Tom Swift and the Mystery Comet (The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures, No. 28) [Hardcover]

Victor Appleton II (Author), Ray Johnson (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap; First Edition edition (1966)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006BPW2Y
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,048,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many things besides Tom saving the world, January 1, 2006

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tom Swift and the Mystery Comet (The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures, No. 28) (Hardcover)

In this episode, Tom is pitted against agents from the nation of Brungaria and the main object is a comet. Not just any comet, but one whose composition is such that if it encounters Earth, the deadly radiation that it contains may wipe out all life on Earth. Therefore, it is up to Tom and his crew to somehow alter the course of the comet so that it misses Earth. They manage to accomplish their task, but they find it necessary to overcome attempted sabotage on the part of the Brungarians.
There are many secondary lines to the book. Bud Barclay is challenged to a saber duel with a German student and fortunately for him, Sandy and Phyl are able to find rubber swords before the duel begins. Therefore, Bud is humiliated rather than scarred. Tom, Bud and others also uncover an alchemical treasure trove in a cave. The treasure includes books, chemicals and apparatus that are centuries old. This episode features Tom's telesampler, which is a beam that when shined on something, will transport a sample to the point of origin. This will allow remote objects to be examined and their composition determined. Finally, unidentified flying objects make multiple appearances. These objects are projections only and are not actual machines.
I consider this to be one of the weaker books in the Tom Swift Junior series. The problem is that there are simply too many different avenues to the story line. Saving all life on Earth against great odds should be enough for any book. Yet, a great deal of time is spent with the alchemy, the jealousy of a fellow teen, the duel and the UFOs. It would have been a better story if there had been more concentration on the movement of the comet and the saving of the world.