally bogus description on the back about aliens controlling humans, which isn't what happens in this book at all. This book is actually about people who can regrow limbs and come back to life, but at the price of their memory. I can't tell any more without ruining the story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"Qu'est-ce que c'est que cette horreur?"
I picked up a copy of this French translation of A.E. van Vogt's _The World of Null-A_ in a Quebec bookstore when I was on vacation several years ago. It took several false starts and rereadings before I was able to finish it. (My French is marginally better than that of most undergraduate students who aren't French majors. I have to reread works of French literature quite a lot before I master them.) The translation is by Jacques Sadoul, a man who knows his oats when it comes to science fiction. On the whole, he seems to have done well by van Vogt.

Perhaps the best way to illustrate this is to focus on a couple of passages from the novel and make some comparisons. Here is the English version of Gilbert Gosseyn's first encounter with the mysterious "X":

He had been in an accident. He was a patched monstrosity. He had a plastic arm and a plastic leg, and his back was in a plastic cage. His head looked as if it were made of opaque glass; it was earless. Two human eyes peered from under a glass-smooth dome of surgical plastic. He had been lucky in a limited fashion. From his eyes down, the lower part of his face was intact. He had a face. His nose, mouth, chin, and neck were human. Beyond that, his resemblence to anything normal depended on the mental concessions of the observer. For the moment, Gosseyn was not prepared to make concessions. He had decided on a course of action, a level of abstraction-- boldness. He said, "What the devil is that?" (32)

Here is the French translation:

Il avait eu accident. C'etait une monstruosite raccomodee. Il avait un bras en plastique, une jambe en plastique et son dos etait dans une cage du plastique. Sa tete paraissait faite de verre opaque; elle n'avait pas d'oreilles, deux yeux humains vous regardaient sous un dome, lisse comme comme le verre, de plastique chirugical. Dans certaines limites, un veillard: depuis les yeux, la partie inferieure de son visage etait intacte. Il avait un visage. Son nez, sa bouche, son menton et son cou etaient humains. Et dehors de cela, sa ressemblance avec quelque chose de normal dependait en partie des concessions implicites de l'observateur. A ce moment Gosseyn n'etait prepare a en faire aucune. Il avait choisi un type d'action, sur le plan de l'abstraction: le culot. Il dit:
-- Qu'est-ce-que c'est que cette horreur? (47-48)

Now, the French version is a close translation. But it is actually an improvement on the original English. It is a bit more flamboyant, a bit more poetic. And Gosseyn's one line of dialogue has a bit more melodramatic punch in the French version than in the English.

And here is the English version of Gosseyn's encounter with a robot plane on "a grassy nook" (59) on Venus:

"Gilbert Gosseyn, I am not an enemy, but I cannot make any explanation until you are in the plane. To insure that you will get in without argument or delay, I call your attention to the half-dozen guns that are pointing at you. There is no escape."
Gosseyn saw the guns, snouted barrel ends that poked out of the fuselage, and followed his movements. So long as they were there, it didn't matter whether he believed or disbelieved that it was not an enemy. Without a word he went around to the side of the plane and climbed into the door that was there. He had barely time to slip into the nearest seat. The door slammed. All the lights blinked out. The machine raced forward and became airborne. It climbed steeply into the night sky. (59)

... And in French:

-- Gilbert Gosseyn, je ne suis pas un ennemi, mais je ne puis vous donner aucune explication jusqu'a ce vous soyez monte dans l'avion. Pour m'assurer que vous allez faire sans discussion ni delai, je vous signale qu'un demi-douzaine d'armes sont braquees sur vous. Pas d'issue possible.
Gosseyn vit les armes, des tubes evases qui sortient du fuselage et suivaient ses mouvements. Aussi longtemps qu'il crut ou non avoir affaire a un ennemi; sans un mot il fit le tour de l'avion et franchit la porte ouverte. Il eut a peine le temps de se glisser sur le siege le plus proche. Le port claqua. Toutes les lumieres s'eteignirent, la machine se rua en avant et s'eleva. Elle grimpait a angle aigu dans le ciel nocturne. (93-94).

Once again, the English version is more prosaic. "Explication" (with the French pronunciation of "ex-pli-cash-ee-on") has more rhythm than "explanation." "Demi-douzain d'armes" has more of an alliterative snap than "Half-dozen guns." "Le port claqua" is much more onomonopoetic than "the door slammed." And "le ciel nocturne" trumps "the night sky."

Do yourself a favor. Take the time to read this novel in French. It will give you a clue as to why van Vogt is so popular in France, and it is likely to sharpen your perceptions of the English original.

_Note_: Because of limitations on the keyboard, I was forced to leave out some accent marks on the French passages. But aside from that, they are accurate. ... Read more