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August 31, 2005
Cosmic Encounter
I picked Cosmic Encounter by A. E. Van Vogt off the shelf at work because of the pulp fiction cover of robots with lasers boarding an 18th century pirate ship.
It tells the story of Nathan Fletcher, ex-Baron of something-or-other, who fell out of favor with the Tories due to his stance vis-a-vis free enterprise. (If I remember that right.) Fletcher turns to piracy for his livelihood. When we meet him at the outset of the story, he heartlessly offers a captured young Lady the choice between gang rape and drowning, hoping she'll accept the rape after which he'll drown her anyway. Not a bleeding heart type of guy.
After that time itself collapses into 1704 AD, and flops around some subsequently. The young woman dies and is reincarnated by 83rd century technology. Robots from the 25th century lose their Universal Mind and end up finding it in the voice of Nathan Fletcher. He eventually gets zapped, which makes him telepathic and starts him on the road to becoming a nicer guy, though he ends up clubbing a New Yorker from the 23rd century who, by virtue of his anti-gravity duds and other standard 23rd century gear, had set himself up to force the reincarnated Lady into becoming his mistress.
In other words, a romp of a story, Cosmic Encounter absolutely lived up to its cover.
Posted by Mark at August 31, 2005 08:53 PM