Jumping Off The Planet

Rating:
Summary: I Was Surprised
Review: to find this in the adult section of the library. Libraries and publishers love to pigeonhole books (among other things) to certain audiences and I am concerned that someone really screwed up :-) .... The author certainly meant to to make the parents unsympathetic and selfish but they aren't over the top evil. They are just like some of the divorced parents I know. They are blind, deaf and dumb to the suffering they cause. This book would allow some people to see themselves as their children see them, maybe.

Rating:
Summary: Award winning Author does it again!
Review: Unusual and Absorbing, best-selling author David Gerrold has (once again) written a terrific page-turner. Full of rich characters, wry humor, and a staggering look at adolescence, JUMPING OFF THE PLANET is an exceptional story. Occurring over a landscape of time and space, Gerrold has created two of the most likeable characters in fiction. Easily one of the most memorable and enjoyable novels in years.

Rating:
Summary: SMART AND SASSY--WELL WORTH READING!
Review: When this book was recommended to me as a work of "young adult sci-fi", I was dubiously interested. Five pages into "Jumping Off The Planet", I was anxiously reading to find out more! One would hardly call this brilliantly realized sci-fi story suitable for "young adults" entirely, but it is told from the perspective of an intelligent, curious, 13-year-old boy.

When Charles "Chigger" Dingillian is approached by his mostly-absent father to take a little "vacation to the Moon" with him, Chigger figures it to be yet another empty promise made to him by one of his emotionally manipulative and unstable parents. The Earth was becoming vastly overcrowded, and disease-ridden, but such was life on the planet. Chigger had his music as escape, recently having "discovered" the raw emotional beauty of 20th century jazz musician John Coltrane. He plugged in whenever his mothers incessant harping and belittling became too much to handle...and that was most of the time. Caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle for him and his two brothers, Chigger decides that even if his father makes promises that he can't keep, he might as well accept his father's offer. Couldn't hurt. Little does Chigger know that his father, desperate, broke, and willing to do almost anything to save his own butt, is kidnapping them and involving them (without their knowledge) in a smuggling scheme "guaranteed" to make him rich. Nothing turns out as planned though.

As the tension escalates, and the anxiety between siblings, father, and new friends reaches increasingly higher levels of deceit and manipulation...Chigger realizes that his dysfunctional family is far more unsalvageable than even he knew. His decision to divorce his parents is only one of the incredible climaxes of this fascinating story. Though simplistic at times, it is only so because of the maturity level of its narrator. David Gerrold does an awesome job of believable storytelling...down to the finest details of life in the 21st century. Politics, national intrigue, and familial greed all escalate this satisfying tale. The ability of Chigger to absorb all that happens around him and still make an adult decision based on these facts, drew me in and held me until the very last page! I recommend this to everyone!

Rating:
Summary: SMART AND SASSY--WELL WORTH READING!
Review: When this book was recommended to me as a work of "young adult sci-fi", I was dubiously interested. Five pages into "Jumping Off The Planet", I was anxiously reading to find out more! One would hardly call this brilliantly realized sci-fi story suitable for "young adults" entirely, but it is told from the perspective of an intelligent, curious, 13-year-old boy.

When Charles "Chigger" Dingillian is approached by his mostly-absent father to take a little "vacation to the Moon" with him, Chigger figures it to be yet another empty promise made to him by one of his emotionally manipulative and unstable parents. The Earth was becoming vastly overcrowded, and disease-ridden, but such was life on the planet. Chigger had his music as escape, recently having "discovered" the raw emotional beauty of 20th century jazz musician John Coltrane. He plugged in whenever his mothers incessant harping and belittling became too much to handle...and that was most of the time. Caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle for him and his two brothers, Chigger decides that even if his father makes promises that he can't keep, he might as well accept his father's offer. Couldn't hurt. Little does Chigger know that his father, desperate, broke, and willing to do almost anything to save his own butt, is kidnapping them and involving them (without their knowledge) in a smuggling scheme "guaranteed" to make him rich. Nothing turns out as planned though.

As the tension escalates, and the anxiety between siblings, father, and new friends reaches increasingly higher levels of deceit and manipulation...Chigger realizes that his dysfunctional family is far more unsalvageable than even he knew. His decision to divorce his parents is only one of the incredible climaxes of this fascinating story. Though simplistic at times, it is only so because of the maturity level of its narrator. David Gerrold does an awesome job of believable storytelling...down to the finest details of life in the 21st century. Politics, national intrigue, and familial greed all escalate this satisfying tale. The ability of Chigger to absorb all that happens around him and still make an adult decision based on these facts, drew me in and held me until the very last page! I recommend this to everyone!

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced yet thoughtful science fiction. A+
Review: When this novel first slid across my desk, part of me was thrilled to have another David Gerrold novel to read, while part of me dreaded dealing with a story line wrapped around a dysfunctional family -- seen primarily from the perspective of an adolescent. I am now extremely happy to tell you that the story line reels you in, and moves along at a pace like a run away train. The characters are believable and wonderfully real in their strengths and weaknesses.

The "world building" that Gerrold did in creating this novel is reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke's "Fountains of Paradise" but in the Western hemisphere of a not-so-distant future. The balance of science to storyline is handled well, and the twists of story along the way are entertaining, if not exceptionally new. It is by no means a 'juvenile' novel, but instead should appeal to a much wider readership. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Terrible Disappointment
Review: Words escape me. I had really high expectations reading the other reviews of this book. I've read most of David's other work, and liked it. I also have to admit a secret fondness for science fiction written for the so-called juvenile audience. I really wanted to like this book, and I just didn't. The science part was up to par, but the story, the plot, and most of all, the chacters made my skin crawl. I will stipulate that this family probably exists in real life, but why write about it?