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185th out of 1,969 books
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9,096 voters
Tunnel in the Sky
A classic novel from the mind of the storyteller who captures the imagination of readers from around the world, and across two generations
The final exam for Dr. Matson's Advanced Survival class was meant to be just that: only a test. But something has gone terribly wrong...and now Rod Walker and his fellow students are stranded somewhere unknown in the universe, beyond co
...morePaperback, 272 pages
Published
March 15th 2005
by Pocket
(first published January 1st 1955)
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When Gene Roddenberry was pitching the original Star Trek to skittish network executives, he used the phrase "Wagon Train to The Stars".
That might actually have been a working title for this book, since the society it's predicated is based on LITERAL wagon trails to the stars (? or alternate universes? It's not really clear...) via stargates.
The basic conceit ('survival' courses for high school seniors, with a final practicum 'graded' so that you pass if you s...more
That might actually have been a working title for this book, since the society it's predicated is based on LITERAL wagon trails to the stars (? or alternate universes? It's not really clear...) via stargates.
The basic conceit ('survival' courses for high school seniors, with a final practicum 'graded' so that you pass if you s...more
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One of Heinlein's youth books that stirred my imagination more than most. I really liked this book and read it many times in my youth. A class of young "survivalists" (college and high school students taking survival classes in school) are sent to a distant un-colonized planet to survive...and are lost. They then have to survive on their own with no way to get home.
As I said as a "youth" I loved this book. Rod Walker's teacher is worried about Rod taking the final...more
As I said as a "youth" I loved this book. Rod Walker's teacher is worried about Rod taking the final...more
Rod Walker is one of the many students that wants to see and explore outlands - wild and untamed planets not yet colonized by Terran Federation. But in order to achieve his goal [and become officially certified explorer] he must take and pass survival test, test taking place in unknown surroundings crawling with unexpected dangers.[return][return]All starts fine (well, let us say there are gradations of fine, ok :)) but soon all test takers find themselves cut off from civilization and forced to...more
This is my fourth Heinlein I've read in '09 having never read anything by him in the past. This novel is probably my favorite of the four and will secure a fifth later this year--Heinlein was fairly prolific so there's lots to read by him! My big regret at discovering him at my age is that I didn't know and read him when I was a teenager. Had I read this when I was 14 or 15, I would have been smitten and gulped it all down sort of like I'm doing now. It would have been more magical.
Tu...more
Tu...more
Linnae
rated it
Recommends it for:
Those new to the science fiction genre.
Recommended to Linnae by:
my husband
Shelves:
fantasy-sci-fi,
young-adult
Rod Walker and his classmates at Patrick Henry High have only the final exam left in Dr. Matson's survival class. A 5-10 day solo survival field trip--any planet, any conditions. They can bring any gear they want to bring, will be equipped with the weapon of their choice, and as long as they are still breathing when the gate opens back up to Earth, they pass (assuming they make it back through the gate.)
Only there's been a glitch. The test period has long been over, and no gate ...more
Only there's been a glitch. The test period has long been over, and no gate ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The plot is simple, the vision and execution epic and down to earth at the same time. The dialogue is the weakest part of the book; often sounding a bit stilted (think classic Hollywood westerns), but this mostly clears up by the second half. Heinlein crafted some very likeable characters and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to them.
Interestingly, exposure to modern sf has left me looking for the twist in every tale: However, it simply wasn't there in this book. This bo...more
Interestingly, exposure to modern sf has left me looking for the twist in every tale: However, it simply wasn't there in this book. This bo...more
I find myself wondering if Heinlein had read Golding's "Lord of the Flies" (1954) before publishing this novel in 1955. If I'm charitable, I'll assume he didn't. Otherwise, I would have to conclude that he was portraying a society built by kids from scratch that works (after a fashion) as opposed to one that emphatically does not.
Keeping that in mind, I also find that RAH ascribes much more maturity and stalwart nature to his characters than is likely to be the case in rea...more
Keeping that in mind, I also find that RAH ascribes much more maturity and stalwart nature to his characters than is likely to be the case in rea...more
Rod Walker's high school "Survival" class is sent through a Gate to a remote, uncolonized planet for their final exam. To pass, they only have to live until the Gate is reopened in 2 to 10 days. But what happens when the Gate does not re-appear?
Yet another long-time favorite, and just as excellent as I remembered.
Update:
I've always been extremely fond of this book, in large part because of the "survive against the odds" plot (probably the reason...more
Yet another long-time favorite, and just as excellent as I remembered.
Update:
I've always been extremely fond of this book, in large part because of the "survive against the odds" plot (probably the reason...more
Humans are colonising the galaxy, thanks not to rocket ships capable of taking us to remote star systems, but gateways through hyperspace that allow us to travel anywhere in an instant. But before people are allowed to start a new life in a frontier world, they must take survival classes which culminate in a test in which students are dopped into alien environments and must survive or die.
Our protagonist is takes his test and is sent to an alien world (along with many other students)...more
Our protagonist is takes his test and is sent to an alien world (along with many other students)...more
Survival stories are frequent in YA literature, and Tunnel in the Sky was probably one of the first, originally published in 1955. It is referred to as one of "Heinlein's Juveniles," and is a great tale of adventure with a life-threatening scenario. Rather than making a statement, as some of Heinlein's works attempt to do, this book is just danger and kids using what they have learned to create a new society and survive on an alien planet. Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games or Ende...more
This book, first published in 1955, is a good, clean sci-fi novel for young adults.
It's about a time in the future when earth people are colonizing other planets. A group of students--high school and college--are sent on a 10-day survival test to an unsettled planet. However, something goes wrong, and they are stranded on this planet for a couple of years--and assume they will be living there forever. Unlike "Lord of the Flies" the kids form a functioning society and b...more
It's about a time in the future when earth people are colonizing other planets. A group of students--high school and college--are sent on a 10-day survival test to an unsettled planet. However, something goes wrong, and they are stranded on this planet for a couple of years--and assume they will be living there forever. Unlike "Lord of the Flies" the kids form a functioning society and b...more
Really loved this book, as I do everything I read by Heinlein. I read this whole thing on a plane from Madrid to DC last week. It is a short and easy read but a lot of fun.
The story, set way in the future, centers on a high school kid who is studying to be a time traveler/explorer.
As part of his classwork, a final exam involves sending all the students to some unnamed planet where they must survive for 5 days.
Many students die and the extra credit project is optional!
Rod,...more
The story, set way in the future, centers on a high school kid who is studying to be a time traveler/explorer.
As part of his classwork, a final exam involves sending all the students to some unnamed planet where they must survive for 5 days.
Many students die and the extra credit project is optional!
Rod,...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The more Heinlein I read the more I see how much modern sci-fi is dirivitive of his work.
He is often called the Grandmaster of sci-fi, I submit he should instead be thought of as the Grand Father of modern sci-fi.
In this work, a number of school kids go to a far off unknown planet as the final exam in their survival course, their method of travel is the Star Gate. SG1 of Atlantis, take your pick, this is the origin of that whole thing as far as I can see.
The stor...more
He is often called the Grandmaster of sci-fi, I submit he should instead be thought of as the Grand Father of modern sci-fi.
In this work, a number of school kids go to a far off unknown planet as the final exam in their survival course, their method of travel is the Star Gate. SG1 of Atlantis, take your pick, this is the origin of that whole thing as far as I can see.
The stor...more
'Tunnel in the sky' is one of the first books to feature the topic of being exposed on a strange planet. As the protagonists of the novel are young adults, the work resembles 'Lord of the Flies' which was published one year earlier, in 1954. Heinlein deals with questions of politics and building a community, so the book counts as a classic representative of Soft Science Fiction. It strongly focuses on fighting fear (of the unknown) and what makes a skilled leader. All in all, the novel is a fast...more
3.5 stars. A good, solid Heinlein "juvenile" SF about a group of young adults stranded on a distant world during the final exam of an "advanced survivor" course. I really liked the first half of the book in which the world is introduced, the concept behind the "tunnels" is explained and the effect that the tunnels have had on the form of society. This part is top notch Heinlein and I would have given 4 to 5 stars.
Once they find themselves stranded, I th...more
Once they find themselves stranded, I th...more
An optimistic novel of human civilisation in adverse conditions - a sort of anti-Lord of the Flies in which the stranded "kids" strive to form a civilised society with constitutional government.
The dialogue often feels a bit forced, survival seems a little too easy (mostly hand waved away with the idea the ET diseases don't infect humans) and the rapid influx of characters at a couple of points left me confused over who everyone was.
Minor flaws aside it's a gripping...more
The dialogue often feels a bit forced, survival seems a little too easy (mostly hand waved away with the idea the ET diseases don't infect humans) and the rapid influx of characters at a couple of points left me confused over who everyone was.
Minor flaws aside it's a gripping...more
The final for a high school Survival Class is for the class to survive on another planet for 2-10 days with only what they can carry on their person. Unfortunately, the gate between earth and the planet is broken, leaving the students to fend for themselves for 2 years. They create their own city with its own government and marriages.
I found this book to be quite an interesting read. Heinlein definitely included his military survival training knowledge in the situations the students...more
I found this book to be quite an interesting read. Heinlein definitely included his military survival training knowledge in the situations the students...more
Pretty typical Heinlein teen story.
I didn't enjoy this one as much as others and surprised myself by finding that I may be getting a bit tired of the same style of plot / themes that are in Heinlein's books:
Average teen, thrust into a desperate struggle for survival in some remote part of the galaxy, ends up in a fist fight or squabble with the "bad" kid, ends up pulling through using his natural ability at maths / engineering / hunting, finds himself in a leader...more
I didn't enjoy this one as much as others and surprised myself by finding that I may be getting a bit tired of the same style of plot / themes that are in Heinlein's books:
Average teen, thrust into a desperate struggle for survival in some remote part of the galaxy, ends up in a fist fight or squabble with the "bad" kid, ends up pulling through using his natural ability at maths / engineering / hunting, finds himself in a leader...more
I'd rather give this 4.5 stars out of five, but that's not an option. Oh well.
Anyway, I started reading this on advice from a friend. At first (which means in the first chapter), I was kind of bored by it. It was the last week of school, so I had very little time to really read it, so I'd only had little snatches of the first scene. Thus, since I'd been stuck on the same two pages for several days, I thought the book was a bit boring.
Then, I actually read it. In fact, I read ...more
Anyway, I started reading this on advice from a friend. At first (which means in the first chapter), I was kind of bored by it. It was the last week of school, so I had very little time to really read it, so I'd only had little snatches of the first scene. Thus, since I'd been stuck on the same two pages for several days, I thought the book was a bit boring.
Then, I actually read it. In fact, I read ...more
This book is basically "Lord of the Flies": a bunch of young people find themselves cut-off from the rest of society and need to form their own civilization. The difference being that this book is considerably more optimistic about human nature than Lord of the Flies is. Not to say that it doesn't view human beings as dangerous animals (it does), but it does seem to think that the dangerous parts of human nature can be overcome. Much of the book talks about government and the differenc...more
Robert A Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky is fairly typical of his juvenile novels. It has a fast-moving plot, interesting child characters (though a little older than is typical for him) and a fantastic speculative setting.
Rod Stewart is precocious enough to be taking Advanced Survival in high school instead of the more typical college timing. The final exam requires spending 2-10 days on a raw frontier planet, transported there through a trans-dimensional gate. Accident causes the gat...more
Rod Stewart is precocious enough to be taking Advanced Survival in high school instead of the more typical college timing. The final exam requires spending 2-10 days on a raw frontier planet, transported there through a trans-dimensional gate. Accident causes the gat...more
This is pretty traditional Heinlein, which is to say that it's pretty good. A (very) quick read that doesn't have a tremendous amount of depth, but tells a great story that is very easy to relate to and associate with. This is not as powerful as Starship Troopers or as unique as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but I think it's worth the time.
My only gripe is that, as happens occasionally with his fantasy-ish stuff (Glory Road), he leaves you feeling like there is this unexplored worl...more
My only gripe is that, as happens occasionally with his fantasy-ish stuff (Glory Road), he leaves you feeling like there is this unexplored worl...more
Classic Heinlein! His portrayal of humanity’s future is easy to believe with just a little suspension of scientific cynicism. The protagonist, Rod, is reminiscent of Juan from Starship Troopers -- a likeable everyman smart enough to have the reader’s respect, but not too smart. This book lacked the laser precision of Starship Troopers, and by the end I got the impression that Heinlein had conflicting opinions on what it was *about*, but that didn't keep it from being thoroughly enjoyable, wi...more
Enjoyable read, one of Heinlein's "juvenile" books. Good story, at the point it seemed to bog down a very interesting turn and ending that made me think completely differently about the story. Like his Stranger in a Strange Land, slightly dated in dialog and attitudes but the shear momentum carries the novel. If you enjoyed Robinson Caruso, you should like this. Also an interesting take on forming a government, very timely with what is happening with OWC.
This is a great book. I read this when I was young and have read it many times since then. The testing of the abilities of young folks are something which our society has somewhat lost in this day, and for this book to deal with it as a requirement for a job as leading settlers to other worlds is pretty cool. Perhaps someday our own tunnel in the sky will give us the ability to do the same before we blow ourselves off this rock. LOL..... well one can wish!
An enjoyable read revolving around the creation of a society on a far away planet. Teenagers try to create a government while locking horns with a hostile environment. Like his other works, he places a lot of the stewardship of the story on flawed, yet realistic characters, albeit a bit precocious at times. This reminded me a lot of the Coyote series by Alan Steele, which is excellent. In fact, I would recommend this as a must read by fans of Coyote, as it serves as an inspirational voice for th...more
A repeated pattern in my Goodreads list: Books that carried me away from my (safe, unthreatening) NYC childhood to other lands. Tunnel in the Sky is my favorite "juvenile" Robert Heinlein sf book, set on a creature-filled alien world where teenagers must create their own society or perish. When I was thirteen, I would have paid a ransom to take those risks, and when I reread the book to my own children, I felt the same way.
This is such a great young adult book, perhaps even a middle school book, and nobody knows about it anymore. As you read it you can see television, films and novels that it has inspired, it is even the same plot as The Hunger Games. Read it and recommend it to the children in your life.
This Amazon Kindle edition had many, many typographical errors. I wish it had been edited better.
This Amazon Kindle edition had many, many typographical errors. I wish it had been edited better.
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Robert Anson Heinlein was an American novelist and science fiction writer. Often called "the dean of science fiction writers", he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard science fiction". He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first writer to br...more
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