Cycle of Fulgur - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

The Cycle of Fulgur (original title: Lensman Series ) is a cycle of Science-fiction of the author states-unien Edward Elmer Smith mainly published in American specialized magazines between 1934 and 1950.

Presentation of the cycle

Genesis of the Cycle

It is with the end of the year 1936 and the beginning of the year 1937 - a few years after the publication of Triplanétaire -, that Edward Elmer Smith with the idea to write a “intersidereal detective novel. ” The writer carries out a first draft of the scenario on eighty pages and subjects it to F. Orlin Tremaine, the director of Astounding Stories , which buys the rights immediately of them. Edward Elmer Smith writes then a detailed scenario of galactic Patrouille and develops the general structure narrative of what was going to become the “Cycle of Fulgur”. After having finished the first galactic outline of Patrol , Smith directly writes the ultimate chapter of the last volume of the cycle, the Children of the jewel ( Children off the Lens ), which brings a conclusion to all the history. The first version of the Cycle of Fulgur thus includes/understands four novels which appear in Astounding Stories between 1937 and 1948: galactic Patrol , gray Fulgur , Surfulgur and the Children of the jewel , accompanied by some news which is in the same universe, but moves away from the principal intrigue of the Cycle. These new appendices, gathered later under the title the Masters of the vortex , appear in 1942 in Astonishing Stories .

Final version of the Cycle

In 1948, whereas the Cycle of Fulgur is on the point of being published in bookstore, the American editor Lloyd Arthur Eshbach encourages Edward Elmer Smith to integrate Triplanétaire into the Cycle of Fulgur. Smith accepts and modifies his novel to adapt it to the context of the Cycle of Fulgur, adding to it for example the central figure of Virgil Samms which did not appear in the original version. In 1950, Smith adds a new volume to the original Cycle, First Fulgur , which is used to him as narrative junction between Triplanétaire and galactic Patrouille , thus giving to the unit a greater coherence. E.E. Smith continues to work over again his novels until in 1954, proceeding to many modifications and additives. The Cycle was composed then of six volumes. It is only in 1960 that the news located in the universe of the Cycle was gathered and published in a volume initially entitled The Vortex Blaster , then in 1968 Masters off the Vortex .

Extensions of the Cycle of Fulgur

The July 14th 1965, Edward Elmer Smith authorized the writer William B. Ellern to give one following the Cycle of Fulgur. Ellern, which took care to remain very faithful to the original universe of Smith, published:

Moon Prospector in 1966
New Lensman in 1975 and
Triplanetary Agent in 1978.

David Kyle, a friend of Edward Elmer Smith, also published three novels which tell the extraterrestrial adventures of Fulgurs following the example of what Edward Elmer Smith had carried out in Surfulgur . These three novels are known under the name of Second-Training course Lensman Trilogy ( the Trilogy of Surfulgur ). These novels appeared with the the United States between 1980 and 1983 and knew a republication in 2004:

The Dragon Lensman ( the Dragon Surfulgur , with Worsel , celebrates it dragon vélantien);
Lensman from Rigel ( Fulgur de Rigel , with Tregonsee , the strange extraterrestrial one of the system of Rigel);
Z-Lensman ( Fulgur Z , with Nadreck , strangest Palainian, of the nonhuman troi Surfulgurs).

Literary models and anti-models

During its work on the Cycle of Fulgur, Edward Elmer Smith planned to write immense a Space operated. The author at the time quoted like bad example of the kind the novel The War off the Universe of Clinton Constantinescu and like good writers Roman Frederick Starzl and Jack Williamson.

Composition of the complete Cycle

Different volumes from the Cycle of Fulgur are presented in the chronological order of the narration, the dates indicated are those of the first original publications:

Triplanétaire ( Triplanetary ), 1934;
First Fulgur ( First Lensman ), 1950;
galactic Patrol ( Galactic Patrol ), 1937;
gray Fulgur ( Gray Lensman ), 1939;
Surfulgur ( Second Training course Lensman ), 1941;
Children of the jewel ( Children off the Lens ), 1947.

The last volume of the cycle is in the universe of Fulgur, but develops a narrative screen different from the first six shutters:

Masters of the vortex ( The Vortex Blaster or Masters off the Vortex ), 1941.

Universe of the cycle

Extraterrestrial races of the Cycle of Fulgur

Planets of the Cycle of the fulgur

Technology of the Cycle of Fulgur

Cycle of Fulgur and Prix Hugo

The Cycle of Fulgur appeared among the five cycles of science fiction retained to take part in the Prix Hugo of the Meilleur cycle of science fiction of all times ( Best All-Time Series ) in 1966. The cycle of Edward Elmer Smith was classified fourth, behind Fondation of Isaac Asimov, the Cycle of Mars of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the Histoire of the Future of Robert A. Heinlein, but right in front of the Lord of the Rings of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Adaptations

The realizer of Anime Japanese Kōji Morimoto took as a starting point the saga of Edward Elmer Smith:

SF Old New Lensman ( SF 新世紀レンズマン ), cartoon film, 1984;
Galactic Patrol Lensman , televised series of animation, 1984.

Posterity of the Cycle of Fulgur

In 1949, Randall Garrett wrote a parody of the cycle of Fulgur entitled Backstage Lensman . Randall Garrett also refers to Fulgurs in some of its accounts ( Lord Darcy ) by equipping its royal messengers of jewels similar to those with Fulgurs. In his romantic universe, the inventor of these jewels is the wizard Sir Edward Smith, a direct allusion to the author of the cycle.

In 1961, the Cycle of Fulgur off inspires with students of Massachusetts Institute Technology one of the first video games of the history: Spacewar .

In the first scenaristic drafts of the saga Starwars of George Lucas, the positive side of the force was in the beginning associated with Arisians, the ancestral race of the Cycle of Fulgur which takes care of the perenniality of galactic civilization.

In 1985, Robert A. Heinlein makes allusions direct to the cycle of Fulgur and Edward Elmer Smith in the Cat pass-wall , with a character called Lensman Ted Smith .

In 1994, Sean Barrett published a roleplay (GURPS) located in the universe of the Cycle of Fulgur: GURPS Lensman: Starkly Astounding Space-Opera Adventure .

In the televised series of Science fiction Babylon 5 of Joe Michael Straczynski, the Shades and the Vorlons seems to be reminiscences of Eddoriens and Arisians of the Cycle of Fulgur. The parallels between the four extra-terresres races are numerous. In fact old races govern the destiny of the other races in the universe. The first two races (Shades and Eddoriens) represent the forces of chaos and the war, the two others (Vorlons and Arisians) the cosmic civilization and police force. In both cases, the races intervene in the destiny of the younger races and are delivered, by their intermediary, with a combat eternal.

French editions

The Cycle of Fulgur is appeared with the editions Albin Michel, between 1972 and 1978, in the collections “Science fictions” and “Super-fiction” directed by H.G. Roller. The translation of the French edition is based on the British edition of the cycle.

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