Null-A Three

Null-A #3

by A.E. van Vogt

Gilbert Gosseyn awakens from a state of suspended animation to find himself a prisoner on a strange spaceship.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Roman, Science Fiction Fantasy, Young Adult, Philosophy, Fantasy

254 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Alfred Elton van Vogt was a Canadian-born science fiction author regarded by some as one of the most popular and complex science fiction writers of the mid-twentieth century—the "Golden Age" of the genre.

van Vogt was born to Russian Mennonite family. Until he was four years old, van Vogt and his family spoke only a dialect of Low German in the home.

He began his writing career with "true story" romances, but then moved to writing science fiction, a field he identified with. His first story was "Black Destroyer", that appeared as the front cover story for the July 1939 edition of the popular Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

Reviews

[Valter · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - disappointing.

I liked the first one, loved the second, but I'm just glad this one was shorter.

The author still has some good ideas, but he seems not much knowing where to go. The book gives more insight and info about General Semantics, and that's good, but the story is quite lacking; it feels hollow.
Despite the protagonist jumping around (and there are even TWO Gosseyns involved), the book lacks adventure and purpose: most situations appear pointless, naive, or plain boring. Most characters lack depth and you hardly care about them.

I finished the book more out of duty than pleasure.

[Jenelle Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was clearly written way after the first two. It's good! But it's very different from the early novels.
The plot was a little far fetched, but aren't all the Null-A plots? I felt like the plot really pulled the first two books together though. The gaming machine was so central to the plot of the first book, and then wasn't at all in the second. To me, this book pulled a lot of things like the game and brought them back and tied them to the rest of the story.
I dunno. I liked this, more than I expected, based on reviews. I think it was the boy. I liked the emperor a lot.

[Stela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cred că e cea mai slabă din trilogie.

[Peter Ownwindow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good sequel of the Null-A series. It takes the stories from the first two books and combines them to make some things more clear. Next to that is gives a fun spinoff!

[Ludolivo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une très bonne fin pour une excellente série. Si le 2e tome m'a moins plu, ce troisième le rattrape largement. Une trilogie qui devrait être enseignée en cours de français en guise de prélude à la philosophie.

[David Layton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very strange book, for while it seems that quite a bit is happening, actually nothing much is happening. Written over 30 years after the second book of the Null-A trilogy, this novel brings in the old cast of characters only to have them do practically nothing. The novel poses this question: What do you get when you have two Gilbert Gosseyns alive and active at the same time? The novel concentrates on the adventures of Gilbert Gosseyn Three, who apparently accidentally awakes before Gilbert Gosseyn Two dies, breaking the sequentiality of the lives. van Vogt offers hardly an explanation at all for why this has happened. To make matters more complex, somehow Gosseyn Three's activation has triggered some kind of response whereby he unknowingly transports two great battle space vessels of contending empires from the galaxy two million light-years away from whence, according to the second novel of the trilogy, humanity originated. The "problem," then, for Gosseyn Three is how to come to terms with being activated too early, and how to send these space ships back, plus how to get laid, because apparently that was a burning question left from the previous two novels. The novel proceeds through a surprising amount of inactivity. Not much happens, except for Gosseyn using his "second brain" either to pop around from place to place, or to pop someone else around from place to place. It happens very much like a dream, and throughout I kept thinking that this was all a test, with scenarios being fed to a sleeping Gosseyn body. That is not the case, though it would have made more sense of what happens than the almost non-existent plot that van Vogt provides.

[Bruce A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Facts given in this novel get changed as this novel progresses. Facts from the previous two novels in the series are also changed in this novel. The result is that the author and/or editors look incompetent. I am making a point of NOT looking up information about this author before writing this review. Right now I know him only by name from books in my Dad's (RIP) library.

The first seven pages of chapter one are very pedantic. The protagonist sounds like a man suffering from dementia, trying to make sense of things when he wakes up.

A lot of nonsense of a "superhuman" who is unable to act or react in a logical manner, even when his life is in danger.

I don't care if the author or editors somehow managed to tie up all the drek together later. By the halfway point of the book, the stupidity is just too much for me.

Overall, I get the impression of an author who wanted to capitalize on the success of a series he started, but failed to conform to his own previously established events & facts in the series, wrote the book in spurts while not remembering clearly what went before, and incompetent editors who didn't try much to make this book good. It seems that all that mattered was that it was that it was the third in a trilogy that previous fans would be sure to buy.

It is rare that I do not finish reading a novel (perhaps six times in 52+ years). Even rarer that I become so frustrated and angry with the stupidity of the writing that I rip the book up (two times in 52+ years). This was one of them. Sorry Dad, RIP. Why did you keep this book? Just to keep a trilogy together on your shelf?

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gilbert Gosseyn deschise ochii într-un întuneric ca smoala. Totul se-ntâmplase foarte repede. Prima senzaţia fu aceea că nu se afla unde ar fi trebuit să se afle.
În acest scurt răstimp, deveni conştient de câteva lucruri în legătură cu el: stătea întins pe ceva moale, ca un pat. Era gol puşcă; dar era acoperit cu o ţesătură foarte uşoară. Simţea ceva pe tot corpul, şi pe mâini şi pe picioare, ca şi cum, pe anumite porţiuni, ar fi avut aplicate nişte dispozitive absorbante.
Această senzaţie, că era legat îi întârzie impulsul de a se ridica în capul oaselor. Aşa că avu timp suficient pentru Ideea Specială pe care numai cineva instruit ca el o putea avea:
— Să fiu… Asta e! Aceasta este chiar viaţa în relaţie cu realitatea crudă…
O fiinţă umană însemna un cap şi un trup înconjurat de nimeni nu ştia exact ce. Nimeni nu aflase vreodată – în mod exact.
Erau cinci sisteme principale care înregistrau mediul înconjurător: şi cel puţin trei din acele simţuri îi furnizau deja câteva informaţii. Dar şi aceste informaţii se bazau tot pe informaţii, şi pe memoria din creierul său. El ştia anumite lucruri datorită îndoctrinării anterioare.
În esenţă, eul interior se află mereu în întuneric; şi mesajele pătrund la el mai întâi prin văz, auz şi pipăit, care, ca şi antenele de televiziune sau radio, sunt programate să înregistreze anumite benzi de unde.
Acesta era un concept din vechea Semantică Generală. Dar era de-a dreptul paralel cu situaţia lui prezentă.

[Stephan Naro · Rating 2 out of 5]

First (and thanks to a YouTube video), where Aristotelean Logic is deductive logic in which every statement is regarded as true or false and there is no other possibility, Non-Aristotelian Logic (Null-A) is logic in which there is a scope for [a] third or fourth possibility.

I can unfortunately not remember the first book in the series terribly well, due to the elapsed time, and I do not understand what General Semantics (GS) is supposed to be, but assuming that it is the common thread running through this trilogy, GS seems to apply to experiences where reality is other than what might at first appear and / or reality has options not yet thought of. (I've probably made a slight hash of that.)

Whatever GS is, and though it has a decided culty feel to it, the common thread in this trilogy is quite interesting. Unfortunately, it is played out unevenly through the trilogy, so the second book is, I think, somewhat better than the first, and the third is definitely the worst. That is, it is probably more explicit at getting at the common thread, but the story itself is ... hollow (to borrow a word from a review by Valter).

If Korzybski 's Science and Sanity weren't 800 pages, I'd be tempted to prioritize reading it to see whatever I could glean beyond any culty stuff, because the common thread of ideas running through this trilogy definitely look worthy of closer study.

[Vladimir Ivanov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Читать продолжение культового НФ романа, написанное сорок лет спустя, было серьезной ошибкой.

Двести страниц ерунды, пустоты, словесного мусора. Балансирование на грани откровенной шизофазии.

Каждая новая глава противоречит предыдущей, противоречит прошлым книгам, противоречит базовому здравому смыслу.

Герой, как блоха, скачет по планетам и галактикам, мечтая лишиться девственности и чтобы мир во всем мире.

Персонажи и сюжетные линии появляются из ниоткуда и пропадают в никуда.

Ну и конечно, << Гилберт Госсейн снисходительно усмехнулся и процитировал гениальные слова великого мыслителя: «Карта не есть территория». >>

Ужасно грустно видеть, как старость и болезнь превращают одного из величайших фантастов XX века в скрипящий генератор бессмыслицы.

[Onefinemess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was crazy. I have never seen such a high density of non-sequiturs and...just...out of nowhere stuff in a published book before. That being said, it was sort of entertaining for these exact reasons. The author was apparently obsessed with self-helpish stuff (he was into the non-religion form of Dianetics before Scientology, and quite taken by General Semantics, if this novel is any indicator), and the main 'character' here is always spouting stuff from General Semantics that is often very amusing in context.

So, if you want to read something weird that will probably make you go "What the fuck?" at least a few times maybe read this? If not, don't.

[Wade Duvall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the second null-A book ends at a pretty good spot, but I figured I might as well finish off the series. As happens a lot when scifi authors come back to a series, this book has a much different feel than the first two, and kinda changes the rules up. Plot is a little off the rails as well and doesn't really clear up the backstory like I think people wanted. Overall its not bad, just feels like van Vogt had a bunch of different ideas over the 30 years since he last visited the null-A world, and they all got mixed up and this is what came out.

[Olmo Mezger · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a trip. What an imagination! It’s cool to see again our hero solve intergalactic problems with his extra brain. The book had me totally fixed for a while, like it should be. Of course, it was written ages ago, and you notice it while reading. Some parts read old school while others are still futuristic.

[Neil Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heard less than great things about this book before I read it, but, while it's not as good as the previous two Null-A books, it is still a great sci-fi adventure story. Even on an off-day, A E Van Vogt is a great writer.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mh, I was happy to read the first pages but after half of the book I gave up. As others already saying, it is lacking in many things compared to the other two books.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this novel was penned many years after books one and two, you still will be amazed by Vogt's vison!

[Louis Lavoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le 3ème est vraiment moin bon que les deux autres...

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first

[Emilou_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Au revoir les Gosseyn. C'était un plaisir de faire un bout de chemin avec vous.

Belle découverte en tout cas cette série. Merci à Estelle.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dude will save the kid but only in a way which will maximize his chances to sleep with the mom...

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book 4 stars but it really doesn't deserve it. Maybe 3 1/2 stars. I'm a fan so I would read this book just to read more about the Null-A universe. This story seems like a transitional one to another book.... "Null-A Continuum".

As we learned from the previous book, "The Players of Null-A" (AKA, The Pawns of Null-A), humans came from a distant galaxy that was being destroyed. (It was not clear to me how. Perhaps radiation.) Now Gilbert Gosseyn must confront the originators of the Human race.

Any problems with this story? Yes. It seemed too easy for the Gilbert Gosseyn character to gain the confidence of the dowager Queen and her son, the child-King. Also the child-King acted much too young... like 7, 8, or 10 at the outside. The book said, 12 or 13. It just didn't wash.

Also, the bouncing around from place to place was confusing.

Any modesty issues? Well... the queen seemed a little too anxious to pull Gosseyn into the sack. No details were given, but they certainly discussed it a lot. I would not deny a young teenager a chance to read this book, but you might not agree with me. That is why I provide this information.

I will probably read this book again if I decided to read the entire series again. It is not likely that I would read this book again separately.

[Stoffia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les deux premiers tomes de la trilogie du Ā de Van Vogt se lisent comme de fascinants trips d'acide — ils nous perdent sans nous donner envie d'être retrouvé.

Celui-ci, écrit 30 ans après le deuxième (40 ans après le premier) est tout autre chose. D'abord, il n'est pas traduit par Boris Vian, mais je ne crois pas que le problème soit là. La folie, la fougue n'y est plus. Van Vogt a ici probablement abandonné sa méthode d'écriture expérimentale, sa cadence d'auteur pulp qui doit écrire ou s'affamer.

Entre-temps, Van Vogt a aussi abandonné la science-fiction pour devenir le trésorier de la Dianétique (l'ancêtre de la Scientologie) de son collègue Hubbard, tout ça pour quitter le bateau, déçu, quand il comprendra que tout ça est une arnaque.

Et bon en 30 ans, la science-fiction aussi a changé. Le sexe y est maintenant, non seulement accepté, mais aussi obligatoire et... C'est l'une des grosses critiques de ce 3e tome... Van Vogt est NUL pour parler de sexe. Et pour animer des personnages féminins.

Alors voilà : un livre mal écrit, stylistiquement et thématiquement inconsistant avec les deux premiers tomes.

Mais je lui ai trouvé tout de même certaines bonnes idées. D'un point de vue strictement narratif, les arcs se closent de manière plutôt satisfaisante, au sens où les questions posées depuis le début trouvent réponses. Il y a quelques retournements surprenants aussi.

Au final, lisez le tome 1, qui est une expérience plutôt fascinante, et vous pouvez sans problème vous arrêter là.

[Devero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Le prime pagine danno un riassunto di una prima parte della saga, che la Newton & Compton non ha tradotto in questa collana di cui questo 50° numero è anche l'ultimo.
La storia è parecchio complessa e non si segue bene, molte cose non sono affatto chiare e sembra che Van Vogt non avesse ben chiaro come dovesse procedere la storia.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il primo libro della trilogia, Non-A, mi aveva decisamente affascinato: l'idea di un mondo in cui l'aristotelismo, con tutti i suoi limiti, è obsoleto, e invece prevale la Semantica Generale, era in qualche modo vicina al mio modo di sentire, allora come ora. Già il secondo libro, che privilegiava la parte avventurosa rispetto a quella cognitiva, era un po' deludente. Questo terzo, in cui tutto l'uso che viene fatto del non-aristotelismo e della semantica Generale è relativo a un continuo sltapicchiare qua e là per l'universo, con poco costrutto se non quello di dare in moglie una imperatrice a uno dei duplicati Gosseyn, allo scopo, si pensa, di allevare una stirpe imperiale non aristotelica, beh, è decisamente noioso. Un ottimo esempio del fatto che i sequel di libri ben riusciti spesso e volentieri non producono altro che delusioni.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://gnomeship.blogspot.com/2019/0...

[X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meno ispirato rispetto ai due episodi che l'hanno preceduto. Un ritorno di Gosseyn un pò in sordina, dove l'autore si limita ad approfondire il concetto non A, trascurando un pò l'aspetto avventuroso che tanto mi aveva coinvolto nei due bellissimi prequel. Buona lettura, che consiglierei prevalentemente a Vanvogtiani convinti.

[Gustl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meno ispirato rispetto ai due episodi che l'hanno preceduto. Un ritorno di Gosseyn un pò in sordina, dove l'autore si limita ad approfondire il concetto non A, trascurando un pò l'aspetto avventuroso che tanto mi aveva coinvolto nei due bellissimi prequel. Buona lettura, che consiglierei prevalentemente a Vanvogtiani convinti.

[Sedoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Безумно хочу прочитать великий финал великой книготрилогии!!!

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the earlier ones - left me dis-satisfied

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous two in the series but interesting if you have read the other two.