Triplanetary
by E.E. Doc Smith
Science fiction... Space opera
Published 1948
Read in January 2013... and many times before
rating 8 out of 10: really quite good
Really quite good... or really quite bad: your choice! This is space opera: over the top, boys own adventures in space. Love it, or...
Well, no. Just love it :-)
I don't like to bias my opinions by reading other views of books. (At least, not till my own review is posted.) But it seems to me that this first book of the series was written after most of the others. Whatever.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was this race of super intelligent aliens. Then there were two races. One was good, the other was evil... Unlike Smith's Skylark series, there is no doubt: the lines are clearly drawn between good and evil.
Unfortunately the good aliens are not powerful enough to defeat the evil aliens. So they spend this -- and six more books -- developing a race which will be able to wipe evil from the galaxy.
And that race... is humanity.
Surprise!
Atlantis falls. Rome declines. World wars come and go. And then the serious space-based action begins.
Fishy aliens destroy human space fleets. And a major city or two. Humans respond with destruction of a major city, plus the killing of all the inhabitants of another city.
Then they each realise that it was all based on a misunderstanding... Hands, flippers and tentacles are shaken all round. A treaty of trade and cooperation is signed.
If only our real wars could end on such a reasonable note.
This is a universe of weird aliens, fierce battles, great science and sensible outcomes. Space opera at its best.
No need to believe it.
Just enjoy it :-)
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