Star Voyager Academy (Wing Commander) [Paperback]

William R. Forstchen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

It's 150 years in the future, and times have changed. The long-stalled space program finally went private and got off the ground. Now the big issue lies with the United Nations of Earth, which refuses to grant independence to the colonies on Luna, Mars, and in the Belt. Civil war could be the result--threatening to tear the elite Star Voyager Academy apart.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671876082
• ISBN-13: 978-0671876081
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN has a Ph.D. from Purdue University with specializations in Military History and the History of Technology. He is a Faculty Fellow and Professor of History at Montreat College. He is the author of over forty books, including the New York Times bestselling series Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor (coauthored with Newt Gingrich), as well as the award-winning young adult novel We Look Like Men of War. He has also authored numerous short stories and articles about military history and military technology. His interests include archaeological research on sites in Mongolia, and as a pilot he owns and flies an original World War II "recon bird." Dr. Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina with his teenage daughter Meghan and their small pack of golden retreivers and yellow labs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great new series, March 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Voyager Academy (Wing Commander) (Paperback)

Star Voyager Academy is the beginning of a great new series of military fiction written in the spirit of Heinlein. Justin is the ordinary child of a martyrd space hero, trying to fill some enormous footprints and fearing that he just isn't big enough. Matt is a "Solar Sailor". Orphaned as a small child he grew up saiing the solar wind with only his uncle and an ancient robot for company. The two orphaned cadets become close friends as they stuggle through the plebe year at the Academy.This was a great beginning of what promises to be a good quality series and I anxiously await the sequal.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I like this book so much, I came here looking for a sequel!, September 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Voyager Academy (Wing Commander) (Paperback)

Star Voyager Academy is the story of 16 year old Justin Bell and his classmates as they experience scrub summer at the U.N. military academy 150 years in the future. Justin won his appointment to the academy when his father, a military officer, died saving 500 people. Justin feels he doesn't belong and doesn't deserve appointment when so many of his classmates are the best and brightest of Earth and its colonies. In the background is the hot political question of whether the colonies should be given their independence and freedom from the governmental control and taxation of Earth. There are strong emotions on both sides, and many of Justin's classmates already feel torn by their oath to the academy and their loyality to their homes. Mostly though, this is the story of young men and women as they struggle to survive their first summer and adapt to life at Star Voyager Academy.

This is essentially a juvenile science fiction novel. It's main characters and, I believe, it's intended readers are young adults. This is not to knock the story though. I greatly enjoyed this novel, and I no longer fit into the catagory of a young reader. I found it very engrossing and hard to put down. I enjoyed its story of a young man maturing and finding his future as well as its representation of what a young military cadet goes through in his or her first summer. I enjoyed the book so much I immediately began searching for a sequel. Unfortunately there is none, but I hope that one day William R. Forstchen may develop Star Voyager Academy into a series. I would certainly enjoy reading more.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish there was more, June 8, 2007

By 

Evan the Dweezil (A Place-Sort Of, Montana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Voyager Academy (Wing Commander) (Paperback)

This was a fun coming of age story about a scrawny kid who never thought he could live up to the shadow of his hero father. He learns that it's impossible to become that person the world idolizes and that he needs to become his own man. Overall a good quick read.