The Empire of Isher: The Weapon Makers / The Weapon Shops of Isher

The Empire of Isher #1-2

by A.E. van Vogt

Contains Van Vogt's classic

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy, Novels, Fantasy

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1978

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 edtion of the popular "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine.

Reviews

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a personal mission, set over decade ago, to read all of A. E. van Vogt's work, I'm not entirely sure why I have been putting this one off, knowing it was one of van Vogt's most popular fix-up novels... I suppose the title and premise didn't interest me much. His work is typically clunky, and the idea of a weapon shop as a medium for a story line of the right to bare arms, seemed to me, in his hands, a disaster waiting to happen. It seemed something more appropriate for the likes of Heinlein, and he being a superior writer, this is true, yet van Vogt managed here to pull it off in spite of his bizarre unusual writing style.
It was to my surprise that it turns out to be one of his finest works. In interviews, PKD has often mentioned van Vogt as a major influence for his own work. and as far as I know, he had never mentioned this title in particular, but "Weapon Shop" is probably the most 'Dickish' work in van's catalogue.
The Weapon Shops of Isher was first published in 1951. It is cobbled up from three previously published related short stories:
"The Seesaw" (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, July 1941)
"The Weapon Shop" (Analog Science Fiction and Fact, December 1942)
"The Weapon Shops of Isher" (Wonder Stories, February 1949)

The inclusion of the "The Seesaw" story to the Weapon Shop stories makes it a compelling whole.

I admit I have a weird bias for this unusual author. And, naturally, it did suffer from the odd or even poor quality of his writing style - anyone who ever read his work would point that out - Yet, I found this one to be a notch above much of his other works.

My edition is a combo of "The Weapon Shop of Isher" and it's sequel, "The Weapon Shop". Though I am looking forward to reading the second segment, to be honest, I am not optimistic it will live up to its predecessor.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm averaging this one out at 3 stars, which doesn't tell the story at all. The first novel here, The Weapon Shops of Isher, is incredible. It contains everything that makes Van Vogt's writing as memorable and powerful as it is. If you're going to read only one thing by this largely dated and sort-of forgotten writer, read this, because it is his single best novel. if you can get into the Van Vogt vibe, you'll be transported and amazed. It has everything we love about the old-fashioned pulps, and with more conviction and excitement than usual - one man against the universe, mystery, surprises, adventure, galactic empires, plot twists, sense of wonder...for my money, this is one of the 5 or 6 best novels to come out of the so-called Golden Age of science fiction.

The sequel, though, The Weapon Makers, is a drag. Others might disagree. By the end, though, I just really couldn't care less what was happening, which is how I feel, to be honest, about most of the Van Vogt I've read, outside of a handful of his novels (the man wrote, like, twenty thousand.)

So - certainly, read The Weapon Shops of Isher. It's better than all the other Van Vogt you might have read. Perhaps get an edition that only includes that one. If you're an sf geek, imagine what would have been your favourite book when you were 12 - that's this book.

[Andrea Sacchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, van Vogt at his very best.
You can't put this book down but, with respect to others of his works, the plot is very organic and all its twists and turns occur naturally and without force. The two different books are very different but in a pleasant way and one gets the impression of reading some non-boring but homogenous story.
Really loved this one.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I read praise for A.E. van Vogt's Isher series -- that it was one of the highlights of the Golden Age Science Fiction period initiated by Campbell's editing of Astounding magazine, and that it was an outstandingly imaginative series that pushed the boundaries of the genre, etc., etc.

The dust jacket to this edition (a fix-up novel from 3 separately published short stories) quotes the editor Gardner Dozois as saying that that the only one who comes close to this degree of excitement and imagination is, perhaps, Alfred Bester. As a lover of Bester's mature (i.e., early) novels and his small but brilliant set of short stories, this was catnip to my ears.

Sadly, it doesn't fully live up to this praise, though I think I'll have to re-read Bester to be sure that I'm not exaggerating the strength of his work in my memory. That's not to say it isn't good. This novel of this edition was written as two connected novellas, and especially the second one ("The Weapon Makers") has a lot of breadth and imagination.

The underlying premise of Isher is that there are two separate opposing forces in society--the centuries old hereditary monarchy ruling the solar system and the vast network of the independent Weapon Shops that provide both individual security (via the weapons) and economic justice to individuals (via an alternate court system and a large degree of economic control over corporate actors) that keep the monarchy from becoming a complete tyranny.

Unfortunately, the story's excitement is weighed down by a few factors. The motto of the Weapon shops of Isher, that "The Right to Buy Weapons Is the Right to be Free", rings very different in today's world. But van Vogt swipes away any of the complications of weapon sales and ownership by absolutely guaranteeing that the weapons can only be fired in defensive scenarios. So, no crime (though we see crime occur right away, that seems to undermine this principle), no mass or indiscriminate shootings, no terrorism, complete psychological profiling so only stable, upstanding people can buy a gun, and a slew of other hand-waving devices that allow any complications or unintended consequences to simply disappear.

Bester doesn't indulge in this kind of hand-waving -- he simply posits the technology and abilities and lets the story go where it goes. One may disagree w/ the sanity of the act at the end of The Stars My Destination, but he doesn't include a proviso that allows the danger to be obviated.

Throughout The Empire of Isher, van Vogt consistently eliminates negative scenarios by virtue of "perfect" technology, that can perfectly understand the psychology of the human mind for example, or in the case of our protagonist Robert Hedrock, the "perfect" man, who due to his accidental immortality, has only the purest mission of saving and progressing humanity via his always superior abilities, and though he can make mistakes, never makes them due to any failings on his part other than incomplete information or insufficient time to carry out his most noble mission. Is the adventure, especially in the second novella unexpected and more broad-sweeping than might originally be suspected -- absolutely. But the book avoids any real chance of failure by positing all this perfection.

Not to say that the balancing of two opposing forces in society isn't a bad one. But it all seems too perfect, not to mention that this complete system of both monarchy and weapon shops has evidently sprung, over time, completely from the incurably pure mind of our one immortal man, Robert Hedrock.

The book is definitely a lot of fun. Four stars from me because I enjoy reading within the history of science fiction. It'd be 3 or less if I was just evaluating the book on it's own merits.

[Laurene Brannick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Weapons Shops of Isher is the 1st book followed by The Weapons Makers..
Shops is a stand alone book- a fairly straightforward tale that relates to our Constitutionally protected #2A Rights in the face of an all powerful Empire... Delightfully quick- it's as satifying now as it was in the early 1950s...
The Weapons Makers, while holding to the basic story & framework is as different as night and day.. Written more in the style of the Golden Age of Sci-Fi, w plenty of techno speak to the point I thought it dragged a touch in the middle...to me it didn't follow the style or intent as the rest- but it quickly picked up the pace, and kept me enthralled to the last page.. An oldie but a goodie... If you have never read Van Vogt be prepared for a delight.

[Redsteve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Two unremarkable "Golden Age SF" novels, with poor science (the really high tech is basically magic) and generally two-dimensional characters spouting their (mostly libertarian/2A) philosophies (lots of 'tell don't now' going on here). Also kind of sexist as befits the period. I'm actually sort of baffled as to why THE WEAPON SHOPS OF ISHER is often so highly rated, as it doesn't seem to be a remarkable book of its time and the storyline is not improved by it essentially being several short stories spliced together.

[Juan Sanmiguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally two books, The Weapon Shops of Isher and The Weapon Makers. In the future mankind's freedom depends on delicate balance of power between the ruling family of Isher and the Weapon Shops. The Weapon Shops provide the people with weapons that can only be used in self defense. The books deal with the struggle between those agencies. We are given an incredible plot which nothing less than the freedom of man is at stake. Van Vogt can take these far out plots and makes it plausible and make us want more. This is why van Vogt is a Grandmaster.

[Eduardo Shanahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book Spanish during my teenage years and became one of my favourites. Now I got the two in a single volume and finished the story.
It is a short book, and if you like the classical science fiction stories where the protagonist fixes the universe by being intelligent, it will fit exactly in place. I love it after thirty years of meeting for the first time.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing novels from the Golden Era of SF!

[Francesco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Per quanto Van Vogt sia bravo, non è in grado di cucire assieme più racconti in uno.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little pulpy, a little dated, but a novel and well-executed idea.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

From my bookshelf. This is a strange book. It is two novels, and it has resided high on my bookshelf for decades. I found a book mark at the very beginning of the book, so I must have attempted to read it at some point, but I have no memory of this.
This second attempt got off to a slow start. I started and stopped several times because I just could not find my footing. In the first story the author introduces the world of Isher, the Weapon Shops, the technology behind the Shops, the conflict, and scores of characters. It was bewildering.
I’ve wanted to read Van Vogt because he is another one of those famous names from the misty beginnings of Sci-Fi. And the story had really interesting concepts and details, but Van Vogt is not as good a writer as say, Asimov or Heinlein. His characters race from situation to situation in a headlong rush that left me sometimes baffled and sometimes re-reading to make sense of things.
I liked the second story more than the first. Probably because it’s more linear and mostly about one main character, an immortal man named Hedrock. He is almost omniscient due to his incredibly long life but likable nonetheless.
What this novel includes: a mild allegory about the checks and balances needed to keep government from becoming all powerful and oppressive. The author makes a good point for guns as that method (i.e. the titular Weapon Shops).
Also present: space spiders, time-travel, a love story (not particularly romantic), lots of derring do by one almost infallible man, and some rather inscrutable psychobabble about the development of education and the human mind.
What isn’t in this book: in spite of the presence of two sizable militaries, space travel, and fighting, there is very little that can be called military sci-fi. The time travel is used effectively, but there is no adventure. It’s just a tool: used and discarded immediately.
I’m giving 2.5 stars because it was interesting and not terrible, but it wasn’t inspiring or uplifting or even very exciting.

[Randal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many books from the "golden age" of sci-fi eschew anything resembling character for elaborate philosophical discussions. This is two of them wedged into one cover. It doesn't make it twice as good. You really have to make huge allowances for that to get anything out of this novel.
So, what philosophy is there? A mush ... an extended defense of the Second Amendment -- with the rider that the weapons can only be used for self-defense -- an equally torpid support of checks and balances ... and a pro-individual slant that would make Ayn Rand blush.
There's not even any science to the science fiction. It's all abstract enough that it's essentially "what if magic?" Immortality, essentially infinite (yet portable) power sources, routine resurrection, teleportation, faster-than-light travel ... it's all here, and while the book is full of socio-political checks and balances, there are no repercussions for violating fundamental laws of physics.
I would love to see Randall Munroe take on "What would happen if you accelerated from zero to multiples of light speed more or less instantaneously without much more than a seat belt?" I know Star Trek / Star Wars do it all the time, but they clearly have some sort of inertia cancellation device. The effect of a constant 19 gs is a critical plot point, yet once the pilot blacks out, he eventually wakes up and navigates home. And here I would have thought he would be crushed by the acceleration and stay crushed. Silly me.
And it completely ignores genetics, as between Mr. Immortal and his never-ending string of empresses, those kids must be the most inbred royalty in history, but hey, who needs science in science fiction?
I really can't recommend this one at all.

[William Ritch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading this again to work on the adaptation of it into an audio play. The fist novel, "The Weapon Shops of Isher" is a fix-up of three previous short stories: "The Seesaw," "The Weapons Shop," and "The Weapon Shops of Isher." Published in "Astounding" and "Thrilling Wonder Stories". The "novel" is not fully integrated but shows its fragmented heritage. In fact, there are three main point of view characters, two of which are only minorly important to the story. The second novel "The Weapon Makers" is really a full-fledged novel, using the ultimate main character from the first novel.

The books are fun pulp adventure but converting into audio drama is going to be a challenge! Hedrock (the protagonist) is a van Vogt superman who operates almost entirely on his own musing about what he should or should not do. He barely talks to anyone - until after he has made his decision and is confronting the person.

I'm going have to think about this.

[Gustl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chi mi conosce sa che Van Vogt è in assoluto il mio autore preferito e che difficilmente riesco ad isolare l'entusiasmo che provo nel leggerlo dai miei commenti ai suoi fantasiosi testi, al punto, a volte, da farmi interrogare sull'obbiettività di questi ultimi. Questa edizione dell'Editrice Nord raccoglie i due romanzi del ciclo de Le Armi di Isher: The Weapon Shops of Isher e The Weapon Makers o Hedrock l'Immortale; ciclo tra i più celebrati dello scrittore canadese. Come spesso capita anche in questo caso la stesura definitiva del romanzo è frutto di un assemblaggio di racconti pubblicati nelle riviste di settore negli anni 40, il periodo d'oro della fantascienza; ma nel caso de Le Armi di Isher, la mancanza di unità dell'opera si fa sentire e nonostante alcune trovate mirabolanti tipiche di Van Vogt il risultato globale per il sottoscritto non supera le tre stelle.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book. This book "The Empire of Isher" is a collection of the two original books "The Weapons Shops of Isher" and "The Weapons Makers". I read them when I was a kid and they make the case briefly for the ownership of weapons.

"The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." -- The Weapons Shops of Isher by AE Van Vogt.

In order to peacefully protest one needs a way to enforce your right to protest and that comes from a weapon. Otherwise the government can intimidate you into doing something you don't want to do.

The book also points out the difficulty that rulers must go through because even an completely benign government can do the wrong thing for the right reason.

[Matteo Pellegrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un giornalista del 1951, McAllister, si trova sbalzato in un futuro lontano migliaia di anni. Qui, allo strapotere dell'imperatrice Innelda Isher si oppongono i Negozi d'Armi e il loro sofisticato sistema di viaggio nel tempo. Uno dei più celebri romanzi di Van Vogt, talmente ricco di trama e colpi di scena da far pensare a un moderno kolossal di fantascienza.

IL GIUDIZIO: "Uno stupefacente negozio apparso come dal nulla nel centro di una città americana. È un'illusione ottica? Un'allucinazione collettiva? Tutti se ne convincono, non appena il negozio, così come è venuto, scompare... Una vertiginosa avventura attraverso il tempo e lo spazio" (Carlo Fruttero e Franco Lucentini).

[Mihnea Dumitru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, although the ending was somewhat underwhelming. Reminds me a bit of the Three Body Problem. You write an excellent book, you get it all ready for the big reveal at the end, and then you just let the reader sorta invision his own end.

[Frank Taranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A far future history very much of the time it was written. The superman/immortal takes care of the human race.

[Bill Wagner]

First read these back in the 1970s and have read them multiple times since. Still find these to be good stories.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed these in the indivual form. I picked this up because I remembered the books from years ago and was glad to see them available again.

[Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting idea and a decent read. I would have rated higher, but the style was quite dated and stilted, in my opinion, almost Jules Verne-esque.

[Francesco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Per quanto Van Vogt sia bravo, non è in grado di cucire assieme più racconti in uno.

[Brett]

Science Fiction

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two books, definitely of the time they were written. I was OK with them, until near the end of the second book, I lost the plot, when, inexplicably, the spider aliens entered the story.