ISBN: 0671036467
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 3
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Summary: Simple Escapist Fun
Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth plays off of a very good concept. It puts the hero of Tom Paris' holodeck adventures into written fiction. The fifties-flavored hero emulates classic spacemen like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Thus, it is logical to make the suggestion that if he had been an actual fictional character, he may well have started out in print before moving to the silver screen. This book could have made use of the Captain Proton character a few different ways; it could have written a serious, full-length novel starring the character, or it could have been a novel about the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager framing another Captain Proton holodeck adventure. However, what Dean Wesley Smith and the other writers (unless those other credits are just pen names for Smith) chose to do was emulate the style of the pulp magazines of yesteryear. These magazines thrived on science-fiction and "rocketmen," so they would be a likely place to find our good Captain.
In the main feature, "Children of the Glass," Smith does go a little over the top in reflecting this style, taking a somewhat tongue-in-cheek attitude in doing so. While I haven't read much else that he has written, it certainly appears that he is dumbing down his writing. The excessive use of single-sentence paragraphs that end in exclamation points can be incredibly annoying, as can the overuse of exclamation points in general. However, as I progressed through the story, I found that I got used to it slowly, and by the end, it really didn't bother me as much. That said, I think the story could have been much more enjoyable if he had curbed that just a little. All in all, though, the nineteen-chapter serial does do a very good job of reflecting the fast-paced and carefree stories of the Golden Age. Reflecting a worldview where good and evil were easily defined and the good guys always win, Smith keeps the action rolling, if not especially intense. If the reader can accept the pervasive purple prose, "Children of the Glass" will be enjoyable to fans of Captain Proton or any tribute to classic Sci-Fi.
After "Children of the Glass," there are six backup features that serve to fill in a little more space, and also help give this the feel of a real Golden Age pulp magazine. There are three shorter backup stories and three featurettes. The first backup story, "Death of the Patrol," is the second part of a serial. It continues from "Space Vortex of Doom," which appeared in Amazing Stories, I believe. The second backup story focuses on Captain Proton's secretary, Constance Goodheart, and the third focuses on his sidekick, Buster Kincaid. The three featurettes replicate nonfiction pieces that appeared in these kinds of magazines. The first is a description of the planet Mercury, the second details Seattle in the future, and the third is a number of letters to the editor. All of these did a very good job of emulating the style and feel of such features, and contribute well to the atmosphere of this book.
All in all, these backup features are really more of the same as the main story. If you liked "Children of the Glass," you'll probably enjoy these. If not, don't get your hopes up. But overall, I'd say that "Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth" is a good tribute to those good old days when you could spend a dime or so for a good magazine chock full of exciting stories like these. This book was by no means great literature, but it was certainly a nice dose of escapist fun.
Summary: A cute but not especially clever look at Captain Proton
Star Trek Voyager presents "Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth" is pretty much half of a good idea. What we are supposed to have here are the "original" Captain Proton stories that Tom Paris and Harry Kim have so much funny playing with on the holodeck. But in trying to be too much of a parody of the old pulp science fiction stories what we get is more cute than clever. The book has photographs of Tom and Harry dressed up as Captain Proton and Buster Kincaid when what it really needed was more Fifties Sci-Fi art in the manner of the cover, whereupon Captain Proton is trying to rescue Constance Goodheart from the clutches of one of your proverbial Bug-Eyed Monsters. Included in this volume are the complete "featured book-length" Captain Proton novel "Children of the Glass" by D. W. "Prof" Smith, Chapter 2 of "Death of the Patrol" by Ray Hamil, and a pair of short stories focusing on Constance Goodheart and Ace Reporter Buster Kincaid. There are also a few special features examining Mercury as one of "The Planets of the Future" and Seattle as an example of "The City of the Future," along with "Letters to Captain Proton." Instead of a look at the Sandmen of Mercury I think it would have been more interesting to do a takeoff on the predictions science fiction had half-a-century ago as they relate to the Star Trek universe. Because the stories follow the traditional serial/cliffhanger approach, they get a bit redundant and repetitive at times, which means they end up dragging a bit. Of course, I have to admit it is difficult to really do a nice parody on a style of writing with which a vast majority of the reading audience is totally unfamiliar. Besides, I think I prefer Hamil's version of the good Captain to that of "Doc" Smith, even though I know it is heresy to suggest such a thing. For Voyager fans this book is worth a look, but probably not a second one.
Summary: Very disappointing
I'll fess up: I'm not a big fan of Star Trek novelizations, but I figured I'll give this one a try because I love old SF, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Commander Cody, etc. Wow, did I figure wrong!If this book where any slower, it would have been arrested for blocking traffic. Those old serials were renowned for their frantic pace, which this book comes nowhere near. Further, the author doesn't seem to be sure whether he is doing a hommage to the old serials or a satire. Doesn't really matter, though, because by the time you've noticed the inconsistency, you'll have given up reading this...book.
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