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Jupiter #4
The Cyborg From Earth
Jefferson Kopal, the privileged son of a wealthy family, knows he is a coward and a failure. He dreads appearing for and then barely passes the Space Navy test to qualify for service as an officer-something that has been an integral part of his family's tradition. He is assigned to the remote Border Command by the Navy and eventually to a ship commanded by Captain Dufferin, who hates everything that the Kopal family stands for.
But when he is abandoned by his Captain and the rest of the crew, left for dead and possibly framed as a traitor, he must find his inner courage and resolve, not only to save himself, but to save his world as well.
But when he is abandoned by his Captain and the rest of the crew, left for dead and possibly framed as a traitor, he must find his inner courage and resolve, not only to save himself, but to save his world as well.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
7 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Charles Sheffield
216 books169 followersCharles A. Sheffield (June 25, 1935 – November 2, 2002), was an English-born mathematician, physicist and science fiction author. He had been a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronomical Society.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 4, 2021
Sheffield's Jupiter books shared a common setting (not the planet; that was just the name of the imprint), but the characters didn't overlap and there's no particular need to read them in any sequence. They were what's now known as YA books, intended for younger readers and influenced by Heinlein's juveniles and other such books from the 1950's. This one, which has a particularly nice Vincent diFate cover, is the story of a young man who's the heir of a wealthy family but screws up his academy exams and finds his future looking suddenly bleak. He's given another chance when he finds himself in deep space facing rebellious cyborgs and a complex criminal plot. Sheffield's scientific content is always engaging, but this one is somewhat lacking in sympathetic characterization. A fun read, but not as memorable as most of Sheffield's work.
October 15, 2016
All four of these are basically the same plot, with similar themes. They're engaging, but not awesome, imo. Probably best for teen boys. Possibly dated by now. The first is the grittiest. My favorite is Putting Up Roots. This is the most cliched. All are recommended if you happen to find them at your library or friend's house, none if you have to buy them.
They do *not* need to be read in order. The significant characters do not carry over, nor does the plot. The world that is being built is developed further in each, but an understanding beyond what is included in each book is not necessary.
The writing is unexpectedly fresh and clean, with some gems. From The Billion Dollar Boy, "Shelby woke up bit by bit, body before brain, memory before mind."
(Review copy-pasted to each of the four.)
They do *not* need to be read in order. The significant characters do not carry over, nor does the plot. The world that is being built is developed further in each, but an understanding beyond what is included in each book is not necessary.
The writing is unexpectedly fresh and clean, with some gems. From The Billion Dollar Boy, "Shelby woke up bit by bit, body before brain, memory before mind."
(Review copy-pasted to each of the four.)
June 19, 2024
SPACE POLITICS! But SpacePol Lite! So enough to set a scene of intrigue without you actually having to sit through any meetings.
Actually, almost no space politics other than the 'so the story can happen' now that I think about it, enough tropes to get the story going.
You know: the rich and powerful get what they want; the monopolies have their tentacles in the government; being from a famous family name is both a blessing and a curse, and in different ratios for different members; personal dreams vs personal responsibility.
Also space! And space distortions! And an eccentric genious! And whatever the heck Space Sounders are!
But don't try to understand what a node is when they first mention it. Don't be like me who assumed it was some space science jargon that I didn't know, went to look it up, and still couldn't figure out what they were talking about. Turns out that "node", as a space related term, does exist but that is not the definition the book uses. Just keep reading until they use node in a context that actually tells you what it is.
There's a fun little twist, that maybe shouldn't have suprised me but it did and I enjoyed it. I have ADHD so even though there was a Chekhov's xyz earlier in the book, I had completly forgotten about it by the time it popped up again.
The book ended rather abruptly, to the extent I thought there might be a sequel. In hindsight, I could see why it ended where it did because otherwise it would fall into more Space Politics and Space Business with the emphasis on the politics and business and not a lot of space!
Turns out it is from a series, but they're stand alone stories. Phew, I no longer feel compelled to seek out the rest of the series.
It was a fun read and I'm glad I'm read it. =)
It's just not enough to make the cut in the "read my unread books and purge the unworthy so all my books can fit on my shelf" elimination rounds. Hmmm, I think I'm going to have to create a goodreads shelf for this project.
Actually, almost no space politics other than the 'so the story can happen' now that I think about it, enough tropes to get the story going.
You know: the rich and powerful get what they want; the monopolies have their tentacles in the government; being from a famous family name is both a blessing and a curse, and in different ratios for different members; personal dreams vs personal responsibility.
Also space! And space distortions! And an eccentric genious! And whatever the heck Space Sounders are!
But don't try to understand what a node is when they first mention it. Don't be like me who assumed it was some space science jargon that I didn't know, went to look it up, and still couldn't figure out what they were talking about. Turns out that "node", as a space related term, does exist but that is not the definition the book uses. Just keep reading until they use node in a context that actually tells you what it is.
There's a fun little twist, that maybe shouldn't have suprised me but it did and I enjoyed it. I have ADHD so even though there was a Chekhov's xyz earlier in the book, I had completly forgotten about it by the time it popped up again.
The book ended rather abruptly, to the extent I thought there might be a sequel. In hindsight, I could see why it ended where it did because otherwise it would fall into more Space Politics and Space Business with the emphasis on the politics and business and not a lot of space!
Turns out it is from a series, but they're stand alone stories. Phew, I no longer feel compelled to seek out the rest of the series.
It was a fun read and I'm glad I'm read it. =)
It's just not enough to make the cut in the "read my unread books and purge the unworthy so all my books can fit on my shelf" elimination rounds. Hmmm, I think I'm going to have to create a goodreads shelf for this project.
October 29, 2024
YA novel in the "Jupiter" universe. Jeff Kopal is the heir apparent to the Kopal Transportation empire. Kopal makes the ships for the Space Navy, so in effect they are the Space Navy. Young Kopals are expected to enlist and join Central Command or they are exiled from the family business. Jeff is just barely passing his entrance exams until the last one, which he fails badly. Expecting to be denied entry, instead he is enlisted and sent to the far end of the galaxy with Border Patrol. He is rushed out on a small ship to put down a secessionist movement without any training or actual orders. Before he can even get to his destination the unforeseen occurs and he is killed.
When he gets better he is in the hospital with the secessionists and his shipmates have left him behind. Here he learns there is much more going on than he was aware. He has to find a way to get back to Earth to clear his name, save his place in the company, and stop a war.
It's a well written coming of age novel from the viewpoint of a naive and confused young man. He does have an unnatural knowledge of self taught theoretical physics for someone of his age, but he is not the usual Gary Sue. Knowledge of the previous Jupiter novels is helpful but not at all necessary.
When he gets better he is in the hospital with the secessionists and his shipmates have left him behind. Here he learns there is much more going on than he was aware. He has to find a way to get back to Earth to clear his name, save his place in the company, and stop a war.
It's a well written coming of age novel from the viewpoint of a naive and confused young man. He does have an unnatural knowledge of self taught theoretical physics for someone of his age, but he is not the usual Gary Sue. Knowledge of the previous Jupiter novels is helpful but not at all necessary.
June 27, 2017
Good fast read, fairly standard plot. Brings in some nano and space themes, simplistic characters and not deep on topics.
August 1, 2024
Perfectly passable midtier scifi book with a couple wayward lines and an abrupt, somewhat unsatisfying ending, but do not go into it expecting there to actually be
March 2, 2025
Like it. Fun. A bit simple and more of a YA than an adult SF book. I would’ve liked it more with a little more meat but it was an enjoyable two day read.
June 29, 2021
Phenomenal!! So good. Hard Sci fi about adventure in the Messina Dust Cloud, corporations influence on government, underhanded deals and science!
February 12, 2013
I picked this book up a long time ago. I have read some of the others in the Jupiter Novels and have read other Charles Sheffield.
This overall fell flat. We have a rich scion who starts off with his father being dead. His mother severely hurt, and he just has to pass some stupid archaic horse jumping test to be sent off to the right branch of the navy. And when he fails and is sent off to the wrong branch, he just goes along.
He has had years to prepare for this, and does not question his misfortune, which is made worse when there is an accident, which he is blamed for. He doesn't work diligently to clear his name, but just goes along on the stream, floating on by.
Sheffield throws in science to make things turn out right, and that is good in a science fiction story. What he doesn't do is give us a believable human story. Our hero is too stupid to do anything but the science part, and then as we near the end, a rabbit jumps out of a hat to save the day on a great deal of back behind the curtain maneuverings. That plot line was the great basis in the story and Sheffield didn't develop it but shortcut to a conclusion. Hence, 3 stars in the middle of the road, and never to be read again.
This overall fell flat. We have a rich scion who starts off with his father being dead. His mother severely hurt, and he just has to pass some stupid archaic horse jumping test to be sent off to the right branch of the navy. And when he fails and is sent off to the wrong branch, he just goes along.
He has had years to prepare for this, and does not question his misfortune, which is made worse when there is an accident, which he is blamed for. He doesn't work diligently to clear his name, but just goes along on the stream, floating on by.
Sheffield throws in science to make things turn out right, and that is good in a science fiction story. What he doesn't do is give us a believable human story. Our hero is too stupid to do anything but the science part, and then as we near the end, a rabbit jumps out of a hat to save the day on a great deal of back behind the curtain maneuverings. That plot line was the great basis in the story and Sheffield didn't develop it but shortcut to a conclusion. Hence, 3 stars in the middle of the road, and never to be read again.
May 12, 2012
I really enjoyed the author's Heritage Universe series, so I thought I'd give this a try. Even though this was written in 1998, it reads like a 1950s YA novel. Although the scientific details are not outdated, nor are they tremendously exciting either. You can tell Charles Sheffield was into astronomy as he spends time on the color of a nebula and that he was a physicist as he explains ideas using graphs.
It doesn't liven up the book however, and as the story revolves around the characters they come across mostly as just plain Joe from Kokomo types. The author tries to make them lifelike, but is only partly successful.
This was a light read that could have been more entertaining. It might appeal to those into Robert Heinlein's early novels, but thrilled I was not.
It doesn't liven up the book however, and as the story revolves around the characters they come across mostly as just plain Joe from Kokomo types. The author tries to make them lifelike, but is only partly successful.
This was a light read that could have been more entertaining. It might appeal to those into Robert Heinlein's early novels, but thrilled I was not.
September 1, 2016
Otro YA de Sheffield que brilla por su mediocridad.
Aburrido, los personajes son completamente planos y el protagonista todavía más, y encima un poco tonto.
A todas las novelas de Sheffield que he leído les pasa lo mismo: sus personajes son completamente planos, y las historias bastante previsibles.
Aburrido, los personajes son completamente planos y el protagonista todavía más, y encima un poco tonto.
A todas las novelas de Sheffield que he leído les pasa lo mismo: sus personajes son completamente planos, y las historias bastante previsibles.
September 22, 2013
Another Sheffieldian adventure! This time a young adult novel that doesn't suffer a bit from the structures of that genre, a tale of a fish out of water who through the rigors of asventure discovers a bit more about himself. Fast placed and inventive.
July 25, 2016
4.5 stars
Great book. Drags a little in parts, but what book doesn't?
Had to take off half a star for language and a few glaring typos such as "ssfaded."
For my clean readers:
Includes language and mild violence
Great book. Drags a little in parts, but what book doesn't?
Had to take off half a star for language and a few glaring typos such as "ssfaded."
For my clean readers:
Includes language and mild violence
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April 14, 2008Science Fiction
October 8, 2008
Slow starter but overall a good late night read,
June 8, 2011
Interesting but short, and it ends too quickly.
I really liked the imagery of the Sounders, but I wanted to learn more about them.
Jeff was emo and not very likeable to me.
I really liked the imagery of the Sounders, but I wanted to learn more about them.
Jeff was emo and not very likeable to me.
January 31, 2012
Very obviously a riff on Heinlein's junior novels, but like its influences, a light, enjoyable read.
September 26, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews