Babel-17
Nebula winner (1966).
Book Entry · Science Fiction
The Legion of Space
by Jack Williamson · 1934 · Legion of Space, book 1
What is The Legion of Space about?
The keeper of AKKA — the ultimate weapon entrusted to one woman per generation — is kidnapped by traitors in league with the jellyfish-like Medusae of Barnard's Star, and a handful of Legionnaires must cross hostile space to bring her home before Earth is harvested. The saga's secret weapon is Giles Habibula: wheezing, larcenous, endlessly complaining and transparently modelled on Falstaff, he is the first great comic character in space opera. Serialised in Astounding in 1934, it made Williamson's name.
Why it matters
A pillar of 1930s space opera that proved the form could carry Shakespearean character comedy along with the death-rays.
Where does it sit in the series?
Williamson's 1930s space opera saga: the keepers of the ultimate weapon AKKA, the Medusae of Barnard's Star, and Giles Habibula, the genre's first great comic rogue.
In the Guide from Legion of Space:
- The Legion of Space (1934)
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