Originally serialized in the pulp magazine ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION STORIES in the 1940s and '50s, E.E. Smith's Lensman novels are science fiction classics. There is an odd synchronism between the style of the novel and the production style employed by Books In Motion. Both Smith's writing and Reed McColm's narration feature a confident, easygoing style reminiscent of the 1950s. The action revolves around Virgil Samms, the “First Lensman” of the title, as he travels the stars, guided by the interdimensional Arisians, to gather worthy individuals to serve in the Galactic Patrol of interplanetary guardians. Telepathically linked and imbued with other abilities by the lenses provided them by the Arisians, the lensmen battle corruption, piracy, and drug-smuggling throughout the universe. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
Puppies be damned—the hottest topic during this year’s Hugo Award (which will be handed out tomorrow night at WorldCon 75 in Helsinki, Finland) is sure to be the inaugural Best Series Award. Each year, the World Science Fiction Society has the authority to introduce new Hugo categories for a trial run; if they work out, […]
What makes a science fiction story a space opera? Well, it needs to take place in space obviously, though not necessarily all of the time. Hanging out solely in an arcology on a climate-blasted Earth, or even in a domed city on Mars, doesn’t cut it. Actually, the more space the better; though there are certainly exceptions, […]