author children of the lens 
Fantasy Press was an American publishing house specialising in fantasy and science fiction titles . Established in 1946 by ___MASK28___ in Reading , Pennsylvania , it was most notable for publishing the works of authors such as Robert A . Heinlein and E . E . Smith . One of its more notable offerings was the Lensman series . ___MASK28___ ( June 20 , 1910  October 29 , 2003 ) was an American science fiction fan , publisher and writer , secular and religious publisher , and minister . Science fiction ( often shortened to SF , sci - fi or scifi ) is a genre of speculative fiction , typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology , space travel , time travel , faster than light travel , parallel universes , and extraterrestrial life . Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific and other innovations , and has been called a " literature of ideas ." It usually avoids the supernatural , and unlike the related genre of fantasy , historically science fiction stories were intended to have a grounding in science - based fact or theory at the time the story was created , but this connection is now limited to hard science fiction . Time travel is the concept of movement ( such as by a human ) between certain points in time , analogous to movement between different points in space , typically using a hypothetical device known as a time machine , in the form of a vehicle or of a portal connecting distant points in time . Time travel is a recognized concept in philosophy and fiction , but traveling to an arbitrary point in time has a very limited support in theoretical physics , and usually only in conjunction with quantum mechanics or wormholes , also known as Einstein - Rosen bridges . In a more narrow sense , ___MASK79___ - way time travel into the future via time dilation is a well - understood phenomenon within the frameworks of special relativity and general relativity , but advancing a large amount of time is not feasible with current technology . The concept was touched upon in various earlier works of fiction , but was popularized by H . G . Wells ' 1895 novel " The Time Machine ", which moved the concept of time travel into the public imagination , and it remains a popular subject in science fiction . Children of the Lens is a science fiction novel by author Edward E . Smith , Ph . D . . It was first published in book form in 1954 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 4 , 874 copies . It is the last book in Smith ' s Lensman series . The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding beginning in 1947 . The Children of the Lens are the culmination of the Arisian breeding program , and are to be their weapons in the final assault on Eddore . The book introduces the five Kinnison children : Kit , Camilla , Constance , Karen , and Kathryn . Born with the abilities that Second Stage Lensmen possess only through years of intensive training , they become the Third Stage Lensmen with abilities that even the Arisians do not fully understand . Here , battles between massive fleets and super - weapons no longer have the main role . The battles may be just as intense , but most are more low keyed , with brains and subtle maneuvering being more important than who has the biggest fleets and most powerful weapons . ___MASK57___ ( also E . E . Smith , E . E . Smith , Ph . D ., E . E . " Doc " Smith , Doc Smith , " Skylark " Smith , or  to his family  Ted ; May 2 , 1890  August 31 , 1965 ) was an American food engineer ( specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes ) and an early science - fiction author , best known for the " Lensman " and " Skylark " series . He is sometimes called the father of space opera .