.gif)
Galactic Patrol (novel)
Encyclopedia
Galactic Patrol is a science fiction
novel by American author Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.
. It was first published in book form in 1950
by Fantasy Press
in an edition of 6,596 copies. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1937. The stories in this volume were the first parts written as part of the original Lensman saga - although portions of Triplanetary
were written earlier, they were not originally part of the Lensman story and was only later revised to connect it to the rest of the series. First Lensman
was written later to bridge the events in Triplanetary to those in Galactic Patrol.
, Gray Lensman
, Second Stage Lensmen
and (to a lesser extent) Children of the Lens
. Kinnison, along with Clarissa MacDougall, are the ones for whom the Arisians have been waiting and working, the penultimates of the human breeding program they set up many eons earlier.
Galactic Patrol
deals with the earliest stages of Kinnison's career, starting with his graduation as a Lensman from the Patrol's academy. His graduation comes at a hard time for civilization. Organized pirates, known as Boskonians, have gained a great advantage with a new type of space drive, making their ships far faster than anything the Patrol can build. That is, with the exception of one ship, the Britannia. New and experimental, built to be the fastest thing in space, she has abandoned the traditional ray armament of a space ship for an offensive weapon much older - explosive artillery, fired at an opponent held in place by unbreakable tractor beams. Her mission is to capture a Boskonian ship of the new type intact enough to get the secret of her speed (hence the artillery, which the scientists of the patrol think can damage another ship enough to disable it without destroying the information they must have). The experimental nature of her weapon means that she would be useless to a man experienced only in using the standard weapons of the time, so she is given to the inexperienced Kinnison to command.
Kimball Kinnison graduates first in his class from the Academy, and is fitted with a Lens - the quasi-living symbol of authority that allows a Lensman to communicate telepathically (among other sundry powers). He is offered the big, but dangerous, assignment captaining an experimental ship with orders to capture a "pirate" (Boskonian) ship and extract information concerning the new power source that is allowing the pirates to run roughshod over the hapless patrol. Kimball is successful in capturing a ship, but must flee the converging pirate raiders. Much of the first third of the book is taken up with his efforts to evade his villainous pursuers and return his priceless information to Tellus (as Earth is known to the inhabitants of Civilization). In the process, Kinnison finds and frees a previously unknown, mentally enslaved, race (Velantians) from their masters, making valuable allies and adding a new member race to civilization. He also destroys several pirate ships, completely frustrates the main villain of the book "Helmuth speaking for Boskone" and deduces the location of one of the pirates' secret bases.
Kinnison successfully returns to Earth in a captured pirate ship and is promoted to the exalted rank of Unattached Lensman. Unattached Lensman (commonly called "Gray Lensman" because their uniform is made of plain gray leather) are endowed with virtually unlimited power and authority. He immediately sets out to infiltrate what he believes to be an important pirate base. Unfortunately, Kinnison is in over his head and the telepathically inclined "Wheelmen" who man the base discover and almost kill him before he can escape. While in the hospital recovering Kinnison is assigned the pretty, but tough, nurse Clarissa MacDougall to help him convalesce. He behaves badly and is rude and condescending to her, blindly lashing out because he blames himself for his abject failure with the "Wheelmen". Kinnison, once recovered, goes to Arisia to learn how better to use his Lens. Kinnison is the first Lensman to be accepted for further training by the Arisians, and leaves weeks later many times stronger and with numerous additional capabilities. He is now a Second Stage Lensman.
For practice, Kinnison tries out these capabilities by infiltrating a Patrol base and by trying to control the mind of a base member for a distance. After he reveals himself to the base commander, he is asked to judge a murder case that the local authorities have been unable to solve. As a Lensman, Kinnison can be called upon to be judge, jury and executioner. He then reads the minds of the two accused men, finds which one is guilty, and using his mental powers, executes the culprit. This is accepted by all concerned as reasonable and proper because in the years since “First Lensman” the members of Civilization have come to see that Lensmen are in actuality, completely honest and totally incorruptible!
Using the information that Kinnison brought back about the new space drive, the Galactic Patrol quickly rebuilds it's ships and go out pirate hunting again. The Boskonians are being beaten back with the new ships when suddenly all Boskonian ships disappear from space! When they appear again, they have also been rebuilt and are now equal to the best that Civilization has to offer. STALEMATE! The bloody war goes on. Every time Boskone and Civilization meet, ships and men die but nether side can gain any advantage. Kinnison decides to stop punching it out without gaining anything and aim for the head!
During the running battle with the pirates to get the information on their new space drive back to Tellus, he got a directional line to Helmuths base when he tapped a communication link. If he can get another line he can find Boskones secret headquarters. In the end, Kinnison locates the headquarters of Helmuth who “speaks for Boskone” and, with the help of the Grand Fleet of the Galactic Patrol, destroys it and kills Helmuth.
, reviewing the same 1950 edition favorably for Astounding, declared that "What John Ford
is to horse-opera -- Grade A, homogenized -- Doc Smith is to space-opera."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by American author Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.
E. E. Smith
Edward Elmer Smith, Ph.D., also, E. E. Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Doc Smith, "Skylark" Smith, and Ted was a food engineer and early science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series, among others...
. It was first published in book form in 1950
1950 in literature
The year 1950 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Kazuo Shimada wins the "Mystery Writer Of Japan" award for his book Shakai-bu Kisha .*Jack Kerouac has his first novel published....
by Fantasy Press
Fantasy Press
Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and E. E. Smith...
in an edition of 6,596 copies. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1937. The stories in this volume were the first parts written as part of the original Lensman saga - although portions of Triplanetary
Triplanetary
Triplanetary was a science fiction board wargame published by Game Designers' Workshop in 1973. It was a simulation of space combat within the solar system in the early 21st Century. The game was designed by Marc W. Miller as part of a series to be named "The Stars! The Stars!". A second edition of...
were written earlier, they were not originally part of the Lensman story and was only later revised to connect it to the rest of the series. First Lensman
First Lensman
First Lensman is a science fiction novel and space opera by author Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.. It was first published in 1950 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 5,995 copies. Although it is the second novel in the Lensman series, it was the last written...
was written later to bridge the events in Triplanetary to those in Galactic Patrol.
Plot synopsis
In the third of his Lensman series, Smith introduces the man, Kimball Kinnison, who will be the hero of the next four books - Galactic PatrolGalactic Patrol
The Galactic Patrol was an intergalactic organization in the Lensman science fiction series written by E. E. Smith. It was also the title of the third book in the series.-Overview:...
, Gray Lensman
Gray Lensman
Gray Lensman is a science fiction novel by author E. E. Smith. It was first published in book form in 1951 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 5,096 copies. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1939....
, Second Stage Lensmen
Second Stage Lensmen
Second Stage Lensmen is a science fiction novel by author Edward E. Smith, Ph.D.. It was first published in book form in 1953 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 4,934 copies. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding beginning in 1941...
and (to a lesser extent) Children of the Lens
Children of the Lens
The Children of the Lens are characters in the fictional Lensman universe created by E. E. "Doc" Smith.One male and two pairs of twin females, they are the children of Kimball Kinnison and Clarissa Kinnison, both of whom are second-stage lensmen...
. Kinnison, along with Clarissa MacDougall, are the ones for whom the Arisians have been waiting and working, the penultimates of the human breeding program they set up many eons earlier.
Galactic Patrol
Galactic Patrol
The Galactic Patrol was an intergalactic organization in the Lensman science fiction series written by E. E. Smith. It was also the title of the third book in the series.-Overview:...
deals with the earliest stages of Kinnison's career, starting with his graduation as a Lensman from the Patrol's academy. His graduation comes at a hard time for civilization. Organized pirates, known as Boskonians, have gained a great advantage with a new type of space drive, making their ships far faster than anything the Patrol can build. That is, with the exception of one ship, the Britannia. New and experimental, built to be the fastest thing in space, she has abandoned the traditional ray armament of a space ship for an offensive weapon much older - explosive artillery, fired at an opponent held in place by unbreakable tractor beams. Her mission is to capture a Boskonian ship of the new type intact enough to get the secret of her speed (hence the artillery, which the scientists of the patrol think can damage another ship enough to disable it without destroying the information they must have). The experimental nature of her weapon means that she would be useless to a man experienced only in using the standard weapons of the time, so she is given to the inexperienced Kinnison to command.
Kimball Kinnison graduates first in his class from the Academy, and is fitted with a Lens - the quasi-living symbol of authority that allows a Lensman to communicate telepathically (among other sundry powers). He is offered the big, but dangerous, assignment captaining an experimental ship with orders to capture a "pirate" (Boskonian) ship and extract information concerning the new power source that is allowing the pirates to run roughshod over the hapless patrol. Kimball is successful in capturing a ship, but must flee the converging pirate raiders. Much of the first third of the book is taken up with his efforts to evade his villainous pursuers and return his priceless information to Tellus (as Earth is known to the inhabitants of Civilization). In the process, Kinnison finds and frees a previously unknown, mentally enslaved, race (Velantians) from their masters, making valuable allies and adding a new member race to civilization. He also destroys several pirate ships, completely frustrates the main villain of the book "Helmuth speaking for Boskone" and deduces the location of one of the pirates' secret bases.
Kinnison successfully returns to Earth in a captured pirate ship and is promoted to the exalted rank of Unattached Lensman. Unattached Lensman (commonly called "Gray Lensman" because their uniform is made of plain gray leather) are endowed with virtually unlimited power and authority. He immediately sets out to infiltrate what he believes to be an important pirate base. Unfortunately, Kinnison is in over his head and the telepathically inclined "Wheelmen" who man the base discover and almost kill him before he can escape. While in the hospital recovering Kinnison is assigned the pretty, but tough, nurse Clarissa MacDougall to help him convalesce. He behaves badly and is rude and condescending to her, blindly lashing out because he blames himself for his abject failure with the "Wheelmen". Kinnison, once recovered, goes to Arisia to learn how better to use his Lens. Kinnison is the first Lensman to be accepted for further training by the Arisians, and leaves weeks later many times stronger and with numerous additional capabilities. He is now a Second Stage Lensman.
For practice, Kinnison tries out these capabilities by infiltrating a Patrol base and by trying to control the mind of a base member for a distance. After he reveals himself to the base commander, he is asked to judge a murder case that the local authorities have been unable to solve. As a Lensman, Kinnison can be called upon to be judge, jury and executioner. He then reads the minds of the two accused men, finds which one is guilty, and using his mental powers, executes the culprit. This is accepted by all concerned as reasonable and proper because in the years since “First Lensman” the members of Civilization have come to see that Lensmen are in actuality, completely honest and totally incorruptible!
Using the information that Kinnison brought back about the new space drive, the Galactic Patrol quickly rebuilds it's ships and go out pirate hunting again. The Boskonians are being beaten back with the new ships when suddenly all Boskonian ships disappear from space! When they appear again, they have also been rebuilt and are now equal to the best that Civilization has to offer. STALEMATE! The bloody war goes on. Every time Boskone and Civilization meet, ships and men die but nether side can gain any advantage. Kinnison decides to stop punching it out without gaining anything and aim for the head!
During the running battle with the pirates to get the information on their new space drive back to Tellus, he got a directional line to Helmuths base when he tapped a communication link. If he can get another line he can find Boskones secret headquarters. In the end, Kinnison locates the headquarters of Helmuth who “speaks for Boskone” and, with the help of the Grand Fleet of the Galactic Patrol, destroys it and kills Helmuth.
Reception
New York Times reviewer Basil Davenport declared that Galactic Patrol was "far above the interplanetary cowboy and Indian school" due to "Smith's ability to create planets with truly original climates and inhabitants" as integral parts of his story. P. Schuyler MillerP. Schuyler Miller
Peter Schuyler Miller was an American science fiction writer and critic.-Life:Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a life-long interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as an amateur archaeologist and a member of the New York State Archaeological Association.He...
, reviewing the same 1950 edition favorably for Astounding, declared that "What John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
is to horse-opera -- Grade A, homogenized -- Doc Smith is to space-opera."
Publication history
- 1937, USA, Astounding, Pub date September 1937, serialized magazine publication in 6 parts
- 1950, USA, Fantasy PressFantasy PressFantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles. Established in 1946 by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach in Reading, Pennsylvania, it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A. Heinlein and E. E. Smith...
, Pub date 1950, Hardback - 1961, Germany, Zimmermann, Pub Date 1961, Hardback, as Galaktische Patrouille
- 1964, USA, Pyramid BooksPyramid BooksJove Books, formerly Pyramid Books, is a paperback publishing company, founded in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers . The company was sold to the Walter Reade Organization in the late 1960s. It was acquired in 1974 by Harcourt Brace which renamed it to Jove in 1977 and continued the line as an...
, Pub date 1964, Paperback - 1997, UK, Ripping Publishing ISBN 1-899884-14-9, Pub date July 1997, Paperback
- 1998, USA, Old Earth Books ISBN 1-882968-11-5, Pub date December 1998, Paperback
External links
- http://galac-patra.org