The Weapon Shops of Isher by A.E. van Vogt

(pb; 1951)

From the back cover

“The empire of Innelda Isher─dictatorial, proud, universal, unrivalled in power. Except for the Weapon Shops─buildings that appeared at will, urging citizens to purchase weapons that the government couldn’t defeator duplicate. And when the police, and the army, tried to stop this subversive sale they found that the Shops were impregnable fortresses open to all but soldiers and policemen.

“Into this explosive deadlock was thrust a man of the present, himself a weapon of time, threatening to end both the Weapon Shops and the Empire of Isher!”

Review

Weapon is a timely (in a potentially disturbing way), clever and fun science fiction novel with deftly stated anti-authoritarian themes and atypical characters. There’s even a worthwhile twist or two in this brainy mix of well-defined characters, lean action sequences, and often unpredictable setups. Good short read of a fragmented tale (it originally was a trilogy of linked stories*), worth reading.

[*Story titles: “The Seesaw,” “The Weapons Shop” and “The Weapon Shops of Isher,” published in Astounding Tales and Thrilling Wonder Stories. “The Seesaw” was originally published in the July 1941 issue of Astounding Tales as an anti-Nazi work.]