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Entry tags:	book review, legion of space, three musketeers

The Legion of Space by Jack Williamson, part 2

I have already mentioned that this novel is a sci-fi adaptation of the Three Musketeers, and certainly there are basic similarities – the Legion is clearly the Musketeers, the Purples and Greens are reminiscent of the “Reds” – the cardinal’s guards – and the Musketeers who wear the blue tunics. The scene, too, of John Star being offered a place as Emperor in return for betraying his friends and his beliefs is reminiscent of the scene in which Richelieu offers d’Artagnan a place in his guards, which d’Artagnan turns down out of a sense of loyalty to his friends (although in the Three Musketeers, the line between good and evil is a bit more hazy, as Richelieu seems to be working for the good of France, yet the protagonists work against him). Both works also use the idea of a false document – Dumas pretends that The Three Musketeers is really the nonexistent Memoires of M. le Comte de La Fere, while Jack Williamson presents his works as a character’s “memories” of the future).
            However, the biggest similarity between the two books is the idea, extremely prevalent in Dumas’ works, that it is not birth but actions that make one what one is and determine whether one is worthy of respect. Dumas was a meritorist – he believed in rewarding people for what they achieved and what decisions they made, not for their aristocratic birth. His works are scattered with characters such as Georges,  (a mulatto whom Dumas characterizes as a “superior man,” more brave and intelligent than many of the white characters), as well as figures such as Gilbert from the Memoirs of a Physician, who, despite his low birth, completed his studies, became a respected physician and even adviser to Louis XVI. And, of course, D’Artagnan himself comes from poor Gascon nobility, yet rises through the ranks to become Marshal of France. This same ‘meritorism’ is visible in The Legion of Space. When Adam Ulnar has realized that humanity has been betrayed, he says to John Star, “And perhaps you were right, John. I’m losing my faith in aristocracy. Our family is old, John; our blood is the best in the System Yet Eric was a craven fool. And the three men with you – common soldiers of the Legion – have shown fine metal.” (168) And, in fact, John Star has proved that it his actions (he has saved humanity) and not his name (he is an Ulnar, but goes against their ideas of aristocracy) that make him who he is. At the end, too, Aladoree insists on calling John Star John Ulnar. Even though, at the beginning, she mistrusted all Ulnars as traitors, she replies to his objection that his name is John Star, “I call you John Ulnar…I’ve changed my mind. I trust one Ulnar.” (189) Throughout the book, Aladaree is seen as a sort of authority – John Star calls her “goddess” – thus, her judgment of John’s merit based on his actions is very telling.
            And, of course, a fundamental aspect of The Three Musketeers, as well as of The Legion of Space, is friendship. The Musketeers’ famous motto - “one for all and all for one!”  - symbolizes this friendship. But the Musketeers have become such close friends through experiences; after all, it is only after uniting to fight a duel against the Cardinal’s guards that they became friends. Similarly, in the Legionnaires’ journey to save Aladoree (similar to the Musketeers’ voyage to save the queen) and humanity, the four of them (for there were not three Musketeers but four, and in the book, too, there are four Legion guards) learn to be friends and trust one another. “But they had gained an iron endurance, a new courage, an absolute confidence in one another,” the author says.
            And a final thought – Dumas makes a point throughout his novels that it is great people and their courage that make things happen. D’Artagnan and his friends do the almost impossible in saving the queen, while Bussy (one of the protagonists of La Dame de Monsoreau) is, like the aforementioned character Georges, characterized as a “superior man” who pushes human ability to the limits. And, interestingly in a sci-fi book, Jack Williamson underscores the idea that it is human daring and skill and not technology that are responsible for saving humanity and for all the daring feats in the novel. For example, when John Star is navigating the deathly nebula mentioned in the previous review, “The radar and the thermal detectors made a continual, useless clamor, until he shut them off. Only human skill and quickness could serve them now.”(89) This suggests that, despite the advanced technology envisioned in this novel, which makes space travel possible, there is a certain mistrust of technology and a reliance on human skill. This idea is repeated again, when the author writes “A desperate game, this playing with the curvature of space itself, in the very atmosphere of a planet. Human daring and human skill, pitted against titanic forces. Savage elation filled him. He was winning…” (170) In this scene, human ability is winning against the titanic forces of nature, and it suggests, once again, that no matter how advanced technology may be, it is always human actions and decisions that matter most. There is a certain amount of ability needed to create this technology, of course, but what matters is the ability to use it, or to do without it. After all, technology can be limiting – the radar and thermal detectors were useless, while at the end, the device that saves humanity – a bit of a deus ex machina – can only be used when the characters have gathered all its parts and when Aladoree wakes to use it. It cannot function on its own; it needs a human being to make it work to save humanity. Thus, throughout this sci-fi novel, technology is only as useful as the humans who use it.

Reviews about the sequels to this book may be forthcoming.