Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Coming of Age for the Ages, December 17, 2000
As someone who has always been, and always will be, a child at heart, I find that reading this book is like going home and then coming back again. I re-read it at least once every two years, and no, you can't have my falling-apart copy. You can't even borrow it. I'd sooner loan you one of my arms or legs.In the beginning, the story may remind you of Heinlein's novella, Universe. But where in that work the punchline is the science, in this one it's the humanity. A young girl works up to, and then works through, her rite of passage to adulthood, and in the process gains much and loses even more, as always happens when we grow up. Be warned: it's not a "kids' book" though. This is for adults who remember, or who want to remember, what it was like to make the transition-- all the joys and all the sorrows. It's also great for young teens who are going through the process right now. Reviewers who think the politics and the moral issues are oversimplified have missed the point. When you're that age, politics and morals ARE that simple. Would they could always be. One of my 'top six best science fiction works of all time' picks.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful light sci-fi story, excellent for kids, March 24, 2002
I read a lot of science fiction as a teenager and young adult...the best way to describe this book is 'charming'. It is definitely science fiction, but the focus on the lead female adolescent character and how she changes as she explores her environment, makes the book very accessible for younger readers.While the book provides typical thought-provoking content in the plot and situations, the real beauty is watching the lead character change mentally and emotionally from a teenager to a young adult. This is my favorite coming-of-age story...I can't believe it is out of print. Get a paper copy if you can (I've seen it in some used book stores)
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid coming-of-age story, January 3, 2002
Alexei Panshin's "Rite of Passage" narrates the growth of a young girl from childhood to maturity. The story's heroine, Mia Havero, lives in a future where overpopulation has destroyed civilization on Earth, and where this holocaust's survivors live either in technological superiority traveling between the stars or marooned in medieval ignorance on colony worlds. The novel traces the evolution of Mia's attitude toward her Ship society's treatment of the culturally backwards "Mudeaters" as she prepares for and finally undergoes her "rite of passage," a one month stranding in the wilds of a colony planet. The great strength of "Rite of Passage" is Panshin's descriptive genius. Panshin painstakingly constructs both Mia's ship and the primitive planets, describing both locales in a great wealth of detail and populating each with lifelike characters who mesh convincingly with their societies. His portrayal of Mia's psyche is handled with extraordinary insight, comparing favorably with the brilliant SF character studies of Robert Silverberg's "Dying Inside" and Philip K. Dick's "Valis" and "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer." He presents Mia's opinions and philosophies with a commendable lack of Ayn Rand style monologues, managing to bring them out naturally through the action of the novel. Marring these successes of "Rite of Passage" are two blemishes. First, the final metamorphosis of Mia'a attitude toward the colonies contains a slight inconsistency; without providing much plot detail, parts of the approach toward the colonies advocated by councilmember Persson with which Mia agrees conflict with her strong do-it-yourself streak that continues unabated throughout the novel. Finally, and more importantly, Mia's characterization lacks the passion and intensity that infuse the best character portraits. In an interview, Philip K. Dick said that after finishing "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer," he was driven to the hospital by hemorrhaging, brought about by the pain of losing his novel's protoganist Angel Archer, by having to write "The End" and surrender her to the reader like a father forced to offer his beloved daughter to her betrothed. This passion is transmitted to the reader of "The Transmigration of Timothy Archer," and to the reader of "Valis," and to the reader of "Dying Inside." It is not tranmitted to the reader of "Rite of Passage." The failure to strike this spark relegates "Rite of Passage" to a lesser position within the pantheon of SF classics.
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