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Summary: Thrilling tale from the master of Sci Fi.
Review: Robert Heinlein is the master of Science Fiction writing and this is perhaps his best novel of his early work. I first read this book when I was 12 and recently re-read it. It was every bit as good then as the first time I read it. A must have for Heinlein fans
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Summary: A turning point in my reading life.
Review: Rummaging through the library stacks when I was ten I found this book. It looked kind of good, so I gave it a try. Now, almost forty years later I can still recall every bit of it! It started me on a lifetime of science fiction reading and whetted my appetite for adventure, which 28 years of military flying has not sated. I am buying the book for my son for his tenth birthday. I can only hope that it does the same for him.
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Summary: Not the most famous of Heinlein's books, but worth reading!
Review: Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and Time Enough for Love are more familiar to readers than Tunnel in the Sky. But this novel of pioneering and coming-of-age is well worth reading.Rod,who is a kind of "everyman" character, sets off for his final exam in a survival course. The students can take up to a certain weight of any equipment they want, from the latest model laser blaster, a German shepherd dog, and in one case, a saucepan and a deck of cards, and are dropped by star gate on an uninhabited planet. Objective; to survive until the pickup signal a few days later. But something goes terribly, terribly wrong. The pickup signal never happens and the band of survivors, from various schools' classes, must join and form a society for surviving the completely primitive planet. How they band together and get over the natural personality frictions, use the little they have brought and how they survive all the unexpected challenges makes for exciting reading. The most appealing part of the book is that the protagonist Rod is NOT top dog, the big hero, but struggles along honestly and prevails. This is a charming book and shows Heinlein at his best in handling some of the emotions of young men.
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Summary: Tedious
Review: This book was awful. The plot was modest, but the characterizations and dialogue were third-rate. I was hoping to find that Heinlein (and sci fi) would be a whole new genre to explore, but if this represents the highest quality, it'll be a short exploration. I'm worried now about the other three of his I bought at the same time.
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Summary: I've read this many times, it's always great.
Review: This is an excellent adventure by the main charachter. I always enjoy the libertarian viewpoints countered with the mostly socialist/communist settings he portrays. Heinlein has this theme in many of his books, of moving from bondage in an overly controled society(and includes well thought out reasons to how society progressed to that state), to freedom and anarchary, then finding equilibriam between the two in a free, but structured society(this is also a strong theme in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'). This book couples that theme with coming of age, and survival. When I first read this book when I was 13 it prompted me to learn about survival and gardening, and when I just re-read it a few weeks ago(I'm 24 now) I reflected on the state of government and our place within. A thought-provoking, funny at times, tragic at times, and in all excellent as Heinlein always is. I highly reccomend this book.
Rating:
Summary: I've read this many times, it's always great.
Review: This is an excellent adventure by the main charachter. I always enjoy the libertarian viewpoints countered with the mostly socialist/communist settings he portrays. Heinlein has this theme in many of his books, of moving from bondage in an overly controled society(and includes well thought out reasons to how society progressed to that state), to freedom and anarchary, then finding equilibriam between the two in a free, but structured society(this is also a strong theme in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'). This book couples that theme with coming of age, and survival. When I first read this book when I was 13 it prompted me to learn about survival and gardening, and when I just re-read it a few weeks ago(I'm 24 now) I reflected on the state of government and our place within. A thought-provoking, funny at times, tragic at times, and in all excellent as Heinlein always is. I highly reccomend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: For a teenage boy, it doesn't get much better than this.
Review: This is classic sci-fi/adventure for the adolescent reader. The futuristic setting, the action/survival theme, even a hint of sexual tension -- what more could a teenage boy want in a book? And if it sounds as if I'm being tongue-in-cheek, I'm really not. I loved this book as a teen, and got a lot of enjoyment reading it again a couple of decades later.
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Summary: Almost my favorite Heinlein story
Review: This is my favorite of Heinlein's "juveniles" (although it really isn't a true juvenile) and almost my favorite Heinlein book of all time. This story about a class of high school students in Advanced Survival becoming marooned on a hostile world and learning to cope with its dangers, in the end setting up their own frontier society when it becomes apparent that the retrieval Star Gate has malfunctioned, is one of Heinlein's greatest stories, and it really transcends the juvenile rubric that's usually attached to it. It's basically like Robinson Crusoe in the 22nd century, except for the much larger cast of characters. And frankly, at the risk of appearing a cultural barbarian, I think it's much better than the Defoe volume, although, depending on which literary authority you consult, either Defoe's book (published in 1719) or Samuel Richardson's Pamela (published in 1740), is considered the first true novel--so I give Defoe credit for that. Anyway, having read both Robinson Crusoe and Tunnel, I recommend you read Heinlein's story first. You won't be disappointed. Tunnel in the Sky is shorter and more approachable than his longer, major adult novels like Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, or Starship Troopers. If you only read one Heinlein book, this should be it.
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Summary: Heinlein's best "young adult" novel
Review: This one is the finest entry in Heinlein's long series of "juvenile" (young adult) fiction. It's the tale of Roderick Walker, who comes of age during a "survival" exercise on another planet that goes horribly awry. Not much preaching here, though Heinlein (himself childless) is clearly out to tell adventurous young teens that their parents are stick-in-the-mud fuddy-duddies who don't know what Life Is All About. That patronizing nonsense aside, this is a straightforward, well-paced adventure story with an exciting plot and a couple or more or less engaging characters. Nor - this being one of Heinlein's pre-decline stories - does Lazarus Long show up in the "Dora" to rescue everybody, render the first two-thirds of the book moot, and spend the rest of the book having sex with all the new characters. After you've read Heinlein's best four books - THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE DOOR INTO SUMMER, and DOUBLE STAR - you can move on to this one if you're still interested. Or not.
Rating:
Summary: Heinlein's best "young adult" novel
Review: This one is the finest entry in Heinlein's long series of "juvenile" (young adult) fiction. It's the tale of Roderick Walker, who comes of age during a "survival" exercise on another planet that goes horribly awry. Not much preaching here, though Heinlein (himself childless) is clearly out to tell adventurous young teens that their parents are stick-in-the-mud fuddy-duddies who don't know what Life Is All About. That patronizing nonsense aside, this is a straightforward, well-paced adventure story with an exciting plot and a couple or more or less engaging characters. Nor - this being one of Heinlein's pre-decline stories - does Lazarus Long show up in the "Dora" to rescue everybody, render the first two-thirds of the book moot, and spend the rest of the book having sex with all the new characters. After you've read Heinlein's best four books - THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE DOOR INTO SUMMER, and DOUBLE STAR - you can move on to this one if you're still interested. Or not.
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