Skylark series

[pontifex]

I'm about half way through the 2nd book right now. Does it get any better??
It seems somewhat boring and slow.
I read the Lensman series by E.E. Doc Smith and I couldn't put it down. 1st book was kinda slow but after that it was awesome.

 

[Kadarin]

Lensman series is much better, but the Skylark series does pick up in the end. Skylark DuQuesne is actually pretty good.

 

[pontifex]

Well, Skylark Duquesne is the next one in line. I already have all the books so I guess I might as well read them anyway.

i'm kind of itching to get started on my Conan books but i hate to stop reading a series in the middle of it.

 

[Kadarin]

The Skylark of Valeron is actually the third book in the series.

1. The Skylark of Space
2. Skylark Three
3. The Skylark of Valeron
4. Skylark DuQuesne

 

[pontifex]

oops, you're right. for some reason i thought it was the 3rd one.

 

[FlashG]

Lensman and Skylark were my favorite hard sci-fi series. Doc Smith was a man of his times with heroic heroes and spaceships bigger than planets.

 

[DaveSimmons]

J. Michael Straczynski credits Doc Smith as one of the inspirations for Babylon 5, you can see it in the Shadows vs. Vorlons conflict, including the use of and uplift of proxy races.

The Skylark series just isn't as good as the Lensman series, neither are his others (The Vortex Blaster and Spacehounds of IPC), but I did enjoy reading them.

For Smith fans, some other authors that have carried forward the tradition of space opera are:

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller - The Tomorrow Log, the Liaden universe books
Brian Daley - Terran Inheritance trilogy (Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds, etc)
James Schmitz - Telzey & Trigger stories (Baen reissue set is excellent)