Tunnel in the Sky, by Robert Heinlein

[rachelmanija]

I enjoyed this when I was about eleven, but it seemed very dated to me even at that time (early 1980s.) It’s even more dated now. Science fiction dates faster than fantasy: readers end up living in the projected far-future year (and all the predictions are wrong), social attitudes have completely changed and are harder to overlook via “but that’s

Comments

[tool_of_satan]

I agree that Caroline has the hots for Rod. At least, that would explain the way she relates to him (to some extent, anyway), which otherwise is not readily explicable.

Although, you'd think she'd at least allude to it in her diary. Maybe she doesn't like to admit it to herself? (Though she does mention there that she was briefly planning to marry someone else.) In any case, I liked the diary section and would have been happy to have more of it in place of Rod's viewpoint - he's kind of a dull stick.

Given that you liked this I think you would definitely like The Star Beast, which also has racial diversity, does not have a strong focus on babies as I recall, and actually has scenes where the more competent woman tells the dull stick male character to shut up and let her handle things.

[tool_of_satan]

Assuming that you want to read any more Heinlein, of course. I would certainly not argue for reading him over the 5,271,009 other books you probably want to get to.

[strangerian]

Star Beast is extremely lively and one of the few juveniles where a female character has a voice and argues down male characters on occasion. In fact, counting the Beast, there are *two* major female characters who do so. I haven't checked, but it might not pass the Bechdel test since everyone is mainly linked through John Thomas.

The ending does put Betty in her "place," to some extent, but like 19th-century novels where the magnificent villains catch smallpox and die in the last chapter for no discernable reason, it's basically tacked on. Come to think of it, that's the artistic problem with the heroines who somehow want to marry the Heinlein Male and have babies -- they're *all* doing it to satisfy the author's worldview, instead of out of characterization.

[tool_of_satan]

Yeah. My main problem with the book is that Betty has no discernible reason to be interested in John Thomas.

I don't think the book passes the Bechdel Test. I am moved to wonder if any of the juveniles do. Podkayne probably does, but of course fails in many other ways. The Rolling Stones, maybe (Hazel talking to Meade?). Have Space Suit, Will Travel if one is willing to count female-ish aliens.

[thinking_lotus]

Efforts to push him on current youngsters are probably doomed.

As well they should be.

[cmattg]

I suspect RAH is going to wind up on the same list as Mark Twain: Someone with interesting things to say, and forward-looking in many ways, but needing commentary to disentangle the ways he *wasn't* forward-looking.

[shalanna]

This.

Because as far as narrative drive and a fairly charming way of putting things (when they're not being sexist/racist/ridiculous), they're both very readable.