Triplanetary
E.E. "Doc" Smith
Amazing Stories, 1934
Triplanetary is generally said to be the first of the Lensman series, one of the most famous and popular of the pulp era science fiction series. Often, both Triplanetary and First Lensman are considered prequels, setting the stage for Galactic Patrol. However, Triplanetary was indeed published, in serialized form, before any other book in the series, so has two claims to being the first instalment in the series, by both external and internal chronology.
I read this book because I had heard from many that the Lensman series was really quite good. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be true. While it is exciting enough, Triplanetary is overly moralistic, simplistic, and full of the purplest of prose. As far as I can tell from a quick scan, the rest of the books look much the same, although I am not inclined to spend much time on them.
Which is not to say that this is not an excellent example of 1930s adventure science fiction. It is hokey, but that doesn't for a second keep it from being exciting, and exciting is its raison d'être. Smith spends a lot of time with building an epic, world-controlling system of sinister aliens, but once the humans get involved things pick up, with spaceships, explosions, near-magical technological jury-rigging, serious heroes, and casual genocide. While none of the characters are likable, they all have their own, individual brands of psychopathy, and this leads to a rich, if dark, cast of characters.
Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone unless they are interested in the history of science fiction. However, it is hard to overestimate the influence this series had on early SF, so it is fair to categorize this novel as a classic, and perhaps, to give it a chance despite the rather disappointed reviews of younger generations of readers. Just know that you are in it for the adventure, not the literary merit.