Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice

Tom Swift Sr. #8

by Victor Appleton

Tom Swift and friends journey to the Arctic in Tom's custom airship to seek the legendary Valley of Gold. When his map is stolen by his longtime nemesis, Andy Foger, who has himself built a competing airship, the race is on across frigid Alaska to see who will be the first to find the limitless fortune.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, Classics

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Victor Appleton was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and its successors, most famous for being associated with the Tom Swift series of books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_...

The character of Tom Swift was conceived in 1910 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging company. Stratemeyer invented the series to capitalize on the market for children's science adventure. The Syndicate's authors created the Tom Swift books by first preparing an outline with all the plot elements, followed by drafting and editing the detailed manuscript. The books were published under the house name of Victor Appleton. Edward Stratemeyer and Howard Garis wrote most of the volumes in the original series; Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, wrote the last three volumes. The first Tom Swift series ended in 1941.
In 1954, Harriet Adams created the Tom Swift, Jr., series, which was published under the name "Victor Appleton II". Most titles were outlined and plotted by Adams. The texts were written by various writers, among them William Dougherty, John Almquist, Richard Sklar, James Duncan Lawrence, Tom Mulvey and Richard McKenna. The Tom Swift, Jr., series ended in 1971.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift

Reviews

[Jon E · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book and one of my favorite parts is when they scared the Fogers away and when the airship was destroyed and I thought it was kind of ridiculous how the Fogers arrived.

[David Hibberd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Tom Swift Sr. books as a child and again when I got my Kindle in 2010. They are an easy read and enjoyable. It is interesting to see how writing has changed since these books were written.

[Tiffany Tinkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good old classic young readers book about a young inventor that invents this awesome inventions and then goes on these wild and crazy adventures, sometimes getting into trouble in the process.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom and his friends are off to Alaska! Book 7 Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers introduces a new character who helps rescue Tom off Phantom Mountain- an old miner named Abe Abercrombie. Abe comes to town with a proposition for Tom. He knows where gold is hidden in frozen Alaska. All he needs is a way to get there and Tom has a plane - The Red Cloud. Previous supporting characters Mr Damon and Professor Parker, who predicts gloom everywhere he goes, accompany him. Bully Andy Foger overhears and steals the map to the gold. Will Tom and his group beat Andy and his father to the gold?

Tom was likely modeled off Horatio Alger Jr.'s boy characters. Tom is honest, loyal, and courageous. He gets into frequent spats with the town bully, Andy Foger. Andy is mean and treacherous and lies and steals. Tom never starts a battle but is always very quick to defend himself and always comes out the victor. While all the Tom Swift books can be read on their own, I wouldn't start mid-way through the series. You really should start with #1.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Off we fly again... eventually. About the first two-thirds of the book is about getting the airship to Alaska. The title gives away the most important bit of the book which is the wreck of the airship. This makes for an odd plot that seems more like a travelogue than a novel at points.
Since Tom's air machine makes no sense as a dirigible and an airplane tied together, it almost seems like the purpose of this book is to get rid of the implausible albatross. Since the next book sees Tom create a new and modern airplane, this concept of this occasional novel as a tweener book seems like more than idle speculation. Still, there is old-school amusement to be had here for fans of the Swift one.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

In modern times, wealth from Alaska comes in the form of oil. In the book Tom Swift in the Caves of Ice, wealth from Alaska came in the form of gold, decades before Alaska became a state. Abe Abercrombie, an old prospector who Tom met at the end of the book Tom Swift Among the Diamond Makers, had a map that showed a valley of gold and wanted Tom to take him there in the airship called RED CLOUD. After some preliminary thoughts, Tom decides to go. His fellow adventurers include his friend Ned Newton, Mr. Wakefield Damon, Mr. Ralph Parker, and Abe, of course.

As in the previous two books, it appears that Mother Nature is trying to kill Tom and his companions. The other adversaries are Andy Foger and his father. Their actions are more extreme in this book than they were in earlier books. The father and son appear, off and on, throughout the novel. As you read, you will feel the tension and anxiety these villains cause.

In this book, Tom’s only new invention is an electric rifle that he happens to take along on the trip. He notes that it isn’t fully developed, but it proves effective two different times in the trip. All of the adventurers are armed with conventional rifles and sufficient ammunition. No humans were killed, but there is gunfire.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it as another good Tom Swift story.