Customer Reviews

Tunnel in the Sky (A Del Rey Book)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Heinlein felt that anyone who could not do everything from plan an invasion, change a diaper, butcher a hog, write a sonnet, design a building, or program a computer was at least partially incapacitated. In addition, he felt that our schools did a very poor job of preparing young people for what life was all about. This book presented at least one partial solution to both problems: have a school course in survival, whose final test was to be dropped onto some unknown 'wilderness' planet for a week and forced to actually survive. Around this basic concept Heinlein fashioned what is probably one of the best of his so-called 'juvenile' novels.

Roderick Walker is the prime character, a young man with some doubts about whether he is really ready to take the final exam in this course. With some encouragement and advice from his older sister, he decides to proceed, going through the 'gate' to a new world where nothing is familiar, where everything must be viewed as potentially deadly. But after managing to survive for the prescribed time, there is no pick up signal, no return gate, and Rod slowly comes to the conclusion that, regardless of what has gone wrong, he must make a go of really living long term on this new world. Along with other class survivors, a small society is formed, initially with Rod as the nominal leader.

From this point, Heinlein manages to show the essentials of how and why a government is formed, what type of government make sense for a small group, how a society protects itself from 'bullies' (the only truly deadly animal is the two-legged variety), the contribution made by both sexes to a properly functioning society, just what makes a man a man, and the essential qualities of a leader. All buried within a fine adventure story of just how the little group builds itself from an unrelated bunch of people huddling in a cave to a bustling, forward looking industrious town, with excellent characterizations of not just Rod but most of the people around him, and with very little direct preaching, but rather showing his points as results of the events and actions of his characters.

Heinlein's typical unforced, simple American prose style is much in evidence here, making both dialog and descriptions seem perfectly natural. This makes for a very fast reading experience, with a lot of his philosophical points sliding in under the reader's conscious radar, only to wake you up at 3AM with an 'Oh, yeah! That makes sense.' And perhaps you will come away from this book, as I did, thinking that the idea of a school course in survival is something that should actually be implemented.

Everyone, from teens to adults, homemakers to rugged individualists, engineers to social workers, can enjoy this book. There are very few works that can appeal to such a wide range of audience as this one does, but this is something that Heinlein made a habit of. Written almost fifty years ago, it reads just as well, if not better than anything published today.

Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and Time Enough for Love are more familiar to readers than Tunnel in the Sky. But this novel of pioneering and coming-of-age is well worth reading.

Rod,who is a kind of "everyman" character, sets off for his final exam in a survival course. The students can take up to a certain weight of any equipment they want, from the latest model laser blaster, a German shepherd dog, and in one case, a saucepan and a deck of cards, and are dropped by star gate on an uninhabited planet. Objective; to survive until the pickup signal a few days later. But something goes terribly, terribly wrong. The pickup signal never happens and the band of survivors, from various schools' classes, must join and form a society for surviving the completely primitive planet.

How they band together and get over the natural personality frictions, use the little they have brought and how they survive all the unexpected challenges makes for exciting reading. The most appealing part of the book is that the protagonist Rod is NOT top dog, the big hero, but struggles along honestly and prevails. This is a charming book and shows Heinlein at his best in handling some of the emotions of young men.

This is an excellent adventure by the main charachter. I always enjoy the libertarian viewpoints countered with the mostly socialist/communist settings he portrays. Heinlein has this theme in many of his books, of moving from bondage in an overly controled society(and includes well thought out reasons to how society progressed to that state), to freedom and anarchary, then finding equilibriam between the two in a free, but structured society(this is also a strong theme in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'). This book couples that theme with coming of age, and survival. When I first read this book when I was 13 it prompted me to learn about survival and gardening, and when I just re-read it a few weeks ago(I'm 24 now) I reflected on the state of government and our place within. A thought-provoking, funny at times, tragic at times, and in all excellent as Heinlein always is. I highly reccomend this book.

Tunnel in the Sky shows both the best and the worst in human nature. The worst, because some people are murderers and thieves at heart and will act on their impulses if they can get away with it. The best, because it shows what people can accomplish if pressed to survive. This quick read is one of the all-time classics and simply can't be overlooked.

The book is a page-turner from the very beginning, starting with the exciting possibility of simply stepping through a door to another world, and then bringing the reader face to face with the consequences of that act: Survival in a harsh wilderness. The ingenuity and the personal dynamics of the characters drive the story forward, with the constant question of what will happen next to improve the quality of life for their small pocket of civilization--or what will threaten it.

Like most Heinlein, a few things appear out of place at times but they add to the charm of the story. The mainstream news media, for example, seem a little sensationalistic and goofy even by today's standards. But as a Heinlein fan I wouldn't have it any other way.

I never liked when they would tag a Heinlein novel as part of his "juvenile" series. It would tend to make adults not want to read it and that really is their loss as most of the juvenile books are every bit as good as his "adult" novels.

Tunnel in the Sky has variations of the themes covered in "Lord of the Flies". A group of youths are cut off from the world and must establish their own civilization.

"Rod" the survival trainee is one of Heinlein's most human protagonists in that he is not a superman but a regular guy that most readers can relate to.

The story deals with both the growth of a new society and the growth of a boy to a man, and what it means to be one.

Don't get me wrong though there are some great science fiction concepts going on here. Fans of Star Gate will give this book a knowing nod.

Don't hesitate a second to buy or read this one.

This was the book that got me hooked on Robert Heinlein, the Grand Master of science fiction. Unlike most young science fiction readers of the 50s, 60s, or 70s, Heinlein was not my first introduction to the field: that was Frank Herbert's "Dune." But I read "Tunnel in the Sky" one day at school (I hid it in my notebook all afternoon and read it faster than any book I'd ever found) and within three weeks I'd read every single one of his books. That was the first time I'd ever done that. And now, twenty five years later, I teach "Tunnel in the Sky" to my freshmen English class. None of Heinlein's juveniles create a future world so fast, or so different from our own; when Rod Walker and his class become lost on an alien world and have to fend for themselves, my entire class starts ripping through the pages as fast as they can. A great read, full of ideas and adventure.

I am not a very good writer, so I won't be able to give justice to this really amazing book. I am a good reader though and I read hundreds of sci-fi books. This one is hands down one of the best I have ever read!
I bough this book because it was suggested to me after I read Arthur Clark's and Stephen Baxter's Time's Eye and Sunstorm, I loved those two and I though I will probably like Tunnel in the Sky. And hell, I wasn't mistaken.
The book is about near future, where people can travel instantaneously to other planets, through gates (author doesn't bother with technicalities). Since, there is a problem with overpopulation people immigrate in thousands to new planets. Hence, colleges and highs schools offer survival classes that teach people how to survive on the new planets. During one of the final examination for this course, something got horribly wrong, and dozens of kids got stuck on the strange planet, and have to be able to survive on their own.
This book is thrilling and entertaining, I finished it in two days! I just simply couldn't stop reading; I wanted to know what would happen to characters. Often I read books where authors cannot even handle one main character. Heinlein however, is different story. In this book there are plenty of characters and each one has enough depth to captivate just anybody. The description of alien world is incredible. This book could turn out to be as sad as the story of Robinson Crusoe, but Heinlen did not let that happen, it is so funny and witty that although I was sad throughout I still was laughing a lot.
It is such a worthy read, you won't regret getting it!

Tunnel in the Sky is the most Naturalistic of Heinlein's juveniles, teaching some harsh lessons about death and survival. The novel is the coming-of-age story of Rod, a student who is about to take the final exam for "Outworlds Survival", a class he must pass to achieve his dream of becoming a planetary explorer. Rod is one of Heinlein's most likable characters: smart, compassionate, willing to listen, a natural leader, but still human enough to have his faults, and inexperienced enough to make plenty of mistakes. Watching these mistakes and the price he pays for them should be an exciting adventure for readers of all ages. Admittedly, the plot is not very original, although something about castaways in a hostile environment always captures the imagination. Rod's first night alone in the wilderness is especially well depicted. The book isn't really that big on action, or even on science; but Heinlein provides plenty of conflict, particularly once the students join

forces and sociological issues come to the fore. Heinlein has often been criticized for his view of women, but this book goes a long way towards refuting such charges. First, the students are both male and female, and the girls are granted absolutely no preference. Heinlein wants us to see that the laws of survival treat men and women as equals; it is only human society that invents the differences. Second, the female characters are frequently shown to be both more capable and more practical than their male classmates. Caroline is as skilled a hunter as any two boys together, and later proves herself an able administrator. Jacqueline manages to preserve the basic comforts of civilization while Rod has regressed to savagery. And Rod's own sister is a professional warrior, veteran of countless campaigns, and leader of her own platoon. The fact that these women appear as interested in getting married as in furthering their careers seems a byproduct of Heinlein's conservatism, rather than misogyny. And conservative Heinlein certainly is, at least at this point in his career. As the survival group becomes larger and more civilized, it becomes more comfortable, more divided, and less vigilant in its own defense. Once Grant takes control of the group, political expediency makes pleasing his constituents (ie., the newlyweds) more important than practical considerations required for their safety (ie., the wall). Heinlein clearly feels that eternal vigilance is the price of survival. The novel's conclusion is fairly weak, especially the coincidence relating to Rod's parents. Perhaps Heinlein is trying to show that he understands how young people can grow and mature without their parents noticing. His advice to them is to hang in there - it's worth it. This book is a good, fast read, and I enjoyed very much despite its flaws. I would recommend it very highly for younger fans of science fiction. For readers who prefer hard science, or who want complex characterization, or who have higher literary expectations, this book may be less enjoyable.

Like all of the Heinlein junior novels, Tunnel in the Sky is about responsibility, competence, and how the world really works. Like the best of them, it also succeeds completely as a story. A terrific book; I'm giving one to my 9-year-old nephew, who I think is old enough to enjoy it.

Although I am not a rabid fan of Mr. Heinlein, considered by many to be the grandmaster of science fiction, I do believe that Tunnel in the Sky is one of his better efforts.

The book, which apparently was originally slated for the juvenile market, tells the story of Rod Walker, a bright young man on the verge of graduating from a futuristic high school. In the book's future, the Earth is a vastly overcrowded planet, and teleportation has supplanted the internal combustion engine and its (hell)spawn as a form of mass transportation, especially over great distances. In the book, teleportation also presents a solution to Earth's bloated population: all the excess people were 'teleported' to new worlds surrounding distant stars, and as such they became de facto colonists.

It turns out that the young Mr. Walker aspires to be an explorer of these new worlds, or at least involved in some way with their governance and/or exploration. As one of these 'Space-Age' pioneers, he could participate in establishing a beach-head for humanity in some far-flung area of the universe, scout the terrain to get the lay of the land, and give the all-clear for human habitation and colonization. Under this system, he could even a group of colonists to a new world.

However, in order to do this, Rod must first pass a survivalist's exam. Before embarking on his challenge, to which his parents vehemently object, he gets more than a little helpful advice and a few useful life skills from his older sister, a futuristic sort of Amazonian warrior, and a schoolteacher named the 'Deacon' (an apt title for he preaches quite a lot) who thinks fondly of Rod, calling him 'a hopeless romantic born into an age of practical men'.

I think Heinlein wrote this yarn as an extended lesson on good citizenship for minors. I especially liked the insights the 'Deacon' had on the human animal, and the advice that Rod's sister gave him with regard to the choice of a knife over a nuclear-powered Ray Gun in the bush. Awesome weapon power often breeds over-confidence, and can become a substitute for using one's brain, and powerful weaponry is absolutely useless against a thinking and determined adversary (certain dunderheads running strategic operations vital to our nation's well-being should take note of that particular lesson!).

In the end, the exploration bug gets into Rod's blood, and his fate is sealed. Unlike more than a few Heinlein novels, which tend to be preachy and over-bearing, this little gem passed on some very useful insights and life lessons. It would have been nice if Heinlein had written an encore, so that we could catch up with Rod in the future, to see what kind of man he had become as a result of his fateful choice.