Archival Review: Z-Lensman by David A. Kyle

Z-Lensman

by David A. Kyle

Mass market paperback, 256 pages. Published 1983.  Acquired September 2007.  Read October 2007.

I don't think this book was about Nadreck of Palain at all, even by the standards of the first two Second Stage books.  It's a competent enough conclusion to the story, but by this point, I was getting pretty tired of the whole thing.  Kyle does mindless action-adventure all right, but Doc does it much better.  Again, it focuses quite a lot on Cloudd, but I liked him, so that's all right.

Archival Review: Lensman from Rigel by David A. Kyle

Lensman from Rigel

by David A. Kyle

Mass market paperback, 212 pages. Published 1982.  Acquired September 2007.  Read October 2007.

Last month, I happened to find books two and three of the Second Stage trilogy, which given that The Dragon Lensman was coming closer and closer to the primary position on my list, was rather lucky indeed.  I decided to read all three in one go.  This book was on par with the first (maybe a little less fun)-- and like the first, didn't actually focus on its title character.  Instead of depicting Tregonsee, the inscrutable Rigellian Lensman, it focused on another Kyle creation, "Double D" Cloudd.  And the first half of the book is taken up by a rather interesting plot to fake Tregonsee's death which goes totally nowhere, when he casually reveals to the Galaxies that he's still alive to no real advantage.

Archival Review: The Dragon Lensman by David A. Kyle

The Dragon Lensman

by David A. Kyle

Trade paperback, 240 pages. Published 2004 (originally 1980).  Acquired October 2006.  Read October 2007.

I've been working my way through E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series very slowly, ever since July 2005, and after reading the second-last book, Second Stage Lensmen, I decided to take a side-step and read some related books that occurred in the gap.  These would be Masters of the Vortex, a tale set in the Lensman universe and referencing some of the same character/species (read in July 2006), and The Second Stage Lensman Trilogy, an authorized continuation written in the 1980s.  I acquired this, the first of the series, in October 2006, but only got around to it now.  Rather than write about the main character of Doc's Lensman books, Kimball Kinnison, Kyle opted to write about the three other (alien) second stage Lensman, starting with Worsel the Velantian.  It's a fun book, aping Doc's style satisfactorially, and just as able to deliver on the non-stop action.  Kyle takes the time to update the universe with some post-1930s concepts, such as computers (which works) and women being allowed to do things (which doesn't).  The real failing of the book is that it's not about Worsel at all, but rather a new, Kyle-created character.  Lalla Kallatra is interesting-- but not as interesting as a gigantic evil-fighting dragon.