I was in the mood for another old-school Sci-fi, and this book popped up. It’s a pretty classic us-vs.-them tale, and as I look at it now some 87 years later, I also think it’s a classic stereotype of what Sc-fi was originally meant to be.

The story follows the heroes of both sides of an inevitable interstellar collision, Buck Kendall representing humanity in the Solar System we all know so well, or Gresth Gkae, the Miran alien who leads his people’s search for a better star, our Sun. As the human race prepares for the coming invasion that will stunt our mining of the outward planets and threaten all life on Terra, Buck Kendall seeks to find the secret to the Ultimate Weapon, the only thing that can give hope in repelling the alien horde.

What I find stereotypical in this story is the “science” behind Kendall’s search for the Ultimate Weapon. There’s so much talk throughout the book about protons, neutrons, magnetic fields, and aliens traveling beyond the speed of light. There’s also an intense focus on what Campbell calls “uncertainty to the (nth) degree.” Now I’m no scientist, but I can imagine that 60% of the science Campbell discusses here in this book is completely made up, fabricated for the sake of the story, and yet he remains faithful to it throughout, as if everything he writes is scientific fact. That kind of writing doesn’t float my boat, but I respect it as a tool that makes science fiction exactly what it is.

I think we’re spoiled today with films that just use standard plots that put aliens and humans in space and fail to bend our imaginations. Two films that come to mind that do manipulate science to a fascinating level are both Interstellar (2014) and Moon (2009). I can’t praise those films enough for their genius, and while I don’t regularly watch movies over and over, these are two that I’m always in the mood for. If you’ve never seen them yet enjoy Sci-fi twists in reality, check them out.

The Ultimate Weapon wasn’t my favorite book, but I’ve got to respect what Campbell accomplished through his imagination in 1936. He scratched my Sci-fi itch for the time being with his techno-babble, though I’m still in the mood for some escapism into other worlds. I’ll see what I can find and get back to you.

©2023 E.T.