Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship: [Paperback]

Victor, Ii, Pseud. Appleton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace Books (April 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0448146045
• ISBN-13: 978-0448146041
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,243,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Cold war rivalry and a little James Bond, May 21, 2005

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship: (Paperback)

One interesting although understated theme of the Tom Swift Junior books is the political and technological rivalry of the cold war. In this case, the technology is that of rocketry and the prize is control of space. However, while the benefits of controlling space are obvious, Tom's rival is not another country, but some form of well-funded outlaw organization. Therefore, this story anticipates the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union and fictional organizations such as SPECTRA in the James Bond films.
The leader of the rival organization is known as Rotzog and he engages in many battles with the Swift group and even manages to get a ship into space. However, his ship suffers a mechanical failure while in space and Tom provides him with the technical advice that allows him to safely land. This is a typical Tom Swift book in terms of the characters and adventures. What I found most interesting was the lack of government involvement and the fact that Tom's primary rival is an international rogue organization. That is a plot device widely used in science fiction and it has always puzzled me. It would be so difficult to amass the amount of resources needed for a project that it is impossible for a private group to ever do it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start for young boys interested in science & adventure, January 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship: (Paperback)

I read this book as a child and have breezed through it again since then. Written when space travel was still only a dream, it makes that dream come alive.