num_pages: 191
description: With the publication, in the July 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction magazine, of the story Seesaw, van Vogt began unfolding the complex tale of the oppressive Empire of Isher and the mysterious Weapon Shops. This volume, The Weapon Shops of Isher, includes the first three parts of the saga and introduces perhaps the most famous political slogan of science fiction: The Right to Buy Weapons is the Right to Be Free. Born at the height of Nazi conquest, the Isher stories suggested that an oppressive government could never completely subjugate its own citizens if they were well armed. The audience appeal was immediate and has endured long beyond other stories of alien invasion, global conflict and post war nuclear angst.
language: English
title: The Weapon Shops of Isher
titlecomplete: The Weapon Shops of Isher
genres: Science Fiction, Classics, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Space Opera, Short Stories, Dystopia, Time Travel, Speculative Fiction
ratings_count: 4697
series: The Empire of Isher
awards: awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Prometheus Hall of Fame Award
publisher: Pocket Books