Rating: 
Summary: Interestin
Review: I got this book for Christmas when I turned twenty. It sat on myself for years before I decided to read it, I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long. I think it is a great book...This one deserved a movie not Starship Troopers, even though that was an excellent book as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Old Fashioned High Adventure
Review: I hadn't read this one of Heinlein's in many, many years when I picked it up and was leafing through it in search of an answer to a trivia question. Doing this with any Heinlein novel is dangerous; in short order I was snagged into re-reading the entirety of this one. Heinlein has often been cited by many of today's scientists and engineers as their inspiration for getting into the sciences, and this book is a prime example of why. As the story of Matt Dodson, young man in training to be a Space Patrol officer, it is a very typical adolescent-to-man portrayal. The first half of the book deals with his training, from the rigorous testing to eliminate those who don't have what it takes to descriptions of the myriad of subjects an officer is expected to know. The second half details his experiences and on-the-job training as a school graduate, from long boring hours in space transit, to the finding of a missing Patrol ship, to his experiences in the art of negotiation with Venusian natives. At no point does this book ever become boring; I fully believe Heinlein could have written a twenty page exposition on watching grass grow and kept his readers totally engrossed. Some of the details he presents on the art of astrogation and space flight may go over the heads of some younger readers of this book, but it is precisely such details that will get those readers interested in studying such subjects. This book was written in 1948, and some allowances must be made for that reason, such as the description of Venus as mainly a hot and very wet but habitable planet (at the time he wrote this, this was one of the main scientific suppositions about conditions on the this planet). At the same time, it is quite incredible just how accurate he was in describing everything from rocket ship design, fuels, space walks, space sickness, space habitats, eating utensils designed for space use, the utility of a global peace-keeping force (such as the U.N., which was just being formed when this was written), and even predicted the use of microwaves for cooking (this prediction is hidden in a throw away one-liner comment, typical for Heinlein, as he quite correctly portrays the inventions of the future as mere commonplaces of their time). Some have called this a watered-down version of Starship Troopers, and there is some validity to this point, as there is very little of the heavy philosophy that characterized Starship Troopers here (although, like all of his 'juvenile' novels, there are strong threads running throughout on the importance of honesty, duty, personal responsibility, and the proper role of government), but much of the same flavor regarding military organizations. Other than Matt himself, the characterizations are somewhat one-dimensional, in some cases near caricatures drawn with broad strokes. This is not necessarily bad in a book intended for young readers, who have not yet reached the sophistication to see the world in many shades of gray, but is a little grating for the adult readers. The depiction of Burke, supposedly good enough to survive all the testing and early training for the Space Patrol, but so dunderheaded as to effectively kidnap a local Venusian 'mother' and not see anything wrong with his actions is especially grating. This book was the basis for an attempt at a TV serial: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet in the early fifties, and is very well suited to this type of treatment. The book is a fun, fast read. Adult readers may be disappointed in its lack of meaty subjects and sketchy characters, but it is near perfect for its intended audience.
Rating:
Summary: This book got me through Calculus....
Review: I have heard this book dismissed as "just another space cadet story." Check the date of publication (1948), this is THE first space cadet story. It started the genre. I've also heard it dismissed as a "kid's book." A "kid's book" would not have stuck in my memory for four decades now and provided me with inspiration and a model when I most needed it. A "kid's book" wouldn't have inspired me to stick out high school and college physics and mathematics instead of just throwing in the towel. It was remembering the example of this book, and _Starman Jones_, that got me through Calculus. I just wish the rest of the world would have lived up to the high ideals expressed in these books....
I recently reread this tale after many years. I was amazed at how "nondated" it was. Heinlein has a perfect description of cell phones and cell towers. Something else finally hit me too- this is where Gene Roddenbury got most of his ideas for Star Trek. Heinlein actuallly uses the term "the Federation." His Interplanetary Patrol is obviously the inspiration for Star Fleet with it's noble ideals, multi-cultural make-up (in 1948), it's commitment to keeping the peace, and it's 100 year record of keeping the peace (a phrase right out of Trek.) The importance of the Academy and its naval style of organization came from Heinlein, the Annapolis graduate. The way that the organization is entirely composed of officers and officers in training- that's also pure Star Trek. Heinlein wrote of all this almost 20 years before Star Trek aired....
Rating:
Summary: This book got me through Calculus....
Review: I have heard this book dismissed as "just another space cadet story." Check the date of publication (1948), this is THE first space cadet story. It started the genre. I've also heard it dismissed as a "kid's book." A "kid's book" would not have stuck in my memory for four decades now and provided me with inspiration and a model when I most needed it. A "kid's book" wouldn't have inspired me to stick out high school and college physics and mathematics instead of just throwing in the towel. It was remembering the example of this book, and _Starman Jones_, that got me through Calculus. I just wish the rest of the world would have lived up to the high ideals expressed in these books....
I recently reread this tale after many years. I was amazed at how "nondated" it was. Heinlein has a perfect description of cell phones and cell towers. Something else finally hit me too- this is where Gene Roddenbury got most of his ideas for Star Trek. Heinlein actuallly uses the term "the Federation." His Interplanetary Patrol is obviously the inspiration for Star Fleet with it's noble ideals, multi-cultural make-up (in 1948), it's commitment to keeping the peace, and it's 100 year record of keeping the peace (a phrase right out of Trek.) The importance of the Academy and its naval style of organization came from Heinlein, the Annapolis graduate. The way that the organization is entirely composed of officers and officers in training- that's also pure Star Trek. Heinlein wrote of all this almost 20 years before Star Trek aired....
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful, Classic BookThat is for Everyone
Review: I have just finished reading this book for the tenth time. Each time I find it humorous and enjoyable. It is written in a style that is easy to read. However, more complex ideas are also incorporated. The characters are easy to like and surprisingly realistic. The book presents a very interesting look at life in space as well as a political system. I would recomend it to anyone who likes to laugh. Recently I loned it to a friend of mine and she couldn't put it down. The book is a quick read and I would suggest it as an airplane book because it would easily distract you from the wretched airplane flight.
Rating:
Summary: PURE sci-fi, hard to find now days
Review: I love this book, it's real science fiction, when so often i find that everything is so clutters with Fantasy or some other stuff ( not that i mind but still...) this book was what they had in mind when they came up with the term SCIENCE FICTION!
Rating:
Summary: Fun for everyone
Review: I think this one was actually written more for both kids and adults . . . it's sort of a watered down Starship Troopers, but while that book was harsh and brutal, this one is much more lighthearted . . . there's some seriousness to it but it's more of the "aw gee whiz I hope we make it" type of deal. It follows the tale of a group of young adults who wish to join the Space Patrol, a guardian force (the quote they use as a slogan is the Latin form of "Who Watches the Watchmen" for those who read Alan Moore) that's fairly hard to get into (harder than the Marines, even!) . . . and so we witness the truimph and tragedy of these three or four youngsters as they go through training and more training to get to where they want to be. Most of the characters aren't what you'd call well rounded, Matt Dodson is about the best, Tex is utterly annoying, a good ol' boy redneck who if he mentioned is "Uncle Bodie" one more blasted time I was going to throw the book across the room, while the other two mostly are ciphers, sort of there to help the plot move along. Needless to say, the adventures they sustain are highly interesting, Heinlein interjects a lot of stuff that adults can think about, stuff about the role of a peacekeeping force, whether you can atom bomb your hometown, meaty stuff like that. The "golly gee whillickers" factor is pretty high unfortunately, but remember we're talking SF written for kids in the fifties, we're lucky that we have the sophication it does and Heinlein was light years ahead of just about everyone but Asimov. It winds up on Venus (again, weren't we just here in Between Planets?) and the natives there turn out to be the most interestingly worked out part . . . and even they're just tossed off. The climax comes completely out of nowhere (they can synthesize liquid oxygen . . . come on, but it was a different time kids) but it all ends happily and you can't complain that it's not entertaining. Again, light read that probably isn't worth the high paperback price today, but if you see it used snap it up for yourself or a younger relative, you won't be sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: My copy is so worn....
Review: I was lucky that my perants had a copy of this book sitting around for my whole life and discovered it early. No book has moved me as much as this one, especially when I was at a young age and just learning about life bumps.
This book should be on every boys reading list whether planning to join the Cadets or questioning there own fight to find out who they really are. This book is (was) the ultimate. Even now, grown beyond my adolescence I think fondly of this book that took me through my military training.
Rating:
Summary: A child's adventure story; an adult's classic
Review: It's too easy to dismiss Heinlein's juveniles as books for kids. Too easy, and too simplistic. As a kid, this was my favorite book about adventures in space. I just re-read it, and was amazed at the depth of presentation in a book easily enjoyed by children. The Venusian frame of mind is both alien and understandable. The ideas of boys becoming men, confused and excited by their new surroundings is real. And the approach to civic duty that a young officer learns, and his total inability to explain it to some civilians, is heart-breakingly real.
Rating:
Summary: Kip Russell always wanted to go to the moon
Review: Kip Russell always wanted to go to the moon. He was in his backyard in old space suit named Oscar. He's with his next door neighbor, Ellie, when they're abducted by aliens and go to the moon and other planets. Blair Colquhoun @cybertours.com
|
