
Children of the lens
In a future where humanity has mastered instant interstellar travel, the very speed that unites worlds also fuels a galaxy‑wide crime wave. One autocratic faction, Boskonia, manipulates the shadows, while the nascent Galactic Patrol struggles to keep pace. Their answer is the Lens—a glowing, telepathic emblem that bonds to its wearer’s mind and can only be claimed by those of proven character.
The story is narrated as a sealed report from the war’s veteran, Christopher Kinnison, recounting his father Kimball’s rise as the first Lensman to unlock the device’s deeper powers. Joined by exotic allies—a winged reptile and a sightless, four‑legged being—they strike at Boskonia’s Grand Base, using daring tactics that bring the enemy’s fleet to its knees. Yet even as victories mount, the conflict leaves scars and hints at a larger, unresolved struggle that will shape the destiny of the entire galaxy.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (573K characters)
Series
Lensman 6.
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Street & Smith Publications, Inc., 1947, copyright 1948.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Apr 6, 2023
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1890–1965
A pioneer of big, high-energy science fiction, this American writer helped define the grand scale of space opera with the Skylark and Lensman stories. His tales of faster-than-light travel, vast interstellar conflict, and larger-than-life heroes shaped the genre for generations.
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