Children of the Lens cover art

Children of the Lens

Lensman Series, Book 6

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Children of the Lens

By: E. E. Doc Smith
Narrated by: Reed McColm
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £14.54

Buy Now for £14.54

Twenty years have passed since the events in Second State Lensman. Kimball Kinnison and his wife, Clarrissa, now have five children - the "Children of the Lens". As the offspring of generations of selected matings, they are the most brilliant and capable minds in the universe. Their mission: to conclude the Boskonian war.

Children of the Lens is the sixth and concluding volume of the classic Lensman series, long recognized as the greatest space opera ever written.

Hi-fi sci-fi: listen to more in the Lensman series.©2006 The Estate of E. E. "Doc" Smith and Virginia Kidd, Inc. (P)2006 Books in Motion. This recording is produced by arrangement with The Estate of E. E. "Doc" Smith and Virginia Kidd, Inc. Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Continue the series
The Vortex Blaster cover art
The Vortex Blaster By: E. E. Doc Smith

Critic reviews

"The most towering figure in science fiction, thanks to the enormous scope of his novels." (Isaac Asimov)
"If you wish to understand the roots of modern science fiction, you have to read the Lensman saga." (Allen Steele)
"A finalist for a special Hugo Award for All-Time Best Series, 'Lensman' is considered by many sf heads to be the greatest of the space operas and clearly a source for such successors as Star Trek and Star Wars." ( Library Journal)
All stars
Most relevant
I first read the Lensman Series over 30 years ago and the Audible version did not disappoint. Classic scifi and a really good listen.

Classic Scifi

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a must read story

the grand and masterly conclusion to the epic classic lens men saga

great space opera conclusion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Have acquired all 7 audiobooks in the Lensman series as always loved the books. I have kept them for this reason. However, the narration is poor, inaccurate pronunciation, appalling ‘voices’ for those of other races and worst of all horrendous phrasing. Did anyone actually listen to these books before putting them out? I have the last book to listen to but will need to give myself a break before steeling myself to endure the above faults again. It is such a shame that these books are spoiled by the narration.

Narration could be better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have enjoyed the Lensman series of novels since first reading them in paperback back in the 1970,s. Listening to them via Audible is an added pleasure. I cannot say I have enjoyed Reed McColm's style of reading. Like so many other listeners I find his style bland and at times irritating, but I enjoy these stories so much I guess I'll just put up with it.

Great Series, Great Conclusion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I first read the Lensman series over 40 years ago . The story still lacks nothing overall but it is clearly even more dated now (in some ways), than it was back in the 1970s. All of that said, these are still ripping good yarns!

The only downside (other than the dated science in places) is the narrator's slightly over-bearing/ bombastic tone coupled with stumbling pronunciation - although he is not unique in this.

No school like the old school?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews