Remember once upon a time when I was going to post reviews of every installment in the Lensmen series of books, the seminal space opera that everything from Star Wars to the Green Lantern Corps sprang forth from? Yeah, that didn't happen. I've been real busy. But here, I'll catch you up:

Book 2: First Lensman - Virgil Samms and Roderick Kinnison head up the newly formed Galactic Patrol in fighting a dangerous band of government goons and drug runners (called "zwilniks") and end up becoming the first two Lensmen. This means they where shiny bracelets that give them lots of telepathic powers. Samms' daughter almost gets a lens, but Mentor of Arisia (the brain mind entity that doles out lenses) decides she doesn't need one and also girls are icky. Samms is the first Lensman, but in a fair trade off Kinnison gets to become President of North America, which is really like President of Everything (hmmm...). This is important to note because the Kinnison line is the bestest little genetic line that ever was, and will later be important in the creation of the Ubermensch. Err, I mean the savior of civilization. But let's not worry about all that, let's just think about the totally bitchin' alien car chase that happens. I'd love to see it on film. It happens during one of the many episodes where Samms goes out looking for alien races to make into Lensmen and, while finding some (but certainly no women), he comes to the shocking realization that humans are the pinnacle of all life forms in the galaxy. Can you imagine making that realization during an awesome alien car chase? What a sweet day that would be.

More to come.