Higher Education: A Jupiter Novel [Hardcover]

Charles Sheffield (Author), Jerry Pournelle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996 | Series: Jupiter Novel

Kicked out of school because of a practical joke that backfires, Rick Luban gets a second chance when he signs up for a career in asteroid mining and discovers that life in space is far more challenging than he had ever imagined.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two SF powerhouses collaborate on an exuberant kickoff to the publisher's Jupiter series, which is dedicated to novels patterned after Robert A. Heinlein's classic inspirational tales for young adults and adults. In the 21st century, American public education is foundering under the weight of bureaucracy. But when Rick Luban, 16, is expelled for a school prank that gets out of hand, he's recruited by the asteroid-mining corporation Vantage Mining and Refining, which has its own system of "higher education." Through the company's screenings and schools on Earth and in space, Rick acquires not only formal learning but a mature sense of responsibility. Ultimately, he plays a vital role in uncovering a lethal sabotage attempt by one of Vantage's corporate rivals. As might be expected from Sheffield (whose novelette "Georgia on My Mind" won both a 1994 Hugo and a 1993 Nebula) and Pournelle (Footfall, etc.), the scientific and technological background is outstanding. The portrait of society tends toward the didactic, and credibility is stretched when Vantage bets its future on new talent like Rick and his cohorts. But in response to that bet, Rick matures, and in a believable way?an essential element in any SF coming-of-age novel, including this high-spirited exemplar.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In a politically correct world where the school system fails to educate for fear of lawsuits, illiterate, ignorant students face a bleak future of unemployment. When Rick Luban is expelled for a minor prank, he joins Vanguard Mining and finds asteroid mining training to be more rigorous and demanding than school. This fast-paced adventure begins the new "Jupiter novels" series with danger and intrigue in space. Recommended for most sf collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312861745
• ISBN-13: 978-0312861742
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as good as Heinlein's juveniles, July 18, 2000

By 

Robert James (Culver City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Higher Education (Jupiter Novel) (Paperback)

"Higher Education" is the best science fiction novel written for young people since Robert Heinlein stopped writing juveniles in the early 60s. Using a future history that is both shocking and sad in its predictions (the satire on education alone will make any student or teacher love the book), Pournelle and Sheffield quickly capture the reader's attention with a classic prank. Like all of Heinlein's juveniles, "Higher Education" is a coming-of-age story, rife with the hardships of that perilous journey. The science is dead-on accurate; the adventure is even better. This is just a first in a series called "Jupiter Novels" all set in this future; while the other novels aren't sequels in the strictest sense of the world (and when will we get that sequel, Dr. Pournelle? Dr. Sheffield?), they are just as wonderful to read. I've taught this novel to high school freshmen over the last several years, and most of them go on to read the other "Jupiter Novels." As an adult who grew up reading Heinlein's juveniles, "Higher Education" brought me back that same sense of wonder.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Return of the Golden Age, December 22, 1997

By 

Martin L. Shoemaker ([e-mail]) (Grand Rapids MI. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Higher Education (Hardcover)

Charles Sheffield and Jerry Pournelle have produced a feat of metallurgical wizardry: they took a plot worthy of the best of Golden Age hard science fiction and alloyed it with up-to-date characters, biting social commentary, and the best of modern space science. Given Dr. Pournelle's history in human factors studies in the space program and Dr. Sheffield's background in -- I believe -- satellite imaging, the realistic science is not surprising. Yet this book DOES surprise, in more than one instance. In a world of predictable plots, I find art that surprises me is GOOD art. "Higher Education" is good art. Because I think the surprises are integral to enjoying this book, I will praise them, but I won't describe them. For the plot, you can read the cover blurb, or the Amazon.com synopsis which covers the same essentials. In a nutshell: restless youth can't fit into the mundane world, and goes to space for a career and an escape. It's no coincidence that many reviewers have invoked the name Heinlein when discussing this book: readers of many of the late Robert A. Heinlein's works (especially his juveniles) can sketch out the broad outlines of the plot from there, as the protagonist grows and learns and becomes worthy of the appelation "hero". Said readers will expect one or more tough-but-caring mentor figures, at least one point where the protagonist realizes just how much he has changed, and a climax wherein his newly mastered skills are key to the resolution. Sheffield and Pournelle, both long-time Heinlein fans, haven't disturbed a formula perfected in works such as "Starship Troopers". Instead, they updated it, added in the aforementioned surprises, and underlaid the whole novel with a subtle primary theme which hides behind the more obvious Heinleinesque themes. And I think Heinlein would be proud: it's a theme he supported in many of his essays. There is one other reason why this book grabbed my attention, and why I expect to reread it very soon. It is my personal perception that the science fiction section of most bookstores is being inundated with the extremes: either fantasy, or else far future space opera that might as well be fantasy. Technological or "hard" science fiction, a staple of the Golden Age, has been a rarity for more than a decade; and hard SF set in the near future in the Solar System has become almost non-existent. It is as if this sub-genre, which in the Golden Age inspired the early pioneers of the space program, has lost its luster, as if this frontier-next-door isn't exotic or exciting enough for modern tastes, no matter how many exotic, exciting Golden Age stories prove otherwise. Recently, Allen Steele and others have been bucking this trend with stories of the next half-century in space. With "Higher Education", Sheffield and Pournelle have added another excellent counter-example: no aliens, no big explosions, no firefights, but a darn good story set in the day after tomorrow. We can only hope it inspires some future engineers like Heinlein inspired them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for both adults and teens, December 1, 2002

By 

Timothy Meier (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Higher Education (Jupiter Novel) (Paperback)

I picked this book up in the store based on my like of the writing of Charles Sheffield. It sat on my shelf for a few months until I got around to reading it. Now I wish that I had started it sooner.

The book is about a young man named Rick Luban, an intelligent person but someone who is not challenged at his school. After getting expelled, he gets that chance to join the school of a asteroid mining corporation. His life will be changed from that point on.

What most of the book is concerned with is the education of Rick and his fellow student. Since most of them come from an educational system that does little, if not nothing, to prepare them for life outside of school most of what they are learning seems very basic.

This book's view on the science of the future is a nice change from the usual "Hey that piece of equipment could kill us all. Let's go ahead and use it with no fear what-so-ever." Ricks reaction to his first trip into space would probably be my reaction as well.

My only complaint about this book would be that some characters seem to act strange, or not how we think they should act. An example would be two characters who for about half of the book dislike and hate each other suddenly become somewhat friendly towards each other. I'm not saying that this ruins the book, only that it seems a bit odd.

This book has made a place for itself alongside my other favorite books. This look at the future that humankind makes for
I only wish that there were more books based on the same characters. The ending of the book is good, but I want more. I suppose that it the mark of great writing, that it always leaves you wanting more.