Lensmen

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The Lensmen cycle is a science fiction novel series that falls under the genre of space opera . The original novels were written by Edward Elmer Smith between 1931 and 1946 . The cycle was continued by David A. Kyle and William B. Ellern . The series was nominated in 1966 for a Hugo Award in the special category "Best All-Time Series".

overview

Edward Smith's original series consists of six volumes:

  • 1948 Triplanetary (German: The Planet Base , Heyne , 1980)
  • 1950 First Lensman (German: The First Lensmen , Heyne, 1977)
  • 1950 Galactic Patrol (German: Galaktische Patrouille , Heyne, 1980)
  • 1951 The Gray Lensman (German: The gray rulers , Heyne, 1977)
  • 1953 Second Stage Lensmen (German: The Second Imperium , Heyne, 1976)
  • 1954 Children of the Lens (German: Das Erbe der Lens , Heyne, 1976)

such as:

  • 1960 Master of the Vortex (also: The Vortex Blaster , German: Wächter des Mahlstrom , Heyne, 1977)
The seventh volume barely touches on the actual storyline, but takes place in the Lensmen universe.

Three other volumes were written by David A. Kyle and also set in the Lensmen universe.

  • 1980 The Dragon Lensman (German: Drachen-Lensmen , Heyne, 1985)
  • 1982 Lensman from Rigel (German: Lensmen von Rigel , Heyne, 1986)
  • 1983 Z-Lensman (German: Z-Lensmen , Heyne, 1987)

As well as a novel by William B. Ellern :

  • 1975 New Lensman

German first editions

The first German editions of the original series appeared as books on loan from Balver Balowa Verlag in 1960/1961 . They were immediately from November 1961 to March 1962 in abbreviated form in editions Nos 198, 204, 208, 213, 217 and 222 in. Terra - booklet novel series by Arthur Moewig edited. A first edition by Heyne appeared in 1969.

action

background

The series begins two billion years ago in a multiverse , of which our universe is only a small facet. Most of these universes are hostile to life or of an alien quality beyond our imagination. Life as we know it is only possible in very few universes. At this time, our universe is hardly populated. There are only two intelligent races: The Aryans come from an Earth-like planet in our universe, are distantly humanoid and represent the positive side of the looming conflict. The opposite is represented by the Eddorians. They come from another space-time continuum , are amoeba- like and represent the evil side of the conflict with their characteristics (ruthless, unscrupulous, technically gifted, scheming, obsessed with power, ...).

The Aryans have the ability to foresee aspects of the future of the universe by means of a kind of vision based on logical calculations. In this way they become aware of the coming presence of the Eddorians, even before they reach our universe on their journey through various space-time continua. The Aryan recognize that the Eddorians will choose to stay in our universe because in the near future millions of habitable planets will form here as a result of the collision / penetration of two galaxies - our Milky Way and a galaxy known as the Lundmark Nebula . The Eddorians will recognize that the civilizations that will later develop on these planets are an ideal basis for the formation of a great empire of which they will be rulers.

It soon becomes clear to the Aryans that they cannot defeat the Eddorians directly - so they look for alternative solutions: They hide their existence from the Eddorians, distribute germs of life on many suitable planets and start a (secret) breeding program with the aim of creating a breed to create that is spiritually far superior to the Eddorians. The Aryans take the view that the Eddorians, because of their outstanding intellectual abilities, cannot be beaten with technical weapons, but only with weapons of the spirit.

The breeding program is started on the four most promising planets in our galaxy: on our earth, on Velantia III, on Rigel IV and on Palain VII. The Aryans secretly promote positive developments and the development of intellectual abilities. There are two specially mined lineages on earth that can be traced through the millennia: the lineage of Virgil Samms and the lineage of the Kinnisons.

The Eddorians (who have no inkling of the existence of the Aryans) resort to corrupting worlds that have been colonized by other species by promoting unscrupulousness, hunger for power and greed, and letting their henchmen invent and distribute all kinds of intoxicants. In this way they bring world after world under their control and create the Bosconian Empire , the later adversary of the earth and worlds allied with them.

The planetary base (triplanetary)

Various civilizations have developed on earth over the course of the millennia and are sabotaged and then destroyed again by Eddorians. But the breeding program of the Aryans is not interrupted and each new civilization reaches a higher spiritual level than the previous one. So arise and fade one after another u. a. Atlantis , the Roman Empire and our current civilization (the thirties of the twentieth century). They are all left to be destroyed by the Aryans. With the Lens, the Aryans develop a tool that accelerates the positive developments in the lineages from the moment the galactic civilizations are ready to face the Eddorians openly. Only after the Second and Third World Wars does a civilization emerge in the future, the stage of development of which makes the lens possible for the first time.

The first Lensmen (First Lensman)

All the while, first humanity, later the Galactic Patrol (an amalgamation of different worlds) in the fight against the Zwilniks , as the pirates and drug dealers who fight on the side of the Eddorians are called, are permanently on the brink. The appearance of Virgil Samms , the first Len-bearer, ushers in a development that enables humanity and the worlds connected to it to gradually free itself from the stranglehold of the Bosconian civilization controlled by Eddore. Their representative, Gharlane von Eddore , recognizes the existence of Arisias and the Aryans in the course of the conflicts. Their true meaning for the galactic civilizations remains hidden from him at first.

In the turmoil after the Third World War, Virgil Samms created a powerful police organization and united humanity under a central government despite great external and internal threats. A team of military personnel and scientists are actively at his side. Two engineers, Fred Rodebush and Lyman Cleveland, work with Nels Bergenholm, whose mind is temporarily occupied by an Aryan, to develop the inertia-free drive that enables traveling at faster than light speeds. It is also Nels Bergenholm who advises Virgil Samms to go to the planet Arisia, where a being named Mentor gives him the first Lens, a tool that will have a decisive influence on the course of events that follow.

The lens is a device that is manufactured by the Aryans and that gives its wearer special mental abilities - or better said: activates and strengthens his potentially existing (as a result of the targeted breeding program) mental powers. At the same time, it is a universal identification mark that unambiguously verifies its wearer as a member of galactic civilization, because as a product of the highest Aryan technology at this time it cannot be copied or falsified. The lens is tailored to its wearer and can only be worn by him. If the bearer dies, it dissolves.

Virgil Samms himself determines the first (human and non-human) bearers who will also travel to Arisia and receive their lenses. It turns out that women are not suitable as bearers. This premise will only be softened in later generations. Samms and his friends initiate a procedure to train future generations of Lenträger to ensure that an unworthy one will never wear the lens - the founding hour of the galactic patrol.

Later, all bearers - regardless of their appearance, race and origin - have equal rights, and they all follow a common code of honor. Each of them has absolute authority over non-Lens wearers. The selection criteria that a chosen one has to undergo before receiving his lens automatically ensure that his character is never in danger of abusing this comprehensive power.

Galactic Patrol (Galactic Patrol)

Your Galactic Patrol plot begins well later, the day Kimball Kinnison receives his Lens as the best of his class. His very first mission is of vital importance for the galactic patrol and the worlds connected to it, because the spaceships of the Bosconian pirates now have a previously unknown technology that makes them superior to all patrol ships. Kimball Kinnison actually manages with a hussar stroke to conquer an enemy spaceship and evaluate its technology. Since the Bosconians are on site with an overwhelming superiority of battleships and also flood the space sector with interference pulses, it is out of the question to transmit the information to the patrol. The only chance is to escape with the lifeboats.

After a long odyssey, Kinnison lands in the then unknown Velantia solar system, where he meets Worsel , a dragon-like being of high intelligence who frees him from a life-threatening situation. Regardless of Worsel's fearsome appearance, the two become friends. Kinnison helps Worsel in the fight against the enemy overlords and together they inflict a heavy defeat on them. The Velantians then help Kinnison capture a number of Bosconian ships and continue their journey back to earth with them.

A failure in its propulsion forces Kinnison's ship to seek refuge on the planet Trenco, the place of origin of thionite , the most dangerous drug in the galaxy. Here he meets Tregonsee von Rigel IV , at whose patrol station his ship is being made fit for space again. Kinnison returns to Fleet Headquarters with his intelligence. With their help it is possible to upgrade the patrol fleet in such a way that it is even superior to the Bosconian fleet in terms of fighting power for some time.

Kimball Kinnison has been promoted to freelance lens wearer for his services and is now dedicated to targeting the Bosconian headquarters. While infiltrating a pirate base on Aldebaran I, he is discovered and has to flee seriously injured. Clarissa MacDougall, a representative of the other lineage on earth, nurses him to health. They feel drawn to one another, but do not come together due to a psychological barrier installed by the Aryans between the two lineages.

Realizing the inadequacy of his powers leads Kimball Kinnison to return to Arisia and undergo advanced training there. This leads him to his limits. However, once they are completed, their abilities exceed those of any other person. With the help of his newly acquired skills, he succeeds in locating the location of the Bosconian headquarters and almost single-handedly destroying it.

The Gray Rulers (Gray Lensman)

During the destruction of the base, Kinnison discovers that it was not the headquarters of the Bosconians, but received its instructions from the Second Galaxy (the Lundmark Nebula mentioned above). On a reconnaissance flight with the flagship of the patrol, the heavy DAUNTLESS, they encounter the Medonians in the Second Galaxy . Technically highly developed, they are nevertheless in a desperate position compared to the Bosconian superiority. In order to avoid annihilation, they have developed machines that not only render their spaceships inert, but also their entire planet, thus enabling an interstellar journey to a safe place. The Galactic Patrol granted their planet refuge in the First Galaxy (our Milky Way) and gained a valuable ally.

In the following years, Kimball Kinnison infiltrated the drug rings in various disguises, which are also controlled by Boskone and whose activity quickly becomes rampant after the military activity in the Milky Way has subsided. Several intermediate stages lead him to the nine-member Council of Boskone , which resides on the planet Jarnevon in the Second Galaxy. Kinnison, together with his friend Worsel von Velantia (who has also received an Aryan education in the meantime), undertakes a fact-finding mission that does bring results. Kinnison is captured, however, and tortured to near death by an overlord. Worsel can only save him at the last moment. In the following recovery period he meets Sister Clarissa McDougall again and this time there is a spark between them.

Kinnison sets out on board a huge fleet in the second galaxy and with the help of two newly developed weapons, the headquarters of the drug dealers and the planet Jarnevon can be destroyed. Kinnison believes his mission is over and plans to marry Clarissa McDougall. Only the intervention of Mentor von Arisias brings him to the realization that Jarnevon did not represent the top level of the Bosconian hierarchy either.

The Second Empire (Second Stage Lensman)

After they have annihilated a new Bosconian invading army with great difficulty, Kinnison returns to the search for clues. The matriarchal planet Lyrane II proves to be the key. Since Kinnison is stuck here as a man, he has to break new ground. With the help of mentors, he made his friend Clarissa the first woman to carry a message. You can find a trail on Lyrane II to the planets Thrale and Onlo in the Second Galaxy, where the Bosconian headquarters appear to be. They get help from Nadreck von Palain VII , behind whom another Len carrier of the second order from an Aryan breeding line is hidden, as Kinnison, Worsel (and Tregonsee von Rigel IV) are now called after their Aryan training.

Nadreck devotes himself to the exploration of Onlo and destroys the base there in tough detailed work. Kimball Kinnison serves up as an officer in the Thrale army and manages to kill the dictator there in a duel and to take his place. These actions are covered by a large-scale invasion of the Galactic Patrol in the Second Galaxy. Surprisingly, however, it is not the Thrallic dictator but his Prime Minister Fossten who turns out to be the more dangerous opponent. Gharlane von Eddore is hidden behind Fossten!

Shortly before the decisive battle with the Galactic Patrol Army, the two of them clash. Kinnison wins an unimaginable spiritual battle. The help of the Aryans, who also hide Fossten's true identity from him, remains hidden from him. With the death of Fossten / Gharlane, peace returns for a long time. Kinnison marries his Clarissa (the representative of the second Aryan breeding line on earth) and settles down on the planet Klovia.

The legacy of the Lens (Children of the Lens)

Five children emerge from the union of two lines, whose intellectual abilities (beings of the third order) far outshone those of the other Len-bearers - and even those of the Aryans. These events are spun on in the sixth part, The Legacy of Lens , which takes place some 25 years later.

The five Kinnison children Kathryn, Karen, Camilla, Constance and Christopher have grown up and Christopher (Kit) is just about to be appointed Lenträger. Kimball Kinnison, in his role as Galactic Coordinator, concludes from a series of seemingly incoherent tragedies on different planets that they are dealing with Boskone again. Kinnison subconsciously senses that the role of the four second-order supporters this time is only to support their children, who will have to fight the actual battle, as their combined skills are no longer sufficient.

Still, all four get back to work immediately and manage to gather information that points to an important role played by Lyrane IX and a previously unknown planet called Ploor. The five Kinnison children complete their Aryan education one after the other and are now endowed with unimaginable intellectual abilities as third-order carriers.

Clarissa Kinnison visits the Matriarchy on Lyrane II to begin her research. Since her skills may not be sufficient in the face of the impending danger, her son Kit, with renewed support from Mentor, makes her the first second-rate bearer. Clarissa receives a hostile reception on Lyrane II and the five children's inquiries about the planet Ploor also come to nothing. The scraps of information collected at risk of death simply do not want to fit together.

Only when Clarissa saves an old friend from death and Kimball Kinnison discovers a Bosconian Lenträger does the story pick up speed and head for a brilliant finale. The Kinnison children discover the secret of the planet Ploor. Kit lands on Eddore and receives vital information there. The fleets of the Galactic Patrol attack Ploor and destroy the planet using a new weapon from a parallel universe . At the same time, the children attack the planet Eddore with the support of the Aryans and the combined spiritual strength of all Len carriers. The Eddorians are destroyed in a gigantic final battle.

The Aryan are of the opinion that their role as guardians of civilization is over and that their presence will hinder rather than help its further development. Therefore they collectively put an end to their existence and “move on to the next level of existence”.

Parodies

In 1949, Randall Garrett wrote the short story Backstage Lensman as a parody of Smith's cycle and appropriately names his hero Gimble Ginnison . The story was lost for a while and was then rewritten by the author himself in 1978 and then published for the first time in Analog magazine .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1966 Hugo Awards ( Memento of the original from February 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.locusmag.com
  2. ↑ John Clute , Peter Nicholls : The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction . St. Martin's Press, New York 1993, ISBN 1-85723-124-4 , article on EE Smith

Web links

(In the here offered for download versions of Triplanetary is pulps that have appeared in the months from January 1934 to April 1934. You are similar to the published in 1948, printed as a book version of Triplanetary from Chapter 7.)