this novel is a fix-up of three short stories from the 1940s and it shows.

One third of the novel is just barely connected to the main plot and in general it reads episodic. Typically for "golden age" sci-fi there is a lot of "handwavium" included (e.g. guns that only shoot in self-defense).

That said, there's a reason that van Vogt is still read and still sparking discussions to this day and that are the ideas included in his writing.

You might not agree them (mostly I don't) but they give you food for thought.