Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter

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Summary: Lucky Starr And The Moons Of Jupiter
Review: There is a science-fiction series from Germany called Perry Rhodan, and Number Fifty-Three of that series (going by the numbers applied to the North American translations) is called Spybot!. What does this have to do with the Lucky Starr adventure I'm reviewing? Well, more than a little...because each novel uses the same gimmick when it comes to the identity of a spy hiding amongst the crew of a spaceship. I guess if you've read Spybot! I've now just spoiled Asimov's trick, but for the adult reader, the mystery may be pretty transparent anyway. I copped to it--but as I say, I've read Spybot!.

Dropping the Perry Rhodan comparison (except that Lucky Starr does have the charisma, and the commanding height, of Perry; there, now I'll cease), Lucky and his diminutive pal, Bigman, head for one of Jupiter's moons to try to find out how the Sirians know so much about the Terrans' supposedly secret new Agrav (Anti-gravity) propulsion system. They bring along a V-Frog (from Venus) that can detect true emotions in other beings...certainly a potential spy-buster if ever there was one. Unfortunately, Lucky's simple plan goes awry practically from the start, when the blue-collar contingent on the moon in question, Io, attempt to bully and bruise him right back into space (officers of the law are not wanted, where most of the workers are paranoid fugitive criminals from Earth). Things go from bad to worse when murder (sort of) strikes. Some kind of killer robot could be lurking. And the Commander of the inaugural Agrav flight is openly hostile over Lucky's meddling, practically apoplectic when our young hero insists on going along for the ride.

Asimov spins a terrific tale for the younger reader, with some science tossed in as well. Sure, it's outdated science from 1957, but his descriptions of the view as it could possibly exist from not one, but two, moons of the Big Planet, both revolving around Jupiter at fantastic speeds, really instilled a sense of wonder. Besides that, it's action and intrigue all the way, as Lucky struggles to unmask a spy, even after it may be too late, and the experimental ship is sabotaged, possibly doomed for a very long fall.

My first Lucky Starr adventure, and I feel lucky for sampling it.

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Summary: A good science fiction adventure for youth, even if dated.
Review: This is the fifth book in the Lucky Starr series, originally published under the pseudonym Paul French. In this volume, Starr and Bigman Jones travel to a moon of Jupiter to discover the cause of a series of accidents on a secret project to develop a space craft with an antigravity engine. They uncover a spy of Earth's enemy, Sirius. Jupiter IX is called Adrastea in the novel; however, now Adrastea is referred to as Jupiter XV (more (16) satellites are known now than were known in 1957). It is one of the closest moons to Jupiter's surface and could not be the moon referred to in the novel. In an introduction written in 1978, Asimov apologizes for some of the scientific inaccuracies in the story due to all of the new information that had been discovered since 1957. Besides the number of moons, Jupiter's magnetosphere would present severe difficulties to space travelers. The intense radiation field that surrounds Jupiter would be fatal to travelers unless some new method is available to counter the problem. It is also doubtful that the characters would have landed on Io due to its large degree of volcano activity (there are at least eight active volcanos). There is also evidence that Io forms a ring (or torus) around Jupiter consisting of ionized sulfur and oxygen. In 1989, it was discovered from infrared spectroscopy using Earth-based equipment that Io has hydrogen sulfide on its surface. The characters in the novel also land on Amalthea (Jupiter V). This moon, discovered in 1892, is small and has a low orbit. Also unknown in either 1957 and 1978 was the fact that Jupiter has a single faint ring encircling the planet, a ring not detected by Earth-based observatories.