Triplanetary

Edward Elmer SmithProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 339K words
Chapters: 34

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Triplanetary by E. E. SmithAuthor: Smith, E. E. (Edward Elmer), 1890-1965,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 8, 2007

Editor's review

Triplanetary is one of the earlier works in E. E. Smith's Lensman series and is often regarded as an important early text of space opera. The novel stretches its timeline immensely, moving from the rivalries of ancient civilizations to interstellar conflict within the solar system, with grand scenes and bold technological imagination, and a pace bearing the distinct traits of old pulp-magazine serials. Its value lies not in fine psychological characterization but in establishing many basic motifs for later space opera: interstellar fleets, super-civilizations, and cosmic-scale struggles between good and evil. Readers interested in the history of science fiction can read it as a living fossil and observe how early science fiction constructed cosmic order. The Project Gutenberg edition is a public-domain English electronic text, convenient for searching and citation. Readers should temper expectations regarding the limitations of its era, as some assumptions and depictions of gender bear the marks of their time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of science fiction, especially the origins of space opera
Fans of grand cosmic settings and interstellar conflict
Readers who wish to study early science fiction narrative through public-domain electronic texts
Readers tolerant of the pacing and style of old popular fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the rigorous scientific worldbuilding and character depth of modern science fiction
Readers unaccustomed to the jumpy narrative of early magazine serials
Readers who want a Chinese translation and prefer not to read the English original

Reading tips

Start with the prologue to clarify the causal links between the ancient civilizations and the later plot.
Read it within the development of space opera and note the motifs later works would adopt.
Mark passages where the scientific setup seems doubtful and check histories of science fiction afterward.
Continue with other works in the series in publication order.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this without having read other works in the series?

Yes. The book comes early in the series timeline and explains the origin of the cosmic background, so it can be read on its own without losing the main thread; only some character relationships become clearer in later works.

Do the scientific ideas in this book still hold up today?

Many of the ideas belong to early science fiction imagination and fall short of modern scientific standards. Its value lies more in literary history and the origins of the genre than in scientific accuracy.

How difficult is the English original?

The language is generally that of mid-twentieth-century popular fiction: sentences are long but the vocabulary is not very difficult. Readers with college-level English can make progress with a dictionary; the main obstacles are old-fashioned expressions and fast-paced scene changes.

Comments

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About the author

Edward Elmer Smith Author · American · 1890–1965

Edward Elmer Smith (1890–1965), known as "Doc Smith," was an American science fiction writer and is regarded as one of the pioneers of space opera. Trained as a chemist with a doctorate, he long worked in food technology and wrote science fiction in his spare time; twelve of his works are included in this collection. His best-known series, the Skylark series (such as The Skylark of Space and Skylark Three) and the Lensman series (such as Triplanetary and First Lensman), are famed for interstellar travel, faster-than-light ships, and grand galactic warfare, with sweeping scenes and brisk pacing that deeply influenced later space opera. His works focus on space adventure and galactic conflict; although public biographical detail is limited, their pioneering place in the history of the genre is widely recognized.