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Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽'s Reviews > Red Planet
Red Planet
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Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽'s review
bookshelves: science-fiction, ya-science-fiction, need-to-reread, dated-social-attitudes
Mar 08, 2013
bookshelves: science-fiction, ya-science-fiction, need-to-reread, dated-social-attitudes
This was, hands down, my favorite Heinlein book as a teen. I read it at least 4 or 5 times. I really need to read it again as an adult, but Heinlein ... always an iffy proposition. Though this is one of his early juvie novels, so it's safer than, say, Time Enough for Love.
Two teenage boys, part of the human colonies on Mars, are sent away to boarding school in the biggest city on Mars. In between getting into trouble with the new, insanely strict headmaster, they find out about a plot that could endanger both humans and the native Martians. It’s up to these two boys to save their hometown and their Martian friend from the nefarious forces of evil.
Heinlein is especially imaginative here, with the unique Martian civilization and the realistic (at least for the time) details about humans trying to survive in the hostile environment of Mars. There's a pretty heavy gun ownership rights theme running through this book that may irk some readers, the sexual roles are straight from the 1950s (Red Planet was written in 1949, so understandable enough), people in authority tend to be corrupt and/or incompetent, and you have to be able to suspend disbelief in light of what we now know about life on Mars. Other than that, it's a rockin' story!
But no matter what, I will always adore Willis the Martian with my entire heart and soul.
Sing ¿Quién es la Señorita? one more time, Willis!
Two teenage boys, part of the human colonies on Mars, are sent away to boarding school in the biggest city on Mars. In between getting into trouble with the new, insanely strict headmaster, they find out about a plot that could endanger both humans and the native Martians. It’s up to these two boys to save their hometown and their Martian friend from the nefarious forces of evil.
Heinlein is especially imaginative here, with the unique Martian civilization and the realistic (at least for the time) details about humans trying to survive in the hostile environment of Mars. There's a pretty heavy gun ownership rights theme running through this book that may irk some readers, the sexual roles are straight from the 1950s (Red Planet was written in 1949, so understandable enough), people in authority tend to be corrupt and/or incompetent, and you have to be able to suspend disbelief in light of what we now know about life on Mars. Other than that, it's a rockin' story!
But no matter what, I will always adore Willis the Martian with my entire heart and soul.
Sing ¿Quién es la Señorita? one more time, Willis!
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Reading Progress
2005
–
Started Reading
2005
–
Finished Reading
March 8, 2013
– Shelved
July 28, 2015
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
July 28, 2015
– Shelved as:
ya-science-fiction
July 28, 2015
– Shelved as:
need-to-reread
July 28, 2015
– Shelved as:
dated-social-attitudes
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by
Lyn
(new)
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rated it 3 stars
Jul 28, 2015 12:33PM
great review, I loved this one too in HS
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Thanks, Lyn. Heinlein had a great imagination and a good sense of humor. When he didn't let his personal beliefs derail his writing, he was a great storyteller.
Tadiana ✩ Night Owl☽ wrote: "Thanks, Lyn. Heinlein had a great imagination and a good sense of humor. When he didn't let his personal beliefs derail his writing, he was a great storyteller."
When he did, I would rather he did not write (cough, cough - Stranger in a Strange Land). His juveniles are great :)
When he did, I would rather he did not write (cough, cough - Stranger in a Strange Land). His juveniles are great :)
Evgeny wrote: "When he did, I would rather he did not write (cough, cough - Stranger in a Strange Land). His juveniles are great :)"Podkayne of Mars is another one of his that I remember with great affection. But Stranger ... I plowed my way through that book when I was in my 20s, and honestly I never understood why it was popular. Blech.
Tadiana ✩ Night Owl☽ wrote: "Evgeny wrote: "When he did, I would rather he did not write (cough, cough - Stranger in a Strange Land). His juveniles are great :)"
Podkayne of Mars is another one of his that I reme..."
I am not trying to troll here, but the only explanation for popularity of Stranger I can think of is the following. You like it if you either read it right after it was first published, or if you are 14-year-old.
Podkayne of Mars is another one of his that I reme..."
I am not trying to troll here, but the only explanation for popularity of Stranger I can think of is the following. You like it if you either read it right after it was first published, or if you are 14-year-old.
Honestly, the gun rights message is actually pretty mild in comparison to some of his other rants.
