Books › Galactic Patrol
Galactic Patrol
First published 1950 · 335 pages
A breathless, galaxy-spanning rush of pure pulp heroism and super-science.
What it feels like
Reading this foundational space opera feels like strapping into a rocket ship built of pure, unadulterated pulp enthusiasm. The experience is breathless and bombastic, driven by an escalating arms race of super-science and sheer, indomitable willpower. There is no room for moral gray areas here; the atmosphere is soaked in the bright, primary colors of absolute good clashing with absolute evil across a canvas of unimaginable cosmic scale. The prose is delightfully retro, packed with exclamation points, dramatic declarations, and dizzying technological jargon that sweeps you up in its earnest momentum. It is a perfect time capsule for readers who want to experience the thrilling, wide-eyed optimism and unapologetic heroism that defined the Golden Age of science fiction.
- Mood
- retro-futuristic
- expansive
- thrilling
- triumphant
- Tone
- earnest
- bombastic
- heroic
- melodramatic
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- cosmic destiny · absolute good vs. absolute evil · technological escalation · unbreakable camaraderie · burden of leadership
- The writing
- Pulpy, exclamation-heavy, and bursting with enthusiastic, pseudo-scientific jargon.
- The arc
- Begins with overwhelming, impossible odds and escalates into a triumphant, galaxy-spanning rush of heroic victory.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave the unapologetic, grand-scale heroism and boundless optimism of foundational Golden Age space opera.
Content notes
- sci-fi violence
- dated cultural attitudes
About the book
From back cover of Jove/HBJ paperback February 1979:
The pirates of Boskone raided at will, menacing the whole structure of interstellar civilization. Masterminded by a super-scientist, their fleets outgunned even the mighty space cruisers of the Galactic Patrol.
When lensman Kim Kinnison of the Patrol found the secret Boskonian base, it was impregnable to outside attack. But a single infiltrator might penetrate its defenses -- if he wanted to take on million-to-one odds!
Kinnison took them -- with the future of the civilized Universe riding on his shoulders!
Description from Open Library.
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