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Sentinels from Space
Guardian Angel
When the mutants of the Mars and Venus colonies sought independence, the World Council tried to protect Earth's interests. But even bigger things were at stake: Full-scale war would attract the attentions of the deadly Denebian aliens, who were slowly advancing towards Earth.
Only David Raven - and a few others like him - knew about the Denebians. But Raven had powers no human or mutant had every[sic] dreamed of, and he was looking out for humanity...
[From Back cover]
[Front Page]
Pawn to King
The notion of a supertelepathic superlevitator was patently absurd - but the opposition would swallow the absurdity when it came along in the guise of a self-evident fact. There would be considerable boosting of blood pressure in the hidden Venusian hierarchy when they learned that the first act of Earth's new chess piece was to abolish a natural law.
The thought gratified him. To date he had achieved nothing spectacular by the standards of the day and age. That was good because it was highly undesirable to be too spectacular. But at least he'd created considerable uneasiness in the ranks of the formerly overconfident enemy. Indeed, if they had bolted this multitalent mutant notion and speculated on the dire possibility of still more formidable types yet to come, they would have every reason to feel afraid.
It was a pity they could not be told the truth.
When the mutants of the Mars and Venus colonies sought independence, the World Council tried to protect Earth's interests. But even bigger things were at stake: Full-scale war would attract the attentions of the deadly Denebian aliens, who were slowly advancing towards Earth.
Only David Raven - and a few others like him - knew about the Denebians. But Raven had powers no human or mutant had every[sic] dreamed of, and he was looking out for humanity...
[From Back cover]
[Front Page]
Pawn to King
The notion of a supertelepathic superlevitator was patently absurd - but the opposition would swallow the absurdity when it came along in the guise of a self-evident fact. There would be considerable boosting of blood pressure in the hidden Venusian hierarchy when they learned that the first act of Earth's new chess piece was to abolish a natural law.
The thought gratified him. To date he had achieved nothing spectacular by the standards of the day and age. That was good because it was highly undesirable to be too spectacular. But at least he'd created considerable uneasiness in the ranks of the formerly overconfident enemy. Indeed, if they had bolted this multitalent mutant notion and speculated on the dire possibility of still more formidable types yet to come, they would have every reason to feel afraid.
It was a pity they could not be told the truth.
244 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
1 person is currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Eric Frank Russell
378books108followersEric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and non-fiction articles on Fortean topics. A few of his stories were published under pseudonyms, of which Duncan H. Munro was used most often.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 8, 2021
This isn't among Russell's best works, but it's a fun, old-fashioned story of mysterious mutants working to save the world from malignant interstellar invaders. It was first published under the title The Star Watchers (with a neat Alex Schomburg cover) in Startling Stories, one of the better pulps of its time, in November of 1951. It's not as cohesive as most of his work, what with an interplanetary war brewing between Earth, Mars, and Venus while all manner of mental mutants are popping up as meanwhile a secret invasion fleet from Deneb approaches, but it's a rollicking ride when you roll with it.
March 3, 2025
Μπορεί να μην έχετε ακούσει για τη χρυσή εποχή της Ε.Φ., αλλά� υπήρξε και πάνω στους ώμους των πιονέρων-γιγάντων της στηρίχτηκε το (τερατώδες πλέον) εποικοδόμημα που ξέφυγε από την στάμπα-κατάρα της παραλογοτεχνίας και πουλάει μέχρι και δερματόδετα.
Ανάμεσα στους πρωτεργάτες είναι ο ελάχιστα γνωστός στην Ελλάδα (εντάξει, γεμίζουμε ταξί εμείς που τον ξέρουμε) Eric Frank Russell, γνωστός περισσότερο για το φλεγματικό, διεισδυτικό και ενίοτε βιτριολικό του χιούμορ και την απέχθεια για θεσμούς με στολές.
Το παρόν, δεν είναι από τα χιουμοριστικά του έργα, εντάσσεται στην κατηγορία� «pulp» συνδυάζοντας ένταση, δράση, περιπέτεια, psy δυνάμεις, ίντριγκα, πολιτική, κατασκοπία, γκιούλμπαση, αρνάκι στάμνας και κριθαρότο.
Ναι, φυσικά είναι παρωχημένης αισθητικής και γραφής, αλλά γράφτηκε 13 χρόνια πριν βγει το πρώτο επεισόδιο Star Trek. Αφήστε αυτόν το νεροχύτ� εεε let that sink in. Όταν τα αεροπλάνα είχαν ακόμα προπέλες. Φυσικά, δε χρειάζονται μηχανές τζετ για να αποκρούσει κανείς εξωγήινους εισβολείς (αν και όπως απέδειξε ο Turtledove στη σειρά εναλλακτικής ιστορίας Worldwar, βοηθάει πολύ), ιδίως όταν οι εν λόγω εξωγήινοι έχουν να αντιμετωπίσουν το φοβερό και τρομερό Ντέιβιντ Ρέηβεν (αργότερα οι γκοθούδες το μονοπώλησαν ως παρατσούκλι) και την ομάδα του (Sentinels, όχι δεν είναι ομάδα του NBA ) με τις Psyonic ικανότητες που μπορούν να σου μεταδώσουν τη σκέψη της μαμάς σου χωρίς ρούχα (ο Φρόιντ τραγουδάει το Mamaaaaaa U-u-u-uuuuu των Queen), ή να σε βάλουν να βαράς χαστούκια στον εαυτό σου με τηλεκίνηση. Οι φρουροί αυτοί (αφήστε την Αχαΐα στην ησυχία της) είναι η μεγάλη ελπίδα της ανθρωπότητας απέναντι στους Τζόβιανς. Ωστόσο οι εξωγήνιοι είναι μόνο η προφανής και άμεσα ορατή απειλή�
Μια συνομωσία απειλεί να συντρίψει τον ίδιο τον Ρέηβεν, από Κουίσλινγκ που φοβούνται τη δύναμή του και είναι μάλλον πρόθυμοι να δεχτούν τουρκικό εξωγήινο φέσι, παρά ψυχοδυναμική παπική τιάρα.
Μπορεί σήμερα να δείχνει λίγο παλαιΐκό, αλλά την εποχή του «σκότωνε», ξεφεύγοντας από τα τότε στερεότυπα της Ε.Φ. (πράσινοι άνθρωποι έρχονται να βιάσουν παρθένες και νοικοκυρές) τείνοντας προς το θρίλερ κατασκοπίας, ενώ ο κεντρικός ήρωας δεν είναι ο ατσαλάκωτος με μπριγιαντίνη σούπερμαν, αλλά ένας τύπος που έχει και ευαισθησίες, και μελαγχολίες και καταλαβαίνει ότι οι δυνάμεις του τον θέτουν στο περιθώριο της ανθρώπινης κοινωνίας, ενώ δεν λείπουν και κάποια στοιχεία κυνισμού.
Υπάρχει στο πίσω μέρος του μυαλού μου η αίσθηση μιας ισορροπίας, αν όχι τρόμου, έστω ζόφου, με την ευθύνη που συνεπάγεται η δύναμη (Βολταίρος σε επιστολή -1747, Peter Parker στο Amazing Fantasy #15 -1962) και πώς μπορεί να ανταποκριθεί (ή και όχι) ένας άνθρωπος σε ένα τέτοιο κάλεσμα.
Ξεπερνώντας το ψυχροπολεμικό χτύπημα κάτω από τη μέση με τους εξωγήινους να επιτίθενται κυρίως με� προπαγάνδα και χειραγώγηση και το γεγονός ότι απεικονίζονται σαν μονοδιάστατες καρικατούρες κακών εισβολέων σε ένα κόσμο που δεν "χτίζεται" επαρκώς (εντάξει, Pulp ήταν το βιβλίο, το θυμόμαστε, ναι;) παραμένει μια ενδιαφέρουσα περιπέτεια με στοιχεία από άλλα είδη που παρεισφρέουν (κάποια ίσως για πρώτη φορά) σε μυθιστόρημα Ε.Φ.
Ανάμεσα στους πρωτεργάτες είναι ο ελάχιστα γνωστός στην Ελλάδα (εντάξει, γεμίζουμε ταξί εμείς που τον ξέρουμε) Eric Frank Russell, γνωστός περισσότερο για το φλεγματικό, διεισδυτικό και ενίοτε βιτριολικό του χιούμορ και την απέχθεια για θεσμούς με στολές.
Το παρόν, δεν είναι από τα χιουμοριστικά του έργα, εντάσσεται στην κατηγορία� «pulp» συνδυάζοντας ένταση, δράση, περιπέτεια, psy δυνάμεις, ίντριγκα, πολιτική, κατασκοπία, γκιούλμπαση, αρνάκι στάμνας και κριθαρότο.
Ναι, φυσικά είναι παρωχημένης αισθητικής και γραφής, αλλά γράφτηκε 13 χρόνια πριν βγει το πρώτο επεισόδιο Star Trek. Αφήστε αυτόν το νεροχύτ� εεε let that sink in. Όταν τα αεροπλάνα είχαν ακόμα προπέλες. Φυσικά, δε χρειάζονται μηχανές τζετ για να αποκρούσει κανείς εξωγήινους εισβολείς (αν και όπως απέδειξε ο Turtledove στη σειρά εναλλακτικής ιστορίας Worldwar, βοηθάει πολύ), ιδίως όταν οι εν λόγω εξωγήινοι έχουν να αντιμετωπίσουν το φοβερό και τρομερό Ντέιβιντ Ρέηβεν (αργότερα οι γκοθούδες το μονοπώλησαν ως παρατσούκλι) και την ομάδα του (Sentinels, όχι δεν είναι ομάδα του NBA ) με τις Psyonic ικανότητες που μπορούν να σου μεταδώσουν τη σκέψη της μαμάς σου χωρίς ρούχα (ο Φρόιντ τραγουδάει το Mamaaaaaa U-u-u-uuuuu των Queen), ή να σε βάλουν να βαράς χαστούκια στον εαυτό σου με τηλεκίνηση. Οι φρουροί αυτοί (αφήστε την Αχαΐα στην ησυχία της) είναι η μεγάλη ελπίδα της ανθρωπότητας απέναντι στους Τζόβιανς. Ωστόσο οι εξωγήνιοι είναι μόνο η προφανής και άμεσα ορατή απειλή�
Μια συνομωσία απειλεί να συντρίψει τον ίδιο τον Ρέηβεν, από Κουίσλινγκ που φοβούνται τη δύναμή του και είναι μάλλον πρόθυμοι να δεχτούν τουρκικό εξωγήινο φέσι, παρά ψυχοδυναμική παπική τιάρα.
Μπορεί σήμερα να δείχνει λίγο παλαιΐκό, αλλά την εποχή του «σκότωνε», ξεφεύγοντας από τα τότε στερεότυπα της Ε.Φ. (πράσινοι άνθρωποι έρχονται να βιάσουν παρθένες και νοικοκυρές) τείνοντας προς το θρίλερ κατασκοπίας, ενώ ο κεντρικός ήρωας δεν είναι ο ατσαλάκωτος με μπριγιαντίνη σούπερμαν, αλλά ένας τύπος που έχει και ευαισθησίες, και μελαγχολίες και καταλαβαίνει ότι οι δυνάμεις του τον θέτουν στο περιθώριο της ανθρώπινης κοινωνίας, ενώ δεν λείπουν και κάποια στοιχεία κυνισμού.
Υπάρχει στο πίσω μέρος του μυαλού μου η αίσθηση μιας ισορροπίας, αν όχι τρόμου, έστω ζόφου, με την ευθύνη που συνεπάγεται η δύναμη (Βολταίρος σε επιστολή -1747, Peter Parker στο Amazing Fantasy #15 -1962) και πώς μπορεί να ανταποκριθεί (ή και όχι) ένας άνθρωπος σε ένα τέτοιο κάλεσμα.
Ξεπερνώντας το ψυχροπολεμικό χτύπημα κάτω από τη μέση με τους εξωγήινους να επιτίθενται κυρίως με� προπαγάνδα και χειραγώγηση και το γεγονός ότι απεικονίζονται σαν μονοδιάστατες καρικατούρες κακών εισβολέων σε ένα κόσμο που δεν "χτίζεται" επαρκώς (εντάξει, Pulp ήταν το βιβλίο, το θυμόμαστε, ναι;) παραμένει μια ενδιαφέρουσα περιπέτεια με στοιχεία από άλλα είδη που παρεισφρέουν (κάποια ίσως για πρώτη φορά) σε μυθιστόρημα Ε.Φ.
May 17, 2009
Science-fiction books often make a lot more sense than you first think, but I have no clue about this one. There's a bunch of X-Men style mutant superheroes with assorted powers. They run around doing the kind of cool saving-the-world shit that mutant superheroes do. Sometimes the hero has dreams about glowing butterflies. At the end, he's violently killed, and then he discovers he's a glowing butterfly out in space. Apparently, that's what happens to you after death.
Um... I suppose the message could be religious. But I don't see why. It didn't feel that way.
Um... I suppose the message could be religious. But I don't see why. It didn't feel that way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2016
42 WORD REVIEW:
Even if the intrigue generated by Russell’s shadowy, casually powerful protagonist transpires to be greater than the underlying premise � a conceptual stunner, much alluded to but then minimalist in denouement � the story’s (xeno-)sociopolitical setting alone offers plenty of mileage for intelligent exploration.
Even if the intrigue generated by Russell’s shadowy, casually powerful protagonist transpires to be greater than the underlying premise � a conceptual stunner, much alluded to but then minimalist in denouement � the story’s (xeno-)sociopolitical setting alone offers plenty of mileage for intelligent exploration.
January 6, 2020
Not one of Eric Frank Russell’s better efforts.
March 1, 2024
In the science fiction novel of 1953, mutants and their various abilities--especially telepathic--were apparently all the rage. Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man," the first novel to win the Hugo Award, showed us how difficult a proposition murder could be in a society of mind readers. In Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore's "Mutant," the "Baldies" referred to in the title had to learn how to live among a society that feared and despised them. Clifford D. Simak's "Ring Around the Sun" dealt with mutants capable of moving between Earth's parallel worlds; Isaac Asimov's "Second Foundation" centered around a galaxy-disrupting mutant called The Mule; and Theodore Sturgeon's "More Than Human" posited the creation of a gestalt mentality when six mutant individuals merged. Seemingly lost in the mutant shuffle that year was British author Eric Frank Russell's contribution "Sentinels From Space," a book that I have only recently experienced. And if this title cannot lay claim to the same exalted quality of those other novels just mentioned, it yet remains a work deserving to be better known today.
To be perfectly honest, "Sentinels From Space" was originally released two years earlier, in the November 1951 issue of "Startling Stories," and under the title "The Star Watchers." The NYC-based publisher Bouregy & Curl (soon to be Avalon Books, one of the most important sci-fi houses of the '50s and '60s) would release the novel as a $2.75 hardcover in 1953, however, featuring the new title as well as beautiful cover art by Ric Binkley. Paperbacks from Ace in 1978 (the one I was happy to nab, with a cover by Vincent Di Fate), Ballantine in 1986, and Methuen in 1987 would follow, but today, readers who are interested in laying their hands on the book would be well advised to pop for NESFA Press' deluxe hardcover volume entitled "Entities: The Selected Novels of Eric Frank Russell," which not only includes "Sentinels From Space," but also the author's first novel, "Sinister Barrier" (1939), "Wasp" (1958), "Next of Kin" (1958), and some wonderful shorter pieces. "Sentinels From Space" was Russell's third of 10 novels, written when the author was already 46 years old. At one time editor John W. Campbell's favorite contributor to his famed "Astounding Science-Fiction" magazine, Russell here reveals himself to be in fine, if hardly top-grade, form.
His book is set during an indeterminate future year. Venus and Mars have both been colonized, but the long space flights required in getting to those planets have resulted in the settlers being exposed to gene-altering radiations en route. Thus, the colony worlds have a disproportionately high number of mutants with various abilities, as compared to the average citizens of Earth. As Russell's book begins, one of the rare Earthmen with mutant abilities, David Raven, is called before the World Council and given an extremely important task. Raven is a true telepath, with the ability to not only read minds but--rarity of rarities--block his own mind from other telepaths as well. He is thus deemed the perfect agent to carry out his mission. It seems that a cabal of Martian and Venusian insurgents is currently engaged in an undeclared war on Earth. To win their liberation, they have begun a systematic series of sabotage attacks on some of Earth's most vital infrastructure, and before things go too far, it has been decided to send Raven out to somehow put a stop to all this. Raven is later briefed by a man named Carson, head of the Terran Security Bureau, and learns that there are at least a dozen different types of mutant living on Mars and Venus: the true telepaths such as himself; levitators, who can float through the air; pyrotics (or what we might think of today as fire starters); chameleons; nocturnals, who require no sleep; malleables, with the ability to alter their face's appearance; hypnos, with the power to mesmerize; supersonics, presumably capable of hearing in other sound ranges; mini-engineers, with the ability to create complex miniaturized devices; radiosensitives, who can go about blind and navigate like bats; insectivocals, with power over the deadly insect life of Venus; and teleports, with the ability to lift objects with their minds. And, Carson warns, there might very well be more!
Little daunted, Raven goes to the home of his beautiful and husky lady friend Leina, a true telepath like himself, where he is involved in a confrontation with a squad of mutants almost immediately. Raven later visits the home of a Venusian named Kayder, ostensibly a mere businessman living on Earth but in actuality an insectivocal, and one of the insurgent leaders. Raven then travels to Venus and confers with his friends Charles and Mavis, also true telepaths. He learns from Charles that the bigwig insurgent head on that planet is a nonmutant of exceptional ability named Thorstern; a man who envisions himself as the ruler of that world one day. Thus, Raven and Charles take it upon themselves to break into Thorstern's heavily guarded castle and try to convince the would-be autocrat to alter his plans. But, as might be expected, Thorstern is not so easily convinced....
"Sentinels From Space," as you may have been able to discern, is a very interesting book, but perhaps its most interesting aspect comes from trying to figure out what David Raven is all about. Almost from the first, clues are dropped indicating that he is not merely a Terran telepath. Thus, speaking of the humans on Earth, Leina asks him "Why must these creatures be so stubborn and idiotic?" When arriving on Venus, Raven jumps out of his passenger ship, plummets 12,000 feet, and then suddenly brakes to an unassisted landing...and not in the manner of a levitator, either! He and Charles are able to enter Thorstern's heavily guarded compound with ease, mentally trace the electrical leads connecting to the alarm system, control others' actions with their minds, and slay from afar...all while discussing being "handicapped by our disguise" and wondering if horses are really horses and dogs are really dogs. Raven is completely unflappable and fearless, and for good reason, as it turns out...his abilities are decidedly daunting. Far be it for me to reveal the backstory of this character and his associates, but let's just say that the book's title does provide something of a clue.
Typical for Eric Frank Russell, the dialogue in the novel is loaded with the snappy, joking, noirish tough-guy patter that led so many readers to believe that the Berkshire-born author was an American. The use of this hard-boiled talk ("All right, Brain-picker, on your feet and start walking") in a futuristic setting is an appealing conceit, for this reader anyway. And Russell, as always, leavens the seriousness of his tale with a goodly dose of humor--not for nothing was he once referred to as "Campbell's licensed jester"--although the laffs are not nearly as abundant as in his wonderful offering from 1962, "The Great Explosion." (I love when Raven refers to mankind here as "Homer Saps.") And as in Bester's "The Demolished Man," here, we are given an excellent depiction of what it is like to be a telepath, and the rapid-fire torrent of thought snippets that we see Raven receiving from around the galaxy is fairly remarkable; ditto for when he is able to detect all the thoughts passing through the minds of those castle guards.
As Carson tells Raven early on, the game that is being waged by the Martian and Venusian insurgents against Earth is like a game of "super-chess," with the mutants being the specialized pieces and the nonmutants playing the role of the disposable pawns. And the resultant game play here is suitably complex. To be succinct, "Sentinels From Space" is a challenging read, one in which puzzling statements are made throughout that are only clarified 100+ pages later on. The book requires the reader to hold a lot of info in his/her mind and think clearly throughout; this is hardly an empty-headed novel. And so, perhaps it was not the ideal book for me to read while trying to get over a case of COVID! Still, I found that matters did gradually become clearer as the story proceeded.
Russell's third novel, surprisingly, features a minimum of action sequences per se. Most of the memorable scenes revolve around talk (Raven talking to the Council, to Carson, to Kayder, to Charles and Mavis, to Thorstern, and finally, to one Major Lomax of Terran Intelligence, who hauls David and Leina in after their display of superhuman abilities begins to set off alarm bells). The only genuine action sequences involve Raven's exit from the ship over Venus and his subsequent walk over the inhospitable terrain; his and Charles' penetration of Thorstern's castle; and Raven's purloining of a ship to leave Venus and return to Earth. So yes, the book is more talk than action, but at least the talk is always of an interesting variety.
Now, having said that, I must also report that "Sentinels From Space" was also one of the first Eric Frank Russell books that I've read that was not completely satisfying. This is a book that suggests more than it reveals, and remains frustratingly tantalizing by the time it wraps up. To my way of thinking, we never do learn quite enough about David Raven and his friends. What we are given is fascinating, and could easily have served as the basis of an entire series about Raven's mission (the foreshadowed hints of an inevitable pogrom against the mutants might also have been gone into in depth in such later installments), but Russell was never one to go in for sequels or series. So we are left with this suggestive puzzler; a book that takes place in no stated year and with nonspecific locales for any of the scenes that transpire on Earth. Personally, this reader could also have done with some more of the alluded-to Venusian monsters (a la those in Kuttner & Moore's 1947, Venus-set masterpiece "Fury") to spice things up, and possibly a scene showing those nightmarish Venusian insects in action, but that is not what was topmost on Russell's mind here, apparently. I suppose the bottom line is that "Sentinels From Space" makes for some gripping and challenging sci-fi, although it is ultimately frustrating and not nearly as entertaining as some of Russell's other works...such as 1955's "Men, Martians and Machines," a perfect melding of action and humor. Still, even lesser Russell is better than many other writers performing at their peak, so my qualified recommendation for this one. (By the way, I hope that this review has hung together logically. I still have a head full of COVID as I write these words, and my brain feels as if it's been dazed by a top-grade hypno....)
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at ... a most ideal destination for all fans of Eric Frank Russell....)
To be perfectly honest, "Sentinels From Space" was originally released two years earlier, in the November 1951 issue of "Startling Stories," and under the title "The Star Watchers." The NYC-based publisher Bouregy & Curl (soon to be Avalon Books, one of the most important sci-fi houses of the '50s and '60s) would release the novel as a $2.75 hardcover in 1953, however, featuring the new title as well as beautiful cover art by Ric Binkley. Paperbacks from Ace in 1978 (the one I was happy to nab, with a cover by Vincent Di Fate), Ballantine in 1986, and Methuen in 1987 would follow, but today, readers who are interested in laying their hands on the book would be well advised to pop for NESFA Press' deluxe hardcover volume entitled "Entities: The Selected Novels of Eric Frank Russell," which not only includes "Sentinels From Space," but also the author's first novel, "Sinister Barrier" (1939), "Wasp" (1958), "Next of Kin" (1958), and some wonderful shorter pieces. "Sentinels From Space" was Russell's third of 10 novels, written when the author was already 46 years old. At one time editor John W. Campbell's favorite contributor to his famed "Astounding Science-Fiction" magazine, Russell here reveals himself to be in fine, if hardly top-grade, form.
His book is set during an indeterminate future year. Venus and Mars have both been colonized, but the long space flights required in getting to those planets have resulted in the settlers being exposed to gene-altering radiations en route. Thus, the colony worlds have a disproportionately high number of mutants with various abilities, as compared to the average citizens of Earth. As Russell's book begins, one of the rare Earthmen with mutant abilities, David Raven, is called before the World Council and given an extremely important task. Raven is a true telepath, with the ability to not only read minds but--rarity of rarities--block his own mind from other telepaths as well. He is thus deemed the perfect agent to carry out his mission. It seems that a cabal of Martian and Venusian insurgents is currently engaged in an undeclared war on Earth. To win their liberation, they have begun a systematic series of sabotage attacks on some of Earth's most vital infrastructure, and before things go too far, it has been decided to send Raven out to somehow put a stop to all this. Raven is later briefed by a man named Carson, head of the Terran Security Bureau, and learns that there are at least a dozen different types of mutant living on Mars and Venus: the true telepaths such as himself; levitators, who can float through the air; pyrotics (or what we might think of today as fire starters); chameleons; nocturnals, who require no sleep; malleables, with the ability to alter their face's appearance; hypnos, with the power to mesmerize; supersonics, presumably capable of hearing in other sound ranges; mini-engineers, with the ability to create complex miniaturized devices; radiosensitives, who can go about blind and navigate like bats; insectivocals, with power over the deadly insect life of Venus; and teleports, with the ability to lift objects with their minds. And, Carson warns, there might very well be more!
Little daunted, Raven goes to the home of his beautiful and husky lady friend Leina, a true telepath like himself, where he is involved in a confrontation with a squad of mutants almost immediately. Raven later visits the home of a Venusian named Kayder, ostensibly a mere businessman living on Earth but in actuality an insectivocal, and one of the insurgent leaders. Raven then travels to Venus and confers with his friends Charles and Mavis, also true telepaths. He learns from Charles that the bigwig insurgent head on that planet is a nonmutant of exceptional ability named Thorstern; a man who envisions himself as the ruler of that world one day. Thus, Raven and Charles take it upon themselves to break into Thorstern's heavily guarded castle and try to convince the would-be autocrat to alter his plans. But, as might be expected, Thorstern is not so easily convinced....
"Sentinels From Space," as you may have been able to discern, is a very interesting book, but perhaps its most interesting aspect comes from trying to figure out what David Raven is all about. Almost from the first, clues are dropped indicating that he is not merely a Terran telepath. Thus, speaking of the humans on Earth, Leina asks him "Why must these creatures be so stubborn and idiotic?" When arriving on Venus, Raven jumps out of his passenger ship, plummets 12,000 feet, and then suddenly brakes to an unassisted landing...and not in the manner of a levitator, either! He and Charles are able to enter Thorstern's heavily guarded compound with ease, mentally trace the electrical leads connecting to the alarm system, control others' actions with their minds, and slay from afar...all while discussing being "handicapped by our disguise" and wondering if horses are really horses and dogs are really dogs. Raven is completely unflappable and fearless, and for good reason, as it turns out...his abilities are decidedly daunting. Far be it for me to reveal the backstory of this character and his associates, but let's just say that the book's title does provide something of a clue.
Typical for Eric Frank Russell, the dialogue in the novel is loaded with the snappy, joking, noirish tough-guy patter that led so many readers to believe that the Berkshire-born author was an American. The use of this hard-boiled talk ("All right, Brain-picker, on your feet and start walking") in a futuristic setting is an appealing conceit, for this reader anyway. And Russell, as always, leavens the seriousness of his tale with a goodly dose of humor--not for nothing was he once referred to as "Campbell's licensed jester"--although the laffs are not nearly as abundant as in his wonderful offering from 1962, "The Great Explosion." (I love when Raven refers to mankind here as "Homer Saps.") And as in Bester's "The Demolished Man," here, we are given an excellent depiction of what it is like to be a telepath, and the rapid-fire torrent of thought snippets that we see Raven receiving from around the galaxy is fairly remarkable; ditto for when he is able to detect all the thoughts passing through the minds of those castle guards.
As Carson tells Raven early on, the game that is being waged by the Martian and Venusian insurgents against Earth is like a game of "super-chess," with the mutants being the specialized pieces and the nonmutants playing the role of the disposable pawns. And the resultant game play here is suitably complex. To be succinct, "Sentinels From Space" is a challenging read, one in which puzzling statements are made throughout that are only clarified 100+ pages later on. The book requires the reader to hold a lot of info in his/her mind and think clearly throughout; this is hardly an empty-headed novel. And so, perhaps it was not the ideal book for me to read while trying to get over a case of COVID! Still, I found that matters did gradually become clearer as the story proceeded.
Russell's third novel, surprisingly, features a minimum of action sequences per se. Most of the memorable scenes revolve around talk (Raven talking to the Council, to Carson, to Kayder, to Charles and Mavis, to Thorstern, and finally, to one Major Lomax of Terran Intelligence, who hauls David and Leina in after their display of superhuman abilities begins to set off alarm bells). The only genuine action sequences involve Raven's exit from the ship over Venus and his subsequent walk over the inhospitable terrain; his and Charles' penetration of Thorstern's castle; and Raven's purloining of a ship to leave Venus and return to Earth. So yes, the book is more talk than action, but at least the talk is always of an interesting variety.
Now, having said that, I must also report that "Sentinels From Space" was also one of the first Eric Frank Russell books that I've read that was not completely satisfying. This is a book that suggests more than it reveals, and remains frustratingly tantalizing by the time it wraps up. To my way of thinking, we never do learn quite enough about David Raven and his friends. What we are given is fascinating, and could easily have served as the basis of an entire series about Raven's mission (the foreshadowed hints of an inevitable pogrom against the mutants might also have been gone into in depth in such later installments), but Russell was never one to go in for sequels or series. So we are left with this suggestive puzzler; a book that takes place in no stated year and with nonspecific locales for any of the scenes that transpire on Earth. Personally, this reader could also have done with some more of the alluded-to Venusian monsters (a la those in Kuttner & Moore's 1947, Venus-set masterpiece "Fury") to spice things up, and possibly a scene showing those nightmarish Venusian insects in action, but that is not what was topmost on Russell's mind here, apparently. I suppose the bottom line is that "Sentinels From Space" makes for some gripping and challenging sci-fi, although it is ultimately frustrating and not nearly as entertaining as some of Russell's other works...such as 1955's "Men, Martians and Machines," a perfect melding of action and humor. Still, even lesser Russell is better than many other writers performing at their peak, so my qualified recommendation for this one. (By the way, I hope that this review has hung together logically. I still have a head full of COVID as I write these words, and my brain feels as if it's been dazed by a top-grade hypno....)
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at ... a most ideal destination for all fans of Eric Frank Russell....)
June 23, 2017
An interesting story wherein the inhabitants of Earth, Mars and Venus (keep in mind this was written when scientific knowledge about the neighboring planets was pretty minuscule) are engaged in some political scuffles which could result in attracting unwanted attention from interstellar predators from the star Deneb. But the human inhabitants of the planets, despite having telepathic powers, are unaware of the threat. Fortunately there are some protectors (The sentinels of the title) who have infiltrated the population and serve to distract the Denebs from any potential harmful interest in humans. Things don't always go smoothly, especially when the entire effort of the sentinels is a fifth column movement. Worthwhile.
Want to read
April 28, 2015Cover by Ric Binkley.
February 18, 2019
"Those pale, weak, two-legged things, what had they called themselves? Oh yes, Homo Sapiens. Some among them were precocious and had regarded themselves as Homo Superior. It was pitiful in a way. It was pathetic."
A good read for an misandronist. I admire Russell's sardonic, tongue-in-cheek humor, but I'm puzzled at the lack of women characters in his work. I will have to read a book in him and answer some of my questions.
A good read for an misandronist. I admire Russell's sardonic, tongue-in-cheek humor, but I'm puzzled at the lack of women characters in his work. I will have to read a book in him and answer some of my questions.
January 23, 2022
Old fashioned Scifi, good character, with a mystery slowly unfolding in the background. EFR is good, and this is a fine example of his story telling. I liked it. Quick read.
August 5, 2016
An interesting book, almost like two stories weaved into one in a way.
There is the central story, well told, around defeating a sabotage effort. When that was completed and there was still around a quarter of the book still to go, I wondered where Eric was going to take us - on an interesting journey, as it turns out.
We get a conclusion which caused me to have to stop and think about the book, consider the story and mull over what went on - which is a sign of a good story indeed.
I suspect were this book to be written today, it would undoubtedly be 3 times the size with a lot more detailed plot and counterplot for the action and excitement, which would be fun, but would also detract from the overall story and effect of the book.
Worth a read, and although "of its time", there is still one chapter in particular which has an extremely strong resonance with what happens so often today!
There is the central story, well told, around defeating a sabotage effort. When that was completed and there was still around a quarter of the book still to go, I wondered where Eric was going to take us - on an interesting journey, as it turns out.
We get a conclusion which caused me to have to stop and think about the book, consider the story and mull over what went on - which is a sign of a good story indeed.
I suspect were this book to be written today, it would undoubtedly be 3 times the size with a lot more detailed plot and counterplot for the action and excitement, which would be fun, but would also detract from the overall story and effect of the book.
Worth a read, and although "of its time", there is still one chapter in particular which has an extremely strong resonance with what happens so often today!
April 28, 2015
1987 grade B
2002 grade B
2002 grade B
May 24, 2015
enjoyable read with Eric Frank Russell's quirky humour although perhaps not the best of his work.
I would recomend this and all of his stuff id you havent read
I would recomend this and all of his stuff id you havent read
February 7, 2017
Not my favorite of his books -- a slightly drier read than, say, Next of Kin -- but nonetheless delicious.
December 10, 2024
Difícil fazer pior� E estou certo que contou com a preciosa ajuda do senhor engenheiro tradutor para alcançar um "desempenho" tão negativo!
April 4, 2017
Not one of Russell's best books but still entertaining as most of his books are. It seems like two distinct stories got mixed into one novel.
The first story line concerns the politics of an Earth, Mars, Venus triad of worlds. Radiation exposure during space travel has led humans to develop X-Men like mutations of 12 different types (e.g. telepaths, levitators, chameleons, teleports, etc). An alliance of Mars/Venus agents are moving against Earth and Earth finds a super-mutant, David Raven, to fight back.
The second story line concerns the true nature of David Raven and three other similar beings. Maybe they're neither human nor mutant but something else entirely. They spend a lot of time worry about the Denebs, an apparently dangerous alien race. This story line is just hinted at through most of the book but when storyline one finishes up about three chapters from the end, storyline two kicks in and goes off in another direction.
In the end, the second storyline was a lot more interesting than the boring Earth/Mars/Venus politics story that takes up most of the book. This should have been two books, with the second devoted entirely to the more interesting story.
The first story line concerns the politics of an Earth, Mars, Venus triad of worlds. Radiation exposure during space travel has led humans to develop X-Men like mutations of 12 different types (e.g. telepaths, levitators, chameleons, teleports, etc). An alliance of Mars/Venus agents are moving against Earth and Earth finds a super-mutant, David Raven, to fight back.
The second story line concerns the true nature of David Raven and three other similar beings. Maybe they're neither human nor mutant but something else entirely. They spend a lot of time worry about the Denebs, an apparently dangerous alien race. This story line is just hinted at through most of the book but when storyline one finishes up about three chapters from the end, storyline two kicks in and goes off in another direction.
In the end, the second storyline was a lot more interesting than the boring Earth/Mars/Venus politics story that takes up most of the book. This should have been two books, with the second devoted entirely to the more interesting story.
April 30, 2017
Livro interessante e uma relíquia de colecção. A história talvez esteja um pouco datada, não tanto na "futurologia" mas sim no andamento e estilo.
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