Eclipsing Binaries

Family d'Alembert #8

by E.E. "Doc" Smith, Stephen Goldin, Chris Foss (Illustrator)

1984, mass market paperback edition, Panther, London, UK. 192 pages. Space adventure series. Science fiction / fantasy.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Edward Elmer Smith (also E.E. Smith, E.E. Smith, Ph.D., E.E. “Doc” Smith, Doc Smith, “Skylark” Smith, or—to his family—Ted), was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and an early science fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera.

Reviews

[Kevin O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the eighth in a 10 novel series which was mostly written by Stephen Goldin. Doc Smith wrote a novella called Imperial Stars which Goldin expanded into the first novel, and then Goldin wrote another 9 novels in a long story arc. But Smith is the famous one, so his name appears in large letters everywhere and Goldin is barely mentioned.

The setting is a universe where a Russian Feudal system has somehow become the dominant mode of government and of the language, so we see Russian words sprinkled throughout the conversations. Humanity has spread to a number of planets with varying characteristics. One of these is DesPlaines, a high gravity planet whose inhabitants have adapted by becoming shorter and stockier, and which has developed a unique attraction, The Circus of the Galaxy. What people don't know is that this circus is also a key part of the secret service SOTE, the Service Of The Empire. This allows for an interesting twist for space opera, a series where the heroes do not have secret weapons or super powers, merely acrobatic training.

The conspiracy against the Imperial family has taken notice of the fact that so many of their plots have been foiled by Jules and Yvette d'Alembert. So they create doubles of the two agents who go around the galaxy getting other agents killed. The idea is to make these top agents useless since no one knows if it is the real agents or the traitorous doubles. But Jules and Yvette d'Alembert, top agents of SOTE, must get to the bottom and stop this plot. And they confront Lady A.'s conspiracy on a battlestation in space that was designed to lure them to their death. The book is fast-paced and a good combination of space opera with spy thriller. But since this a 10-novel story arc, each novel builds on what went before, so do not read them out of order.

[Otis Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eclipsing Binaries takes the identity-theft game and blasts it straight into deep space. In this eighth installment, the sneaky, villainous Lady A pulls a downright dirty trick. Someone out there has gone and hired a pair of lookalikes to impersonate our favorite super-strong brother-and-sister secret agents, Jules and Yvette d'Alembert. These bogus phonies are running around the galaxy pretending to be the famous circus spies, luring other innocent SOTE agents right into a deadly trap. If that wasn't enough of a hornet's nest, things get even hairier back at headquarters when Grand Duke Zander—the big boss who secretly runs the entire Service of the Empire—suddenly gets accused of treason against the throne. With the whole spy agency turned upside down, the d'Alembert family has to split up and ride two different trails at once. While Jules and Yvette are hunting down their murderous doubles in the deep black, their brother Etienne sets off on a dangerous solo mission to clear the Grand Duke’s good name before the whole Empire implodes. Stephen Goldin delivers another fast-paced, 184-page pulp firecracker that trades fancy words for pure, high-gravity fisticuffs, laser battles, and mind-bending espionage. It’s a classic, action-packed sci-fi yarn that keeps you guessing who is who until the very last blaster is fired.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns out this pre lockdown charity shop was number eight in a series of episodic short novels which although are seemingly co authored are mainly Stephen Gold in tales using characterisation from E.E. Doc Smith...Smith being the bigger 'name' gets too billing.
I'm not sure if I wholly under the term 'space opera' but a series with twists and turns of a dynasty or two within a intergalactic setting seems to sum up much I have read referred to as such so I'm saying this would be 'Space Opera'
Despite it being number eight I found this easy to follow who was who and to get who was the bad guy(or gal in this one) swiftly and as a intergalactic romp I enjoyed this...unlike other times of this nature the story is short punchy and not over elaborate which made for a better tale.
I probably will seek other s in this series despite the fact as I've gone out of sequence I suspect any 'spouse's have already looked through me reading this.

[James]

In a new and savage attack on the Empire and its secret service, perfect replica doubles of Jules and Yvette are planted throughout the star systems. Each pair begins to lure other agents of the Empire into death traps. Beyond this new tactic of terror, the DesPlainians uncover an awesome conspiracy flung far and wide among the stars. In the fight of their lives, they must battle their way out of the death maze of an enemy battlestation, and vanquish a living asteroid that has become the fortress for an immortal human brain.

[Derek · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went into it thinking I'd dislike it, which is probably the wrong attitude. And I have only read a smattering of the earlier of the series, and not recently. And I hated Purity Plot.

And then the newborn started screaming and I asked myself what this book was really giving me and didn't have an answer.

[ricky]

Very good

I am really enjoying these books again. Relatively short compared to some modern books but it means the story can crack on at a lively pace.