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Flandry #1
Ensign Flandry
Introducing...Dominic Flandry.
Before he's through he'll have saved worlds and become the confidante of emperors. But for now he's seventeen years old, as fresh and brash a sprig of the nobility as you would care to know. The only thing as damp as the place behind his ears is the ink on his brand-new commission.
Though through this and his succeeding adventures he will struggle gloriously and win (usually) mighty victories, Dominic Flandry is essentially a tragic figure: a man who knows too much, who knows that battle, scheme and even betray as he will, in the end it will mean nothing. For with the relentlessness of physical law the Long Night approaches. The Terran Empire is dying...
Before he's through he'll have saved worlds and become the confidante of emperors. But for now he's seventeen years old, as fresh and brash a sprig of the nobility as you would care to know. The only thing as damp as the place behind his ears is the ink on his brand-new commission.
Though through this and his succeeding adventures he will struggle gloriously and win (usually) mighty victories, Dominic Flandry is essentially a tragic figure: a man who knows too much, who knows that battle, scheme and even betray as he will, in the end it will mean nothing. For with the relentlessness of physical law the Long Night approaches. The Terran Empire is dying...
203 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Poul Anderson
1,453 books1,019 followersPseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
July 8, 2016
Ensign Flandry by Poul Anderson is on its surface a far future science fiction action adventure, but not much beneath is an allegory about the Vietnam War and American foreign policy.
First published in 1966, the similarities between our involvement in Southeast Asia and Anderson’s puppet and string space adventure is evident. A recurring theme amidst Anderson’s work, and one for which I am especially intrigued, is his almost neutral, fair and balanced depiction of both sides of a conflict. Far apart from other writers who use strawman villains and one-dimensional antagonisms, Anderson takes steps to present both sides of an argument. This quality is in full force here as Flandry finds good and bad on both sides of the fray.
Like his classic, The High Crusade, Anderson uses humorous caricature to highlight the need for a balanced approach, and his narrative is better for it. That said, a weakness of this book is his poorly developed characterization.
Part Horatio Hornblower, part James Bond, and part James Kirk Flandry wins at action while giving way to the finer points of good literature. One of the most interesting parts of this book, and presumably about the Flandry series of exploits in general, is Anderson’s placing this future history timeline at a point where the Terran Empire is old and corrupt, with Flandry heroics keeping the inevitable wolves at bay.
As in all of Anderson’s science fiction canon, his scientific explanations are sharp and the key to the conflict is that the humans and the aliens both seek oxygen atmospheric planets on which to colonize and live, and Anderson makes the point of mentioning other alien races who are hydrogen breathers and so paths are normally not crossed.
Good Anderson book, good read.
First published in 1966, the similarities between our involvement in Southeast Asia and Anderson’s puppet and string space adventure is evident. A recurring theme amidst Anderson’s work, and one for which I am especially intrigued, is his almost neutral, fair and balanced depiction of both sides of a conflict. Far apart from other writers who use strawman villains and one-dimensional antagonisms, Anderson takes steps to present both sides of an argument. This quality is in full force here as Flandry finds good and bad on both sides of the fray.
Like his classic, The High Crusade, Anderson uses humorous caricature to highlight the need for a balanced approach, and his narrative is better for it. That said, a weakness of this book is his poorly developed characterization.
Part Horatio Hornblower, part James Bond, and part James Kirk Flandry wins at action while giving way to the finer points of good literature. One of the most interesting parts of this book, and presumably about the Flandry series of exploits in general, is Anderson’s placing this future history timeline at a point where the Terran Empire is old and corrupt, with Flandry heroics keeping the inevitable wolves at bay.
As in all of Anderson’s science fiction canon, his scientific explanations are sharp and the key to the conflict is that the humans and the aliens both seek oxygen atmospheric planets on which to colonize and live, and Anderson makes the point of mentioning other alien races who are hydrogen breathers and so paths are normally not crossed.
Good Anderson book, good read.
May 19, 2014
Ensign Flandry is classic science fiction, exploration of new worlds, clashes between galactic civilizations.
And it's pretty good. But not great. I just, quite frankly, kept catching myself tuning out every once in a while, then having to flip back and figure out what I missed. But while it isn't engrossing, it's solid early Poul Anderson, and Poul Anderson is almost always worth a read.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
And it's pretty good. But not great. I just, quite frankly, kept catching myself tuning out every once in a while, then having to flip back and figure out what I missed. But while it isn't engrossing, it's solid early Poul Anderson, and Poul Anderson is almost always worth a read.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
February 3, 2016
Having made my way through Anderson's Polesotechnic League saga from the start, I can say with confidence that this is one of the better novels in the series. At first, I was missing Van Rijn, and the absurdity and gravitas that he always brought to the proceedings. But a quarter of the way through, one begins to get one's bearings. We find ourselves in the midst of a proxy war on some nowheresville backwoods planet. The growing Merseian Empire have, for reasons unknown, begun to arm a sentient ocean-species against their land neighbours, and so the dying Terran Empire, only partially having any idea why they're doing it, decide to arm the sentient land-species of the planet against the ocean species. They don't really know why they are there, we come to understand, nor do they know what they have gotten themselves into. The MacGuffin is a great hook: why have the Merseians begun this conflict? Why are they arming this species in the middle of nowhere, and setting it to fight against another species in the middle of nowhere? The planet offers no strategic value, no resource value. What do they hope to gain by dragging the Terran Empire into a war over a nothing planet? This tasty mystery becomes the focus of the rest of the novel.
And what a surprising novel it turned out to be! It was certainly more weighty than I anticipated. In one scene, Flandry tours an underwater civilization that his own people have sworn to destroy. In another scene, he is forced to use a person he cares deeply about for the good of the Empire. These sorts of moral crossroads form the spine of the novel, and they receive unusually serious treatment for a 1960's space opera. Essentially, though, this is a spy novel, like John Le Carre in space, but with the traditional roles reversed. Instead of the big bad government of Earth using and manipulating the poor unknowing spy, here we have the spy fooling and betraying his own government, in a Mission Impossible-style plot with real stakes, real intrigue, and some real complexities. The thematic approach to all this material is, of course, determined by Anderson's libertarian ideology, his belief that governments are too big and slow and stupid to do anything effectively, and so we are never in doubt as to the moral rightness of the people who risk their lives (or lifelong imprisonment) to save the very Empire that's trying to stop them. Along the way, we have everything you might expect from a spy novel: tense cloak-and-dagger action, ambiguous loyalties, the compromising of morals necessary to keep an Empire safe. And it's all done with such beautiful control over tone, narrative structure, and pacing. Near the climax of the novel, there is a scene where an agent must get the information he has illegally retrieved to another agent, but he's been caught. He's being shot at, he's bleeding, he's crawling across the floor, the fate of the Terran Empire may lie in his hands, and suddenly I realized how tense I was, and how emotionally engaged. When the chapter ended, I had to take a breather. Everything is like that in this book, just a little better than you expect.
There are also some wonderful character touches. At the fringes of the novel, there is a cyborg double-agent (or is he a triple-agent?) whose role in the plot I will not reveal, but only say that it is deeply interesting, and even moving. Hauksberg is another compelling character, a Chamberlain of the future who is willing to accept any lie from the enemy as long as he can tell himself he has achieved peace in his time. As for Flandry, his characterization is admittedly pretty standard fare, though absolutely competent, and the man is somewhat more thoughtful and philosophical than I was led to expect from his reputation as a "James Bond" type. In the end, the solution to the mystery is entirely satisfying, and the final moments are balanced between feelings of resignation and hope. This is a well-made novel, with somewhat more seriousness and moral weight than we usually find in these sorts of things, and I look forward to continuing the series in A Circus of Hells.
And what a surprising novel it turned out to be! It was certainly more weighty than I anticipated. In one scene, Flandry tours an underwater civilization that his own people have sworn to destroy. In another scene, he is forced to use a person he cares deeply about for the good of the Empire. These sorts of moral crossroads form the spine of the novel, and they receive unusually serious treatment for a 1960's space opera. Essentially, though, this is a spy novel, like John Le Carre in space, but with the traditional roles reversed. Instead of the big bad government of Earth using and manipulating the poor unknowing spy, here we have the spy fooling and betraying his own government, in a Mission Impossible-style plot with real stakes, real intrigue, and some real complexities. The thematic approach to all this material is, of course, determined by Anderson's libertarian ideology, his belief that governments are too big and slow and stupid to do anything effectively, and so we are never in doubt as to the moral rightness of the people who risk their lives (or lifelong imprisonment) to save the very Empire that's trying to stop them. Along the way, we have everything you might expect from a spy novel: tense cloak-and-dagger action, ambiguous loyalties, the compromising of morals necessary to keep an Empire safe. And it's all done with such beautiful control over tone, narrative structure, and pacing. Near the climax of the novel, there is a scene where an agent must get the information he has illegally retrieved to another agent, but he's been caught. He's being shot at, he's bleeding, he's crawling across the floor, the fate of the Terran Empire may lie in his hands, and suddenly I realized how tense I was, and how emotionally engaged. When the chapter ended, I had to take a breather. Everything is like that in this book, just a little better than you expect.
There are also some wonderful character touches. At the fringes of the novel, there is a cyborg double-agent (or is he a triple-agent?) whose role in the plot I will not reveal, but only say that it is deeply interesting, and even moving. Hauksberg is another compelling character, a Chamberlain of the future who is willing to accept any lie from the enemy as long as he can tell himself he has achieved peace in his time. As for Flandry, his characterization is admittedly pretty standard fare, though absolutely competent, and the man is somewhat more thoughtful and philosophical than I was led to expect from his reputation as a "James Bond" type. In the end, the solution to the mystery is entirely satisfying, and the final moments are balanced between feelings of resignation and hope. This is a well-made novel, with somewhat more seriousness and moral weight than we usually find in these sorts of things, and I look forward to continuing the series in A Circus of Hells.
June 2, 2018
Best yet of Anderson's Technic League series I've read so far. I've wanted to like these more than I actually have, but this story delivered a pulpy, well written, compact SF adventure that entertains. I'm encouraged to continue with the series, though worried it may be downhill from here.
September 22, 2023
I lucked into an Imperial Terra collection, starting with this story, and I'm suitably impressed. Flandry is a pilot in the Terran Navy, serving a tired and decadent empire which has been drawn into a slowly escalating proxy war between two alien species on a distant plant with a medieval level of technology. After being shot down, Flandry is rescued, becomes a trusted advisor to the human aliens, and gets roped into an interstellar escapade to the capital of a rising interstellar power, where he is implicated in a scheme by the local chief of intelligence, Max Abrams, against the diplomat Hauksberg, that has him on the run and then the hero, heading off a plot that could have crippled the Terran fleet.
As always, Anderson has deft touch with pacing, handling in 180 pages what might take a lesser author (cough David Weber cough) 600 or more. I'm excited for the rest.
As always, Anderson has deft touch with pacing, handling in 180 pages what might take a lesser author (cough David Weber cough) 600 or more. I'm excited for the rest.
January 20, 2010
I'm not sure how this one slipped through the cracks for me. I've read a fair bit of Anderson in my youth. Most notably his Time Patrol stories and his Psychotechnic League stories.
I picked up a paperback copy of Ensign Flandry at Camerons's Books in Portland, OR. If you live there, or are passing through, Cameron's is a bibliophile's used book store erotic dream. Southeast of the larger and infinitely more well known Powell's books, which also sells used books and could arguably be called a bibliophile's screaming orgasm, Cameron's is Powell's hot younger sister.
The plot of this one caught me by surprise. When I saw it on the shelf, I wanted to read it because the Flandry series had a large influence on one of the biggest roleplaying games of my youth, Traveller. Anderson's terse writing style lulled me into thinking this would be a textbook example of space opera, a homage to E.E. Smith.
It is that, surely. And it has all the attendant qualities of good space opera: a handsome young idealistic hero who can fight his way out of any scrape; exotic, sexy aliens with a beautiful, sexy female leader with the hots for our hero; and bad guys who have nothing but malice for the good guys and a plethora of evil plans with which to exercise that malice.
Well, that view lasted until about Chapter 3 where Anderson introduces quite a bit of ambiguity into the setup. The Terran Empire is in conflict with the Merseian Empire on the planet Starkad, using the two dominant sentient races as proxies. The story gets complex and Anderson deftly weaves layers of intrigue and politics into the story. He wrote this one in 1966 and it became clear to me that, on one level, the story can be seen as an allegory for the Vietnam War.
This one is a page turner and when it ended, I was left very pleasantly surprised and hungry to read the rest of the books in the Flandry series.
June 2, 2019
Although this book is in the same macho-space-hero tradition of several of the novels I’ve reviewed recently, such as The Legion of Space, Anderson’s writing puts it on a higher level than most, if not quite earning a fourth star. For one thing, Anderson takes his female characters seriously; although he seems awkward in writing their motivations and ideas, he at least tries to give them some dimensionality. For another, he seems to be operating at a level “above” the naïve enthusiasm of his protagonist, occasionally winking at the reader to let them know that the kid hasn’t quite got it all worked out.
This book is a fairly obvious metaphor for the Vietnam War, which Anderson views from a decidedly pro-American standpoint, but not without some awareness of the consequences of imperialism. Much of the story reminded me of the “Star Trek” episode, “A Private Little War,” in which the Klingons and the Federation arm two conflicting cultures on a primitive planet with breech-loaders and gunpowder, maintaining a balance, but not letting the conflict escalate such that Interstellar War begins. In this case, however, the hero travels to the enemy home world to discover the dreadful secret of why this planet has been chosen as a battleground. The answer is fairly simple, and even a bit disappointing when it finally comes, but it works for the purposes of the story. Anderson creates three fairly distinct alien races, and a number of interesting characters, in the process of weaving the tail.
In all this is solid, if not groundbreaking, sci fi.
This book is a fairly obvious metaphor for the Vietnam War, which Anderson views from a decidedly pro-American standpoint, but not without some awareness of the consequences of imperialism. Much of the story reminded me of the “Star Trek” episode, “A Private Little War,” in which the Klingons and the Federation arm two conflicting cultures on a primitive planet with breech-loaders and gunpowder, maintaining a balance, but not letting the conflict escalate such that Interstellar War begins. In this case, however, the hero travels to the enemy home world to discover the dreadful secret of why this planet has been chosen as a battleground. The answer is fairly simple, and even a bit disappointing when it finally comes, but it works for the purposes of the story. Anderson creates three fairly distinct alien races, and a number of interesting characters, in the process of weaving the tail.
In all this is solid, if not groundbreaking, sci fi.
November 10, 2018
Space opera done right. Fast, layered, unpredictable, with exotic worlds, challenging technologies and Big Questions in abundance. Joyously, there is no bloat (cf. the modern state of the genre), though there are some cliches in the female character department. Given the sheer exuberance and fun on offer, it is hard to begrudge the book. Forget comparisons to Bond and Hornblower; this is unique, and it is good.
March 11, 2013
Ensign Flandry, the first volume I’ve read in Poul Anderson’s famous series of books about intergalactic intrigue and espsionage reminds me, of necessity, of Keith Laumer’s famous Retief (of the CDT, Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne) series and Harry Harrison’s Stainless Steel Rat series. The necessity, of course, is that all three series deal with intergalactic spies. The latter two, however, have some of the most hilarious scenes in science-fiction (or, at least, in space opera). Laumer’s Jaime Retief maneuvers through the bureaucratic landscape like Wodehouse’s Jeeves at an exclusive country estate, constantly garnering laughs at the expense of alien and higher-ranking diplomat alike. Harrison’s “Slippery Jim” diGriz is more like an outrageous version of James Bond (not a Maxwell Smart by any means, but pretty funny nonetheless).
Dominick Flandry, on the other hand, is a serious version of intergalactic spy. His initial story is full of backstabbing, bureaucracy, “Cold War” politics, alien technology, espionage, and twists both benign and malignant. There are Bond-like girls (though the scenes are less described than implied) and tense moments with individual, small unit, and ship-to-ship combat. Indeed, there is even a mystery. Why are the Merseians, the enemy aliens of the Terrans throughout known space, letting themselves get bogged down in a land-based war on a valueless planet? On that question hinges the entire plot of the book.
Without spoiling the plot, let me just suggest that the book is an interesting for Anderson’s development of cultures as it is for the plot itself. There is a primitive civilization where the female gender is dominant (a warrior class) and where the males are essentially drone-like. To complicate matters, these are humanoids related to ferocious feline genetics and one of the finest warrior females has her beautiful eyes set on Flandry. Of course, those incisors make the attraction somewhat less than mutual. There is also an underwater civilization which is both defended against and attacks with intriguing tactics.
The conclusion, while appropriate in terms of acknowledging heroism, has a very Vietnam-esque atmosphere to it. In fact, while the Retief books and Stainless Steel Rat books to which I referred in the opening paragraph also have the distrust of simple jingoistic causes and authority, as well, Ensign Flandry is the only one of the three that accomplishes its purpose through meaningful dialogue rather than ridicule. As such, it offers a different feel than the other books offered. While all three books make their points about the wastefulness of war and present cynicism about certain authority figures (or abstract levels of authority?), Ensign Flandry was the book that caused me to contemplate the deepest on what I know about human nature and how I feel about certain forms of social manipulation. If art is, as some have defined it, an expression that causes you to rethink your feelings or opinions on something, Ensign Flandry is not only interesting science-fiction, it’s truly art.
Remember, “…you most definitely can’t have a peace that isn’t founded on hard common interest, that doesn’t pay off for everybody concerned.” (p. 72) There you are, a Utilitarian approach to diplomacy that summarizes the entire book.
Dominick Flandry, on the other hand, is a serious version of intergalactic spy. His initial story is full of backstabbing, bureaucracy, “Cold War” politics, alien technology, espionage, and twists both benign and malignant. There are Bond-like girls (though the scenes are less described than implied) and tense moments with individual, small unit, and ship-to-ship combat. Indeed, there is even a mystery. Why are the Merseians, the enemy aliens of the Terrans throughout known space, letting themselves get bogged down in a land-based war on a valueless planet? On that question hinges the entire plot of the book.
Without spoiling the plot, let me just suggest that the book is an interesting for Anderson’s development of cultures as it is for the plot itself. There is a primitive civilization where the female gender is dominant (a warrior class) and where the males are essentially drone-like. To complicate matters, these are humanoids related to ferocious feline genetics and one of the finest warrior females has her beautiful eyes set on Flandry. Of course, those incisors make the attraction somewhat less than mutual. There is also an underwater civilization which is both defended against and attacks with intriguing tactics.
The conclusion, while appropriate in terms of acknowledging heroism, has a very Vietnam-esque atmosphere to it. In fact, while the Retief books and Stainless Steel Rat books to which I referred in the opening paragraph also have the distrust of simple jingoistic causes and authority, as well, Ensign Flandry is the only one of the three that accomplishes its purpose through meaningful dialogue rather than ridicule. As such, it offers a different feel than the other books offered. While all three books make their points about the wastefulness of war and present cynicism about certain authority figures (or abstract levels of authority?), Ensign Flandry was the book that caused me to contemplate the deepest on what I know about human nature and how I feel about certain forms of social manipulation. If art is, as some have defined it, an expression that causes you to rethink your feelings or opinions on something, Ensign Flandry is not only interesting science-fiction, it’s truly art.
Remember, “…you most definitely can’t have a peace that isn’t founded on hard common interest, that doesn’t pay off for everybody concerned.” (p. 72) There you are, a Utilitarian approach to diplomacy that summarizes the entire book.
December 26, 2017
Now I have a little bit of an odd review here and sorry if it's not as detailed as the rest, I would give it a 7/10
-
Now I remember reading this book but it's been many years and as I am trying to read through and post about my collection I didn't want to try to go back and reread it at the moment (I know I'm sorry v.v), so instead I will just describe the feelings I remember towards it without making too many guesses at trying to give more content.
-
I remember it being an enjoyable book and a good read, an interesting main character, the story have of the same feel as many older science fiction stories focusing more on building characters and on how people react in a future works and alien setting and how humans interact with other races as opposed to trying to show off the flashy news technology, an enjoyable read that I may have to come back to one day to have a better memory of it.
-
Now I remember reading this book but it's been many years and as I am trying to read through and post about my collection I didn't want to try to go back and reread it at the moment (I know I'm sorry v.v), so instead I will just describe the feelings I remember towards it without making too many guesses at trying to give more content.
-
I remember it being an enjoyable book and a good read, an interesting main character, the story have of the same feel as many older science fiction stories focusing more on building characters and on how people react in a future works and alien setting and how humans interact with other races as opposed to trying to show off the flashy news technology, an enjoyable read that I may have to come back to one day to have a better memory of it.
January 22, 2011
Grade B. Book A1.
December 1, 2019
I had forgotten how much fun Poul Anderson is to read. Ensign Flandry was a blast-quick moving space opera is always enjoyable if it is well written. Published in 1966 this novel still holds up today. One semi-major plot point is echoed in 1968's Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Omega Glory (and you can see it bothered me enough to look up some dates) but I really don't think anyone can accuse the late Gene Roddenberry of plagiarism it is a pretty common concept. I think what I liked the most about this book is the very feel of it-I cut my eye teeth reading this kind of fiction for fun four decades ago and it is nice to return to it. Also: there is a very sweet reveal at the end of the book that is most satisfying.
February 1, 2024
Rating: 3.551 stars, I really liked it.
Poul Anderson is hit or miss, and I think the beginning of the decline of space empire provides him with a fertile ground for good story telling. Ensign Flandry's beginning on this esoteric high air pressure world defending aliens and getting enmeshed in deep espionage is an interesting mix of action and science fiction, and in the end, makes for a good story.
Poul Anderson is hit or miss, and I think the beginning of the decline of space empire provides him with a fertile ground for good story telling. Ensign Flandry's beginning on this esoteric high air pressure world defending aliens and getting enmeshed in deep espionage is an interesting mix of action and science fiction, and in the end, makes for a good story.
February 27, 2021
A sci-fi story about a space proxy war, with intrigue, spies, and bloody battles. Pretty good.
April 30, 2024
Slow start great middle and ending, looking forward to reading more in this series.
April 7, 2023
This is the earliest Anderson I've read, and I find the 50s-feeling strongly in this one. As a fan of the 60s new wave psychedelic influence on sci fi, Anderson in general is slightly out of my sweet spot, but Flandry strays close enough to James Bond in space to have my interest piqued again. The political twists and turns don't come together for me here, but I'm interested enough to continue the series.
For something similar that I liked slightly better, I would recommend Keith Laumer's Retief series.
For something similar that I liked slightly better, I would recommend Keith Laumer's Retief series.
December 19, 2020
This book has been on my radar for a while now since it combines two subjects that interest me. First of course is golden age scifi. I grew up on space operas from this period and to a certain degree I absorbed their views of the genre and its main themes. Yet looking back on it my exposure to the golden age was limited to the works of Isaac Asimov and (to a much lesser degree) Arthur C. Clarke. Deciding to correct that I've been trying to take in some of the other golden age authors... with mixed results. The failings of the genre are more obvious to me in retrospect - stilted writing, bland socially-repressed sexist/racist characters, a childish self-confidence in modern man's superiority, an often surprisingly imperialistic and warlike atmosphere... Asimov and Clarke may well be the best of the bunch. And even they share these features. No wonder my younger self preferred second-generation space operas like Star Wars and Star Trek to the originals!
The second element of interest is the fall of great empires. This is another common theme in golden age scifi (see the Foundation series for obvious example) and it usually ties in with the fall of the Roman Empire, my period of study. It's also largely dominated by ugly stereotypes of that period, made slightly more bearable by the fictional nature of the subject.
Anderson's work is very similar to other Roman analogues except for its sympathy with the state of imperial decline and the melancholy reflection on the inevitability of failure. The Empire will eventually fall and nothing Flandry does can do more than delay the inevitable. The Terran Empire has grown weak and decadent and will ultimately be replaced by a more vibrant civilization. Despite being a part of this culture Flandry hearkens back to a more virtuous time. This is similar to the way Belisarius was described in literature of the period. In modern terms he's something like James Bond. He travels the galaxy on missions for the emperor and saves entire planets from his opposite numbers. He also has the love-them-and-leave-them type of playboy attitude. While hardly the worst depiction of women I've seen in golden age scifi it's still pretty bad. At least for the humans. The Tigeries are ruled exclusively by women. But then they're a different species aren't they?
Anderson's worldbuilding is very good, although not particularly easy to visualize. Like every golden age author I've read he relies more on ideas and impressions than visuals. On those terms however the details are exceptional. The three alien races each have their own unique biology and culture and have are presented as sympathetic on their own terms. Every character has a viewpoint that is understandable and while he clearly takes sides he doesn't present anyone as a caricature of cartoonish evil. Culturally, he mixes a whole variety of different cultures to create different ones. The Terran Empire is not merely Rome, it shares many features with the British Empire and America. The Merseians are simultaneously Soviets and Japanese. This is the George R.R. Martin approach - why steal from one culture when you can steal from them all?
It's kind of interesting the things people focus on back in the '60s. The ultimate difference between the Merseians and the Terrans is that the Terran Empire's justification for power is citizenship while for the Merseians it's all about race. In modern books this ideological distinction would be dealt with in horrifying detail. For Anderson it's basically a throwaway line. It's also a little disturbing the attitude Anderson takes to matters of imperialism. While he is consistently good at presenting both sides of every issue, ultimately he's pretty pro-imperialist. It's civilization or barbarism, and ultimately tyranny is preferable to anarchy. A repeated theme is the need to do horrible things in order to preserve civilization and how important it is for good men to do them and feel bad about it rather than leaving it to those who would do it casually or with pleasure. Unsurprisingly given that attitude, the pacifists are presented as villains.
Which brings us to the rather topical issues at play here: Vietnam. The whole conflict in the book is over the insignificant planet of Starkad where both sides have backed one indigenous species against the other and are waging a proxy war. The parallels are obvious. And Anderson is super in favor of it. Which leaves a very sour taste in my mouth. The argument in the end is ultimately that it doesn't matter if victory is possible or if it will benefit the people you are there to "protect", but only that you are willing to take a stand against your enemies and don't back down. I have to confess that I struggled to understand any of this rationale. They know the world is useless. And while I can see mankind getting dragged into an unwinnable war over unclear objectives (has there been another kind of war in my lifetime?) it's depressing to see it treated as a good thing that is justified for the sake of itself. War is just civilization by another name and that's okay. Ugh. Also... what?
So I'm kinda ambivalent about this book. As an adventure novel it does its job well. As a spy novel it could use a clearer focus on gathering intel but is generally good. And I do appreciate that it presents us with so many alternate viewpoints, even if I don't think the dominant one makes much sense. The universe makes sense and the science, while incredibly speculative, is sensible. Like most golden age scifi you never really feel immersed in the world, but it does at least feel like a believable world. Even if the amusing references to paper, tapes, and switchboards leaves it highly dated. I guess it depends what you want from space opera.
The second element of interest is the fall of great empires. This is another common theme in golden age scifi (see the Foundation series for obvious example) and it usually ties in with the fall of the Roman Empire, my period of study. It's also largely dominated by ugly stereotypes of that period, made slightly more bearable by the fictional nature of the subject.
Anderson's work is very similar to other Roman analogues except for its sympathy with the state of imperial decline and the melancholy reflection on the inevitability of failure. The Empire will eventually fall and nothing Flandry does can do more than delay the inevitable. The Terran Empire has grown weak and decadent and will ultimately be replaced by a more vibrant civilization. Despite being a part of this culture Flandry hearkens back to a more virtuous time. This is similar to the way Belisarius was described in literature of the period. In modern terms he's something like James Bond. He travels the galaxy on missions for the emperor and saves entire planets from his opposite numbers. He also has the love-them-and-leave-them type of playboy attitude. While hardly the worst depiction of women I've seen in golden age scifi it's still pretty bad. At least for the humans. The Tigeries are ruled exclusively by women. But then they're a different species aren't they?
Anderson's worldbuilding is very good, although not particularly easy to visualize. Like every golden age author I've read he relies more on ideas and impressions than visuals. On those terms however the details are exceptional. The three alien races each have their own unique biology and culture and have are presented as sympathetic on their own terms. Every character has a viewpoint that is understandable and while he clearly takes sides he doesn't present anyone as a caricature of cartoonish evil. Culturally, he mixes a whole variety of different cultures to create different ones. The Terran Empire is not merely Rome, it shares many features with the British Empire and America. The Merseians are simultaneously Soviets and Japanese. This is the George R.R. Martin approach - why steal from one culture when you can steal from them all?
It's kind of interesting the things people focus on back in the '60s. The ultimate difference between the Merseians and the Terrans is that the Terran Empire's justification for power is citizenship while for the Merseians it's all about race. In modern books this ideological distinction would be dealt with in horrifying detail. For Anderson it's basically a throwaway line. It's also a little disturbing the attitude Anderson takes to matters of imperialism. While he is consistently good at presenting both sides of every issue, ultimately he's pretty pro-imperialist. It's civilization or barbarism, and ultimately tyranny is preferable to anarchy. A repeated theme is the need to do horrible things in order to preserve civilization and how important it is for good men to do them and feel bad about it rather than leaving it to those who would do it casually or with pleasure. Unsurprisingly given that attitude, the pacifists are presented as villains.
Which brings us to the rather topical issues at play here: Vietnam. The whole conflict in the book is over the insignificant planet of Starkad where both sides have backed one indigenous species against the other and are waging a proxy war. The parallels are obvious. And Anderson is super in favor of it. Which leaves a very sour taste in my mouth. The argument in the end is ultimately that it doesn't matter if victory is possible or if it will benefit the people you are there to "protect", but only that you are willing to take a stand against your enemies and don't back down. I have to confess that I struggled to understand any of this rationale. They know the world is useless. And while I can see mankind getting dragged into an unwinnable war over unclear objectives (has there been another kind of war in my lifetime?) it's depressing to see it treated as a good thing that is justified for the sake of itself. War is just civilization by another name and that's okay. Ugh. Also... what?
So I'm kinda ambivalent about this book. As an adventure novel it does its job well. As a spy novel it could use a clearer focus on gathering intel but is generally good. And I do appreciate that it presents us with so many alternate viewpoints, even if I don't think the dominant one makes much sense. The universe makes sense and the science, while incredibly speculative, is sensible. Like most golden age scifi you never really feel immersed in the world, but it does at least feel like a believable world. Even if the amusing references to paper, tapes, and switchboards leaves it highly dated. I guess it depends what you want from space opera.
July 15, 2013
I know this book is not the most politically correct ever written. The story is decidedly misogynistic but I would argue that, given the time period in which it was written, that doesn't detract from its appeal. For me it was a fun romp through the galaxy with beautiful companions. Also, one of those companions was an archetypical warrior queen so the misogyny is toned down just a bit.
Basically this is a classic sort of "boy and his rocket ship" adventure with a bit of real science and a lot of speculative science to bolster the plot and help with the suspension of disbelief. I very much enjoyed the story and plan to not only read it again but seek out any others in the series.
Basically this is a classic sort of "boy and his rocket ship" adventure with a bit of real science and a lot of speculative science to bolster the plot and help with the suspension of disbelief. I very much enjoyed the story and plan to not only read it again but seek out any others in the series.
November 7, 2012
My first foray into one of Poul Anderson’s created universes proved to be one filled with rip-roaring adventure, political intrigue, Bond-style romance and not a little bit of commentary on the soul-blackening compromise of world, or in this case Imperial, government. "Ensign Flandry" not only provided me with some of the everyman-hero-overcoming-all-odds storytelling I was hoping for but was also full of surprises.
For the rest of my non-spoiler review, go here.
For the rest of my non-spoiler review, go here.
March 6, 2008
Cold-war era science fiction, this reads a little dated (only the alien female is seen as both a sex object and a warrior.) Despite showing its age, "Ensign Flandry" features some very nice alien environments, and the treatment of primitive cultures caught in a war between two superpowers is brisk and fun. The descriptions of faster-than-light space combat are engaging, too... Poul Anderson took the imaginanium -driven science and made it consistent and interesting.
September 9, 2011
Flandry is a character I have enjoyed since I first read, way back in the 70s. The right mix of daring do and introspection, set against a backdrop of a 'Roman Empire' in space. Written with Anderson's gift.
I will add that this must rank as one of the worst covers ever produced. Totally ridiculous, totally irrelevant to the stories inside, and seemingly designed to repeal any reader of sense and taste.
I will add that this must rank as one of the worst covers ever produced. Totally ridiculous, totally irrelevant to the stories inside, and seemingly designed to repeal any reader of sense and taste.
October 31, 2012
I'm coming late to the stories that others cite for influencing their sci-fi games, and this is one of them. I found it for sale at a used store, and I think I certainly got my money's worth.
It ran smoothly, but sparingly, over the action. There wasn't much description, and zoom, we were off to another scene. Kinda interesting, that.
It ran smoothly, but sparingly, over the action. There wasn't much description, and zoom, we were off to another scene. Kinda interesting, that.
June 1, 2013
This is one of Poul Anderson's earlier space opera's, first published in 1966. The technology is somewhat dated, as references are made to "record player" and "data tapes", but otherwise it is a wonderful yarn. There are a number of Poul's books in which Flandry appears, and I highly recommend them all to space opera fans.
November 22, 2014
It took a few chapters to get a handle on this book, due to characters, description of location, etc., but once this happened, the book took off for me. I really enjoy how Anderson develops his characters, and also makes each of the civilizations seem dimensional. I especially enjoyed the last few chapters, and the finishing chapter is top notch, with a great write up on morality and action.
January 20, 2022
This is excellent book in the vein of old-time adventure story, with thinking hero and people around him who are aware of the world around them and know very well realities of life.
Terran Empire, at its zenith, is fighting proxy war on a remote planet against their nemesis, Mersian Empire, the new super power on the horizon. Nobody knows why exactly are they on this planet, backwater as it is except they know that if their enemy wants to stay there then they need to prevent that from happening. People are drawing parallels with Cold War but this is story as old as people themselves - Rome vs Carthage, Rome vs Parthia, before that Alexander vs Persians, then Alexander's inheritors fighting between themselves, all the way to Dutch vs British, British vs French, Britain vs Spain, Great Game between Britain and Tsarist Russia etc etc etc. You get the idea- everybody following that old rule "I have no idea what I am doing here except to prevent you form making the foothold".
So on a remote world where Terran's back the land people and Mersians the inhabitants of the oceans proxy war is waged. And with every day it becomes uglier and uglier, escalating to direct confrontation between Terrans and Mersians. It is obvious something is happening in the background and lord Hauksburg, Terran representative decides to try to broker the peace before things get out of control. Everyone in the field is aware that Mersians are not that much interested in the peace itself (and Terran hawkish politicians are the same) but Hauksburg decides to give his best because alternative is utter destruction.
What happens next is a truly epic space opera - spies, politics, assassinations, theft of top secrets, treason, you name it, it is in this book. Our protagonist Flandry, junior Terran navy officer, attracts the attention of old spymaster Abrams and this puts him into the spotlight, for he will soon become key player in the games orchestrated by others and every wrong step he makes might be the last for the humanity.
Characters are just great - from Flandry, strong-headed, easily impressed nineteen year old junior officer who just inhales all the wanders of the alien civilizations but keeps his mind straight and what is most important (especially these days) he thinks with his head and uses all the lessons given to him by his training and more experienced commanders (does not let his emotions control him). On his journey he meets brave men and women (and women characters here are wonderful characters - from the Tigress leader that is not afraid of cutting a few heads to protect her clan and is fiercely loyal and fond of Flandry for the help he provided to her people to Persis, Hauksburg mistress, not just pretty head but a strong woman who knows what she is and what she can get) and this helps him to grow up (ahead of time, but alas such is his position).
Way that the story told is somewhat strange. On the one hand you have way that characters speak which is all "Arrr, me seamen, arrrrrr" like they all came from the golden age of sail - this was most disconcerting thing for me because in some parts I would be left to, arrrrr, scr'th me head 'bout w'at thee tried to tell me matey, arrrrrr. And on the other hand you have wonderful set piece where cyborg, now fully machine and without anything that relates to its biological self, communicates with the vehicles and weapons, breaks through electronic defenses in a way that gave me Cyberpunk goosebumps, and finally survives in a manner that would not be strange to find in Jon Williams', Neal Asher's or Banks' book. Not to mention space battles with huge ships obliterating each other in missile salvos and direct gunfire that brings memories of Star Wars, Starfishers and (regarding the physics, vulnerability and agility of ships) Expanse. Action is wonderful and keeps you glued to the pages until the very end.
And to complement all of this there is very rich description of both empires, cultural differences, intrigues, spy actions, and people and cultures involved in the war on the barren rock in the middle of nothing. Even the very twist at the end sounds so real - politic is very bad business (unfortunately it is necessary evil, there are some parallels with whoring but cannot remember the correct quotations) and what is one day said to be ideal to sacrifice everything for, tomorrow is so easily dismissed, all victims, all destruction just get pushed under the carpet like it never happened and field of destruction (usually third party) is left devastated and to its own devices, while they get deleted from super power's history and memory. Here similar thing happens but mixed up with pride of the native people that hated each other for millennia and are not easily swayed to actually save the lived of their own men, women and children from the coming disaster.
Book is so contemporary and it shows on every page, every comment related to politics and war. I just wish that dialect used is more modern and not something that is usually heard in old shanty songs.
Highly recommended to fans of space opera, spies and action oriented Foundation-like story. Now that I think of it entire book reminds me of Vorkosigan saga, another beautiful space opera with excellent characters and very live and realistic universe.
I am definitely looking for other books in the series.
Terran Empire, at its zenith, is fighting proxy war on a remote planet against their nemesis, Mersian Empire, the new super power on the horizon. Nobody knows why exactly are they on this planet, backwater as it is except they know that if their enemy wants to stay there then they need to prevent that from happening. People are drawing parallels with Cold War but this is story as old as people themselves - Rome vs Carthage, Rome vs Parthia, before that Alexander vs Persians, then Alexander's inheritors fighting between themselves, all the way to Dutch vs British, British vs French, Britain vs Spain, Great Game between Britain and Tsarist Russia etc etc etc. You get the idea- everybody following that old rule "I have no idea what I am doing here except to prevent you form making the foothold".
So on a remote world where Terran's back the land people and Mersians the inhabitants of the oceans proxy war is waged. And with every day it becomes uglier and uglier, escalating to direct confrontation between Terrans and Mersians. It is obvious something is happening in the background and lord Hauksburg, Terran representative decides to try to broker the peace before things get out of control. Everyone in the field is aware that Mersians are not that much interested in the peace itself (and Terran hawkish politicians are the same) but Hauksburg decides to give his best because alternative is utter destruction.
What happens next is a truly epic space opera - spies, politics, assassinations, theft of top secrets, treason, you name it, it is in this book. Our protagonist Flandry, junior Terran navy officer, attracts the attention of old spymaster Abrams and this puts him into the spotlight, for he will soon become key player in the games orchestrated by others and every wrong step he makes might be the last for the humanity.
Characters are just great - from Flandry, strong-headed, easily impressed nineteen year old junior officer who just inhales all the wanders of the alien civilizations but keeps his mind straight and what is most important (especially these days) he thinks with his head and uses all the lessons given to him by his training and more experienced commanders (does not let his emotions control him). On his journey he meets brave men and women (and women characters here are wonderful characters - from the Tigress leader that is not afraid of cutting a few heads to protect her clan and is fiercely loyal and fond of Flandry for the help he provided to her people to Persis, Hauksburg mistress, not just pretty head but a strong woman who knows what she is and what she can get) and this helps him to grow up (ahead of time, but alas such is his position).
Way that the story told is somewhat strange. On the one hand you have way that characters speak which is all "Arrr, me seamen, arrrrrr" like they all came from the golden age of sail - this was most disconcerting thing for me because in some parts I would be left to, arrrrr, scr'th me head 'bout w'at thee tried to tell me matey, arrrrrr. And on the other hand you have wonderful set piece where cyborg, now fully machine and without anything that relates to its biological self, communicates with the vehicles and weapons, breaks through electronic defenses in a way that gave me Cyberpunk goosebumps, and finally survives in a manner that would not be strange to find in Jon Williams', Neal Asher's or Banks' book. Not to mention space battles with huge ships obliterating each other in missile salvos and direct gunfire that brings memories of Star Wars, Starfishers and (regarding the physics, vulnerability and agility of ships) Expanse. Action is wonderful and keeps you glued to the pages until the very end.
And to complement all of this there is very rich description of both empires, cultural differences, intrigues, spy actions, and people and cultures involved in the war on the barren rock in the middle of nothing. Even the very twist at the end sounds so real - politic is very bad business (unfortunately it is necessary evil, there are some parallels with whoring but cannot remember the correct quotations) and what is one day said to be ideal to sacrifice everything for, tomorrow is so easily dismissed, all victims, all destruction just get pushed under the carpet like it never happened and field of destruction (usually third party) is left devastated and to its own devices, while they get deleted from super power's history and memory. Here similar thing happens but mixed up with pride of the native people that hated each other for millennia and are not easily swayed to actually save the lived of their own men, women and children from the coming disaster.
Book is so contemporary and it shows on every page, every comment related to politics and war. I just wish that dialect used is more modern and not something that is usually heard in old shanty songs.
Highly recommended to fans of space opera, spies and action oriented Foundation-like story. Now that I think of it entire book reminds me of Vorkosigan saga, another beautiful space opera with excellent characters and very live and realistic universe.
I am definitely looking for other books in the series.
October 20, 2008
Dominic Flandry has all the elan of James Bond and is perfectly willing to play a bit loose with the law to protect the Terran Empire from falling into the 'Long Night' as Flandry calls a new dark age.
September 7, 2012
Horatio Hornblower in space, as young Flandry is sent to a distant colony to help deal with the tensions between humanity and the lizardy aliens that are our chief rival in space.
Fun bit of space opera with a bit of political intrigue mixed in.
Fun bit of space opera with a bit of political intrigue mixed in.
May 15, 2013
The book, and its squeals is nicely done 'future' history that uses the template of the Byzantine Empire (humans here) and the Sassanid (aliens) Persians. Flandry is the capable but somewhat weary defender of a corrupt but necessary Empire. Worth a read.
August 10, 2014
Similar in approach to Heinein's "juvies", this is an early effort by the great Poul Anderson. Don't let the cover art fool you. There is more to this book than hot alien girls ... but I'm thankful he included some!
November 3, 2015
Old Poul Anderson, putting the Cold War in outer space with a bit of Vietnam. Interesting conversations, actions, some plot twists and a bit of derring-do. Its fun to read some old school space opera.
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