The Airlords of Han

Description

First published in 1929, The Airlords of Han is the second novel to feature protagonist Buck Rogers, one of the most talented, skilled heroes in the science-fiction literature of the genre’s Golden Age. First appearing in a comic strip, this story is a follow-up on Nowlan’s hugely successful novella, Armageddon 2419 A.D., in which the protagonist awakes after an almost half a millennium long hibernation to help the Americans win the war against the Hans.

While Armageddon 2419 A.D. is the story of Buck Rogers rising to power, The Airlords of Han is the story of the final phase of the war. In his mission to lead the Americans and to figure out the strategies used by the enemy, Buck Rogers is accompanied by a warrior lady named Wilma Deering. They are both skilled in using futuristic high-tech weapons such as inertron, atomic torpedoes and paralysis-inducing radiation and they are both determined to win the war for the American. The story is full of long and detailed descriptions of the technology used by the warring parties, accounts that confer a quality to the storytelling worthy of Jules Verne’s best work.

The protagonist gets to know both sides – at one point the Hans capture him and he is taken to the Han capital where he has the opportunity to see what life is like in the enemy’s most important city, allowing him to refine and adjust his strategy for the final battle. The fit and virile Americans destroy the capital of the evil, lazy, decadent and soulless Hans in the end, winning the war and eradicating the enemy.

One of the merits of the book is how accurately it predicts technological advancements that are common today – the internet, purchases from online vendors, devices that facilitate night vision, and wireless devices are all there in The Airlords of Han, making the story very familiar and very strange at the same time.
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