Customer Reviews

Podkayne of Mars

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Podkayne of Mars tells the story of a young woman whose dreams of interplanetary travel come true when she and her younger brother, Clark--a rascally genius--accompany their uncle on a space cruise. Unbeknownst to Podkayne, her uncle is using the trip as a cover for some high-stakes political lobbying, and Podkayne quickly finds herself swept up in all sorts of nasty intrigue and trouble.

Heinlein is possibly the finest science fiction novelist the world has witnessed. His novels fall into two main categories: those written for adults and a series of juvenile fiction, in which this book falls. However, adults as well as teens will enjoy the novel for its plotting, characterization, and setting. I often do not enjoy reading old science fiction because the real world has usually progressed far beyond that imagined by the authors writing then. Heinlein, though, possessed such vision that his futuristic novels still ring both futuristic and plausible. It's amazing to think that he envisioned the practice of creating and banking human embryos (the scenario that starts the novel) way back in 1963--but he did, and it would not surprise me in the least if creches materialize in the way he so perceptively described back then.

Heinlein peppers his novels with strong and interesting protagonists, and Podkayne is no exception. In fact, in many ways I like her better as a heroine than some of the female characters in his later adult novels who come across as being TOO perfect. Poddy is a teenager, with a teenager's unique combination of self-confidence and insecurity. I quite liked Clark, too, though I suspect I would share Poddy's exasperation if I had to actually live with him. The pseudonymously named "Girdle FitzSnugglie,", the aging starlet who befriends Poddy on the cruise, is another minor yet thoroughly enjoyable character who comes to life in Heinlein's prose. Heinlein also does a masterful job of creating a vision of Venus as a Las Vegas/Corporate-owned town run amok that created the archetype for any of the post-Utopian large cities found in modern science fiction films (e.g., Blade Runner).

This novel is darker than most of Heinlein's other juvenile work, and some pretty scary things happen to characters we care a lot about. Casual fans may be interested to hear that Heinlein original's ending was even darker than what appears in this novel (serious fans will already know this) and that Heinlein was pressured by his publisher to change it. No spoilers here, but curious readers may want to check out the Wikipedia entry on this novel after reading the book to see how Heinlein would've preferred to end it.

Podkayne Fries is a female teen living on Mars who, like most of the main characters in Heinlein juveniles, is precocious and inquisitive. She is about to embark on a dangerous and exciting trip to Venus with her brother and uncle. Poddy (as her friends call her) has a complex love/hate relationship with her brother They live a fairly quite life on Mars, until their uncle takes them along on a trip to Venus. Poddy views this trip largely as a sightseeing trip at first, but it slowly becomes clear that her uncle is much more important than she ever imagined. Poddy and her brother ultimately get entangled in some complex and possible deadly interstellar intrigue. Detailed plot summaries about - I won't replicate them here. I think if you've read and liked any of the other Heinlein juveniles, this is probably one of the best. Similar in some ways to 'The Rolling Stones', but darker and somewhat more mature. Poddy is more complex/3D than many of Heinlein's other juvenile protagonists, and this is partly a coming of age tale as Poddy starts to find her place in the world, considers the pros and cons of various lovers, etc. There is lots of witty banter between Poddy and her brother. Complex family relationships abound. Poddy's father is the distant, stern, authoritarian figure who loves Poddy very much but who patience shouldn't be pushed too far. This story, particularly the ending, is also much more serious. Bottom line is that this story combines many of the best elements of Heinlein juveniles with a bit more maturity and discussion of more complex questions. Not up to his best (Tunnel in the Sky and Starship Troopers are my favs!), but highly recommended!

I listened to this on part of a motorcycle ride from Utah to North Dakota, and it really did help the miles fly by.

A bit pulpier and juvenile than I was expecting this was still a good story.

My version came with the original ending, and the ending the publisher made him go with, and I could see merit in both - so I dont think you can go wrong here. As long as you arent a militant feminist who is too out of touch with real life to allow characters in a story to act in ways sometimes contrary to your own beliefs, this should be good.

I only mention that, because I have seen a few reviews where some female was MAD that the girl would go back for the cute little monster and place herself in harms way. It somehow offended her sense of the character based on the story to that point, and I just couldnt see it myself.

Podkayne is a later one of Heinlein's juvenile books. It wasn't a bad book, but it has several flaws. The single largest flaw is that Podkayne acts rather too young for her age, which is supposed to be late teens. Similarly, her brother is a severe sociopath. In the end, Podkayne is a moderately dark novel, with a deeply ambiguous ending.

The other major flaw of Podkayne is only really a flaw in the context of the majority of Heinlein's other juvenile novels: it lacks the depth of science that most of his other juveniles carried. Heinlein had a solid career writing young adult novels that centered on science and the application of science to adventure, oft serialized in Boy's Life. Podkayne does have science, but not nearly the level of science as his regular juvenile, perhaps because it was supposed to be directed at young women, and such fare was less likely to have a lot of science content.

Overall, Podkayne should be read by people who like Heinlein, esp. Heinlein's juveniles. But if you are just getting into Heinlein's books, I would recommend starting with either one of his short story collections (The Past Through Tomorrow, i.e.) or other juveniles that I think are probably a little more accessible (Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, Between Plantes, or Farmer in the Sky). If you want to start with one of his adult novels A good recommendation would be The Door Into Summer.

OK, I enjoyed the story. But, the fact that it was written in the first person narrative of Podkayne, who is a fifteen year old girl, and uses words like legerdemain, was a bit exhausting. I mean, what 15 year old girl talks like that?

The other complaint I have is the cost. Seriously, twelve bucks for a 50 year old book that took only a few hours to read? It was a very short novel.

Go to the library for this one. It is worth the time, just not the price.

This book has been in print for decades. Charging $11.99 for an ebook version is enough to send me to the public library.

Some of Heinlein's novels are classics in the science fiction genre... this isn't one of them.

I was expecting it to be dated - but not so ridiculous. Perhaps it gets better, but I could not force myself to keep reading - the dialogue reminded me of Regina's Song (and that is not a good thing).