The Skylark Of Space And Other Works By E.e.

Author: E. E. Smith

"Space opera" was a disparaging term coined by Wilson Tucker for the sort of brash interstellar adventure that has been the staple of science fiction magazines before the Second World War. But the person who actually invented space opera is probably E.E. "Doc" Smith.The first space opera was The Skylark of Space, in which an inventor, Seaton, discovers a workable space drive. His rival, DuQuesne, steals the drive, kidnaps Seaton's girlfriend, and heads out into space, hotly pursued by Seaton and his partner. They catch up with DuQuesne, rescue the girlfriend, then set off on a tour of exotic planets and meet strange aliens, before finally returning to Earth. There were two further Skylark novels. Skylark Three has DuQuesneagain being the black-hearted villain who draws Seaton into a space war with a variety of aliens, only for Seaton to single-handedly conquer entire planets. Much the same happens in the third book, Skylark of Valeron. There was a fourth volume, Skylark DuQuesne, which was the last thing Smith wrote, some thirty years after the original trilogy, and in which DuQuesne reforms and joins Seaton in stopping an intergalactic genocide.The stories are tosh, the writing is sloppy, and yet there is something joyous about their sheer love of scale. Don't read these as great literature, but if you're looking for something light and quick and fun, they could be just right. The books may have been rubbish, but they were massively influential. A huge number of authors were inspired by Smith (most of them much better writers), and they made space opera one of the most important sub-genres of science fiction. A status they still enjoy today, though with the New Space Opera they form has improved markedly.

Books in Skylark Series (3)

Skylark Three

Skylark Of Valeron

Skylark Duquesne

Similar Recommendations

"Doc" Smith wrote another ludicrous space opera series, the Lensman novels, consisting of Triplanetary, First Lensman, Galactic Patrol, GrayLensman, Second Stage Lensman and Children of the Lens. Triplanetary opens with two galaxies colliding, and things just get bigger from there on in. By the end of the series, planets and suns are casually being tossed about as weapons in a galactic war. To say it is improbable is an understatement, and the characterisation makes cardboard look lively, but it is still a lot of gosh-wow fun.

Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers by Harry Harrison is a funny parody of "Doc" Smith, as if the original wasn't parodic enough.

For rather better space opera, try the Gap series by Stephen Donaldson, The Gap into Conflict: the Real Story, The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge, The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises, The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order and The Gap into Ruin: This Day All Gods Die. The Gap is a faster than light drive, which allows the stories to cover great areas of interstellar space as we follow the machinations of the United Mining Companies against a backdrop of war with the alien Amnion.