A.E. van Vogt:

Plot Summaries
Carthing
A humorous short-short story dating from 1970, also published under the title "Chevrolet, I Love You."
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: February 26th, 2002
Cosmic Encounter
Something of a neglected gem, this is one of van Vogt's rarest and most obscure works, but it's also one of his most intriguing and complex. (This summary includes a special chart I created to keep track of the intricate time paradoxes described in the novel.)
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 3rd, 2003
Ghor: Kin-Slayer
An unusual multi-authored fantasy novel that includes van Vogt's chapter "The Gods Defied."
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: February 26th, 2002
The Ghost
Short story, one of the few fantasy tales he wrote in his lifetime.
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 14th, 2001
Haunted Atoms
A decidedly odd short story, hard to find. A haunted house tale with an SF rationale.
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: September 1st, 2003
Identity
Another rare short-short story, published only twice.
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: February 26th, 2002
The Patient
Fantasy story, originally published in Unknown Worlds. (Credited to E. Mayne Hull.)
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 14th, 2001
The People of the Wide Sands
Another of van Vogt's rare late works, this novel has only been published in German and French.
summarized by: Alexander Martin Pfleger
date: May 1st, 2005
The Perfect Day
A short SF story, published only once in German.
summarized by: Alexander Martin Pfleger
date: July 2nd, 2004
Renaissance
Probably van Vogt's worst novel, but not without some items of interest.
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 14th, 2001
Slan
Van Vogt's first novel is also his most famous. A tale of telepathic humans hunted and persecuted by ordinary humanity.

My detailed plot summary of Slan, along with a comparison of the 5 different versions of the novel, is part of a larger worked called Slanology, a comprehensive guide meant to be read as a companion to the novel. It covers virtually every aspect of the story and the fictional world where it takes place.

October 1st, 2011 — I've slightly revised Slanology from its original PDF publication, and it's now also available as a series of easy-to-use HTML pages.

summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: July 18th, 2007
To Conquer Kiber
This, one of van Vogt's last novels, is also his rarest, having been published only in French and Romanian.
summarized by: Denis Dubé
date: September 26th, 2010
The Ultimate Wish
Fantasy story, originally published in Unknown Worlds. (Credited to E. Mayne Hull.)
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 14th, 2001
The Wishes We Make
Fantasy story, originally published in Unknown Worlds. (Credited to E. Mayne Hull.)
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 14th, 2001
The Witch
Fantasy story, originally published in Unknown Worlds.
summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: November 14th, 2001
The World of Null-A
The first novel in the famous Null-A series.

This novel appeared in three different versions — the original 1945 magazine serial, the 1948 hardback version which was a complete re-write of the serial, and finally the slightly-revised 1970 paperback version. I have written a plot summary of all three versions, in parallel columns for easy comparison, in the form of a book-length study entitled The Three Worlds of Null-A.

For the moment, this study is available only as an outdated PDF document. However, I'm currently working on updating it, as well as turning it into a series of HTML pages.

summarized by: Isaac Walwyn
date: April 30th, 2003