The Legion of Space
Encyclopedia
The Legion of Space is a science-fiction novel by the American writer Jack Williamson
. It was first published in book form by Fantasy Press
in 1947 in an edition of 2,970 copies. The novel was revised from a version that was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1934. Its serial origin is evident in nearly every chapter ending with a cliffhanger
.
but dare not go farther, as the first extra-solar expedition to Barnard's Star
failed and the survivors came back as babbling, grotesque, diseased madmen. These survivors spoke of a gigantic planet, populated by ferocious animals, and of the single city of the evil "Medusae". The Medusae bear a vague resemblance to jellyfish, but are actually elephant-sized, four-eyed, flying beings having hundreds of tentacles. The Medusae cannot speak and communicate with one another via a microwave
code.
ian character, named Giles Habibula, was once a criminal, and can open any lock ever made. In his youth he was called "Giles The Ghost". With him, Jay Kalam (Commander of the Legion) and Hal Samdu (an anagram of Dumas
) battle the Medusae, the alien race from the lone planet of Barnard's Star
. The Legion itself is the military and police force of the Solar System after the overthrow of an empire called the Purple Hall that once ruled all humans.
Renegade Purple pretenders ally themselves with the Medusae as a means to regain their empire. The Medusae, however, turn on the Purples, seeking to destroy all humans and move to the Solar System, as their own world, far older than Earth, is spiraling into Barnard's Star.
One of the Purples, John Ulnar, supports the Legion from the start, making him the fourth lead. His enemy is the Purple pretender Eric Ulnar, who sought the Medusae in the first place, seeking to become the next "Emperor of the Sun".
In the story, the Medusae conquer the Moon
, set bases there, and proceed to attempt conquest of Earth's Solar System. The Medusae had for eons used a reddish, artificial greenhouse gas
to keep their dying world from freezing; having learned from the first human expedition to their world that this gas corrodes human flesh, the Medusae use it as a potent chemical weapon, attempting ecological destruction by means of projectiles fired from the Moon. Their vast spaceships also have very effective plasma
-based weapons.
This story also features a secret weapon called AKKA. Using a space/time distortion, it could erase from the Universe any matter, of any size, anywhere, even a star or a planet. This weapon of mass destruction was entrusted to a series of women.
AKKA was used in the past to overthrow the Purple tyranny. The Medusae tried to steal the secret weapon, but failed and their invasion force was destroyed. When they were wiped out, the Moon, where they had established their base, was erased out of existence.
At the end of the story, John Ulnar falls in love with the keeper of AKKA, Aladoree Anthar, and marries her. Aladoree Anthar is described as a young, blonde woman, beautiful as a goddess.
, noting that Williamson had produced much better work, dismissed Legion as a Gosh-wow! epic which thundered along on the cloven heels of Doc Smith
." Everett F. Bleiler
, although faulting the novel's "stylistic and developmental problems . . . notably the irritating characterizations of the musketeers and John Ulnar," concluded that Legion is carried along by a drive and verve that make it one of the better early space operas."
Jack Williamson
John Stewart Williamson , who wrote as Jack Williamson was a U.S. writer often referred to as the "Dean of Science Fiction" following the death in 1988 of Robert A...
. It was first published in book form 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 1947 in an edition of 2,970 copies. The novel was revised from a version that was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1934. Its serial origin is evident in nearly every chapter ending with a cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
.
Plot introduction
The story takes place in an era when humans have colonized the Solar SystemSolar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
but dare not go farther, as the first extra-solar expedition to Barnard's Star
Barnard's star
Barnard's Star, also known occasionally as Barnard's "Runaway" Star, is a very low-mass red dwarf star approximately six light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus . In 1916, the American astronomer E.E...
failed and the survivors came back as babbling, grotesque, diseased madmen. These survivors spoke of a gigantic planet, populated by ferocious animals, and of the single city of the evil "Medusae". The Medusae bear a vague resemblance to jellyfish, but are actually elephant-sized, four-eyed, flying beings having hundreds of tentacles. The Medusae cannot speak and communicate with one another via a microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
code.
Plot summary
A FalstaffFalstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
ian character, named Giles Habibula, was once a criminal, and can open any lock ever made. In his youth he was called "Giles The Ghost". With him, Jay Kalam (Commander of the Legion) and Hal Samdu (an anagram of Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
) battle the Medusae, the alien race from the lone planet of Barnard's Star
Barnard's star
Barnard's Star, also known occasionally as Barnard's "Runaway" Star, is a very low-mass red dwarf star approximately six light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus . In 1916, the American astronomer E.E...
. The Legion itself is the military and police force of the Solar System after the overthrow of an empire called the Purple Hall that once ruled all humans.
Renegade Purple pretenders ally themselves with the Medusae as a means to regain their empire. The Medusae, however, turn on the Purples, seeking to destroy all humans and move to the Solar System, as their own world, far older than Earth, is spiraling into Barnard's Star.
One of the Purples, John Ulnar, supports the Legion from the start, making him the fourth lead. His enemy is the Purple pretender Eric Ulnar, who sought the Medusae in the first place, seeking to become the next "Emperor of the Sun".
In the story, the Medusae conquer the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, set bases there, and proceed to attempt conquest of Earth's Solar System. The Medusae had for eons used a reddish, artificial greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
to keep their dying world from freezing; having learned from the first human expedition to their world that this gas corrodes human flesh, the Medusae use it as a potent chemical weapon, attempting ecological destruction by means of projectiles fired from the Moon. Their vast spaceships also have very effective plasma
Plasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
-based weapons.
This story also features a secret weapon called AKKA. Using a space/time distortion, it could erase from the Universe any matter, of any size, anywhere, even a star or a planet. This weapon of mass destruction was entrusted to a series of women.
AKKA was used in the past to overthrow the Purple tyranny. The Medusae tried to steal the secret weapon, but failed and their invasion force was destroyed. When they were wiped out, the Moon, where they had established their base, was erased out of existence.
At the end of the story, John Ulnar falls in love with the keeper of AKKA, Aladoree Anthar, and marries her. Aladoree Anthar is described as a young, blonde woman, beautiful as a goddess.
Critical reception
Aldiss and WingroveDavid Wingrove
David Wingrove is a British science fiction writer. He is well-known as the author of the Chung Kuo novels . He is also the co-author of the three Myst novels....
, noting that Williamson had produced much better work, dismissed Legion as a Gosh-wow! epic which thundered along on the cloven heels of Doc Smith
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...
." Everett F. Bleiler
Everett F. Bleiler
Everett Franklin Bleiler was an editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" series of science fiction anthologies, and his Checklist of Fantastic Literature has been called...
, although faulting the novel's "stylistic and developmental problems . . . notably the irritating characterizations of the musketeers and John Ulnar," concluded that Legion is carried along by a drive and verve that make it one of the better early space operas."