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Title:
The Weapon from Beyond
Series: Starwolf
#1
Author: Edmond Hamilton
Rating: 3
of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages:
158
Words: 47K
I
would have enjoyed this a lot more 15-20 years ago, maybe even 30.
Hamilton
either didn’t know that space is three dimensional and thus when
giving out coordinates, you need an X, a Y AND a Z or he was using
terms that I am quite familiar with in ways they weren’t meant to
be used. You can’t navigate space using degrees and azimuths as
separate things, because they ARE the same thing. What Hamilton
needed was “declination”, the up/down part of describing movement
within a globe. So yelling out “they are heading out at fourteen
degrees and double that for the azimuth” is absolute nonsense. It
is meaningless technobabble, but it’s not really technobabble, but
misapplied terminology to what we already do know. This is why
authors need to be careful. Because some guy is going to come along
and read their book and he is going to know the meaning behind the
babble and will simply shake his head in disgust and say things like
“this is for kids”.
Other
than that, this was a decent SF adventure story about some guy all by
himself moving from one group to another. Very macho and heroic and
manly. I still need to read stories with those elements, I just need
them woven in a bit more subtly. Like I said, 16year old me would
have glomped onto this like I did with Wayfarer
back in the day.
Finally,
the cover. While it’s old skool to the max (this was published in
1967), it actually has a scene from the story instead of just some
random picture of a space guy. Covers should be representative of
what is inside, not just a lure to get you to pick the book up (they
can be both and I have zero issues with the lure line of thought, it
just needs to take a subordinate position).
★★★☆☆
From
Wikipedia
Starwolf
is a series of three novels by Edmond Hamilton featuring
heavy-worlder Morgan Chane. Chane was the son of a human missionary
family to a heavier-than-Earth-normal world (higher gravity) of
Viking-like aliens. During the years of his life, his parents died
and left him an orphan to be incorporated into the Starwolf society.
As an adult he felt himself to be as much a Starwolf as his alien
companions. After a dispute over plunder with a fellow Starwolf
(leaving the other Starwolf dead), Chane flees (under threat of
death) from Starwolf society. As a fugitive and hiding his
ex-Starwolf status (the rest of the galaxy "declares a holiday
when a Starwolf is killed"), Chane becomes part of a "Merc"
human mercenary group commanded by a Merc named John Dilullo.
While
in intersteallar space Morgan Chane survives a deadly chase by his
ex-fellow robbers from Varnan, Starwolves, one of which he killed in
a self-defence. On his escape he gets captured by an experienced
starship captain, Dilullo from Earth who is leading a group of Mercs
(mercenaries) with a mission to a planet called Kharal. Captain saves
him, but quickly learns that he is one of Starwolves, well known
robbers who raided almost entire galaxy and whom it's usual to kill
on spot. Learning about his trouble, captain Dilullo offers him to
join his mission to Kharal and share reward. As usual for Mercs, the
mission promised to be dangerous so in exchange for his help Captain
offered to keep origin of Morgan Chane secret. After landing on
Kharal they learn about details, reward, and about enemies of Kharal,
the planet Vhol who they are at war with, and who are about to obtain
super weapons capable to destroy entire Kharal. Mercs accept their
mission and are tasked to find weapon's whereabouts and destroy it
before enemies of Kharali can use it. While on the Kharal, Morgan
Chane gets jailed for trouble with natives of the planet. While in
prison he gest contacted by Captain Dilullo who then tasks Morgan
Chane with releaseing a Vhollian officer named Yorolin who was
interrogated by Kharalli from the same prison where he was held.
Morgan
Chane gets the job done and the team leaves for the Vhol unnoticed
with prisoners on board. There, with great effort and trouble they
learn about whereabouts of superweapons and set out toward nebulae.
Vhol-lans send a cruiser after them. On their way they face
Starwolves once again, but luckily appeared Vhol-lans cruiser gets
involved and gives a chance for Mercs to escape the battle. By
tracing cruiser's path, they reach nebulae's planet where super
weapons were expected to be found, but find only enormous
intergalactic spaceship wreckage. Mercs captured vhol-lans scientists
present at the ship who explained that there was no super weapons and
this ship belonged to an ancient powerful alien race called Krii, who
accidentally landed on the planet, but survived in stasis for many
years and were awaiting their rescuing fellows Krii-s who were
expected to appear soon.
Mercs
learn that Vhol-lans had one of their cruisers survived the battle
with Starwolves and both landed on the planet. They prepared to storm
Mercs positions, but soon the fight was interrupted by Krii-s second
super-ship appearance. By using some unknown technology Krii-s made
all weapons, power plants, and engines on the planet "frozen"
and useless. Krii came to save their fellows and what was on the
wrecked ship. Once they finished their job, the wreackage gets
destroyed by Krii, leaving only trail in the sands and second ship
disappears.
Mercs
quckly depart for Kharal to get reward and set their way towards
Earth.
