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dankeohane's review
3.0
Decades ago I picked up a Perry Rhodan book, one of the Ace paperbacks, when I was a teenager. Perry Rhodan was a serialized set of science fiction novels that ran forever beginning in the 60's, first in its native Germany, then finally reaching the US in the early 70's. I'd see them in the stores, usually in Pharmacy paperback racks (weren't any mega bookstores like now). Anyway, I digress. They had great covers, and I grabbed the one currently out, somewhere in the middle of the series. I didn't quite follow it, and to be honest the level of quality of the stories varied (remember too they were translated from the original German). Ironically, the book I got did not feature the character Perry Rhodan at all. So I planned to some day read another with him in it.
Finally, almost a half century later, I bought book #1 on ebay and just finished it. Obviously, reading a sci-fi book from so long ago, you have to remember what society and technology of the time was like, but this book sort of took place in the 'near future' which would have been in the author's minds late 60's, early 70's. The world is divided into three major powers, the Western Bloc (the Americas and Europe), the Asiatic Federation and the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and it's countries), all on the verge of nuclear war. When the first moon landing, headed by Rhodan, discover an interstellar craft crash-landed on the moon and its crew, Rhodan decides that its technology shouldn't fall into the hands of any one power, and returns with advanced technology, but lands in the deserts of northern China, establishing for himself a 'Third Power' which we hopes will unite the Earth.
It's a very interesting story, and sets the stage for future adventures both on Earth and beyond the stars. I'll probably continue reading the series, as I find #2 etc for cheap on the interwebs.
Finally, almost a half century later, I bought book #1 on ebay and just finished it. Obviously, reading a sci-fi book from so long ago, you have to remember what society and technology of the time was like, but this book sort of took place in the 'near future' which would have been in the author's minds late 60's, early 70's. The world is divided into three major powers, the Western Bloc (the Americas and Europe), the Asiatic Federation and the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and it's countries), all on the verge of nuclear war. When the first moon landing, headed by Rhodan, discover an interstellar craft crash-landed on the moon and its crew, Rhodan decides that its technology shouldn't fall into the hands of any one power, and returns with advanced technology, but lands in the deserts of northern China, establishing for himself a 'Third Power' which we hopes will unite the Earth.
It's a very interesting story, and sets the stage for future adventures both on Earth and beyond the stars. I'll probably continue reading the series, as I find #2 etc for cheap on the interwebs.
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