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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Fun reading Heinlein juveniles. They were just as good as his adult books. Rare that any Heinlein book is bad. Maybe compared to his own work but his average book would be what many authors would love to come close to equaling.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
This is a fun quick read about young men who want to join Space Patrol, a sort of a moral police force for the galaxy. Two-thirds of the book is about their education period and the final portion is the first mission for three of the young men, which is appropriately dangerous and exciting.
The references are a bit dated, the plot pivots are a little abrupt, and the last minute aliens a bit underfleshed, but the story made me finish it in 2 sittings, and any story that can make me do so is a decent enough read. 3.75 stars
I remember reading this book (and it's first edition cover) in my elementary school library. It was fantastic and I hope to read it again someday.
decent short story from Heinlein's early writings. But has dated unfortunately, still his ideas of space travel hold up and it's obvious that Star Trek owes something to this book.
The question of "what did Heinlein really think?" is open to debate. Is he a free love hippie, a la Stranger in a Strange Land? The ur-fascist militarist of Starship Troopers? The staunch survivalist of Time Enough for Love? The creepy racist and incest fan of books which shall not be mentioned?
I think that the 'real Heinlein' is on display here, in Space Cadet. Sure, it's one of his juveniles, but it deal with big issues, like what kind of people and institutions can be trusted to police a solar system and control forces which could wipe out all of humanity. The main characters are appealingly competent, well-meaning problem-solvers who through ingenuity, endurance, and diplomacy overcome the hazards of Space Patrol training, the asteroid belt, and the swamps of Venus. The book is solidly hard sci-fi, some hand-waving aside (waste products from nuclear rockets, the short range of radios, swamps on Venus), both in technology and sociology.
Now, the only open question I have is, is this a better book than Have Spacesuit, Will Travel?
I think that the 'real Heinlein' is on display here, in Space Cadet. Sure, it's one of his juveniles, but it deal with big issues, like what kind of people and institutions can be trusted to police a solar system and control forces which could wipe out all of humanity. The main characters are appealingly competent, well-meaning problem-solvers who through ingenuity, endurance, and diplomacy overcome the hazards of Space Patrol training, the asteroid belt, and the swamps of Venus. The book is solidly hard sci-fi, some hand-waving aside (waste products from nuclear rockets, the short range of radios, swamps on Venus), both in technology and sociology.
Now, the only open question I have is, is this a better book than Have Spacesuit, Will Travel?
2.5/5 This was underwhelming. I listened to it rather than read it, but it is the fashion to include that as a book read I guess. I think his later stuff is substantially better, like Stranger Ina Strange Land.