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Path: utzoo!decvax!harpo!whuxlm!akgua!sol1!s255
From: s255@sol1.UUCP (s255)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Null-A Three by van Vogt
Message-ID: <342@sol1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Sep-85 00:03:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: sol1.342
Posted: Mon Sep 16 00:03:22 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Sep-85 01:24:21 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: THE SOLUTION, Lincoln, NE
Lines: 43

"Null-A Three", DAW Books, NY

This is a sequel to World of Null-A and Players of Null-A, books which
describe the adventures of Gilbert Gosseyn.  Gosseyn is trained in
General Semantics, a discipline which allows its practitioners to
reach full human potential.  He also has an extra brain, which allows
him to control energy flows and to teleport to any place he has seen
and "memorized".

Oh yes, and he's immortal because of a set  of cloned bodies cached
in suspended animation in various places.  If he gets "killed" a new
body wakes up with all the old one's memories.

Null-A Three features the bewilderingly swift plot shifts of classic
van Vogt.  It also explores some issues only touched on in the earlier
books, like the implications of Gosseyn's "immortality".

Aside from that there is almost nothing to recommend it.  The plot, 
except for a couple of scenes, lacks the electric tensions of classic
van Vogt.  There are people scheming at cross purposes, of course,
but they seem quite perfunctory about it.  Heavyweight characters like
Enro the Red sit around talking mostly.  When they try to act Gosseyn
checkmates them without effort or fireworks.  Characters are lifeless,
except for a boy emperor who is partially developed.

What makes the book a failure is not any of these problems, though.
The story line is unbelievably sloppy.  Some examples:
***SPOILERS***
When the book opens, Gosseyn appears on board on alien vessel, which
is clearly described as one of 178,000 warships in the same area of space.
An interrogator tells Gosseyn so.  Pages later, it's described as a lone
ship with 178,000 people on board, and Gosseyn says to a crew member
"I get the impression this is a warship".  In brief, it looks as though
neither the author nor the publisher ever read the manuscript 
from beginning to end.

SUMMARY

This one reads like the work of a hack heavily influenced by van Vogt.
Save your money.

Fred Wamsley  ihnp4!sol1!s255
"Tellarites do not argue for reasons. They simply argue."


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