Customer Reviews

The Moons of Jupiter (Lightning)

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Isaac Asimov would be the first to admit that the advance of scientific knowledge has rendered a great deal of this book obsolete. There are no oceans of water on Venus, so the telepathic V-frog is not even remotely possible. The proximity of Jupiter is so laced with deadly radiation that humans could only go near it in heavily shielded ships. They certainly could not get out and walk the surface of some of Jupiter's inner moons.

Nevertheless, this is a good story because it really hinges on the consequences of human technological advancement and the colonization of other planets. I completely agree with Asimov that the history of humans is so cluttered with wars that interplanetary conflict is inevitable as soon as the colonies have the power to stand on their own. One of the primary plot lines to the Lucky Starr series is that humans have colonized several of the planets in the solar system and have moved out to the stars. The Sirians have grown in power and are now in conflict with the Earthlings and their neighboring planets.

In this story, the first Agrav or antigravity ship has been built and is about to be tested. Lucky and his Martian companion Bigman are sent out to investigate how Sirian espionage has successfully learned the particulars of Agrav. It is one of those cases where everyone is suspect because everyone appears to be above suspicion.

When Lucky and Bigman arrive at Jupiter Nine they are immediately tested. Lucky is coerced into engaging in a fight to prove his mettle. He succeeds and is now accepted at the station and his investigation begins. In true Asimov style, Lucky comes to believe that the spy is a robot, so the three laws of robotics are now part of the story. After traveling to the inner moons of Jupiter and overcoming the serious sabotage of the Agrav ship, Lucky determines who the spies are and the espionage ring is eliminated. However, in this case, there is a twist as to who the spy is. It is unfortunate that the cover image gives it away.

The Lucky Starr series by Asimov under the pen name of Paul French was written for adolescents. As an educator and reviewer, I took particular note of the level of writing in this book in comparison to what passes for adolescent literature now. In my opinion, the level has dropped since Asimov wrote this story. It is a good one, still worth reading because of the general plot element of humans having colonized space and the political problems that it will bring.