Slan
1940 • 160 pages
Ratings35
Average rating3.1
15
Ratings35
Average rating3.1
"Fans are Slans," became the catchphrase of early science fiction fandom in the wake of this novel. Like the Slans - telepathic mutants hiding out in a hostile population - science fiction fans considered themselves a haunted special minority, imbued with transcendent and visionary insight, sure to prevail in the fullness of time. Communes were called "Slan shacks" and fans occupied them. In the wake of the atomic bomb and theories of atomic mutation, the premise of SLAN seemed ever more credible.There are two kinds of Slans - those whose tendrils publicize their power to read the minds of ordinary humans and so-called tendrilless Slans whose strange power is concealed (allowing these Slans to hide). The tendrilled Slans were exterminated in a pogrom a while ago; now human society is ruled by the dictator Kier Gray who promises to locate and eliminate the tendrilless Slans. Johnny Cross, a young adolescent, is a secret Slan who in the novel's opening scene is fleeing with his mother, pursued by a human mob. The mob assaults and kills his mother, who dies charging Johnny with the responsibility to confront Kier Gray in his palace and destroy him so that the Slans may live.The novel is the narrative of Johnny's odyssey through the Slan sub-societies and toward his final confrontation with Kier Gray. In Gray's palace lives the young, beautiful Slan, Kathleen Layton,who Gray spared from a mob so that a Slan and her powers could be investigated at close quarters. How Johnny finds his way past Gray's defenses toward that confrontation and what he shockingly learns from that meeting embody the point of the novel and the heart of Van Vogt's novelistic technique.
Series
2 primary booksSlan is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1940 with contributions by A.E. van Vogt and Kevin J. Anderson.
Reviews with the most likes.
I can appreciate that Slan is a sci-fi classic and a landmark in the genre. There are lots of interesting ideas and concepts in the book, many of which are especially impressive given that Slan was written in the 1940s. However, the execution is incredibly poor. The story is difficult to follow and progresses way too fast. I had a hard time visualizing the scenes, and the characters act too mechanically.
A clear inspiration for many later books, games and movies. The story and setting were facinating. My only reservation is the character of Kathleenm whom I found to be possibly the most interesting person and story arc, however her story arc is cut halfway through. I would have been much happier following Kathleen's story as opposed to Jommy Cross, who was much more two dimensional though despite that I really enjoyed the book.
I think my book club really hit on it when they said that the themes in this book were really interesting, but the execution is dated and feels a little sloppy. The idea of “the other among us” and the fear and xenophobia surrounding this trope is sadly as relevant today as it was in WWII. The characters are pretty flat, however, and Katherine and Joanna's storylines are just both deeply disappointing. I see how it set a lot of foundation for mutant tropes, but it wasn't really for me.
I'd heard some things that made me a bit hesitant to read this but overall I enjoyed the pace. On the recording I did find the narrator didn't pause long enough to give you an audible clue of time passing so I was often confused by some sentences until I figured out what happened. The ending came as a surprise and wrapped things up nicely, however I did have a sense of a cliff hanger. I do know there's a second book to this series and assume this is why.
