Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Pyramid (1970), Mass Market Paperback
Description
Fiction. Literature. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML: Settle in for a sci-fi tour de force from top author E. E. Smith. "The Vortex Blaster" recounts the perilous path of Neal Cloud, a physicist destined to emerge as a key figure in intergalactic history through his ability to master and manipulate some of the most elemental forces in the universe..
User reviews
LibraryThing member Karlstar
This is supposed to be another Lensman series novel, but it really isn't. Its not nearly as good as the Lensman books, and its odd place as a single novel makes it feel out of place and incomplete.
LibraryThing member Lukerik
Man has been fooling about with nuclear power and now all civilisation is threatened by nuclear vortices. Only one man, Storm Cloud the Vortex Blaster, can save the galaxy from FRANKENSCIENCE!
Smith of course mucks it up but this is by far the best of the Lensman series. It lacks the disjointedness
Smith of course mucks it up but this is by far the best of the Lensman series. It lacks the disjointedness
Show More
of Triplanetary, though having been assembled from short stories there is an episodic nature. It also lacks Kimball Kinnison. The hero is actually quite likable - at least he doesn't deliberately murder uncounted billions of innocents and feel justified. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Fun as always - I find Kimball Kinnison boring, so I read the first three Lensmen stories and this one. Somehow Storm isn't as bad, even though he develops amazing power...maybe because there isn't a PURPOSE for it (or the Purpose is relatively minor and doesn't tie him up forever). Hmmm, dunno.
Show More
It's very sexist of course - hey! There's a bit missing from this edition (Pyramid 1970) - where Helen points out she can outshoot Joe! Hmmmph. Need to hunt up a _better_ edition, then - one that's the full story. And I wonder what else is missing... Show Less
LibraryThing member AtrixWolfe
At the time that E.E.Smith originally published his Lensman series in Magazine Serial form he was criticized for too much romance and sex (no, not descriptive sex: the times were much more innocent then).
This book humorously enough has plenty of both, without being graphic. The hero is a
Amusingly enough, he also acquires a crew of females, all of whom have affection for him, including a cat-girl that is delightfully written. The hero eventually falls for a human female scientist with whom he bonds psionically - a pivotal point in the novel, as this leads him to communicate with the aliens that are causing the problems.
As an interesting aside, note that although the hero had lost his family to a "vortex", and the aliens lost young to his efforts to destroy the vortices, there is no thought of revenge or retribution - in E.E.Smith's writings, if you have sex you have families - and if you have families, you learn compassion and love.
This book humorously enough has plenty of both, without being graphic. The hero is a
Show More
super-intelligent scientist who sets out to solve a problem that has become common and deadly - atomic plants spontaneously exploding into deadly self-sustaining vortexes of energy. (This is later found out to be how an alien species is breeding and raising it's young, making the hero an inadvertent murderer of children, a fact that does cause him some anguish). Amusingly enough, he also acquires a crew of females, all of whom have affection for him, including a cat-girl that is delightfully written. The hero eventually falls for a human female scientist with whom he bonds psionically - a pivotal point in the novel, as this leads him to communicate with the aliens that are causing the problems.
As an interesting aside, note that although the hero had lost his family to a "vortex", and the aliens lost young to his efforts to destroy the vortices, there is no thought of revenge or retribution - in E.E.Smith's writings, if you have sex you have families - and if you have families, you learn compassion and love.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pgiunta
Physicist Neal “Storm” Cloud loses his family to an atomic vortex, which was attracted to his new house by a series of lightning rods on the roof. Rather than setting his home on fire, the vortex detonated like a bomb, leaving no survivors. Later, another atomic vortex manifests a short
“The Vortex Blaster,” published in Comet Stories magazine (July 1941), is a fun but plodding side adventure set in E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman universe.
Show More
distance from his lab and after convincing his superior that he has a way of destroying it, Cloud sets out in a short range aircraft with a new type of explosive called duodec. “The Vortex Blaster,” published in Comet Stories magazine (July 1941), is a fun but plodding side adventure set in E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman universe.
Show Less
Language
Original publication date
1960
Physical description
191 p.; 6.7 inches
ISBN
0515022306 / 9780515022308
Local notes
Lensmen, 7
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF SmithE |