- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Orb Books; First Edition edition (Jun 26 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312852363
- ISBN-13: 978-0312852368
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 14.2 x 1.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #342,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Slan is legendary science fiction author A. E. Van Vogt's first and best-known novel, back in print from Tor Books's Orb imprint. The story is classic golden age science fiction: Jommy Cross is a slan, a genetically bred superhuman whose race was created to aid humanity but is now despised by "normal" humans. Slans are usually shot on sight, but that doesn't stop Jommy's mother from bringing him to see the world capital of Centropolis, the seat of power for Earth's dictator, Kier Gray. But on their latest trip to Centropolis, the two slans are discovered, and Jommy's mother is killed. Jommy, only 9 years old, unwittingly becomes caught up in a plot to undermine Gray, who may be more sympathetic to slans than the public suspects. The nonstop action and root-for-the-underdog plot has made Slan a science fiction favorite.
From Library Journal
One of the landmark novels of the genre, Van Vogt's 1940 tale follows the "Slan," a new breed of telepathic humans and their search for a society free from persecution. Essential for all libraries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
His mother,s hand felt cold, clutching his. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
His mother,s hand felt cold, clutching his. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Forgotten Classic That Should Be Remembered,
By
This review is from: Slan: A Novel (Paperback)
"Slan" is A. E. van Vogt's first novel. It was published in book form in 1946 by Arkham House, but the story originally appeared in the pages of Astounding Magazine in 1940. It was a highly rated classic of Science Fiction for more than 25 years after it originally appeared, but today it is often forgotten along with many of the early classics. In 1949 it was tied for 4th on the Arkham Survey of 'Basic SF Titles'. It ranked 2nd on the Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll in 1952, 5th, in 1956, and 3rd in 1966.It is the story of a mutant race of humanity (Slan) who are stronger, smarter, and are telepathic. In the story we are told that the name Slan is derived from Samuel Lann who is purported to be the creator of the race. At the start, the Slan are hunted by humanity to be destroyed, and through the course of events we learn the history of the race, as well as the truth behind the crimes of which they are accused. The story is told through the eyes of two of the Slan. The first is Jommy Cross who is nine years old when the story commences, and who is becomes isolated from any other Slan when his mother is captured. The second Slan is Kathleen Layton, who is a prisoner of the government and being held for observation. This is an excellent book, which holds up well 60+ years later. It is fast paced, and definitely worth reading.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A revelation to me as a teen,
By JT "I may not have gone where I intended to g... (Tampa Bay, FL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Slan: A Novel (Paperback)
I first read Slan in my early teens, and (this is going to get a little personal here, folks) I really identified with the struggle against persecution because at the time I was an adolescent struggling with my own sexuality and the realization that I am gay - something that in my youth (and to a *slightly* lesser extent today) was something to hide, something to fear, lest you suffer persecution.I re-read the book along with a few other Van Vogt novels as an adult, and it still gave me that feeling of empowerment - that being different was not necessarily "bad." I doubt Van Vogt had gay people or any specific minority group in mind when he wrote the novel. It was, after all, 1940, and there was no such thing as political correctness and we as a society saw no harm whatsoever in persecuting entire groups of peoples, subcultures, etc. Which just proves that as a writer, Van Vogt was ahead of his time. The book holds up; it is still a great story, still has great action, mystery and intrigue. A few of the "science fiction" elements are a little cliched today, but they were of course *new* when Van Vogt wrote them. I would have to call Slan one of my all time favorites.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing Like It Before, but Much After,
By
This review is from: Slan: A Novel (Paperback)
True, it doesn't read all that well against modern science-fiction. But, for its time, it was a classic, and in some ways, still is. It was the first of its kind, in its time. Want to read something like it today? Try X-Men. Van Vogt, as always,wrote with the vividness and energy that was his trademark. And it dealt with the themes that informed almost all of van Vogt's work--the coming man, more than human. It's definitely worth a read, if you are interested in science-fiction. For his best novel, though, I would recommend _The Weapons Shops of Isher._
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
