GOSH! WOW!
I was a serious science fiction fan when I was a kid. I'm not talkin' about that George Roddenbery/George Lucas stuff either. I was a reader.
My main inspiration as an SF fan was the work of Robert A. Heinlein, but right after that was The Legion of Space, by Jack Williamson.
The Legion of Space is the definitive Space Opera novel. For me it defined the era of SF before the Golden Age. I thrilled to it as a lad. And I eagerly devoured the sequels: The Cometeers, and One Against the Legion. There was another sequel, published decades later, called The Queen of the Legion, but I never read it. I always intended to re-read the first three before tackling the book. But I never did it.
Even in those humble years, I knew The Legion of Space was rather silly, but it was such a rollicking good time that I barely had time to notice it while I was reading it. I think I was around 12 years old when I read the book--the perfect age in which to enjoy it.
The Legion was originally serialized in the venerable Astounding Science Fiction, and later reprinted in novel form. Each chapter ends in a kind of a cliffhanger.
Savvy fans have suggested that George Lucas had read The Legion of Space and was influenced by it when he created Star Wars. Either way, Star Wars set the SF genre back nearly fifty years.
Jack Williamson, though not as famous as the Big Three Science Fiction writers (Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov), was one of the most influential and important figures in the history of the genre. His fiction matured massively in the years of his long career, but none of his later works bring forth as much affection in me than The Legion of Space.
I plan to re-read The Legion of Space in 2012. I'm almost afraid to do so. Will I experience the same wonder that I did when I was twelve? That's incredibly unlikely. I hope that I don't hate The Legion of Space, and destroy that bit of youth and innocence that is in my heart for it. That's the risk any of us take when we choose to revisit the past. I'm not sure when I'll actually start reading The Legion of Space again, but I'll let you know when I do. Stay tuned to this website.
I was a serious science fiction fan when I was a kid. I'm not talkin' about that George Roddenbery/George Lucas stuff either. I was a reader.
My main inspiration as an SF fan was the work of Robert A. Heinlein, but right after that was The Legion of Space, by Jack Williamson.
The Legion of Space is the definitive Space Opera novel. For me it defined the era of SF before the Golden Age. I thrilled to it as a lad. And I eagerly devoured the sequels: The Cometeers, and One Against the Legion. There was another sequel, published decades later, called The Queen of the Legion, but I never read it. I always intended to re-read the first three before tackling the book. But I never did it.Even in those humble years, I knew The Legion of Space was rather silly, but it was such a rollicking good time that I barely had time to notice it while I was reading it. I think I was around 12 years old when I read the book--the perfect age in which to enjoy it.
The Legion was originally serialized in the venerable Astounding Science Fiction, and later reprinted in novel form. Each chapter ends in a kind of a cliffhanger.
Savvy fans have suggested that George Lucas had read The Legion of Space and was influenced by it when he created Star Wars. Either way, Star Wars set the SF genre back nearly fifty years.
Jack Williamson, though not as famous as the Big Three Science Fiction writers (Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov), was one of the most influential and important figures in the history of the genre. His fiction matured massively in the years of his long career, but none of his later works bring forth as much affection in me than The Legion of Space.
I plan to re-read The Legion of Space in 2012. I'm almost afraid to do so. Will I experience the same wonder that I did when I was twelve? That's incredibly unlikely. I hope that I don't hate The Legion of Space, and destroy that bit of youth and innocence that is in my heart for it. That's the risk any of us take when we choose to revisit the past. I'm not sure when I'll actually start reading The Legion of Space again, but I'll let you know when I do. Stay tuned to this website.
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