epersonae's review against another edition
3.0
So very silly. Trashy sci-fi straight out of the 50s, although at least it has a fairly (if, of course, quite good looking) strong female character as one of the half-dozen protagonists. Great reading for the bathtub or while laying under a tree on a hot summer day, though.
puddicure's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked up this book at a Half-Price books while I was looking for some campy sci-fi, and this book is classic pulp fiction, through and through, full of larger than life characters, such the archetypal Lawful Good Man of Justice and B plots like “kids team up with a space outlaw, and he learns as much from them as they learn from him.”
The characters are pretty one-dimensional, but that’s the style of pulps in general, so it didn’t offend me. I actually thought it was pretty funny Vicktor Corsaire’s main flaw is being Too Lawful and Too Upstanding, and it lead to a number of interesting situations, especially when everyone calls him out on being stupidly idealistic.
And this is absolutely Not what the authors intended, but it also managed to capture the special energy that the scifi of the 50s and 60s has in terms of unintentional homoerotic tension between men. It wouldn’t be the main reason for someone to read this book, but it’s definitely a fun bonus.
In short, this is exactly what it looks like, and exactly what the praise on the back of the cover says- a story reminiscent of Flash Gordon, and a quick, light read that captures the essence and fun of what scifi used to be.
The characters are pretty one-dimensional, but that’s the style of pulps in general, so it didn’t offend me. I actually thought it was pretty funny Vicktor Corsaire’s main flaw is being Too Lawful and Too Upstanding, and it lead to a number of interesting situations, especially when everyone calls him out on being stupidly idealistic.
And this is absolutely Not what the authors intended, but it also managed to capture the special energy that the scifi of the 50s and 60s has in terms of unintentional homoerotic tension between men. It wouldn’t be the main reason for someone to read this book, but it’s definitely a fun bonus.
In short, this is exactly what it looks like, and exactly what the praise on the back of the cover says- a story reminiscent of Flash Gordon, and a quick, light read that captures the essence and fun of what scifi used to be.
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