The Rakehells of Heaven [Mass Market Paperback]

John Boyd (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (May 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140048774
• ISBN-13: 978-0140048773
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,014,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Puckish, cerebral SF., December 12, 2003

By 

"elihum" (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rakehells of Heaven (Mass Market Paperback)

After his visit to Hawaii, Mark Twain once remarked that it was a good thing we sent missionaries there because the Hawaiians would otherwise have only known the paradise of heaven. This is a fair summation of the book's plot. Instead of earthbound missionaries infesting an island paradise you have Space Scouts fulfilling the same role with the added burden of having to determine if the aliens qualify as humans.
The book is filled with irreverent humor and satire. Much of the writing has the irascibility of Twain and the faux-intelligencia satire of Poe's comedy. It was a bit uneven in spots but gut-busting funny in others. It's not the really easy read much of the genre consists of but the investment's worth the effort. At the same time it does what much of the best SF has done over the years: Point toward the future, this time from a sociological perspctive.
Add a star if you like raunchy humor, didn't take offense at Huck Finn and enjoy a read that's above an eighth grade level. Subtract four if you can't or won't.