A. E. van Vogt

After escaping extermination by the humans, young Jommy Cross searches for the meaning of the Slans' great mental superiority

A Novel

Slan

Gillian Rose

Technically 3.5 stars.

I sometimes struggle with older sci-fi. I didn't entirely struggle this time but it wasn't my favorite. It kind of reminded me of Blade Runner to be honest.

Sarah Escorsa

I don’t usually enjoy “classic” science-fiction novels much but like to give one a try once in a while. Slan is an entertaining read and I realized while reading it that it has been a constant inspiration in books and films since it was first written.

The first half of the novel is engaging enough but the second one feels forced and confused, with too many things going on at the same time. I think the main problem I have with this book is its characters. I felt no empathy towards them and they really felt like they were made from cardboard. The lack of emotion and mechanical dialogues made it sometimes hard to enjoy the story. To me this tends to be the usual weakness in classic science fiction stories from the 40’s and 50’s and that is why I usually don’t like them. Slan was better than most of them I’ve read so far and I enjoyed the story despite the cold and unemotional writing.

Slan A Novel

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