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Null-A #2
Les Joueurs du Ā
Van Vogt a toujours eu la verve enthousiaste. Fi donc, des invraisemblances et des légèretés de style répandues dans toute son oeuvre. Prosélyte de la sémantique générale (une philosophie analytique comportementale), il s'est attaché à en éclairer les différents angles au fil de ses romans, à lire donc de préférence dans l'ordre de parution. Suite du Monde des A, Les Joueurs du A voit Gosseyn, héros perpétuellement largué mais conscient cette fois de ses pouvoirs (téléportation et autres choses mentales) se trouver pris au coeur d'un complot intersidéral dont il est à la fois pion et enjeu. Il intègre ainsi au début le corps d'Ashargin, Prince d'une lointaine planète, sans savoir pourquoi ni comment en sortir... Fidèle à lui-même, Van Vogt brinquebale son héros aux quatre coins de l'univers, le faisant prendre conscience de son rôle cosmique tout en actualisant son extraordinaire potentiel psychique. C'est que, démiurge pas chien, il fait des Joueurs du A un passionnant prétexte aux développements de la sémantique générale, tout en faisant s'affronter dictateurs galactiques, armadas spatiales et ectoplasmes mystérieux. Pour le plaisir d'une science-fiction très originale, loin des bleeps faciles des rayons lasers galvaudés.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1948
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 3, 2017
Поредицата от години е смятана за magnum opus на автора от родното фантастично братство, въпреки че третата ѝ част така и не беше преведена. След дълго отлаганият прочит на втората книга съм склонен, за разнообразие, да се съглася с общото мнение. Книгата развива голяма част от идеите на автора от предишни негови произведения, а също така се усеща влиянието и в много от по-късните му творби.
Джилбърт Госейн продължава да разплита мистерията около миналото си, докато се опитва да предотврати космически конфликт, засягащ цялата слънчева система с унищожение. На галактическото игрално поле се появяват нови играчи с мистериозни сили, нови раси със свръхсетивни умения и дори богове. Единствено дърпащият конците им кукловод остава в сянка. Госейн трябва да овладее силите на разширения си мозък, за да спаси Венера и Не-Аристотеловата ѝ философия от агресорите и галактическите ѝ партньори.
За разлика от предходната книга "Играчите" има много по-стегнат и последователен сюжет, въпреки че редица въпроси от "Светът на Не-А" остават без отговор. Творбата е напълно завършена и дори може да се чете самостоятелно, нещо нетипично за произведенията от пълп периода на автора.
Джилбърт Госейн продължава да разплита мистерията около миналото си, докато се опитва да предотврати космически конфликт, засягащ цялата слънчева система с унищожение. На галактическото игрално поле се появяват нови играчи с мистериозни сили, нови раси със свръхсетивни умения и дори богове. Единствено дърпащият конците им кукловод остава в сянка. Госейн трябва да овладее силите на разширения си мозък, за да спаси Венера и Не-Аристотеловата ѝ философия от агресорите и галактическите ѝ партньори.
За разлика от предходната книга "Играчите" има много по-стегнат и последователен сюжет, въпреки че редица въпроси от "Светът на Не-А" остават без отговор. Творбата е напълно завършена и дори може да се чете самостоятелно, нещо нетипично за произведенията от пълп периода на автора.
November 17, 2014
-¿Algunos tics de la New Wave antes de la New Wave u otra clase de trastorno con base humorística?.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Gilbert Gosseyn trata de oponerse al dictador galáctico que busca añadir la Tierra a sus dominios mientras intenta conocer más sobre sus propios orígenes y los de sus capacidades especiales. Publicado previamente por entregas a finales de los años cuarenta. Segundo libro de la serie No-A, que puede leerse de forma independiente.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Gilbert Gosseyn trata de oponerse al dictador galáctico que busca añadir la Tierra a sus dominios mientras intenta conocer más sobre sus propios orígenes y los de sus capacidades especiales. Publicado previamente por entregas a finales de los años cuarenta. Segundo libro de la serie No-A, que puede leerse de forma independiente.
¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
May 22, 2016
Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 1/5
Writing Style: 2/5
World: 2/5
Vogt's Null series just cannot get all the positive components in place at the same time. The first in the series, The World of Null-A, had some really creative ideas and a fascinating world. It suffered, in contrast, from awful writing and incoherent development. In this sequel, The Players of Null-A, the writing has improved by orders of magnitude and the developments and plot largely (and in comparison with the original) proceed with order and clarity. Most of the big, neat, science fiction ideas are gone, however. The one exception is the discipline (not a philosophy! Vogt reminds us) of Null-A.
The idea of non-Aristotelian logic held great promise in the founding book of the series. There, unfortunately, it simply seemed to confer comic-book like powers without ever explaining what it was or how it worked. If the purpose of the book was to explain or clarify an unusual system of thought, The World of Null-A was a complete failure. Vogt attempted to clarify this in the current novel, but it remains a failure. The author keeps repeating mantras over and over again: combine the rational and the emotional, remember the map is not the terrain, do not mistake the idea for the actual, etc. It is a catechism, and Vogt had no clue what will happen when someone actually internalizes and embraces all this. He simply makes the Null-A initiate a superhero.
This book is predominately a space pulp action and adventure tale that would have been more at home in the 1930s. A few minutes of background reading shows that the Players of Null-A was serialized in the late 1940s and turned into a novel in the mid 1950s. Thus it sits at an odd place in that it came when (in my own estimation) space pulp was dead (or dying) and the rest of the genre had moved on. In fact, there are some inklings of that more thoughtful and grand science fiction influence at the end of the novel. By the 1950s, most authors would have ordered this story very differently. But Vogt kept it a pulp fiction account, and our hero marches through the book, always with a plan, ever with the right answer, assuming and piecing together every puzzle from the slimmest evidence (well he was Null-A! of course he would!). I'm sure the 1950s fans of the previous pulp-era were pleased to have another novel in that lineage; I myself (and 60 years later) found it mind-dumbing.
Characters: 1/5
Writing Style: 2/5
World: 2/5
Vogt's Null series just cannot get all the positive components in place at the same time. The first in the series, The World of Null-A, had some really creative ideas and a fascinating world. It suffered, in contrast, from awful writing and incoherent development. In this sequel, The Players of Null-A, the writing has improved by orders of magnitude and the developments and plot largely (and in comparison with the original) proceed with order and clarity. Most of the big, neat, science fiction ideas are gone, however. The one exception is the discipline (not a philosophy! Vogt reminds us) of Null-A.
The idea of non-Aristotelian logic held great promise in the founding book of the series. There, unfortunately, it simply seemed to confer comic-book like powers without ever explaining what it was or how it worked. If the purpose of the book was to explain or clarify an unusual system of thought, The World of Null-A was a complete failure. Vogt attempted to clarify this in the current novel, but it remains a failure. The author keeps repeating mantras over and over again: combine the rational and the emotional, remember the map is not the terrain, do not mistake the idea for the actual, etc. It is a catechism, and Vogt had no clue what will happen when someone actually internalizes and embraces all this. He simply makes the Null-A initiate a superhero.
This book is predominately a space pulp action and adventure tale that would have been more at home in the 1930s. A few minutes of background reading shows that the Players of Null-A was serialized in the late 1940s and turned into a novel in the mid 1950s. Thus it sits at an odd place in that it came when (in my own estimation) space pulp was dead (or dying) and the rest of the genre had moved on. In fact, there are some inklings of that more thoughtful and grand science fiction influence at the end of the novel. By the 1950s, most authors would have ordered this story very differently. But Vogt kept it a pulp fiction account, and our hero marches through the book, always with a plan, ever with the right answer, assuming and piecing together every puzzle from the slimmest evidence (well he was Null-A! of course he would!). I'm sure the 1950s fans of the previous pulp-era were pleased to have another novel in that lineage; I myself (and 60 years later) found it mind-dumbing.
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August 14, 201841 snall
88 that that
180 glaxy, possesses (processes)
I'll point out one hypocrisy: there's texts about how one should not identify things, ie, speaking out against tribalism. Meanwhile Gosseyn would never have a sexual relationship with a non null-A
88 that that
180 glaxy, possesses (processes)
I'll point out one hypocrisy: there's texts about how one should not identify things, ie, speaking out against tribalism. Meanwhile Gosseyn would never have a sexual relationship with a non null-A
November 23, 2018
Second in a series. Dammit. I did it again. At least it wasn't 19th in a series, like last time.
It doesn't suffer as much as "A Life for Kriegen" did, partly because it is only the 2nd in a series, and partly because, being put together in 1948, the expectation was that new readers might pop in the middle of the story. It's also fairly self-contained.
Nonetheless, if you read it, start with #1. There are a couple of pivotal points which assuredly have more weight if you've read the books in order. ("There's an order?!" — Steven Univese)
Null-A is essentially a fantasy story about the application of General Semantics that suggests that the human nervous system is capable of using its ability to identify actual reality (as opposed to its symbolic representations) to alter said reality. This takes the form of the hero, Gilbert Gosseyn, being able to teleport short distances if he's thoroughly memorized the location he wants to teleport to (and subject to the limitation of time, such that his memory doesn't match the location to 20-digits of precision).
His powers come from training, and the World of Null-A (the first book) must be about Venus, where all the people who have learned to apply General Semantics live. In this book, Venus is under peril by a galactic emperor who has started to a war to conquer the half of the galaxy he doesn't already control.
His secret weapon is people who (innately, not through training) have similar skills as the Null-Aers, except that they can see through time. It's a limited ability but extensive enough to guarantee victory in various space battles.
Adding to the mixture is a mysterious shadow creature, The Follower, who is trying to stop Gosseyn, and an unknown force that is able to actually locate Gosseyn into a different body—in this case, to that of an ineffectual Prince who is under the thumb of the warmongering galactic tyrant. This body does not have Gosseyn's second brain (!) and so Gosseyn does not, for most of the book, have his most special powers.
Van Vogt ties is own hands as a writer in a kind of interesting way: Null-Aers are not unemotional, exactly, but they are "integrated" emotionally. This gives them the ability to experience emotions without being ruled by them. As a result, the author must describe the stakes in very realistic terms without resorting to any melodramatic swooning.
He does an admirable job, and the plotting is fast and tight. I really wanted to knock this book out in 3-4 days but I was just so tired I couldn't get through it—because like all the best of the SF of the time, every sentence is crammed with plot points and characterizations that will come back later.
It doesn't suffer as much as "A Life for Kriegen" did, partly because it is only the 2nd in a series, and partly because, being put together in 1948, the expectation was that new readers might pop in the middle of the story. It's also fairly self-contained.
Nonetheless, if you read it, start with #1. There are a couple of pivotal points which assuredly have more weight if you've read the books in order. ("There's an order?!" — Steven Univese)
Null-A is essentially a fantasy story about the application of General Semantics that suggests that the human nervous system is capable of using its ability to identify actual reality (as opposed to its symbolic representations) to alter said reality. This takes the form of the hero, Gilbert Gosseyn, being able to teleport short distances if he's thoroughly memorized the location he wants to teleport to (and subject to the limitation of time, such that his memory doesn't match the location to 20-digits of precision).
His powers come from training, and the World of Null-A (the first book) must be about Venus, where all the people who have learned to apply General Semantics live. In this book, Venus is under peril by a galactic emperor who has started to a war to conquer the half of the galaxy he doesn't already control.
His secret weapon is people who (innately, not through training) have similar skills as the Null-Aers, except that they can see through time. It's a limited ability but extensive enough to guarantee victory in various space battles.
Adding to the mixture is a mysterious shadow creature, The Follower, who is trying to stop Gosseyn, and an unknown force that is able to actually locate Gosseyn into a different body—in this case, to that of an ineffectual Prince who is under the thumb of the warmongering galactic tyrant. This body does not have Gosseyn's second brain (!) and so Gosseyn does not, for most of the book, have his most special powers.
Van Vogt ties is own hands as a writer in a kind of interesting way: Null-Aers are not unemotional, exactly, but they are "integrated" emotionally. This gives them the ability to experience emotions without being ruled by them. As a result, the author must describe the stakes in very realistic terms without resorting to any melodramatic swooning.
He does an admirable job, and the plotting is fast and tight. I really wanted to knock this book out in 3-4 days but I was just so tired I couldn't get through it—because like all the best of the SF of the time, every sentence is crammed with plot points and characterizations that will come back later.
January 12, 2019
Excellent continuation of the golden age sci-fi pulp classic The World of Null-A in what is (barely) van Vogt's longest published novel. I found this generally better developed and more consistent, with fewer holes than the previous book.
The story follows our protagonist, Gilbert Gosseyn, with his Null A abilities, including an "extra" brain (?!) and the ability to teleport himself, as he attempts to thwart the takeover of the galaxy by a malign despot, both through direct opposition and much behind the scenes subterfuge. We get a much better description of the source of these Null A abilities, which boil down to a sort of self-mind control and logical thinking patterns, obtained through specialized training, as opposed to the purely emotional based responses innate to humans. All the while Gosseyn seeks to discover the galactic "chess player" who is subtlety manipulating him from behind the scenes.
The story reminds me to some extent of the Foundation's struggle against the Mule in Asimov's 2nd and 3rd Foundation books (published several years later). However, where Asmiov's style is paced and steady, van Vogt takes a Jackson Pollack like approach, throwing armfuls at you and setting the blender to maximum. The result is a very creative, pulp action/adventure that keeps you on your toes and is a ton of fun.
The story follows our protagonist, Gilbert Gosseyn, with his Null A abilities, including an "extra" brain (?!) and the ability to teleport himself, as he attempts to thwart the takeover of the galaxy by a malign despot, both through direct opposition and much behind the scenes subterfuge. We get a much better description of the source of these Null A abilities, which boil down to a sort of self-mind control and logical thinking patterns, obtained through specialized training, as opposed to the purely emotional based responses innate to humans. All the while Gosseyn seeks to discover the galactic "chess player" who is subtlety manipulating him from behind the scenes.
The story reminds me to some extent of the Foundation's struggle against the Mule in Asimov's 2nd and 3rd Foundation books (published several years later). However, where Asmiov's style is paced and steady, van Vogt takes a Jackson Pollack like approach, throwing armfuls at you and setting the blender to maximum. The result is a very creative, pulp action/adventure that keeps you on your toes and is a ton of fun.
December 7, 2023
+ interesting central character
+ good twists and turns, like other van Vogt books
- the book suffers from having a plethora of comments in the text about how wonderful the "null-A" trained people in the story are. These comments come every few pages, and get in the way a bit. "Show, don't tell" would probably be a good description.
- probably makes more sense (at least at first) if the first book in this two-book series is read before this one.
Overall it's a good read, and gets better as it goes on. Not van Vogt's best book though, 4/5 seems about right. There is one bizarre thing about the book though, if you have the edition with the author's "new introduction" at the start: not only does he takes issue with the criticisms of his two book series in this introduction, but he spoils the end of his own book, which you are about to read!!! I strongly recommend not reading this introduction before reading the book.
+ good twists and turns, like other van Vogt books
- the book suffers from having a plethora of comments in the text about how wonderful the "null-A" trained people in the story are. These comments come every few pages, and get in the way a bit. "Show, don't tell" would probably be a good description.
- probably makes more sense (at least at first) if the first book in this two-book series is read before this one.
Overall it's a good read, and gets better as it goes on. Not van Vogt's best book though, 4/5 seems about right. There is one bizarre thing about the book though, if you have the edition with the author's "new introduction" at the start: not only does he takes issue with the criticisms of his two book series in this introduction, but he spoils the end of his own book, which you are about to read!!! I strongly recommend not reading this introduction before reading the book.
January 22, 2014
Gilbert Gosseyn, ancora all’uscuro circa il suo passato e la sua vera identità si ritrova in una trappola ordita da un misterioso personaggio ombra chiamato il Seguace. Tenta di fuggire, ma proprio mentre sta per compiere un salto grazie al suo cervello extra verso una destinazione che aveva precedentemente memorizzato, si ritrova intrappolato dentro il corpo del principe Ashargin, senza sapere come ci è arrivato, come comandarlo e come tornare al suo vero corpo.
Conscio che probabilmente è stato indirizzato da una forza esterna verso questo giovane principe, decide grazie alla filosofia Non-A di non ribellarsi. Scopre presto che Ashargin è alle dipendenze di Enro, il terribile conquistatore intergalattico ancora intenzionato a soggiogare il Sistema solare e che la sua missione in questo corpo è quella di uccidere proprio il despota. Ma proprio quando inizia a capire come poter manovrare il principe Ashargin, salta nuovamente nel proprio corpo. E si ritrova in un gabbia insieme ad una donna in grado di vedere il futuro e un gigante intenzionato ad ucciderlo. Inizia così la nuova avventura di Gilbert che si troverà a dover affrontare l’ira di Enro e i misteri della religione del Dio dormiente, nel tentativo di difendere Venere dallo sterminio.
Conscio che probabilmente è stato indirizzato da una forza esterna verso questo giovane principe, decide grazie alla filosofia Non-A di non ribellarsi. Scopre presto che Ashargin è alle dipendenze di Enro, il terribile conquistatore intergalattico ancora intenzionato a soggiogare il Sistema solare e che la sua missione in questo corpo è quella di uccidere proprio il despota. Ma proprio quando inizia a capire come poter manovrare il principe Ashargin, salta nuovamente nel proprio corpo. E si ritrova in un gabbia insieme ad una donna in grado di vedere il futuro e un gigante intenzionato ad ucciderlo. Inizia così la nuova avventura di Gilbert che si troverà a dover affrontare l’ira di Enro e i misteri della religione del Dio dormiente, nel tentativo di difendere Venere dallo sterminio.
November 11, 2012
Gosseyn spends most of the book in a tricky stalemate with his adversary, the mysterious Follower, and it is an uncharacteristically sluggish story where the interesting events--millions of spaceships destroying hundreds or thousands of planets--seem to take place offstage. Gosseyn spends the book as the pawn in a game whose rules he doesn't understand, tossed around by players who hide their identities. The reader only sees the long game at the end.
The big reveal itself--who is the Player, and who is the Follower?--is interesting, as is the background information about galactic civilization and development, but this comes only in time for the big showdown and conclusion. It isn't the game-changing news that it wants to be.
You can see van Vogt's philosophical influences laced throughout the story. The Null-A techniques that he so lovingly details, of a person whose mental states are so purged of bad habits and so in control over every part of his faculties that he has perfect bodily control and awareness, rings familiar to the Dianetics that van Vogt became involved with.
The big reveal itself--who is the Player, and who is the Follower?--is interesting, as is the background information about galactic civilization and development, but this comes only in time for the big showdown and conclusion. It isn't the game-changing news that it wants to be.
You can see van Vogt's philosophical influences laced throughout the story. The Null-A techniques that he so lovingly details, of a person whose mental states are so purged of bad habits and so in control over every part of his faculties that he has perfect bodily control and awareness, rings familiar to the Dianetics that van Vogt became involved with.
January 21, 2018
I had trouble starting this. I dunno why? I like van Vogt a lot, I really enjoyed the first book...yet I just had to force myself to pick this up.
I'm glad I did, I couldn't put it down! I think I enjoyed this book more than the first. The first book was interesting but I didn't feel like I related to the characters and the plot was jumpy and confusing. This book had a more easily comprehensible story line and I liked the characters a little more. Gosseyn was more likeable, I felt. In the last book, he just did stuff and let him self be maneuvered around. This time around, he seemed to try to take more control of the situations he is thrust into, instead of just being agreeable.
The same goes for the plot really, and I guess it circles back to Gosseyn taking more of an active roll. From the body jumping to his extra brain, the story felt more evenly paced and easier to follow.
I really enjoyed the way this book felt like a mystery. Who IS the Follower? What's his game?
And I especially liked the ending....
I'm glad I did, I couldn't put it down! I think I enjoyed this book more than the first. The first book was interesting but I didn't feel like I related to the characters and the plot was jumpy and confusing. This book had a more easily comprehensible story line and I liked the characters a little more. Gosseyn was more likeable, I felt. In the last book, he just did stuff and let him self be maneuvered around. This time around, he seemed to try to take more control of the situations he is thrust into, instead of just being agreeable.
The same goes for the plot really, and I guess it circles back to Gosseyn taking more of an active roll. From the body jumping to his extra brain, the story felt more evenly paced and easier to follow.
I really enjoyed the way this book felt like a mystery. Who IS the Follower? What's his game?
And I especially liked the ending....
June 1, 2017
These books have a lot of issues, but in the end I find them very enjoyable. A.E. van Vogt has a very strange, almost arrogant style, but aside from that, and understanding that these books are a product of the times and an interesting look at early scifi, its forgivable. I really wish Goodreads had half stars, and I went back and forth on the rating.
February 9, 2018
I didn't like it as much as the first book which I had rated 3 stars. I almost gave it up a couple of times. The general semantics stuff was way to intrusive and didn't seem to carry over into the protagonist's actions that much. The story was disjointed and I couldn't really identify with any of the characters. I'm probably not going to read the 3rd novel.
December 28, 2017
Incluso teniendo en cuenta lo vieja que es la novela, resulta bastante mala. Una vuelta de tuerca más a la original, que resuelve -más o menos- los flecos de la primera de la serie.
June 3, 2021
The sequel to The World of Null-A has the virtue of being quite distinct from its predecessor. So, it is not one of those "let's do it all again" sequels. However, this sequel for me lacked much of the sparkle and mystery that made the first Null-A so entertaining. The Players of Null-A begins two weeks after the end of World of Null-A. Gilbert Gosseyn is trying to get to Venus. The Venusians are now aware that the solar system is minor battleground in a galaxy-spanning war of conquest. The would-be governor of the solar system is dead, but who knows what will come next? Gilbert Gosseyn now has some idea of who he is and how he can use his extra brain to travel from point to point. Enter new bad guy - The Follower. This man appears to be working for the want-to-be galactic emperor Enro, but also has an agenda of his own. He has the ability to predict the future and to be "out of phase" so that he has only a shadow presence. For some strange reason, he wants to kill or capture Gilbert Gosseyn. One can see from this that we have a different sort of novel here from the original one. Players turns into almost pure space opera - good guy vs. bad guy on multiple planets in a giant space war. Gosseyn as a man confident in his abilites with his extra brain (just where is that extra brain located?) is not as interesting as Gosseyn the man trying to discover who he is. In Players, Gosseyn is rather cold, ruthless, and mirthless. The plot becomes a matter of superhumans against superhumans, kind of like the less interesting aspects of comic books. Also, van Vogt conveniently forgets the limitations of Gosseyn's abilities about halfway into the novel because he needs Gosseyn to be in certain places for the plot to continue. Players is also more strongly propagandistic about the philosophy of General Semantics. I found both the plot and Gosseyn less interesting than in the first Null-A novel.
April 6, 2021
Umbre. Mişcare pe dealul pe care se ridicase odinioară Maşina jocurilor, acum pustiit. Două siluete, dintre care una, diformă, ciudată, se strecurau fără grabă printre copaci. Când se iviră din întuneric în lumina unui felinar – sentinelă singuratică pe această înălţime de unde puteai cuprinde oraşul – una dintre siluete se arătă a fi un biped obişnuit.
Cealaltă era o umbră, făcută din umbră, de întuneric prin care se zărea un felinar.
Un om, şi o umbră, cu mişcări de om, fără să fie om. O umbră-om, care se opri când ajunse la bariera oraşului, care se întindea în vale, şi vocea îi sună deodată, deloc firavă, ci foarte umană.
— Repetă instrucţiunile, Janasen.
Dacă omului îi era frică de ciudatul însoţitor, nu se vedea. Căscă uşor.
— Mi-e cam somn, zise.
— Instrucţiunile.
Omul gesticulă, iritat.
— Ascultă, domnu' Discipol, grăi a lehamite, nu vorbi aşa cu mine. Înscenarea dumitale nu mă sperie deloc. Mă ştii. Fac treaba asta.
— Insolenţa dumitale, zise Discipolul, îmi va slei răbdarea. Ştii că anumite energii temporale sunt puse în joc în propriile mele mişcări. Tărăgănările dumitale sunt calculate pentru a răni, şi-ţi spun: dacă se-ntâmplă să fiu obligat să iau o poziţie neplăcută din pricina acestei tendinţe din partea dumitale, relaţiile noastre vor lua sfârşit.
Cealaltă era o umbră, făcută din umbră, de întuneric prin care se zărea un felinar.
Un om, şi o umbră, cu mişcări de om, fără să fie om. O umbră-om, care se opri când ajunse la bariera oraşului, care se întindea în vale, şi vocea îi sună deodată, deloc firavă, ci foarte umană.
— Repetă instrucţiunile, Janasen.
Dacă omului îi era frică de ciudatul însoţitor, nu se vedea. Căscă uşor.
— Mi-e cam somn, zise.
— Instrucţiunile.
Omul gesticulă, iritat.
— Ascultă, domnu' Discipol, grăi a lehamite, nu vorbi aşa cu mine. Înscenarea dumitale nu mă sperie deloc. Mă ştii. Fac treaba asta.
— Insolenţa dumitale, zise Discipolul, îmi va slei răbdarea. Ştii că anumite energii temporale sunt puse în joc în propriile mele mişcări. Tărăgănările dumitale sunt calculate pentru a răni, şi-ţi spun: dacă se-ntâmplă să fiu obligat să iau o poziţie neplăcută din pricina acestei tendinţe din partea dumitale, relaţiile noastre vor lua sfârşit.
August 3, 2022
The main reasons to read van Vogt are his all-action plots that constantly drive forward, and his pure imaginative power. The quality of his prose is not great, in my experience with World of Null-A and this novel, its sequel. I didn't notice it as much with World I think because that novel has a greater sense of mystery and wonder. There are fewer surprises with Players, but I also think the vagueness of some of his descriptions, the general incoherency, and the outright gobbledygook when it comes to anything science related is more apparent here throughout, whereas in World I noticed it mainly in the last leg of the story.
I will probably keep reading van Vogt as the premise of some of his novels interests me, as do his 1950s sensibilities, but this is guilty pleasure territory. The majority of speculative fiction I've read is a class above him in terms of prose. It's also worth pointing out that the Null-A novels, but particularly this one, read like propaganda for General Semantics and feature short excerpts or quotes at the beginning of every chapter. The General Semantics concepts are more organized in Players, so that you could almost use it as an introduction to GS, though not really.
I will probably keep reading van Vogt as the premise of some of his novels interests me, as do his 1950s sensibilities, but this is guilty pleasure territory. The majority of speculative fiction I've read is a class above him in terms of prose. It's also worth pointing out that the Null-A novels, but particularly this one, read like propaganda for General Semantics and feature short excerpts or quotes at the beginning of every chapter. The General Semantics concepts are more organized in Players, so that you could almost use it as an introduction to GS, though not really.
August 31, 2023
Довольно бестолковое продолжение топового НФ романа.
В самом начале книги Гилберт Госсейн приобретает полубожественные способности и далее без передышки их использует для беспорядочных метаний по галактике, каждую главу посещая новые звездные системы и переселяя свой разум в новые тела.
В финале автор окончательно перестает сдерживаться и начинает открытым текстом вещать, какой Госсейн сверхчеловек и как ему тягостно среди отсталых унтерменшей.
Главная фишка первой части — философия мышления «нуль-а» — в романе практически не упоминается.
Короче, проходняк, первой части в подметки не годится.
P.S. «Игроки нуль-а» — это, кажется, первый случай в истории мировой НФ, когда автор постарался дать навязшему в зубах космооперному штампу (все планеты в галактике населены гуманоидами абсолютно земного облика, уверенно лопочущими на разных диалектах английского) логичное обоснование. В такие моменты, конечно, вздыхаешь и думаешь «все-таки ван Вогт велик». Даже у великих бывают неудачные дни, ну, чего уж, простим.
В самом начале книги Гилберт Госсейн приобретает полубожественные способности и далее без передышки их использует для беспорядочных метаний по галактике, каждую главу посещая новые звездные системы и переселяя свой разум в новые тела.
В финале автор окончательно перестает сдерживаться и начинает открытым текстом вещать, какой Госсейн сверхчеловек и как ему тягостно среди отсталых унтерменшей.
Главная фишка первой части — философия мышления «нуль-а» — в романе практически не упоминается.
Короче, проходняк, первой части в подметки не годится.
P.S. «Игроки нуль-а» — это, кажется, первый случай в истории мировой НФ, когда автор постарался дать навязшему в зубах космооперному штампу (все планеты в галактике населены гуманоидами абсолютно земного облика, уверенно лопочущими на разных диалектах английского) логичное обоснование. В такие моменты, конечно, вздыхаешь и думаешь «все-таки ван Вогт велик». Даже у великих бывают неудачные дни, ну, чего уж, простим.
August 12, 2024
I rated this novel " A - " when I read it August 6, 1972. I suspect my rating would be substantially different (i.e. lower) now. I had read the first book in the series (The World of Null-A) about a year earlier.
Much as I would love to revisit the world of Gilbert Gosseyn -I think it would be best to recall "the good old days" rather than trying to go there again.
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
Much as I would love to revisit the world of Gilbert Gosseyn -I think it would be best to recall "the good old days" rather than trying to go there again.
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
January 11, 2018
Not quite the classic I once thought it was.
May 22, 2018
More readable than the first book. Some interesting ideas on the the burgeoning space opera style that were clearly picked up by later authors and pushed forward. Lightweight but entertaining.
Want to read
August 16, 202014y
November 13, 2021
Loved it
November 18, 2021
Interessante ma complesso. Fantascienza pura
May 9, 2024
Ce bouquin est vraiment particulier, mais ça commence de plus en plus à me plaire.
Bon bah c'est parti pour le tome 3 !
Bon bah c'est parti pour le tome 3 !
September 6, 2024
A book that requires a certain level of abstraction to appreciate. The author drags us into the vision of a world without government that attempts to answer the question: What if?
April 13, 2020
Klassieke SF (1956, vert. 1969), nogal gedateerd en niet echt meeslepend meer – al heeft het (anti-aristotelische) ‘denken van Nul-A’ iets postmoderns avant la lettre.
February 15, 2015
Note: This book is a direct sequel to The World of Null-A and this review will spoil elements of that first novel. Like, immediately after this paragraph.
With the death of the mighty Thorson, the plans of the Greatest Empire for Venus and Earth have been thwarted. But that empire and its master Enro the Red are still active threats to the Galactic League. As well, Gilbert Gosseyn, the man with the extra brain, has come to the attention of the mysterious Follower. Even with the aid of his Null-A training, can Gosseyn survive long enough to learn the true nature of his enemies? And who is the Player who seems to be guiding Gosseyn?
This story was originally published as a magazine serial in 1948, and revised for book publication in the 1950s. It follows van Vogt’s standard formula of short scenes and plenty of plot twists, while using psychologically tricky phrasing to slow the reader down and make them think a bit. Still, the plot practically gallops.
One thing Mr. van Vogt did well was allow his overpowered protagonist to still feel challenged. His training in non-Aristotelian logic gives his cortex (seat of reasoning) mastery over the thalamus (seat of emotions) so that he is able to understand his own feelings and psychology. This has allowed Gosseyn to reach the peak of human mental and physical conditioning. In addition, his apparently unique extra brain allows him to teleport himself and other objects without the aid of machines, as well as other minor tricks. Oh, and if he’s killed, there are backup bodies.
But Gosseyn is up against Enro the Red, a dictator with the resources of an empire and the ability to see and hear events anywhere he chooses; and the Follower, a living shadow with the ability to predict the future. To make things even more complicated, Gosseyn is forced into a different body from time to time, one without any special powers or training to assist him. While if he gets killed, Gosseyn will revive in a new body, he doesn’t know where that body is stored–it could be far from the places he needs to be.
Eldred Crang, the Null-A detective, is also busy, but mostly behind the scenes with his alleged wife (who turns out to be Enro’s sister, and co-ruler of the planet…but with no power over the extrastellar empire.)
There are several competent, strong-minded women in the story, but for reasons, none of them are fully trained in Null-A, so they play subordinate roles. There’s a scene where this book almost passes the Bechdel Test. It seems that Enro has a childish attitude towards women, considering their primary use to be sex objects (including his sister), so Gosseyn has two of them engage in “girl talk” so that if Enro is listening in, the inanity of it will mask the men’s plot-relevant conversation. Doesn’t quite pass the test, as none of the women’s dialogue is quoted.
The ending is very abrupt, like one of those old kung-fu movies that stops at the moment the hero lands a knock-out blow on the villain. Mr. van Vogt was not big on wrap-up chapters, so the fate of several characters is up in the air at the book’s end.
The Null-A philosophy extracts that start each chapter can be a bit repetitious, and one has to wonder just how one leaps from them to rewiring your brain through intense training. There’s also a lot of technobabble around the teleportation system.
You might want to read the previous book first, (try to get your hands on the 1970s revision which fixes some of the worst plot holes in World), but this is perfectly acceptable pulp science fiction that might give you something to think about.
With the death of the mighty Thorson, the plans of the Greatest Empire for Venus and Earth have been thwarted. But that empire and its master Enro the Red are still active threats to the Galactic League. As well, Gilbert Gosseyn, the man with the extra brain, has come to the attention of the mysterious Follower. Even with the aid of his Null-A training, can Gosseyn survive long enough to learn the true nature of his enemies? And who is the Player who seems to be guiding Gosseyn?
This story was originally published as a magazine serial in 1948, and revised for book publication in the 1950s. It follows van Vogt’s standard formula of short scenes and plenty of plot twists, while using psychologically tricky phrasing to slow the reader down and make them think a bit. Still, the plot practically gallops.
One thing Mr. van Vogt did well was allow his overpowered protagonist to still feel challenged. His training in non-Aristotelian logic gives his cortex (seat of reasoning) mastery over the thalamus (seat of emotions) so that he is able to understand his own feelings and psychology. This has allowed Gosseyn to reach the peak of human mental and physical conditioning. In addition, his apparently unique extra brain allows him to teleport himself and other objects without the aid of machines, as well as other minor tricks. Oh, and if he’s killed, there are backup bodies.
But Gosseyn is up against Enro the Red, a dictator with the resources of an empire and the ability to see and hear events anywhere he chooses; and the Follower, a living shadow with the ability to predict the future. To make things even more complicated, Gosseyn is forced into a different body from time to time, one without any special powers or training to assist him. While if he gets killed, Gosseyn will revive in a new body, he doesn’t know where that body is stored–it could be far from the places he needs to be.
Eldred Crang, the Null-A detective, is also busy, but mostly behind the scenes with his alleged wife (who turns out to be Enro’s sister, and co-ruler of the planet…but with no power over the extrastellar empire.)
There are several competent, strong-minded women in the story, but for reasons, none of them are fully trained in Null-A, so they play subordinate roles. There’s a scene where this book almost passes the Bechdel Test. It seems that Enro has a childish attitude towards women, considering their primary use to be sex objects (including his sister), so Gosseyn has two of them engage in “girl talk” so that if Enro is listening in, the inanity of it will mask the men’s plot-relevant conversation. Doesn’t quite pass the test, as none of the women’s dialogue is quoted.
The ending is very abrupt, like one of those old kung-fu movies that stops at the moment the hero lands a knock-out blow on the villain. Mr. van Vogt was not big on wrap-up chapters, so the fate of several characters is up in the air at the book’s end.
The Null-A philosophy extracts that start each chapter can be a bit repetitious, and one has to wonder just how one leaps from them to rewiring your brain through intense training. There’s also a lot of technobabble around the teleportation system.
You might want to read the previous book first, (try to get your hands on the 1970s revision which fixes some of the worst plot holes in World), but this is perfectly acceptable pulp science fiction that might give you something to think about.
February 3, 2024
This book was originally serialized in 1948/49, so by now it's an old and heavily dated sf novel. The writing is basic, the characterization is poor; we hear of huge space fleets destroying a carelessly unspecified number of inhabited planets, but that kind of thing happens offstage while the hero deals with more immediate problems in the foreground.
The hero has various abnormal and implausible powers, attributed partly to his extra brain (yes, he has two) and partly to his training in General Semantics or Null-A thinking. Although it’s clear that he’s by no means invulnerable, his powers make him an dangerous opponent.
What makes the book readable and still somewhat interesting is the driving force of the plot, which keeps the reader constantly off balance with new developments and sudden transitions. It’s a useful knack to be able to write a plot like this; as van Vogt demonstrates, with such a knack and a bare minimum of other writing skills you can sell a good number of books. Born in 1912, he was one of the leading sf writers of his generation. If you can do that and also contribute good writing and characterization, imagine your success!
Van Vogt found his own dreams a valuable source of ideas, and indeed the transitions we see in this story are reminiscent of those in dreams.
The hero has various abnormal and implausible powers, attributed partly to his extra brain (yes, he has two) and partly to his training in General Semantics or Null-A thinking. Although it’s clear that he’s by no means invulnerable, his powers make him an dangerous opponent.
What makes the book readable and still somewhat interesting is the driving force of the plot, which keeps the reader constantly off balance with new developments and sudden transitions. It’s a useful knack to be able to write a plot like this; as van Vogt demonstrates, with such a knack and a bare minimum of other writing skills you can sell a good number of books. Born in 1912, he was one of the leading sf writers of his generation. If you can do that and also contribute good writing and characterization, imagine your success!
Van Vogt found his own dreams a valuable source of ideas, and indeed the transitions we see in this story are reminiscent of those in dreams.
March 30, 2014
Very disappointed with this book. I have enjoyed others by van Vogt but not this one. The main character is completely uninteresting and unlikable. His goals seem to be the fanatical protection of a colony of people on Venus but as a reader I found it hard to care about that. He also seems to have abilities that are totally unbelievable.
My experience wasn't helped by the author's introduction where he proclaimed his previous book to be the most successful SF book ever and then rambled on about General Semantics for a bit. This, coupled with the weird, italicised 'Null Abstracts' before each chapter, give the impression that this work is nothing more that propaganda for the discipline of General Semantics.
Oh, and since when has 1100 lightyears been considered 'nearby'? I feel van Vogt has a hard time grasping the scale of astronomical units.
My experience wasn't helped by the author's introduction where he proclaimed his previous book to be the most successful SF book ever and then rambled on about General Semantics for a bit. This, coupled with the weird, italicised 'Null Abstracts' before each chapter, give the impression that this work is nothing more that propaganda for the discipline of General Semantics.
Oh, and since when has 1100 lightyears been considered 'nearby'? I feel van Vogt has a hard time grasping the scale of astronomical units.
November 13, 2014
Dopo aver letto il primo tanto tempo fa e restia a leggere il successivo, alla fine mi sono decisa e offrantato il mio demone.
E' ho fatto bene.
Rispetto al primo la scrittura è più fluida, la trama più coinvolgente e ti trovi li pagina dopo pagina a cercare di sbrogliare questa matassa galattica, fatta di intrighi, doppi giochi e scambi di personalità.
Gosseyne qui prende coscenza di quello che è, e di quello che deve fare per spodestare Enro che sta cercando di conquistare tutta la galassia.
Davvero bello e con colpi di scena, ma...noooo non puà finire così!
Devo recuperare il terzo e ultimo capitolo della saga al più presto, perchè su urania collezione non l'hanno pubblicato. Uff!
E' ho fatto bene.
Rispetto al primo la scrittura è più fluida, la trama più coinvolgente e ti trovi li pagina dopo pagina a cercare di sbrogliare questa matassa galattica, fatta di intrighi, doppi giochi e scambi di personalità.
Gosseyne qui prende coscenza di quello che è, e di quello che deve fare per spodestare Enro che sta cercando di conquistare tutta la galassia.
Davvero bello e con colpi di scena, ma...noooo non puà finire così!
Devo recuperare il terzo e ultimo capitolo della saga al più presto, perchè su urania collezione non l'hanno pubblicato. Uff!
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