The Legion of Space

Infobox Book
name = The Legion of Space
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Dust-jacket from the first edition
author = Jack Williamson
illustrator = A. J. Donnell
cover_artist = A. J. Donnell
country = United States
language = English
series = Legion of Space Series
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Fantasy Press
release_date = 1947
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages = 259 pp
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Cometeers

"The Legion of Space" is a science-fiction novel by the American writer Jack Williamson. It was first published in book form by Fantasy Press in 1947 in an edition of 2,970 copies. The novel was revised from a version that was originally serialized in the magazine "Astounding" in 1934.

Plot introduction

The story takes place in an era when humans have colonized the Solar System but dare not go farther, as the first extra-solar expedition to Barnard's Star failed and the survivors came back as babbling, grotesque, diseased madmen. These survivors spoke of a gigantic planet, populated by ferocious animals, and of the single city of the evil "Medusae". The Medusae bear a vague resembance to jellyfish, but are actually elephant-sized, four-eyed, flying beings having hundreds of tentacles. The Medusae cannot speak and communicate with one another via a microwave code.

Plot summary

A Falstaffian character, named Giles Habibula, was once a criminal, and can open any lock ever made. In his youth he was called "Giles The Ghost". With him, Jay Kalam (Commander of the Legion) and Hal Samdu (an anagram of Dumas) battle the Medusae, the alien race from the lone planet of Barnard's Star. The Legion itself is the military and police force of the Solar System after the overthrow of an empire called the Purple Hall that once ruled all humans.

Renegade Purple pretenders ally themselves with the Medusae as a means to regain their empire. The Medusae, however, turn on the Purples, seeking to destroy all humans and move to the Solar System, as their own world, far older than Earth, is spiraling into Barnard's Star.

One of the Purples, John Ulnar, supports the Legion from the start, making him the fourth lead. His enemy is the Purple pretender Eric Ulnar, who sought the Medusae in the first place, seeking to become the next "Emperor of the Sun".

In the story, the Medusae conquer the Moon, set bases there, and proceed to attempt conquest of Earth's Solar System. The Medusae had for eons used a greenish, artificial greenhouse gas to keep their dying world from freezing; having learned from the first human expedition to their world that this gas corrodes human flesh, the Medusae use it as a potent chemical weapon, attempting ecological destruction by means of projectiles fired from the Moon. Their vast spaceships also have very effective plasma-based weapons.

This story also features a secret weapon called AKKA. Using a space/time distortion,it could erase from the Universe any matter, of any size, anywhere, even a star or a planet. This weapon of mass destruction was entrusted to a series of women.

AKKA was used in the past to overthrow the Purple tyranny. The Medusae tried to steal the secret weapon, but failed and their invasion force was destroyed. When they were wiped out, the Moon, where they had established their base, was erased out of existence.

At the end of the story, John Ulnar falls in love with the keeper of AKKA, Aladoree Anthar, and marries her. Aladoree Anthar is described as a young, blonde woman, beautiful as a goddess.

References

*cite book | last=Chalker | first=Jack L. | authorlink=Jack L. Chalker | coauthors=Mark Owings | title=The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998 | location=Westminster, MD and Baltimore | publisher=Mirage Press, Ltd.| pages=235 | date=1998
*cite book | last=Tuck | first=Donald H. | authorlink=Donald H. Tuck | title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy | location=Chicago | publisher=Advent | pages=462 | date=1978|id=ISBN 0-911682-22-8