Non-stop action marks this adventure of a young man who braves danger and intrigue to rediscover the secrets of faster-than-light travel. When an old, sick spacer named Paddy Enderton shows young Jay Hara some very strange devices and tells Jay that he has found a Godspeed base out in the asteroid belt, Jay is eager to believe. . . .
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Sheffield, known for both rigorous hard science fiction ( Cold as Ice ) and pulpy space opera ( Transcendence ) combines the two in this space adventure with a background of speculative science and the plot and characters of a Flash Gordon serial. On the isolated planet of Erin, young Jay Hara has grown up on dreams of space and legends of the fabled Godspeed drive, which once allowed humans to travel at translight speeds. After meeting Paddy Enderton, a seedy old spacer, Jay is drawn into a chase which carries him off the planet, into the asteroid belt and its tiny worldlets, and finally to the remnants of an ancient space station where the Godspeed drive may still exist. Along the way, Jay is at once awed and terrified of the piratical spacers who crew the ship, particularly the smooth-talking, ruthless captain, Daniel Shaker. Struggling to reconcile his admiration for Shaker with the man's evident viciousness, Jay eventually comes into his own as a spacer and an adult. With this voyage of development, Sheffield raises his undemanding story above its otherwise rather hackneyed science fiction elements.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
To the citizens of the planet Erin, the Godspeed Drive is a legendary device from a lost age before the isolation of the Forty Worlds. To teenager Jay Hara, however, it is his one chance to claim his future in deep space--if he can find it. The author of Cold as Ice ( LJ 6/15/92) sets this coming-of-age adventure against the backdrop of a planet struggling in quiet desperation to hold onto the remnants of a dying technology. Despite the high-action content of his plot, Sheffield never slights his characters or his science. A good choice for most sf collections.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fast paced adventure in space.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Godspeed (Mass Market Paperback)
O.K. References to Treasure Island are valid to an extent. But that did not decrease my enjoyment of this book. It is very entertaining, told simply but effectively. There is plenty of suspense and action. Any criticisms I might have do not include boredom. I don't believe the story was written to explore any ground breaking ideas or to evoke powerful emotions. It is simply about adventure, told from the point of view of the most likely to experience adventure to the fullest. A kid. Don't have heavy expectations going in. Relax, and as you read remember how easy it was to appreciate adventure as a kid. In that context, this is an enjoyable break from heavy issues of adulthood.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Treasure Island in Space,
By David (Alexandria, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Godspeed (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is essential an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's to a science fiction setting. Instead of a pirate treasure, they are looking for an interstellar drive. There is a Long John Silver character, although he has benefitted from improvements in medical technology. It's not a bad read, but it's surprisingly shallow for someone of Sheffield's talents
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterful story-teller,
By Dick Stanley (Austin, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Godspeed (Mass Market Paperback)
Wonderful tale. I stayed up late finishing it. Did find it amusing that the back cover synopsis compared it to RLS's Kidnapped, when it's obviously mimicing Treasure Island. Captain Shaker was a very credible Long John Silver and Jay Hara as Jack Hawkins. Great pity that Sheffield has passed away. He was a very entertaining story teller.
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