Mazisiz Adam

by Edmond Hamilton, A. Kahraman (Translator)

Kendini asla görmediği, bilmediği ve yaşamadığı bir muhitin insanı zanneden bir sigortacı yıldız krallıklarını ethediyor.

Genres: Science Fiction

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Edmond Moore Hamilton was a popular author of science fiction stories and novels throughout the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania. Something of a child prodigy, he graduated high school and started college (Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania) at the age of 14--but washed out at 17. He was the Golden Age writer who worked on Batman, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and many sci-fi books.

Reviews

[Roddy Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

'A CROWN FOR THE STAR-CROSSED

"It can't be true! It must be some kind of hoax!" These were the words that went spinning through Neil Banning's mind when the Greenville authorities told him that the house he had grown up in, the aunt and uncle who had raised him, had never existed.
So Banning found himself in jail, charged with disturbing the peace - and maybe insanity. But when a stranger from outer space came to his cell at midnight and hailed him as the Valkar of Katuun, then Banning decided that maybe the authorities were right, maybe he was crazy. Because the only alternative was to believe the impossible explanation of the Outworlder - that he really was the exiled ruler of a remote star-world, and the personality of Neil Banning was an elaborate fraud.
It didn't really matter, though, who was right. Banning was on his way to Katuun whether he liked it or not. And as Banning - or the Valkar - he would have to save that star-world from the terror of THE SUN SMASHER...or perish with the loyal subjects he might never have known!'

Blurb from the 1959 D-351 Ace Double paperback edition



Young Neil Banning, on a business trip, decides to take a detour to his old home town. On reaching there however, he finds that not only is his childhood home a vacant plot, but that there was apparently never a house existing there. Getting more and more frustrated by what he sees as a deliberate attempt by the townspeople to cover up the past he is eventually arrested and thrown into a cell.
During the night, a stranger arrives and stages - in Banning's opinion - an unwanted rescue. The stranger is Rolf, who tells Banning that his past life is a fiction, that he is in fact Kyle, the lost Valkar of an interstellar Empire.
Kyle is needed to reclaim the throne from those who altered his memory and exiled him to Earth, and locate The Hammer, a weapon of interstellar mass destruction whose location only Kyle/Banning knows.
This is one of those odd romantic flights of fancy that imposes a medieval feudal culture on an interstellar civilisation. It features the literary devices of the amnesiac hero and the Maguffin which in this case is a device (as can easily be deduced from the title of the book) capable of triggering a nova in any sun.
Banning has to come to terms with the fact that he may not be who he thinks he is, while leading an army of loyal followers across the galaxy in search of a lost and terrible doomsday weapon.
Added to that, we have a feisty princess, a sundered love affair and a race of deadly telepathic spider people loyal only to the Valkar.
It is explained early on that Earth is a lost part of the Empire that has not yet been reclaimed as we are a fringe world and somewhat retarded.
One day we'll be really advanced and united under an unelected hereditary galactic monarchy. Can't wait.

[Sara Light-Waller · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things about this plot that are not new — an amnesiac hero who’s a dangerous political hot potato, who’s really from a distant star system and is a prince disguised as an ordinary man. These storylines are common in science fiction, fantasy, and even in magical girl/boy manga. But there’s an elegant simplicity to Hamilton’s novella that is only simple because of his elegant writing. Hamilton not only keeps you turning pages but also produces some wonderful turns of phrase which allow you to see the vastness of space.

Neil Banning, our hero, thinks that he’s an ordinary man but discovers quickly that he is not. He spends the entire book torn between his remembered identity as an Earthman and his actual identity which is a great deal more. (I won’t spoil it for you any more than I already have.) The fascinating part of the character’s struggle is that, having been forced into a new identity by his enemies, Banning is able to break free from his old patterns and become a better man in the end. Is this because he’s experienced life on Earth as an ordinary man? Or is it because, after breaking free from his old patterns of life and heritage, he’s now a wiser man with a much broader vision? In the end it doesn’t matter. What does is that Banning’s become more a compassionate man after his ten-year exile on Earth and this is something that makes for a great hero. Sure, his original identity was a super rocket-jockey with unearthly retainers and a fantastical lineage. But that’s just the dressing. Banning still has all those things even though he doesn’t remember most of it. He doubts himself and doubts the reality of situation that he suddenly finds himself in. But he must try to be the man they tell him he is and rises to the occasion in order to save the day. To me this is what makes a great pulp hero and a great pulp story. “The Sun Smasher” is that. It may not be the grandest story that Hamilton ever created but it is a solid bet for an enjoyable read and highly recommended.

[John JJJJJJJJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banning is a normal man, leading a normal life. But one day, he realizes he's not who he thinks he is. A visitor from space explains to him that he is actually Valkar of Katuun, the heir to the Empire. He was exiled to Earth, his memory erased and replaced with false ones, to protect him from the usurpers who ended the Old Empire and now rule the New Empire. Today, Valkar has returned to reclaim his throne and rule over billions of billions of stars.

A short novel by Edmond Hamilton, the master of Space Opera, which also bears a strong resemblance to his other novel, The Star Kings.

[James Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent space opera from one of the pioneers of the genre. Hamilton's plots were always relentlessly fast paced, easily readable in a day--or even a few hours--and The Sun Smasher is no exception.

I've always found Hamilton's later day prose a bit underrated.

From the very first page, this is a story of self discovery: Neil Banning returns to his hometown only to discover that his entire past is a facade. He eventually is swept into a huge adventure involving space empires and a weapon capable of inducing novas.

Banning's transition as he discovers his true identity may be a bit rushed, but otherwise, like many Hamilton books, this won't let you down. It left me breathless and looking for more of his work. (less)

[James Hoff]

ff Excellent space opera from one of the pioneers of the genre. Hamilton's plots were always relentlessly fast paced, easily readable in a day--or even a few hours--and The Sun Smasher is no exception.

I've always found Hamilton's later day prose a bit underrated.

From the very first page, this is a story of self discovery: Neil Banning returns to his hometown only to discover that his entire past is a facade. He eventually is swept into a huge adventure involving space empires and a weapon capable of inducing novas.

Banning's transition as he discovers his true identity may be a bit rushed, but otherwise, like many Hamilton books, this won't let you down. It left me breathless and looking for more of his work. (less)

[Gregoire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mauvais choix de lecture en ce qui me concerne Vite lu Vite oublié Je ne retiens rien de cette histoire ni le style ni l'histoire ni les personnages Donc si le pitch de départ a su piquer ma curiosité c'est bien le seul point positif !

[Жанна Пояркова · Rating 3 out of 5]

У Гамильтона в его простоте и дружественном пафосе космоопера становится тем, чем героическая фэнтези у Говарда и Муркока. Наивно, но почему-то здоровско.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exiled prince Kyle Valkar must save the galaxy from the ultimate weapon--the "Hammer" of the
Valkars.