Durante siglos, la Dinastía Isher ha regido el vasto imperio que incluye la Tierra y otros planetas. El poder de la Dinastía sólo es controlado por los Fabricantes de Armas, un grupo de científicos que suministran dinero y equilibrio a las fuerzas políticas de la Dinastía. Ahora, por primera vez en la historia, hay un espía entre los Fabricantes de Armas. Él es el confidente de la joven Emperatriz. Entonces, ¿por qué es la misma Emperatriz, la que insiste en que sea asesinado? ¿Por qué siente ella este apasionado odio por el Capitán Hedrock? De repente, el brillante Capitán se encuentra entre dos poderes... y ni su increíble talento para sobrevivir puede ayudarle.

It is an entertaining book. The plot is too contrieved, but it's good fun. ( )

A very old classic scifi novel. Like so many of these that were written in the 30's and 40's, the technology is very dated. No computers, no internet, but they have FTL, blasters and other techno gimmicks that we haven't invented yet.

This is primarily about the conflict between Robert Hedrock, Weapon Maker representative and Empress Innelda. 4700 or so years in the future, Earth has been ruled by a single family for all of that time. Balanced against that ultimate power is the ultimate expression of the 2nd Amendment - the Weapons Makers sell defensive only weapons that can be sold to anyone, that are better than what the government has. It makes for an interesting conflict. Fun, short speculative fiction with still a little bit of relevance today. ( )

This is a pretty good book by Van Vogt. It is my third book by this author and I still have mixed emotions. I can't get enthused to read more of his works.

I much preferred his "The Weapon Shops of Isher". It was a better book. ( )

Two thousand years in the future, the solar system is united under the monarchy of the Isher family. To keep the government in check and ensure against tyranny, a guild known as the Weapon Shops has for generations provided technologically advanced arms to the citizens and maintained a close watch on imperial affairs. Naturally, this arrangement often sets guild and government at odds with one another.

The situation reaches a boiling point when Empress Innelda learns of a Weapon Shop spy among her court in the form of Captain Robert Hedrock. When the captain learns that Innelda plans to execute him, Hedrock mounts a bold and public defense, which results in his temporary expulsion from the palace. However, Hedrock learns that Innelda is concealing the existence of an interstellar drive from the Weapons Shops and the public in the hopes of bolstering Isher supremacy.

On this way out of the palace, Hedrock is arrested by officers of the Weapons Shops on the charge of subterfuge against the guild! He is brought before the council and interrogated about his mysterious background. When his answers fail to satisfy them, the councilmen order his execution. After mounting yet another daring escape, Hedrock sets out to reveal Innelda’s clandestine project to the world—an adventure which pits him against criminal elements on Earth and bizarre telepathic aliens in interstellar space…

A sequel to The Weapon Shops of Isher, The Weapon Makers begins as a fast-paced tale of intrigue that occasionally waxes melodramatic and, late in the plot, veers off course into ethereal concepts and bombastic language that feel contrived, especially during Hedrock’s encounters with the telepathic aliens. The story is a mélange of fantasy and science fiction that doesn’t always mesh well. Nevertheless, Van Vogt’s reputation as a master of imaginative fiction remains intact. ( )