Customer Reviews

Virgin Planet and Star Ways

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I really liked Virgin Planet. It's a book which I have read several times over the years and is an enjoyable read. Yes, it was written when social norms were different. Hopefully readers can adapt to the different time frame and the beliefs when it was written. There are many books that would have to be disposed of if we could not make allowances for these beliefs and traditions of that different time. I've never read Star Ways and so can't comment on that part of the book.

The first of the two stories is amusing in its humor and interesting from an historical point of view. As soon as the reader gets past the first chapter you start to notice subtle incongruencies, this because the original story was written in 1959. It offers some insights into what was considered to be acceptable and normal at the time in Sci-FI as a genre and in America as a whole. Many of the comments and assumptions the author makes would be considered blatantly chauvinistic and insulting to women by today's standards. Which is not to say that the author is a chauvinist just that what was acceptable in 1959 is not acceptable by today's standards. As one reads you can find many of these cultural incongruencies that serve to illustrate may of the changes in America in the past 41 years.

As far as entertainment goes this is an amusing, lighthearted and funny story although the writing can, at times, seem a bit overly simple. As a long time Poul Anderson fan I can recommend "Virgin Planet" as a stand-alone story. What I cannot recommend is "Star Ways" it has all of he bad points of "Virgin Planet" without the saving sense of humor.

When taken as a whole I am sorry I spent the money and so will you if you do too.