Triplanetary

Advice for the reader: If you want a better reading experience, completely skip the first two "books' of this work, and read only the third "bool", which it titled Triplanetary.

If you're still inclined, go back and read the first two books just for the fun of it, because it won't have any material impact on the story you've just read, except to explain the vague and irrelevant references to a battle over Earth between two ancient super-races, neither of which plays a central or even meanikngful role in the thrd book.

In other words, the first two books are simple padding, intended to run up the word count and generate a better payday for the writer. Their existence does help explain the sequels a tiny bit, but not so much that Smith could avoid going over some of the same ground again in the next volume. "First Lensman".

This story is wholly consistent with other Smith works of this era and topic: fearless superheroes, bright, plucky, emotional and deferential love interests, ghastly alien enemies, super powered spaceships and weapons, and not least over the top exposition.

It's as pulp Space Opera as you can get, so if that's your goal, you'll find it in great quantity here. Otherwise, it's florid language and sexism show the dated nature of the work.