Agent of Vega
| Agent of Vega | |
|---|---|
 First Edition cover |
|
| Author(s) | James H. Schmitz |
| Cover artist | W.I. van der Poel |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction short stories |
| Publisher | Gnome Press |
| Publication date | 1960 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 191 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
Agent of Vega is a science fiction novel by James H. Schmitz, 1960. Like the Foundation series, it is a collection of stories that originally appeared separately in magazines. It was republished in 2001 as Agent of Vega & Other Stories.
The tale began in 1949 as a longish short story published in the SF magazine Astounding. In 1960 it appeared as a book, along with three loosely related stories set in the same time and context: The Illusionists; The Truth About Cushgar; The Second Night of Summer.
In the far future, humans are building a 'Confederacy of Vega' to replace the original fallen Empire of Earth. The new empire includes some mutated humans and also some non-humans. Enemies are also a mix of humans and aliens and it is very much space opera, featuring Vega's 'zone agents'. Combat involves both physical weapons and telepathic attacks. It clearly owes a lot to E. E. Smith's Lensman series.
Unlike the six Lensman books, the four stories are only loosely connected. Each features a completely different set of enemies. The non-human telepath Pagadan is the main connecting link, appearing a secondary character in the first story, the main character in The Illusionists and makes a brief appearance in The Truth About Cushgar.
The book is currently available as Agent of Vega & Other Stories. This consists of the original four stories plus The Custodians; Gone Fishing; The Beacon to Elsewhere; The End of the Line; Watch the Sky; Greenface; Rogue Psi. None of these are set in the same universe as the Vega tales.
[edit] Reception
Galaxy's Floyd C. Gale reviewed the original edition favorably, saying "What places Schmitz's work above run-of-the-mill S.O. [space opera] is the quality as well as breadth of his imagination, but most all his touch for characterization."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf", Galaxy Science Fiction, June 1961, p.95
- Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd.. p. 308.
[edit] External links
- Prologue by Mercedes Lackey to the 2001 edition (part of Baen Free Library).
- Book review (part of Baen Free Library).
- Another book review.
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