Customer Reviews

Rocketship Galileo

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This was Heinlein's first novel published in book form, and the first in his excellent "juvenile" series which included Space Cadet, Time For The Stars, Starman Jones, The Star Beast, Tunnel In The Sky, etc., and it is still my all-time favorite. Heinlein manages to make believable the tale of a scientist (Dr. Cargraves) organizing three 18-year-old boys of a rocket club to build a nuclear powered moon rocket. If you have an interest in space travel you'll get sucked in and won't put the book down until it's over, no matter how dated and unlikely the premise at first appears. It is written with Heinlein's usual skill (that earned him four Hugo awards), and the characters are easy to identify with, especially for any young space enthusiasts. This was also the basis for the 1950 classic film Destination Moon, although about all that remains unchanged in the film is the name Dr. Cargraves. In the book there is a veiled threat from unknown enemies that turn out to be Nazis (this was the first thing Heinlein wrote after the war) - in the film there's just a veiled reference to a communist threat. I suspect the film also draws from Heinlein's more sophisticated treatment from the same period, The Man Who Sold The Moon.
On 6 October 1988, after Robert Heinlein's death, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded him the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal:
"In recognition of his meritorious service to the Nation and mankind in advocating and promoting the exploration of space. Through dozens of superbly written novels and essays and his epoch-making movie Destination Moon, he helped inspire the Nation to take its first step into space and onto the Moon." -- James C. Fletcher, Administrator, NASA
Read Rocketship Galileo, or get it for your kids. If it's not available here, search the auctions.

Rocketship Galileo was the first novel in Robert A Heinlein's "Juvenile" series of science fiction books, which were his bread and butter from the late 1940's through the 1950's.

While not as polished in terms of narrative as his later works, and definitely reeking of strong Anti-Nazi / Anti-Totalitarian feelings on the part of the Author, this book really benefits from Mr. Heinleins' attention to details and his strong knowledge of celestial mechanics, physics, and astronomy.

Like all of his "juvenile" series of books, this story narrates the experiences of its teenage protaganoist(s) - in this case three rocket enthusiasts who, through the mentoring of the Uncle of one of the boys - Dr. Cargraves, build and pilot a Rocket to the moon, where they encounter and seek to overcome a nest of Nazi refugees bent upon reconquering the world.

I can't say that the plot is as mature, well-crafted, or subtle as is seen in the stories he wrote only a couple of years later, but it is a good story, fun to read, draws you in, and well illustrates the themes Heinlein consistently promoted in almost all of his works: how intelligence, self-reliance, and dedication can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Although I rate most of Heinlein's works as 5 stars, I feel that, given the strong feelings on then-current issues that Heinlein very explicitly allows to creep into the story (a fault he studiously avoids in later years), combined with his still maturing writing skills, I must give this book a rating of 4 stars - as an indication of the quality of the read, as well as an indicator of the greatness to come.

Those of you interested in the evolution of Robert Heinlein as an author should consider reading For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs, which was his first work: it was rejected by several publishing houses when he first wrote it in the late 1930's, and did not get published until several years after his death. In it you'll see the seeds of the themes and style you see in this book - which can be seen in most of the works he wrote throughout his career.