"First Lensman combined a lot of elements that, over the course of reading classic science fiction, have come to drive me nuts: Flat characters, shadeless morality, breathlessly detailed battle scenes, oh-yeah-then-this-happened pacing, and a prose style thatâs functional at best. At the heart of the story are Virgil Sammsâthe First Lensman of the titleâand Rod âThe Rockâ Kinnison. You wonât find two more interchangeable characters anywhere. And as for their adventures, thereâs really not a moment of suspense: Smith makes it clear that good will always triumph over evil, and it proceeds to do just that in each episode."