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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Not as good as Rocketship Galileo or Red Planet but still a fantastic adventure!
The first Heinlein novel I ever read. I've reread it many times.
Reread June 1979.
Reread March 1979.
Read January 1976.
Reread June 1979.
Reread March 1979.
Read January 1976.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After “Starship Troopers,” I just had to check out more books by Robert A. Heinlein. So, I went to the library and picked up “Space Cadet."
I enjoyed it. I would say that “Starship” was much better. “Space Cadet” reminded me a lot of “Ender’s Game,” with how they were training the cadets, etc. I know this book was written in 1948, but still.
I was still a really interesting storyline. A lot more space stuff in this one, with a little more explanation … not too much but it was definitely borderline on the amount that I will tolerate.
One reason that I love Heinlein — at least so far — is that he doesn’t drag anything out. Generally, the major battle/scene/conflict comes in the last 75 pages. It is then resolved, etc. within those pages. He’s not one to have conflict, resolution, and then there’s another 100 pages to wrap things up. It’s able to stand on its own — no need for tedious wrap-up (::cough, cough:: Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” ::cough, cough::).
If you are going to venture into Heinlein land, I wouldn’t start with this one, but I wouldn’t necessarily skip it over either.
I enjoyed it. I would say that “Starship” was much better. “Space Cadet” reminded me a lot of “Ender’s Game,” with how they were training the cadets, etc. I know this book was written in 1948, but still.
I was still a really interesting storyline. A lot more space stuff in this one, with a little more explanation … not too much but it was definitely borderline on the amount that I will tolerate.
One reason that I love Heinlein — at least so far — is that he doesn’t drag anything out. Generally, the major battle/scene/conflict comes in the last 75 pages. It is then resolved, etc. within those pages. He’s not one to have conflict, resolution, and then there’s another 100 pages to wrap things up. It’s able to stand on its own — no need for tedious wrap-up (::cough, cough:: Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” ::cough, cough::).
If you are going to venture into Heinlein land, I wouldn’t start with this one, but I wouldn’t necessarily skip it over either.
3.5/5 (rounded up for nostalgia) Even if it isn’t quite Time for the Stars, I will always have a soft spot for the Juveniles.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Space Cadet is an old-school space academy/boarding school boy adventure story written back-in-the-day by Heinlein. Told in a simple voice, tt was fun and entertaining, even if there were portions that not-so-subtlety expressed Heinlein's opinions such as his optimism about what humanity could achieve and the necessity of being open-minded to other cultures, among others. I would've loved reading it as a kid, myself, but it might read as a bit slow and dated to today's young readers.
You’d probably pass this one up because of the title, but you’d be wrong. Yes, a lot of the plot is predictable, but it there is something interesting going on besides the regular academy and coming-of-age stuff. The Space Patrol is in charge of a global deterrent, orbiting nuclear weapons. The folk on the ground are so used to peace that even talking about the bombs is impolite. Could we make a lasting peace out of Mutually Assured Destruction? What kind of guardians would we need to make that work? The chill of the cold war spawns a bit of hope.
Heinlein’s Space Patrol has a lot in common with Doc Smith’s Galactic Patrol, but without the all-knowning Arisians to keep them on course. This time, it is all up to the humans.
Of course, Ender’s Game is the best space cadet novel of all time, but I think it is a lot stronger if you know which direction a space cadet story is supposed to go. There are always a couple of cadets who don’t make the grade because they aren’t moral enough, but we don’t expect them to be psychopaths. Space Cadet stands on its own, but if you haven’t read Ender’s Game, you now have another reason to read Heinlein first.
Heinlein’s Space Patrol has a lot in common with Doc Smith’s Galactic Patrol, but without the all-knowning Arisians to keep them on course. This time, it is all up to the humans.
Of course, Ender’s Game is the best space cadet novel of all time, but I think it is a lot stronger if you know which direction a space cadet story is supposed to go. There are always a couple of cadets who don’t make the grade because they aren’t moral enough, but we don’t expect them to be psychopaths. Space Cadet stands on its own, but if you haven’t read Ender’s Game, you now have another reason to read Heinlein first.
Only the 2nd Heinlein I’ve read. Not as impressive as Stranger in a Strange Land, but that’s comparing apples and oranges. The book obviously draws heavily on Heinlein’s military training, and does a good job of giving outsiders a peak into that world without being too instructive. My main complaint is the story arch came much later in the book. The initial set up read more like a journal than a story. That’s fine if I know I’m reading a journal, but I prefer to read journals of real people, even if they’re slightly fictionalized. I needed to know the story was going somewhere earlier on. There were a couple interesting philosophical and cultural questions to wrestle with. I’m enjoying the previous juvenile novel, Rocket Ship “Galileo” much more halfway into it.