Red Planet

Rating:
Summary: For one day, I was a child again...
Review: After reading _ RED PLANET_ (in one day), I was almost tempted to go outside and play act the story...as I would do during my childhood years. I had to remind myself that I was twenty years old now:) and couldn't playact anymore. This is *the* book that I would recommend for any parent searching for suitable science fiction novels for his/her child(ren). _RED PLANET_ has enough action to keep a young reader entertained, while managing not to insult said young reader's intelligence.

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Summary: Heinlein got it right from the beggining
Review: By my account this was only Heinlein's second book written in 1947. Even here in the beggining his writing style is overwhelming! That's what's always amazed me about Heinlein, the way he's able to comunicate his ideas so vividly yet so briefly. The script really flows.

The book is only 200 pages and revolves around a human boy growing up on Mars named Jim Marlowe. Even in this future there is still room for political strugle. The Marlowes live in a distant colony and are stunch pioniers. When they and other colonists are [troubled] by big city buricrats, it's time for a revolution. The story is good but not that dramatic.

It's interesting how in 1947 the pictured the future (now) so differently. They thought we'd have space ships and colonies on Mars. Yet Heinlein still writes about slide rules and tape players. They couldn't even concieve of PDAs and CDs.

Bottom line, if you like Heinlein you'll like this book. If you're new to Heinlein this might be a good one to start out with.

Rating:
Summary: Fine Heinlein juvenile, now rather dated
Review: Despite the similarities, this is not a prequel either for Stranger in a Strange Land or for Podkayne of Mars. In the former case, there is an incident in common--the tale of the crew member who dislikes Martians and goes after him out of sight of others, and mysteriously vanishes. In the latter case, there is mentioned in Podkayne a Martian Revolution against Company offices. These are merely common incidents, this is not a prequel/sequel to either.

The plot has been detailed in other reviews, and I won't waste ink on it. It should be noted that after Heinlein's death, certain paragraphs that were stricken by Heinlein's editors at Scribner were reinserted. They don't add much to the plot, but are interesting to read--a discussion of gun rights, in which Heinlein alter-ego Doc MacRae expounds on the right to carry a gun, a short passage at the end in which we are told Willis will remain in pupahood for many years, until long after Jim is an adult, and a few other short passages.

This is a very good adventure book, with the kids showing resourcefulness and spunk to evade capture and/or death. It is less serious than other Heinlein juveniles--no "good guy" dies, for example. We are taught about loyalty, the importance about carrying out one's word and the importance of respect for the community, among many other virtues.

A few quibbles--what is on Mars that makes it profitable to have it run by Earth-bound corporations? Seems like Heinlein's ignoring economics to make his points.

Rating:
Summary: Really good early Heinlein
Review: Heinlein is the ackwnoledged master of turn-of-the-century "juvenile" science fiction. Of course, the books are just as enjoyable for adults as they are for teenagers. That's what's so great about them: they are fun, enjoyable little romps that can be enjoyed by everybody; and, half a century later, they are still among the best in the genre. Red Planet is one of the best of these. Bearing no relation to the recent (and far inferior) movie of the same name, Red Planet is, in fact, a Heinlein creation that was truly original - written back when few actual facts were known about Mars, the Master just let his imagination run wild. And we're the better for it. It's one of his more serious juveniles, in a way: it has some pretty serious issues that it raises (including some strong morals and principles distributed thereby.) It has an overall good foundation. It also features one of Heinlein's best alter egos: Doc MaCrae. But these issues don't cloud the entertainment of the story like they do in some of his later books - but they are present, which is good. It gives the story a lasting ring and legitimacy that is lacking in so many similar books by other authors. That is what made Heinlein great. And there are few finer examples of it than this book; read it and find out for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: A "juvenile" story an adult can enjoy
Review: Heinlein wrote a number of "juvenile" science fiction novels before he started on the "more serious" work of his later years. "Red Planet" can be thought of as a prequel to Heinlein's first "serious" work, "Stranger in a Strange Land". The Martian society of "Red Planet" is one and the same as the Martian society of "Stranger in a Strange Land". Heinlein's earlier "juvenile" work is far, far better than his later "serious" writings with their turgid stories, pseudo-philosophical musings, and disturbing moral views. Stick to the juveniles: "Red Planet", "Citizen of the Galaxy", "Starman Jones", "Tunnel in the Sky", "Have Spacesuit Will Travel", etc.

Rating:
Summary: Skating on the Canals of Mars
Review: I believe the first time I read this book was in 1957, at age 9. At the time I thought this was a great book, and some of the images I painted in my mind while reading this stayed with me through all the intervening years. But time and science have marched relentlessly on since then, so I decided to look at this one again here in the 21st century. Alas, this book, unlike so many of Heinlein's other early novels, has not aged well. Revelations about the true conditions on Mars since this book was written push this book into the same fantasy realm as Burrough's Barsoom, and as the conditions on the planet form the underpinnings for all the action of this story, it severely detracts from the reader's willing 'suspension of disbelief'.

This is not to say that this is not a very good story, as it definitely meets all the requirements of a rollicking good read. Jim, his 'pet' Willis, and his friend Frank are two young men sent off to the Company sponsored school. Shortly after arriving there, a new headmaster is installed, who has very distinct ideas about what constitutes proper discipline, decorum, attire, and 'rights' the students should have. Naturally, this includes a 'no pets' rule, and Willis is 'confiscated'. While Willis is held prisoner, he gets to overhear an interesting conversation between the headmaster and the head of the Company. When the boys rescue Willis, due to Willis' ability to repeat verbatim whatever he has heard (complete with exact voice matches) they learn there is a plot afoot to disallow the migration that the colonists normally do each Martian year so they will not have to stay holed up throughout the Martian winter. How they manage to do something about this situation forms a fine adventure, and along the way we are introduced to the 'real' Martians. The Martians shown here are the same ones that later populate his Stranger in a Strange Land, complete with water-ceremonies and 'old ones', and are the most captivating items of this book.

Characterization is not excessively deep - it is very clear who are the good guys and who are not, and Willis makes a cute sidekick who has greater importance than is apparent at first glance. The human colony 'society' is not very well fleshed out (unusual for Heinlein), and in a couple of places this is irritating, with its assumptions of 'Ozzie and Harriet" family structures and the place of women in society.

For a young reader, the dating of this book shouldn't really be a problem - this is still a great adventure in a captivating setting. Adults may have more problems with this, but anyone looking for a little more about the Martians of Stranger in Strange Land should certainly give this book a look.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better Heinlein novels that I have read
Review: I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Heinlein's type of science fiction in general. The two books of his that I formerly read, Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers, both were based on interesting concepts, but fell victim to the author's preschoolish philosophies of religion and the military, respectively. While Red Planet is not entirely devoid of this type of analysis, its use is certainly limited in his so called "juvenalle" novel.

My interest in reading this book actually started when I was in sixth grade. Our class had to read Red Planet for an assignment. I think that there was even a cartoon series on Fox based on it. I don't remember liking the book a great deal then, but at that time I can't say that I had read a lot of sophisticated literature in general. I never did finish the book for school, and forgot about it for several years. I didn't know who Robert Heinlein was at the time, nor did I immediately make a connection with his later work that I read.

I guess about two years ago, I had a chance to see the horrible movie Red Planet for free. I was somewhat excited to see it, believing that I might be based on the book of the same title, but was sadly mistaken. I made me remember that I had never actually finished the book. I found it on Amazon, and later bought a copy.

I was originally surpized that the book was written by Robert Heinlein. After reading Stranger in a Strange Land, I though that his literature was mainly scifi that was used as a tool for this philosophies. Fortunately, this is not as much the case in Red Planet. While the story does contain several right wing message about the right to bear arms, and is obvisously a story about political autonomy, its core still contains and interesting and likable story. In my personal opinion, the book has more actual action and adventure that Starship Troopers, and a lot fewer, drawn out passages about Heinlein's personal beliefs. And there are Martians as well, unlike in Stranger in a Strange Land.

If you are not a fan of Heinlein, this novel is still quite enjoyable. It is somewhat childish compared with his other work, but this aspect adds to its universal appeal to all ages.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better Heinlein novels that I have read
Review: I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Heinlein's type of science fiction in general. The two books of his that I formerly read, Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers, both were based on interesting concepts, but fell victim to the author's preschoolish philosophies of religion and the military, respectively. While Red Planet is not entirely devoid of this type of analysis, its use is certainly limited in his so called "juvenalle" novel.

My interest in reading this book actually started when I was in sixth grade. Our class had to read Red Planet for an assignment. I think that there was even a cartoon series on Fox based on it. I don't remember liking the book a great deal then, but at that time I can't say that I had read a lot of sophisticated literature in general. I never did finish the book for school, and forgot about it for several years. I didn't know who Robert Heinlein was at the time, nor did I immediately make a connection with his later work that I read.

I guess about two years ago, I had a chance to see the horrible movie Red Planet for free. I was somewhat excited to see it, believing that I might be based on the book of the same title, but was sadly mistaken. I made me remember that I had never actually finished the book. I found it on Amazon, and later bought a copy.

I was originally surpized that the book was written by Robert Heinlein. After reading Stranger in a Strange Land, I though that his literature was mainly scifi that was used as a tool for this philosophies. Fortunately, this is not as much the case in Red Planet. While the story does contain several right wing message about the right to bear arms, and is obvisously a story about political autonomy, its core still contains and interesting and likable story. In my personal opinion, the book has more actual action and adventure that Starship Troopers, and a lot fewer, drawn out passages about Heinlein's personal beliefs. And there are Martians as well, unlike in Stranger in a Strange Land.

If you are not a fan of Heinlein, this novel is still quite enjoyable. It is somewhat childish compared with his other work, but this aspect adds to its universal appeal to all ages.

Rating:
Summary: This was the one that hooked me on science fiction!
Review: I first read this book when I was 12 and I've been hooked on Robert Heinlein and Science Fiction ever since. I remember how captivated I was with the life led by the Martian colonists and also how well Heinlein described the technology and integrated it into a fascinating storyline. As with all of Heinlein's early books, Red Planet is bound to fascinate any teenager who picks it up for a read

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Exciting and Thought-provoking - an excellent book!
Review: I first read this book when I was 14 or 15; now that my daughter is about that age, we made it a family read-aloud and I was surprised at the pleasure the book could still provide. Told from the point-of-view of a typical adolescent male, this story also features one of Heinlein's (in fact, one of Science Fiction's) most adorable pets - Willis, the martian "bouncer." This book contains many of the typical Heinlein themes - alien climes, the risks of power abused, the nature of sentience (an important issue in these times) and the hazards of assuming too much. A terrific book with surprising depth