Null-A Continuum: Continuing A. E. van Vogt's "The World of Null-A"

Null-A Continuum (2008) is a SF novel within the Null-A series. It is a sequel to the original sequence by A.E. Van Vogt. In the previous volumes, non-Aristotelian logic is a system that provides a sane view of life. Null-A has developed various means of stripping the emotional interpretations from thoughts, including the cortical-thalamic pause. The Games Machine was built on Earth to select the rulers. The Machine tested the minds of applicants and rejected those who had not mastered and internalized Null-A principles. Some were given posts in the Earth government, but those who scored the highest were allowed to live on Venus among a same population. But the Games Machine was subverted through the action of a distorter, a device for shifting matter and energy through space. The device had been supplied by Thorson, the commander of an invasion force from the Greatest Empire. President Hardy and his gang ruled the Earth under the Empire. Gosseyn came to the city of the Games Machine to test his knowledge of Null-A. Yet he was exposed as an impostor by someone from his own village and was thrown out of his hotel. Then he met a girl who also lacked a place to stay. Gosseyn was later killed and returned in a new body. Gosseyn Two met Thorson and then discovered that he had a second brain. After killing the Imperial commander, Gosseyn Two discovered that Lavoisseur was another copy of himself. Gosseyn Two discovered more about the Greatest Empire and foiled the invasion with a little help from Crang. He met Leej -- a Predictor -- on Yalerta. Then another version of himself was awakened accidentally. Eventually, Gosseyn Three captured and imprisoned Eron. In this novel, Gilbert Gosseyn is a man with a double brain and serial immortality. If he dies, his memories are transferred to a younger body. His second brain provides the ability to shift himself and other things through space like a distorter. But his earliest memories are lies. Who has created him and why? Lavoisseur was the head of the Semantic Institute, the organization that built the Games Machine. He was an older copy of Gosseyn, but has additional memories. Gosseyn suspects that he is the Chessplayer, the man who is manipulating him. X was a member of President Hardy's gang. He was also another Gosseyn body who was damaged and had a higher metabolism. This allowed his thoughts to be received by Lavoisseur. Apparently he was planted on Hardy as a source of information. Eldred Crang is a Venusian detective who discovered the invasion forces and infiltrated the Imperial organization. Later, Crang returned to the Greatest Empire as Patricia's husband. Eron the Red is the Emperor of the Greatest Empire, the largest principality in the galaxy. He has the ability to see through walls. Patricia Hardy is the woman who Gosseyn remembers as his wife. But she was also the daughter of President Hardy and the sister of Eron. So who is she? In this story, Gosseyn Tw

John Wright has done what a lot of us VanVogt fans wished we could do. He has written a sequel to the Null-A universe that AE started over 60 years ago. Wright sucessfuly channels Van Vogt's style to 20 decimal place similarity! Although the plot is fantastically complex, this book takes us back into the super stable mind and bizzare world of Gilbert G. in a way that is pleasingly readable. Is Van Vogt's work and now Wrights effort socialy relavant, psychologically sound or scientifically acurate? Are these authors just offering egotistical elitism. Maybe, but I really could care less! This is a great read...

...not true in this case, the Word is all that we have. This is an excellent conclusion to Van Vogt's first two Null-A books (we won't count the third one). Be sure to read World of Null-A and Pawns (Players) of Null-A before reading this book, or you will miss a lot of what is happening. If you read this one first, the previous two await. John Wright's emulation of Van Vogt's style is *very* successful. There is a lot happening in this book. New events and concepts assail you from every side--this is very like the better Van Vogt books. You are a far better reader than I if you won't be going back to re-read it and see what you missed. Many plot elements and plot directions in the originals that just seemed to be dead ends have been revived and carefully woven back into the whole. I think this is key to how much fans of Null-A will enjoy this book. I am amazed at how much effort this book must have been. Thank you John Wright. Steve

Even though a little more fanciful than van Vogt's, the story was a fantastic read. Only marred by being too long and wordy. A.E. van Vogt could have written this story in half the words! Still, it was well worth the read. I remember as a twelve year old kid reading about the hero teleporting, and was fascinated by science fiction. Van Vogt got carried away by the third story, in which the main character was able to teleport giant space ships with thousands of people aboard across the universe. But in Wright's latest novel, the main character can even teleport whole galaxies through both time and space, moving them across the universe, or from one period in time to another. A little too fanciful for "science" fiction, I think. Maybe more like "fantasy" fiction. Something else about Wright's writing, though. He wrote the long novel without one cuss word, or a sex scene. Marvelous! It just goes to show that a well-written story can still be published. Mr. Wright's novel kept me involved in the story throughout. I think he captured A.E. van Vogt's writing style and story-telling ability beautifully.

Not much else needs to be said. If you liked his other books you'll love this one too. One thing I'll say: the book is full of wicked plot twists which, while very rewarding, may challenge some readers. I'd tackle The Golden Age first. (Which I still think is Wright's best. This book may tie the ending together better, but Phaeton was a much more compelling character than the somewhat detached and mechanical Gosseyn. Gosseyn's rivals are great though.) I read this before reading van Vogt's Null-A so I can't say how it relates.