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In Anne Provoost's In the Shadow of the Ark, Re Jana and her fishing family have fled their overflowing marshes to find work with thousands of others in the desert territory of the Rrattika: "the people who wander." One of the wanderers, a mad man named Noach, is building a huge ship in the middle of the desert. Re Jana's father, a shipwright, reluctantly joins the community of workers who have made their homes at the base of the ark. Re Jana, a healer and masseuse, charms Ham, one of Noach's sons, with her scented oils and her talent for divining a particularly sweet water source. She is initially amused, and then slowly alarmed at his insistence that his father's god will create a flood mighty enough to lift the great ark from the desert floor. Despite the fact that Ham chooses another woman for his wife, Re Jana is sure that his true love for her and her family will insure them a place upon the ship, should the rains really come. Her father, hedging his bets, builds a boat in secret, hoping to cheat Noach's god, who has declared that only Noach and his family will survive the looming deluge. As Re Jana struggles to understand how any god could be so unfeeling as to wipe out all life, the waters begin to rise. As the terrifying prophecy unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear to the doubters that Noach's mad ravings were true. Will Re Jana and her family survive the flood? For the sake of all mankind, they must try.
Belgian author Anne Provoost has taken a familiar Bible story and created an epic so panoramic that we see this long vanished world through new eyes. Provoost is a powerful storyteller who creates secondary characters that are just as vibrant and luminous as her curious and questioning adolescent narrator. Readers will ache with the foreknowledge of the story's end, hoping that the people they have come to know and cherish will escape their seemingly inevitable fate. Weaving together timeless themes of justice, faith, love and hope, In the Shadow of the Ark is at once classic and immediate, completely familiar, and yet radically indefinable. Masterpiece is not too strong a word to describe this all-encompassing story. Pair it with Elsie Aidinoff's The GardenThe Garden or The Red Tent by Anita Diamant for a provocative mother-daughter book discussion.--Jennifer Hubert
Book Description
It was the rising waters that chased Re Jana's family from their home in the marshes. To the desert they fled, following the trail of animals and people who had gone before them. And there, in the dry center of the desert, rose the frame of a boat of unprecedented proportions, Noah's ark.
Even as she falls in love with the builder's son, Ham, and panic spreads in the gathered tribes, Re Jana questions all that she hears and believes her family will be saved, even as the deluge begins and the doors to the ark are sealed.
Customer Reviews:
Lost in Translation?.......2007-08-08
Although the subject matter was interesting, and yes, though provoking, the writing style was not enjoyable. Perhaps that is due in part to reading a translated version of the book.
Sordid and Depraved.......2007-08-01
I hated this book. And I am in no way a follower of "the unnameable one". I enjoyed The Red Tent and will continue to seek out that type of fiction among others, because I found it interesting.
I only got through this because I listnened on audio, and boy do I wish I had listened to something else for that ten hours. The beginning was somewhat interesting, realistically laying out how this ark building and filling business would have taken place. If this would be made into a movie it would have to be rated "NC-17". And not in a good way. Rape after overly convenient suicide after beating after rape. I kept waiting for some slight ray of light to come through. It never did. We just ended up getting a big dose of justification for racism, like a slap in the face. I found it sickening. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at that, considering the source material! Do yourself a favor and avoid it.
Now we know what happened to the Dodos!.......2007-06-15
I was dissapointed in many ways with this book. I loved The Red Tent and was hoping for a similar story based upon the Bible. Instead it was so far-fetched it seemed like a comedy in areas. Some parts were good but then something ridiculous or obscure would be thrown in leaving me ready to put the book down. I finshed it because it was for my book club and I am interested to hear the other thoughts on this book.
In the Shadow of the Ark.......2007-01-16
A well told tale with good description. It is hard to retell the Biblical stories, but I think the author did a pretty good job. It held my interest, but I am not sure that I would recommend it to others, I just don't know.
In the Shadow of the Ark.......2007-01-12
I really did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I thought the plot line plodding and uninteresting. I have enjoyed other Anne Provoost's books more.
Book Description
At an event honoring Daisy Bates as 1990's Distinguished Citizen then-governor Bill Clinton called her "the most distinguished Arkansas citizen of all time." Her classic account of the 1957 Little Rock School Crisis, The Long Shadow of Little Rock, couldn't be found on most bookstore shelves in 1962 and was banned throughout the South. In 1988, after the University of Arkansas Press reprinted it, it won an American Book Award.
On September 3, 1957, Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to surround all-white Central High School and prevent the entry of nine black students, challenging the Supreme Court's 1954 order to integrate all public schools. On September 25, Daisy Bates, an official of the NAACP in Arkansas, led the nine children into the school with the help of federal troops sent by President Eisenhower-the first time in eighty-one years that a president had dispatched troops to the South to protect the constitutional rights of black Americans. This new edition of Bates's own story about these historic events is being issued to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the Little Rock School crisis in 2007.
Customer Reviews:
a great work of the civil rights era.......2002-11-03
Daisy Bates work is a very important document from the era of civil rights. Although it is not an actual account of one of the nine students who integrated Central High, it is very close. Bates was right there directing the operation, making sure the students were protected, and made sure that the children were encouraged to go ahead with their duty. I don't think I would have been able to send those kids in to that school, with all those hateful students. I hope Arkansas and the citizens of Little Rock apologize every day for what they did to those nine children.
reap the bitterness of despair........2002-06-18
THE LONG SHADOW OF LITTLE ROCK is an interesting book. The story of Daisy Bates, civil rights activist, newspaper writer, officer in the NAACP, is a story of hate and bitterness and constant battling against the whites in her state of Arkansas. It is supposedly the story of the intergration of Central High School in 1957 by 9 black youths under the sponsorship and "guidance" of Mrs Bates and the NAACP yet it more often reads as a chronicle of Mrs. Bates's successes and failures and her importance in the intergration. It is a one-sided view of an important occurance in the civil rights battle.
The reader must always keep in mind that the book was first published in 1962 (there is a preface by Eleanor Roosevelt) as the civil rights movement began taking on a more violent tinge. If you read it knowing the time period it was written in and the circumstances in the country and in the civil rights movement you can get through the pervasive hate and bitterness. Even Mrs. Roosevelt, herself concerned with the civil rights issue, comments on the bitterness of the volume.
It would be interesting to read Melba Beals WARRIORS DON'T CRY in conjunction with this book - because perhaps then the real truth of the Little Rock experience would be known. Beals did not care for Mrs. Bates and her experiences at Little Rock are covered in a very brief paragraph in Bates' book while other students, such as Minnijean Brown, enjoy pages of coverage. It makes you wonder whether Beals's story is true or a conglomeration of all the acts committed against the other students and if Mrs. Bates truly was concerned for the children at Little Rock or the press coverage.
A good read but one that must be read with the knowledge of the times, the attitude of the times and an open heart. Mrs. Bates recently died - and her book is an important read in the study of civil rights despite the anger, hate and bitterness of the writing.
Great Account.......2000-12-08
Daisy Bates was an integral figure in the integration of Little Rock Central High School. As president of the State Conference of NAACP branches, she was very active in the fight for black rights. Hers is an eloquent account of a highly volatile situation. She effectively compares her views with other accounts of people that were there, and the writing is very fluid and moving.
blah.......1999-02-09
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Product Description
This Audiofy audiobook chip packs Marguerite Gavin's full 8 hour reading of "In the Shadow of the Ark" on a tiny memory card. A single Audiofy audiobook chip, hardly larger than a stamp, holds a complete digital audiobook, and saves the last listening position automatically, unlike CDs. With an SD memory card slot or low-cost adapter - like those for digital cameras - this Audiofy audiobook chip can be played on Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh desktop computers or laptops (Microsoft Windows XP/2000/Me/98, or Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above) or transferred to Apple iPod media players. Audiobook chips also move seamlessly to most Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld PDAs with SD expansion slots, as well as Treo and Windows Mobile "smartphones" (Palm OS 5.2 or Windows Mobile 2002 and above)... Rising waters forced Re Jana's family from their home to the desert, where there arose Noah's ark, a boat of unprecedented proportions. As she falls in love with the builder's son, Ham, Re Jana believes her family will be saved, even amidst the spreading panic.
Average customer rating:
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Shadows over Sunnyside: An Arkansas Plantation in Transition, 1830-1945
Manufacturer: University of Arkansas Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1557282838 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Kliatt, published by Kliatt on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 315 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: In the Shadow of the Ark.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Audiobook Review)
Author: Pat Dole
Publication:
Kliatt (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: Kliatt
Volume: 39
Issue: 2
Page: 53(1)
Article Type: Audiobook Review, Brief Article, Young Adult Review
Distributed by Thompson Gale
Average customer rating:
- One of the first from one of the best
- Good read.
- Nice Hardcover Edition, But No Illustrations
- Great intro to Heinlein
- This book got me through Calculus
|
Space Cadet
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Heinlein, Robert A. | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Hardcover | Heinlein, Robert A. | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0765314509
Release Date: 2005-11-29 |
Book Description
This is the seminal novel of a young mans education as a member of the Solar patrol, an elite, paternalistic non- military organization dedicated to preserving human civilization. Space Cadet is a provocative parallel to Heinleins famous later novel, Starship Troopers (which is about the military). Only the best and brightestthe strongest and most courageous ever become Space Cadets. At the Space Academy, they train to become part of the elite guard of the solar system. The patrol accepts missions others fear, takes risks no others dare, and upholds the peace of the solar system for the benefit of all. Before Matt Dodson can earn his rightful place in the ranks, his mettle will be tested in the most severe and extraordinary waysways that change him forever, from a midwestern American boy into a man of the Solar Patrol.
Customer Reviews:
One of the first from one of the best.......2007-06-03
Heinlein practically invented the sf juvenile novel (deliberately "juvenile," that is), and they still read pretty well. Of course, after sixty years, there's a bit of a culture shock -- "Mom, what's a slide rule?" -- but you can ignore all that. The principles of physics haven't changed, though, and you'll pick up quite a bit, which is never a bad thing. Matt and Tex and their two off-world friends, after several days of grueling tests, are newly inducted cadets of the Solar Patrol, enforcement arm of the Solar Federation and this is the story of their first couple of years of education and training, and of the nature of friendship and morality. Sure, the notion of a "space cadet" is a tired old trope -- but Heinlein invented it. Actually, it's not even a four-year academy, nor is there a standardized curriculum, beyond the most obvious math and engineering courses. They're more guardians than military. Heinlein's social ideas can sometimes be intrusive, but not this time, nor are the lessons he wants the reader to learn. In fact, there are a lot of interesting and thoughtful takes on what space-based training could be. Still a fun read.
Good read........2006-07-18
Follow young Matt Dodson as he enters the academy in hopes of becoming a Space Cadet. Matt makes friends with Tex, who always has amusing tales about his Uncle Bodie, and a few others, as lessons are learned ... usually the hard way.
Space Cadets are the elite guard of the solar system. They accept missions others fear, take risks no others dare, and uphold the peace of the solar system for the benefit of all. (Much like the Jedi Order!) This novel will take you from Earth, to Mars, to Venus, and beyond. Matt and his friends are tested in the most severe and extraordinary ways that will change them forever, but still not prepare them for the alien treacheries that await.
**** If you have never read a novel by Robert A. Heinlein, then please keep in mind that this was written in the year 1948. The author renewed the copyright in 1975. I stress this because even though the story begins in July 2075, there are a few references to events that supposably happened in OUR past, such as the notation of the person who created the Patrol's Tradition who lived 1969 - 1996.
The fact that Robert A. Heinlein's novels are still being published today clearly expresses how outstanding readers find his science fiction novels. Once you read this, or any other novel by Heinlein, you will have no doubt as to how the man came about being crowned "The Master of Science Fiction". ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Nice Hardcover Edition, But No Illustrations.......2006-05-20
I'm always glad to see the Heinlein's re-issued, particularly in nice hardcover editions, suitable as permanent additions to your home bookcase. There's one weakness of this (and other) re-issues: the wonderful Clifford Geary illustrations found in the original Scribner edition have been left out. For those who remember reading library copies of the Heinlein juveniles, you'll probably miss their absence.
The story itself, while not my top favorite, is still wonderful and a must for anyone who enjoys vintage Heinlein.
Great intro to Heinlein.......2006-02-17
Is this the best book Robert Heinlein ever wrote? No. Will fans of other Heinlein books recognize the Sci-Fi Master's style and philosophy? Yes. This book is a great introduction to Robert Heinlein, especially for a younger reader just starting out. It captures the philosophy which was an important part of all of Heinlein's military sci-fi, but is shorter than some of his later works and written in the tradition of his "juvenile" fiction. However, I would have to agree that it will still be entertaining for adult readers. Like all great writing, this book has several layers which readers will discover as they reread it as they age. All-in-all this is a wonderful book. If you are looking for a perfect gift for a younger fan of science fiction, look no further.
This book got me through Calculus.......2006-02-11
_I have heard this book dismissed as "just another space cadet story." Check the date of publication (1948), this is THE first space cadet story. It started the genre. I've also heard it dismissed as a "kid's book." A "kid's book" would not have stuck in my memory for four decades now and provided me with inspiration and a model when I most needed it. A "kid's book" wouldn't have inspired me to stick out high school and college physics and mathematics instead of just throwing in the towel. It was remembering the example of this book, and _Starman Jones_, that got me through Calculus. I just wish the rest of the world would have lived up to the high ideals expressed in these books....
_I recently reread this tale after many years. I was amazed at how "nondated" it was. Heinlein has a perfect description of cell phones and cell towers. Something else finally hit me too- this is where Gene Roddenbury got most of his ideas for Star Trek. Heinlein actuallly uses the term "the Federation." His Interplanetary Patrol is obviously the inspiration for Star Fleet with it's noble ideals, multi-cultural make-up (in 1948), it's commitment to keeping the peace, and it's 100 year record of keeping the peace (a phrase right out of Trek.) The importance of the Academy and its naval style of organization came from Heinlein, the Annapolis graduate. The way that the organization is entirely composed of officers and officers in training- that's also pure Star Trek. Heinlein wrote of all this almost 20 years before the television show aired....
_It used to bother me that the Heinlein that wrote this book and the Heinlein that wrote _Stranger in a Strange Land_ and all that came afterward seemed like two different men. I now think that I understand that too.
Average customer rating:
- Matthew Dodson, Space Cadet!
- Good read.
- Some things not scifi anymore
- The future I wanted but didn't get.
- Choice Juvie Sci-Fi by A Master of the Genre
|
Space Cadet
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Heinlein, Robert A. | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345353110
Release Date: 1987-10-12 |
Book Description
Only the best and brightest -- the strongest and the most courageous -- ever managed to become Space Cadets. They were the elite guard of the solar system, accepting missions others feared, taking risks no others dared, and upholding the peace of the solar system for the benefit of all.
But before Matt could earn his rightful place in the ranks, his mettle would be tested in the most severe and extraordinary ways -- ways that would change him forever but would still not prepare him for the alien treacheries that awaited him on strange worlds far beyond his own.
Customer Reviews:
Matthew Dodson, Space Cadet!.......2006-10-29
My title does not have the ring that "Tom Corbett: Space Cadet" had, which was based on this Robert A. Heinlein book, but it is more accurate. Matthew Dodson sounds like a plain, ordinary person, and that was Heinlein's intent. Heinlein's belief always was that the backbone of America was the everyday person doing their job.
Matt Dodson has joined the elite Solar Patrol. Before Matt and his friends can be officers in the Patrol they must endure rigorous, multi-part training. They begin their training on Earth in a process that eliminates many would-be Space Patrol candidates. As their training continues, Matt and his friends become members of a small group of students that have passed one test after another. Finally, the remaining students leave Earth to continue their training on a school ship. The training on the school ship starts with the mundane and ends with the complexities of calculus and nuclear physics. At long last the students move on to an operational ship where their training will help them to overcome the challenges of an actual mission on Venus, where death awaits their first wrong step!
Many people call Heinlein preachy in his books. While there is probably some truth in that comment, if you think Heinlein's viewpoints had merit, you probably like the supposed preachiness. Regardless of which side you fall on, this book has little of Heinlein's explanations of the woes of the world is focuses primarily on the story.
The story in this book is excellent. There is practical science in this book, but Heinlein blended the science into the story so naturally that I hardly noticed it. Those who have been through basic training and technical school in the military will recognize features of both in this book. Robert A. Heinlein was a member of the U.S. Navy for a time, which I think must have helped him to create an extremely believable story regarding the training of the members of the Space Patrol.
It has been many years since I first read "Space Cadet." I wondered whether I would enjoy the story as much now as I did decades ago. The answer is yes. I must admit that some of my enjoyment is nostalgia, but part of my enjoyment was how much Heinlein got right. There are cell phone equivalents, flat screen monitors and more. The only thing Heinlein failed to predict was the increasing lack of enthusiasm for space exploration.
Heinlein wrote many good books. This one is one of his best. I recommend this book for every person who thinks of themselves as a fan of science fiction. This book is a winner from an author who won four Hugo awards during his life and the first Nebula Grand Master Award.
Enjoy!
Good read........2006-07-18
Follow young Matt Dodson as he enters the academy in hopes of becoming a Space Cadet. Matt makes friends with Tex, who always has amusing tales about his Uncle Bodie, and a few others, as lessons are learned ... usually the hard way.
Space Cadets are the elite guard of the solar system. They accept missions others fear, take risks no others dare, and uphold the peace of the solar system for the benefit of all. (Much like the Jedi Order!) This novel will take you from Earth, to Mars, to Venus, and beyond. Matt and his friends are tested in the most severe and extraordinary ways that will change them forever, but still not prepare them for the alien treacheries that await.
**** If you have never read a novel by Robert A. Heinlein, then please keep in mind that this was written in the year 1948. The author renewed the copyright in 1975. I stress this because even though the story begins in July 2075, there are a few references to events that supposably happened in OUR past, such as the notation of the person who created the Patrol's Tradition who lived 1969 - 1996.
The fact that Robert A. Heinlein's novels are still being published today clearly expresses how outstanding readers find his science fiction novels. Once you read this, or any other novel by Heinlein, you will have no doubt as to how the man came about being crowned "The Master of Science Fiction". ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Some things not scifi anymore.......2006-06-09
Think about the episode in the beginning when Matt's phone rings in the middle of a crowd. "So what, his parents called his cellphone" you may say. However, this was just pure fantasy in 1948.
The future I wanted but didn't get........2005-11-18
I read most of Heinlein's "juveniles" -- including this one -- when I was a juvenile, in the 60s. It was the era of Mercury and Gemini, and to a youngster enamored of the space era, the books were a glimpse of what might be in the future.
Of course with age came reality. FIrst, even when Heinlein wrote the books, I believe enough was known about the planets that it would have to have been considered highly unlikely there would be intelligent species on Venus or the moon, as in this story. And inevitably, the future would turn out very different from Heinlein's vision; no one, even a science fiction writer, has any hope of accurately forecasting events 50+ years in the future.
So here we are; with the internet and other inventions Heinlein didn't imagine, and with computing power beyond his estimation; but without colonies on the moon or Mars or Venus or Ganymede, and without a Space Patrol or any other significant presence in space. Or any strong reason to believe that will be changed any time soon.
When you're a kid, you want the future Heinlein imagines. And when you grow up, you might re-read the old stories, perhaps being willing to take the occasional silliness (a spaceship called "Kilroy Was Here"?!) and the redundancy (stern officers or teachers lecturing the earnest but unfocused young protagonist on how he needs to bone up on "simple mathematics" such as tensor calculus, quantum geometry, or whatever -- a scene you'll find in almost every Heinlein juvenile) in order to escape back to the more innocent and carefree days when you could dream about someday being a space cadet yourself.
Choice Juvie Sci-Fi by A Master of the Genre.......2005-02-16
I am in my early twenties and didn't know about Heinlen until I turned 12. He was not on my recommended reading list as my parents knew my tendency, which began around my 8th year, to read everything by an author if I liked one of their titles. I think they were nervous about the compatibility of Stranger In a Strange Land for an 8 - 10 year old. I did not discover Heinlein's juvies until I was in my early twenties, which I still haven't left. I had read much of Heinlen's more mature material in my `teens, some of it before I was ready for it. Therefore, when I read SPACE CADET, I approached it with a mind toward how it would have affected me if I had read it earlier in life. So doing, I was highly impressed with his work.
There seems to be some contention concerning the relation of this book to his better-known STARSHIP TROOPERS. Regardless of other subject matter, I think that there is a legitimate connection between the principles that he was promoting in both. The main difference in the two books is the age group and the times he was writing for, since the adventures that entertained children and older youths in the nineteen-forties or fifties would probably not have held the attention or provided equal entertainment for those more advanced in years and less innocent in outlook.
Heinlen rarely wrote anything without a point, and in SPACE CADET he promoted concepts of personal responsibility to society, spoke against racism (VERY progressive for 1948), warned of the practical disadvantages of drinking, congratulated honoring one's parents in the face of parental ignorance, advocated a strong military defense capability even as he pronounced the lofty goal of a lasting peace, and celebrated study and productive activity over immature destructive behaviors. He did all of this with very little moral grandstanding or preaching, and even the few speeches he included contained enough serious drama and ironic humor to keep almost anyone buried in the story.
What Heinlen achieved, in short, is a remarkable work of juvenile fiction; active, adventurous, fanciful only in its dated depiction of a possible Venus, never slowing down, just utopian enough for those who retain some innocence, just worldly practical enough to encourage thinking and the abandonment of naiveté, as full of turmoil and new things and "what-do-I-want-to-do-with-my-life" questionings as will cause mental weight lifting and big dreams in most brains from 8 to 80. Maybe the story is somewhat old-fashioned, maybe a lot of people would rather watch something mindless than read something that is at all dated. However, I can honestly state my absolute opinion that if anyone picks up this book and, with an open mind, pays attention to it, it will demonstrate to them practical lessons that a lot of people, these days, seem to be in need of learning.
Also, it's just a titanic chunk of fun for anyone who loves, or is being introduced to the love of hard sci-fi.
Average customer rating:
- A classic novel by one of Science Fiction's finest authors
- Matthew Dodson, Space Cadet!
- The master of sci-fi will never stop being reprinted!
|
Space Cadet
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Heinlein, Robert A. | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Heinlein, Robert A. | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0765314517
Release Date: 2006-10-31 |
Book Description
This is the seminal novel of a young man's education as a member of an elite, paternalistic non-military organization of leaders dedicated to preserving human civilization, the Solar Patrol, a provocative parallel to Heinlein's famous later novel, Starship Troopers (which is about the military).
Only the best and brightest--the strongest and the most courageous--ever manage to become Space Cadets, at the Space Academy. They are in training to be come part of the elite guard of the solar system, accepting missions others fear, taking risks no others dare, and upholding the peace of the solar system for the benefit of all.
But before Matt Dodson can earn his rightful place in the ranks, his mettle is to be tested in the most severe and extraordinary ways--ways that change him forever, from the midwestern American boy into a man of the Solar Patrol.
Customer Reviews:
A classic novel by one of Science Fiction's finest authors.......2006-11-30
I have often been asked on what would be a good science fiction novel to introduce new readers to the genre, and "Space Cadet" is usually one of my top picks. Although it was written in 1948, it still holds up as one of Heinlein's best. It is was one the original "Heinlein juvenile" classics that became the 1950's TV show, "Tom Crobett, Space Cadet," and seems to have never gone out of print.
Many other authors, especially Orson Scott Card in "Enders Game" and practically all writers of 'military sci-fi,' have obviously used this book as a touchstone and starting point for their own writing. Fans of the novel or movie "Starship Troopers" will also find the basics of their training here. (A mild pun)
Highly recommended. A timeless classic for all readers of the genre.
Matthew Dodson, Space Cadet!.......2006-10-31
My title does not have the ring that "Tom Corbett: Space Cadet" had, which was based on this Robert A. Heinlein book, but it is more accurate. Matthew Dodson sounds like a plain, ordinary person, and that was Heinlein's intent. Heinlein's belief always was that the backbone of America was the everyday person doing their job.
Matt Dodson has joined the elite Solar Patrol. Before Matt and his friends can be officers in the Patrol they must endure rigorous, multi-part training. They begin their training on Earth in a process that eliminates many would-be Space Patrol candidates. As their training continues, Matt and his friends become members of a small group of students that have passed one test after another. Finally, the remaining students leave Earth to continue their training on a school ship. The training on the school ship starts with the mundane and ends with the complexities of calculus and nuclear physics. At long last the students move on to an operational ship where their training will help them to overcome the challenges of an actual mission on Venus, where death awaits their first wrong step!
Many people call Heinlein preachy in his books. While there is probably some truth in that comment, if you think Heinlein's viewpoints had merit, you probably like the supposed preachiness. Regardless of which side you fall on, this book has little of Heinlein's explanations of the woes of the world is focuses primarily on the story.
The story in this book is excellent. There is practical science in this book, but Heinlein blended the science into the story so naturally that I hardly noticed it. Those who have been through basic training and technical school in the military will recognize features of both in this book. Robert A. Heinlein was a member of the U.S. Navy for a time, which I think must have helped him to create an extremely believable story regarding the training of the members of the Space Patrol.
It has been many years since I first read "Space Cadet." I wondered whether I would enjoy the story as much now as I did decades ago. The answer is yes. I must admit that some of my enjoyment is nostalgia, but part of my enjoyment was how much Heinlein got right. There are cell phone equivalents, flat screen monitors and more. The only thing Heinlein failed to predict was the increasing lack of enthusiasm for space exploration.
Heinlein wrote many good books. This one is one of his best. I recommend this book for every person who thinks of themselves as a fan of science fiction. This book is a winner from an author who won four Hugo awards during his life and the first Nebula Grand Master Award.
Enjoy!
The master of sci-fi will never stop being reprinted!.......2006-10-31
Follow young Matt Dodson as he enters the academy in hopes of becoming a Space Cadet. Matt makes friends with Tex, who always has amusing tales about his Uncle Bodie, and a few others, as lessons are learned ... usually the hard way.
Space Cadets are the elite guard of the solar system. They accept missions others fear, take risks no others dare, and uphold the peace of the solar system for the benefit of all. (Much like the Jedi Order!) This novel will take you from Earth, to Mars, to Venus, and beyond. Matt and his friends are tested in the most severe and extraordinary ways that will change them forever, but still not prepare them for the alien treacheries that await.
**** If you have never read a novel by Robert A. Heinlein, then please keep in mind that this was written in the year 1948. The author renewed the copyright in 1975. I stress this because even though the story begins in July 2075, there are a few references to events that supposably happened in OUR past, such as the notation of the person who created the Patrol's Tradition who lived 1969 - 1996.
The fact that Robert A. Heinlein's novels are still being published today clearly expresses how outstanding readers find his science fiction novels. Once you read this, or any other novel by Heinlein, you will have no doubt as to how the man came about being crowned "The Master of Science Fiction". ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Average customer rating:
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Stand By For Mars! A Tom Corbett Space Cadet Adventure (Willy Ley, Technical Adviser)
Carey Rockwell
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Revolt on Venus
ASIN: B0007F5NG4 |
Product Description
4 in one book. Includes Rocket Ship Galileo, Space Cadet, Red Planet, Farmer in the Sky
Book Description
Illustrated by Louis Glanzman
Customer Reviews:
REally good book.......2005-10-07
I read this book in class one day and was amazed to find that it was a really good book! It talks about space, other planets, Etc. THis book really intrigued me and it held somekind of hypno ray on me making me read and read until I read it all. theres nothing else to say but "REAd! REAd! READ!!"
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