Terra SF 512, 31.03.1967
Deutsche Erstausgabe
Aus dem Amerikanischen von Birgit Bohusch
Titelbild : Karl Stephan
enthält die Stories
Mama Methusalem (Ole mother Methuselah, 1950)
Panik (A sound investment, 1949)
Die Pest an Bord (Plague, 1949)
Explore exotic new worlds in the celebrated and enduring classic of space travel on a cosmic scale, Ole Doc Methuselah mixes equal parts of vivid action, spectacle and mystery and a broad vein of humor to chronicle the voyages and exploits of Ole Doc Methuselah and his unique alien companion, Hippocrates. Ole Doc journeys through the universe as a member of the elite Soldiers of Light, a heroic physician who fights the disease, corruption and social/political upheavals that have spread through mankind's lost planetary colonies.Klappentext der 1992er-Ausgabe
He’s renowned throughout the universe, a star among stars . . . Ole Doc Methuselah is his name and saving the universe is his game. He journeys with his bag of tricks to the far corners of the cosmos, cutting out the corruption and cruelty and containing the warped psychology plaguing mankind. So if you’re looking for an adventure to remember, this is just what the doctor ordered.Klappentext galaxypress.com
Old Doc Methuselah is a "Soldier of Light". The Soldiers of Light are an organization of supremely skilled, extremely long-lived physicians whose prestige and authority are so great that they can go where they please and do very much as they please. At one point, a low-ranking character mentions that in his instructions for welcoming visiting dignitaries, Soldiers of Light are not mentioned. "Neither is God", is the answer he receives.Wikipedia über die 1970er-Ausgabe
Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.L. Ron Hubbard, 1948
Einige der absolutistischen Tendenzen der späteren Scientology-Sekte lassen sich bereits hier in diesen Geschichten nachvollziehen. Doc Methusalem, einer der unsterblichen Ärzte der Galaxis, besteht zusammen mit seinem Sidekick Hippocrates, einem Alien, Abenteuer und heilt ganze Planeten. Dabei schert er sich einen feuchten Kehricht um mehr oder minder demokratisch gewählte planetare Regierungen, sondern weiss aufgrund seines Alters und seiner umfassenden Kenntnisse immer alles besser.
Die Stories lesen sich auch heute noch gut, sind spannend und intelligent gemacht. In einem Leserbrief an Unknown zählte der junge Isaac Asimov 1940 seine zehn Lieblingsgeschichten auf. Drei davon waren von L. Ron Hubbard. Denn schreiben konnte er, das muß man ihm lassen. Aber man kann diese Geschichten nicht lesen, ohne sich der weiteren Entwicklung bewusst zu werden. John Tordoe hat dies im Independent schön zusammengefasst :
Given the cult surrounding L Ron Hubbard, part of the fun of these stories is to see the sort of universe he envisaged immediately before he embarked on the creation of scientology. [...]Cosmic fascists and blondes with long legs
In this case the Soldiers were a secretive group of benign super-doctors known as the Universal Medical Society: 'saluting no government, collecting no fees, permitting no infringement, the UMS became dreaded and revered as The Soldiers of Light and under the symbol of the crossed ray rods impinged their will upon the governments of space under a code of their own, more rigorous than any law.' [...]
Superficially, it is all glorious, innocent, adolescent nonsense, perfect for a holiday read. I just wish Hubbard's Soldiers of Light did not remind me quite so much of Heinrich Himmler's SS, that 'dreaded and revered' elite with its lovely silver shoulder flashes and beautiful uniforms, devoted to the cleansing of Europe.
Besser könnte ich meinen Eindruck dieser Geschichten auch nicht beschreiben.
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