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Slan  By  cover art

Slan

By: A. E. van Vogt
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
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Publisher's summary

Jommy Cross is a slan, a genetically bred superhuman whose race was created to aid humanity but is now despised by normal humans. Slans are usually shot on sight, but that doesn't stop Jommy's mother from bringing him to see the world capital of Centropolis, the seat of power for Earth's dictator, Kier Gray. But on their latest trip to Centropolis, the two slans are discovered, and Jommy's mother is killed. Jommy, only 9 years old, unwittingly becomes caught up in a plot to undermine Gray, who may be more sympathetic to slans than the public suspects. The nonstop action and root-for-the-underdog plot has made Slan a science-fiction favorite.
©1940, 1945, 1951, 1968 A. E. van Vogt. Introduction 2007 Kevin J. Anderson (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"One of the landmark novels of the genre." ( Library Journal)

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What listeners say about Slan

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

An Old Friend

When I started this audio book, I really wondered if the reader was up to it. And, you know what? He is. It's a classic of old science fiction. I remember it from when I was young. And it still holds up. So often, with science fiction, even the big authors of today, the characters seem shallow, even whiney. I'm sorry to say that. But, that's not the case here. Van Vogt was writing much more than just a fiction of ideas. He had something he was trying to say. This was his first novel. And what a grand debut! Some reviewers, elsewhere, complain of how this novel slows down in places, of how it's not all about sustained action. In truth, that is precisely why this novel is as great as it is. It's an odd story. Slightly structured on formula, with serialized climaxes. But, van Vogt truly believed in intuition. Not just pure reason. And these things clash in this novel. Wonderfully so. So, if you like the older stuff, this is definitely one of the better ones. And the audio version carries it well. Recommended.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A seminal work of the man and superman type that has resulted in much of the superhero entertainment we enjoy today

From stories like Heinlein's Gulf in 1949 on to the many tales in the pulps and then onto things like the X Men comics and other superheroes of the marvel universe the genetic basis of so many tales of this sort can be seen to have one of their sources in Slan . The story richly deserves the retroactive Hugo it received for 1941 last year.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Evolved human on the cusp of a post-human era

Slan by AE van Vogt is a futuristic tale focused on a post-human theme. The tale opens well into the future where a 'slan' is an evolved human with superintelligence and the ability to read minds as well as block their own mind from being read. Slans are hunted and killed by normal humans. A young, fatherless slan, Jommy, ends up in the major city that rules the planet when his mother is killed. As he survives by his wits, he matures to where his can execute the hypnotic suggestions left by his father, a brilliant scientist who developed a powerful energy source. Jommy learns that there are 'tendrilless' slans (he has tendrils that make him easy to identify as a slan) without psychic abilities who have been secretly plotting to also kill the 'tendril' slans and takeover the world. This leads him through a series of adventures that culminates in a shocking revelation as he comes to understand the slan origins and the underlying geopolitical realities of his world.

While van Vogt overall plot is certainly engaging and superbly executed, there are multiple inconsistencies that are never addressed and detract from the tale. For example, no reason is given for why Jommy's mother brings him to the city in the first place that only results in her death. No contingencies were made for her absence, while his father decided to hide his greatest invention right in the heart of largest anti-slan elements. The normal humans seem totally unaware of the tendrilless slans right in their midst and that group seems to be able to develop space capabilities including launching rockets right under the nose of the human government. All the while, both the humans and the tendrilless are forever hunting for the mythical true slan enclave without success. Finally, the big reveal at the end only further confuses the intentions and motives throughout.

The narration is reasonably done with an adequate range of characters, although granny got tedious after a while.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling

Easy listen to the end and the twist caught me off guard.... Definitely enjoyed it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected mystery with sci-fi

At first glance this book didn’t seem to be all that special but I decided to try it anyways as incredulous as I might be that it was going to be great. At first the narrative was a little slow and seemed to be kind of expected but it quickly deviated and became a reflective mirror almost of human behavior. But between the great almost relatable imagery you can almost picture the characters and the narrator breathes life into all of them with different pitches and voices. All in all I would recommend this one if you like a little bit of a thriller, mystery, sci-fi, and psychology it has it all and it is presented nicely.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

fans are slans

sure, fans are slans. but there are slans on all sides of this terrible war.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal

I could’ve kept listening to this book even if it was 10 times longer. Great descriptions and story. Atomic age tech was smoothly palatably explained without insulting the readers intelligence. The story has twists and surprises. masterfully crafted, well written, and the narrator did a superb job.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Classic from the Golden Age

Van Vogt was once the most popular SF writer of his day. Today he's not as popular as tastes in style have changed. Some readers will rate this as a two star story--for stylistic infelicities (largely masked in an audio reading), comparative descriptive dearth, and basic characterizations. On the other hand, a large contingent of SF readers enjoy a break-neck pace, surprises in character and SF ideas, and a focus on its unraveling SF aspects. Since novels should be rated on what they are aiming for versus what a reader expects, I gave this four stars.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Hasn’t aged well

This story was written in the 1930’s and published as a serial in a magazine over several months in 1940. As I understand it, it was very well received at the time and for some years after. Unfortunately, reading it now, the writing style, the characters and the science don’t hold up. The author lacked the imagination to conceive of anything other than dials, switches and alarm bells as the basis of “futuristic” technology. He would have been better off not giving any detailed descriptions of the science of the future. The characters were one dimensional at best and any females were even less developed. When I started listening to this book ( working through a list of the classics of science fiction ), I had to stop less than halfway through to find out why it made the list. I was only able to finish listening to it by constantly reminding myself that this story is from the era of the original “Flash Gordon” serial movies. With that in mind, the book is ok.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic book

a fantastic book with some excellent twists and turns. classic science fiction from the golden age

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