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chrisshorb's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know why I keep reading these pre-1970 Hugo and Nebula nominees. This one was a Nebula winner!
So the first half was sort of a proto Harry Potter or Red Mars type of story. Young teen who is sort of annoying has experiences that seem to be molding them into a great hero. The world ship was really well done, in fact my favorite part.
But then Mia Havero is thrust into the crucible of the Trial. At this point the book falls apart, at least for me. Feels like the conflict between the Colons (Mudsiders is a worse epithet than Colon?) and the Ship folk could have been foreshadowed a bit more.
And then the epilog describes the Ship population voting to commit genocide? All agency taken from our heroine, and remanding it back to her father? It was pretty terrible. One of the reasons for exterminating the planetary population is that they may be slavers of a possibly sentient species. But then they decide to just kill everyone down side, including the slaves.
Some really good stuff here, but I can’t help but read this from my 2019 sensibility, and to my mind now, this book was lacking.
So the first half was sort of a proto Harry Potter or Red Mars type of story. Young teen who is sort of annoying has experiences that seem to be molding them into a great hero. The world ship was really well done, in fact my favorite part.
But then Mia Havero is thrust into the crucible of the Trial. At this point the book falls apart, at least for me. Feels like the conflict between the Colons (Mudsiders is a worse epithet than Colon?) and the Ship folk could have been foreshadowed a bit more.
And then the epilog describes the Ship population voting to commit genocide? All agency taken from our heroine, and remanding it back to her father? It was pretty terrible. One of the reasons for exterminating the planetary population is that they may be slavers of a possibly sentient species. But then they decide to just kill everyone down side, including the slaves.
Some really good stuff here, but I can’t help but read this from my 2019 sensibility, and to my mind now, this book was lacking.
jaredor's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A coming of age novel, this book is, by nature, character driven, but being a science fiction novel from the sixties it still is rather caught by the technological and philosophical ideas. Today this reads more like a YA novel, but it would have stood out in its time as one of the few that showed an adolescent girl having adventures.
jstamper2022's review against another edition
5.0
A coming of age story in a universe with no Earth. Ships carry all of human knowledge. Colony planets do not get this knowledge. They are backwaters, tough and ignorant, by design. the Ships trade a little bit of knowledge for resources. Kids are sent to colony world's to survive for a month on their own. when they return to the ship, they're adults. The book centers around Mia and her peers. Their experiences lead them to oppose current planetary policy and vow to change the way things are done to advance all humanity in the universe.
le_lobey's review against another edition
3.0
Nebula #4 (1969) Rite of Passage
Rite of Passage is an engrossing, if straightforward, Bildungsroman that follows the spunky Mia Havero as she prepares for her coming "Trial." Panshin's worldbuilding is the novel's greatest achievement, and Mia serves as an illuminating tour guide and observer of the society on her ship. Her observations and emotions fit well with the precocious child she is, and her multiple forays onto colonized planets do a good job of presenting both the character and readers with a cross section of how humanity has adapted to the abandonment of its home planet.
The novel concerns itself with Mia's moral as well as physical development, and Panshin uses the power of didactic storytelling again and again through parables told by the supporting cast in her instruction. It gets a bit tiresome, especially by the novel's overtly political denouement, but I did enjoy the recasting of the categorical imperative using the language of SF writing technique: Since we are all the heroes of our own stories, we should never treat anyone else as a mere "spear carrier" to be used and discarded.
Rite of Passage is an engrossing, if straightforward, Bildungsroman that follows the spunky Mia Havero as she prepares for her coming "Trial." Panshin's worldbuilding is the novel's greatest achievement, and Mia serves as an illuminating tour guide and observer of the society on her ship. Her observations and emotions fit well with the precocious child she is, and her multiple forays onto colonized planets do a good job of presenting both the character and readers with a cross section of how humanity has adapted to the abandonment of its home planet.
The novel concerns itself with Mia's moral as well as physical development, and Panshin uses the power of didactic storytelling again and again through parables told by the supporting cast in her instruction. It gets a bit tiresome, especially by the novel's overtly political denouement, but I did enjoy the recasting of the categorical imperative using the language of SF writing technique: Since we are all the heroes of our own stories, we should never treat anyone else as a mere "spear carrier" to be used and discarded.
leksikality's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
This is, quite possibly, the worst book I've ever read. 75% of the book is back story and detailed documentation of soccer scores.
It's meant to be some sort of analogy about judging differences but the promise made by the back cover and opening paragraph doesn't hold up.
I have a thing about not finishing books - it has to be truly, truly, truly awful for me to give up - but I came really close with this one more than once. I'm still not sure why I finished it.
It's meant to be some sort of analogy about judging differences but the promise made by the back cover and opening paragraph doesn't hold up.
I have a thing about not finishing books - it has to be truly, truly, truly awful for me to give up - but I came really close with this one more than once. I'm still not sure why I finished it.
nematome's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very thought provoking book about a young girl's mental awakening. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic society existing on a ship that has been hollowed out of an asteroid. In this universe, Earth has been destroyed and humans are either existing on these ships or eking out a living on dangerous and mostly uninhabitable planets. The ship dwellers, faced with high population pressure, devise a test for every fourteen year old. Each adolescent is sent to one of these planets for a month with limited supplies and is challenged to survive. As the story progresses, the main character approaches her 14th birthday and must face this life or death challenge.
I really enjoyed this book. There are great lessons here about prejudice and coming of age. Highly recommend!
I really enjoyed this book. There are great lessons here about prejudice and coming of age. Highly recommend!
lauralynnwalsh's review against another edition
5.0
This book has most of the things I really enjoy in a book - good story, interesting characters, and things that keep me thinking afterwards. While ship society isn't as richly imagined as I might have hoped, the build up to the Trial, the Trial itself, and the aftermath are carefully orchestrated to leave the reader with much to ponder and discuss. I would love to read this book with a group of adolescents.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
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It is interesting to me that, in the final debate about the fate of Tintera, NO ONE mentioned the fate of the Losels. I am presuming that anything done to destroy the human inhabitants of Tintera would also destroy any other living being on the planet. I don't see how they could wipe out thousands or millions of humans without also wiping out other living things, including the possibly sentient Losels.
This book is one reason why I enjoy science fiction - it takes an aspect of our society, distorts it in some way, and explores the consequences and therefore the implications of it. It doesn't quite rank up there with Ender's Game for me, but I really enjoyed it.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
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It is interesting to me that, in the final debate about the fate of Tintera, NO ONE mentioned the fate of the Losels. I am presuming that anything done to destroy the human inhabitants of Tintera would also destroy any other living being on the planet. I don't see how they could wipe out thousands or millions of humans without also wiping out other living things, including the possibly sentient Losels.
This book is one reason why I enjoy science fiction - it takes an aspect of our society, distorts it in some way, and explores the consequences and therefore the implications of it. It doesn't quite rank up there with Ender's Game for me, but I really enjoyed it.
leonf63's review against another edition
5.0
I came upon this story as a recommendation of the 10 best Science Fiction novels. It was written in 1968 and at only one point felt dated. It discusses some of the prevalent philosophical systems and moral relativity and human ability to justify horrific action.
I found the discussion of Heros and Spear-carriers (NPCs) to be a good tool for clarifying something I think most of us recognize but don’t quantify.
The other thing I strongly agreed with was the protagonist’s final thought on Capital Punishment.
Definitely a good read.
I found the discussion of Heros and Spear-carriers (NPCs) to be a good tool for clarifying something I think most of us recognize but don’t quantify.
The other thing I strongly agreed with was the protagonist’s final thought on Capital Punishment.
Definitely a good read.
oleksandr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a SF novel that won Nebula and was nominated for Hugo in 1969. Largely it is a product of its time, but there are messages relevant today as well.
Earth was destroyed by overpopulation but before that a number of faster than light colony ships were built from the hollowed asteroids and new colonies were seeded. It was impossible to give colonists neither machinery (which breaks too easily) nor knowledge how to make it (less plausible, but it is an important premise for the story). Now former colony ships with skeleton crews go from world to world and exchange pieces of information for colony’s produce.
Enter Mia Havero, 12 year old small black-haired girl, who lives on the ship. The ship’s society is quite small and rigid, it has too few people to have a market, so it is under a kind of communism, but without a significant suppression. The rejuvenation treatment allows people to live to a hundred. Fearing overpopulation, the strict eugenic system is installed, which women, who try to get more kids than their ‘share’ exiled from the ship (which is almost a death penalty). All children at age of 14 should pass a trial (also known as ‘the rite of passage) – to live for a month in a randomly selected colony world. ¾ of the book are about growing and getting ready for the trial.
It is one of the earliest young female protagonists in SF, and she is no blond sexy booby wonder. As several women suggest (including [a:Jo Walton|107170|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353809579p2/107170.jpg]), it is a rare case of a believable female character written by a SF writer. The story is much better understood as and answer to [b:Podkayne of Mars|50839|Podkayne of Mars|Robert A. Heinlein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388228048l/50839._SY75_.jpg|2534895] and juveniles by [a:Robert A. Heinlein|205|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192826560p2/205.jpg]. It is written in a similar style with some similarities (a competent youngster, strong willed character, wise older figure) but with significant differences (no moral rightness, a (quite modest) sex scene in a juvenile book!).
While the final is pretty interesting and unexpected, reaching it goes for a little too long and quite a few questions remain unanswered.
Earth was destroyed by overpopulation but before that a number of faster than light colony ships were built from the hollowed asteroids and new colonies were seeded. It was impossible to give colonists neither machinery (which breaks too easily) nor knowledge how to make it (less plausible, but it is an important premise for the story). Now former colony ships with skeleton crews go from world to world and exchange pieces of information for colony’s produce.
Enter Mia Havero, 12 year old small black-haired girl, who lives on the ship. The ship’s society is quite small and rigid, it has too few people to have a market, so it is under a kind of communism, but without a significant suppression. The rejuvenation treatment allows people to live to a hundred. Fearing overpopulation, the strict eugenic system is installed, which women, who try to get more kids than their ‘share’ exiled from the ship (which is almost a death penalty). All children at age of 14 should pass a trial (also known as ‘the rite of passage) – to live for a month in a randomly selected colony world. ¾ of the book are about growing and getting ready for the trial.
It is one of the earliest young female protagonists in SF, and she is no blond sexy booby wonder. As several women suggest (including [a:Jo Walton|107170|Jo Walton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353809579p2/107170.jpg]), it is a rare case of a believable female character written by a SF writer. The story is much better understood as and answer to [b:Podkayne of Mars|50839|Podkayne of Mars|Robert A. Heinlein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388228048l/50839._SY75_.jpg|2534895] and juveniles by [a:Robert A. Heinlein|205|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1192826560p2/205.jpg]. It is written in a similar style with some similarities (a competent youngster, strong willed character, wise older figure) but with significant differences (no moral rightness, a (quite modest) sex scene in a juvenile book!).
While the final is pretty interesting and unexpected, reaching it goes for a little too long and quite a few questions remain unanswered.
librarydanielle's review against another edition
5.0
while not particularly fast paced or even fantasticly written this was a powerful story. the simplistic writing added a depth that made the growth of the characters more striking. morality, ethics, prejudice, and stagnancy are all addressed (among others) in a manner that makes you think.