The Moons of Jupiter

Lucky Starr #5

by Paul French, Isaac Asimov

Sabotage of a revolutionary advance in space travel means every life is at hazard. Only a handful of highly trusted men were supposed to know the secret. But someone else knew!

For David Starr it was probably the most important and dangerous mission he had ever faced. He had to find the mysterious saboteur before the damage became irreparable. But the unknown enemy didn't see human. Not even remotely alien either!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Speculative Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Pen name of Isaac Asimov for the Lucky Starr books.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the fifth novel in a series of six that Asimov wrote under the pseudonym of Paul French featuring David "Lucky" Starr and his sidekick John Bigman Jones. The first books were initially intended to be the basis for a television series but when that fell through Doubleday was happy to keep publishing them and Asimov was happy to keep writing them. By the time this fifth one appeared he regretted the pseudonymous publication, and his authorship became something of an open secret in the genre. Along with introducing Sirian antagonists, he incorporated Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. He pretty much abandoned the "Space Ranger" format, and had Lucky and Bigman become interplanetary detectives. The books were aimed for young readers and blended a strong action/adventure content with accurate (for the time) scientific concepts. This one appeared in 1957 and does not hold up as well scientifically as some of the other books; Jupiter was found to be different than 1950s knowledge postulated. It's still enjoyable, though; just pretend it's an alternate universe story. One has to remember that the social conventions of the series were conceived in the early 1950s, not just the science, and that Asimov was writing for twelve-year-old boys of the time. The Tom Corbett series by "Carey Rockwell" that Grosset & Dunlap published are similar, and I think David "Lucky" Starr and his feisty sidekick John Bigman Jones may have been influenced by Hamilton's Captain Future books, and perhaps even Superman. I didn't think the Starr books were as good as Heinlein's juveniles, but I thought they were at least as good as Andre Norton's, Donald Wolheim's, or Lester del Rey's juveniles of the time. And they're still fun stuff if you know what to expect.

[Ал Торо · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ами, много готино леко и кратко четиво. Не знам как може да се опише по-точно от "Шерлок и Уотсън в космоса". Имах ниски очаквания, предвид че тази серия на Азимов не е особено високо оценена е, по-детска е и това е пета част (а не съм чел първите четири), но никое от горните не ми развали кефа в действителност. Историята е увлекателна, хареса ми и изключителното внимание към детайлите и колко издържано логически е цялото нещо, как Азимов е опитал да обясни научно всичките фантастични елементи.

Все пак има и няколко дребни минуса.
- Дори и от обща култура човек може да види някои елементи, които не са особено реалистични, т.е. "фантастиката" вътре е поостаряла; това е съвсем нормално, предвид че книгата е излязла преди 65 години, още преди Гагарин да извърши първия космически полет.
- Голямото разкритие в края ми изглеждаше доста ясно 130 страници по-рано, което е бая за книга, която е 180 страници. Т.е. малко предвидима е книгата, може би защото е прекалено логична и Азимов е заложил подсказки навсякъде в нея.
- Има една безумна глава, в която страница след страница се обяснява кой сателит на Юпитер с каква скорост се вижда, колко светлина отразява, колко е това в сравнение с Луната и за колко часа обикаля планетата. Тези страници не биха минали редакция в наши дни.

Но като цяло, минусите са дребни и простими, а книгата - готина. Препоръчвам я особено горещо на по-млади читатели и на хората, които биха харесали микс от детективска, приключенска и фантастична литература.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see that even in 1957, Asimov had formulated his famed Three laws of Robotics. It is especially interesting since this was penned by "Paul French", a pseudonym Asimov used early in his career. The title page has Paul French on it. When this copy was rebound, they put Asimov's name on the spine. I suppose Asimov was still unknown enough that people wouldn't have necessarily connected the Three Laws of Robotics with him. I have no idea why my system had this book as juvenile. It is of course, completely clean, sexually, and in terms of violence (mostly) and language. However, so are all of Asimov's titles, except his limericks. Since this is 5th in the series, I do not know how old Lucky Starr is supposed to be. If he is still a teenager, this book would now be considered a YA title. However, there is no indication of age in this title. Addendum: I found I have the complete adventures of Lucky Starr. In the second story, Lucky is listed as at least 25, more likely at least 28 since when he was found he was already speaking in complete sentences. So he definitely should never have gone J in my system!

I guessed, in part, whodunit. Since I rarely manage that stunt, I took off a star for that. Asimov got trickier as he got more experienced. I'll have to check when his other robotics stories were written. The Laws had clearly already been formulated at this point.

I'll have to try and find other Lucky Starr titles. I need to check my own collection first, just in case! This was quite enjoyable.

[Mihaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не съм предполагала, че научната фантастика ще ме влече толкова.
Книгата беше кратка, интересна и забавна. Беше ми много приятно и аз да се опитвам да разгадая мистерията, паралелно с Лъки Стар и Бигман. От една част нататък вече имах хипотеза в главата си, която се потвърди, и накрая се почувствах удовлетворена, че съм успяла да отгатна какво се е случило.
Книгата беше пълна с научни факти, като например скоростта на въртене на Юпитер около оста си, големината на Юпитер, големината на някои от неговите по-големи спътници, както и времето на обиколка на спътник около Юпитер. Имаше и прекрасно описание как би изглеждало небето, гледано от единия спътник на Юпитер, както и кога ще можем да видим в небето Юпитер, другите му големи спътници и Слънцето. Докато четях, си представях, че съм там и че гледам звездите в небето. Представях си, че Юпитер е над мен и му виждам красивите цветове. Успях да вляза в книгата, да се припозная в героите и да си представя, че съм част от тях. Силно се замислям дали да не изнамеря и другите книги от поредицата, а и други книги на Азимов, като цяло.
Препоръчвам я на всички фенове на космоса, мистериите и старите книги. Някои хора дори наричат главния герой Космическия Шерлок Холмс и това има много смисъл, защото Лъки Стар е много умен и обяснява мислите си и действията си през цялата книга, а ние, читателите, както и неговият помощник, Бигман, стоим до него и непрекъснато задаваме въпроси.

[Robu-sensei · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world of Isaac Asimov's Lucky Starr is a young science geek's wildest dream come true. Imagine: a thousand years from now, the solar system's secret agents and protectors of the weak are...scientists! —Who don't mind showing off what they know!

Dr. Asimov often lamented the pernicious and ever-growing current of anti-intellectualism in American society. Was his series of young-adult Lucky Starr novels merely the public expression of an escapist fantasy universe, or did he intend to win young, intelligent minds to scientific inquiry by showing just how cool science could be?

In the fifth adventure of the Lucky Starr series, Starr and his spunky sidekick visit top-secret Project Agrav, based on Jupiter IX , to control gravity by storing potential energy. The potential benefits of the technology are enormous, since a spaceship equipped with Agrav could skim the atmospheres of the giant planets without fear of being trapped forever in their mighty gravitational embrace. However, a Sirian spy working on the project threatens the project's secrecy and its very success. Can Lucky and Bigman identify and capture the spy before he—or it—can sabotage the first flight to Jupiter's innermost satellite?

At one time, Moons of Jupiter was perhaps my favorite novel in the series, but perhaps too much of my fascination with the story centered on the Agrav technology, since I know consider it one of the weaker ones. Here, a crucial story element hinges on several highly unlikely events surrounding the moon Amalthea (sorry—I can't be more specific without spoilers) that stretched my credulity just a little too far.

It seems that each Lucky Starr book contains one glaring factual error thought to be correct when the book was written, which the author later acknowledged and regretted. (The errors don't detract in the least from the stories as exciting adventures, of course.) Dr. Asimov lived to see the moon Io revealed as a tortured, sulfurous hell, home to lakes of liquid sulfur and volcanoes spouting a hundred miles into space. Hardly a desirable destination for a space picnic! Another, minor mistake is that Asimov erroneously called Jupiter IX "Adrastea," actually the unofficial name of Jupiter XII. (Jupiter IX was given the name Sinope, but not until 1975.)

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 5th novel in the “Lucky Starr” series finds David “Lucky” Starr and his sidekick, John “Bigman” Jones (all 5’2” of him) on a mission to the moons of Jupiter to try and determine how a top-secret experimental technology is being sabotaged and stop it. Even though couched in a young adult science fiction package Asimov, as usual, provides a compelling adventure injected with a fair amount of astronomy and physics education.

At its core, this is a detective story, but it’s also more than that. Here, David Starr, as a Councilman (of the distinguished “Council of Science”) must ingratiate himself with a group of suspicious remote space station crew members, discover the identity of the saboteur, trick a robot, and keep his sidekick under control. No easy task among them. It was nice to see another aspect of Asimov’s “3 Laws of Robotics” in action. This has always been a compelling idea for me, especially when odd situations require unique interpretations of the laws by the robot in question.

This book is also quite dated. To see these space-faring people using punch cards, tape reels, and printers to decipher computer codes is fun for those of us who have lived through the stone age of computer technology but reading it now…well readers will need to forgive Mr. Asimov for not foreseeing the rapidity of such change to come.

All in all, a quick fun read just as the other Lucky Starr books have been.

[Rafael Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pela primeira vez nesta série de livros decifrei o mistério antes do final. Ainda assim a história é muito envolvente. Pela data em que foi escrita e pela tecnologia da época, há algumas passagens que mostram ser impossível prever totalmente a tecnologia futura, como quando os tripulantes da nave usam livros em lugar de microfilmes por serem mais rápidos de pesquisar. Asimov sequer podia imaginar os computadores digitais. Muito menos que eles pudessem caber na palma da mão. De qualquer forma, é possível se divertir muito com a história.

[Phil Giunta · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Jupiter’s most remote moon Adrastea, or Jupiter Nine, a revolutionary anti-gravity project, known as Agrav, is under investigation—again. This time, the Council of Science has sent their most resourceful troubleshooter, David “Lucky” Starr, and his diminutive sidekick, John Bigman Jones. Though what Bigman lacks in stature, he compensates for in bravery and bravado—a combustible mix that often ignites trouble for the pair.

Upon arrival on Jupiter Nine, Starr and Jones are immediately met with hostility from workers who have been repeatedly questioned and interrogated by government authorities in search of a possible spy from Sirius, an Earth colony settled generations ago that had turned against its planet of origin.

In an attempt to gain an advantage in their search for a possible Sirian infiltrator, Starr brings with him a V-Frog, a small amphibious creature from Venus that possesses remarkable empathic ability. Through this creature, Starr and Bigman hope to determine if the spy is human or automaton.

Unfortunately, an intruder kills the V-Frog in their quarters shortly after their arrival, leaving Starr bereft of his main tool for detection. However, the event raises suspicion that the perpetrator was most likely a robot, for any human that approaches a V-Frog is instantly affected by the animal’s empathic projections of affection and benevolence.

Meanwhile, the Agrav vessel Jovian Moon is ready for test flight to Io, Jupiter’s innermost moon. Against the wishes of Mission Commander Donahue, Starr and Bigman join the expedition, as Starr is confident that the Sirian robot will also be on board—and quite possibly a human saboteur as well!

The question is, will the Jovian Moon successfully complete its round-trip voyage or will all hands meet their doom when the vessel plunges into the heart of Jupiter?

Lucky Starr and Moons of Jupiter conveyed a more sinister tone than its four predecessors. This was the first time in the series that David Starr did not always have the upper hand in every predicament and was, in fact, foiled on multiple occasions both by his own incorrect assumptions—or inexperience—and by the ingenuity of the Sirians. Of course, Bigman’s typical immature and rash antics did little to help the situation, except for a tense anti-gravity brawl at the beginning of the book.

At the time of publication in 1954, the Jovian moon now known as Ananke was called Adrastea (aka Jupiter Nine). In 1975, some of the minor satellites of Jupiter were renamed and Adrastea was assigned to Jupiter XV.

[Juan Escobar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como siempre Isaac Asimov inventa una historia detectivesca como excusa para dar veintena de datos sobre algo. Este vez es sobre Júpiter y sus lunas.

Si Júpiter fuera hueco, Bigman, podrías meter mil trescientos planetas del mismo tamaño que la tierra y no podrás llenarlo del todo.

Esta vez es el inteligente y audaz de Lucky Starr que es encargado de descubrir un espionaje de los Sirianos, los ex habitantes de la tierra que conquistaron los planetas y asteroides más allá del sistema solar.

Siempre era difícil escoger entre "buenos días", "buenas tardes", o "buenas noches" en el espacio, donde, literalmente hablando, no había ni día, ni tarde, ni noche.

Es la primera de todas las novelas que escribió el Ruso más norteamericano que conozco sobre Lucky Starr. Entonces, será buscar los otros, para divertirme mientras sueño que somos una raza de humanos que alcanzó el conocimiento para llegar a las estrellas y seguirse traicionando.

Había una sensación de "mañana" casi tan fuerte como si hubiera un sol saliendo por el este y hierba cubierta de rocío.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another quick read (don't tell anyone but it was so quick i was able to read it while I was supposed to be doing other things this morning) but I will admit that this was not as good as the previous books in the series - yes it shows it age (it was written in the 50s after all) so you have to take in to account the era it was written in after all.
For example you have the social -political landscape to consider - women generally in literature were little more than plot devices and two dimensional, scientists were both revered and distrusted in equal parts and the world was becoming more and more aware of political tensions - so to write a book where the future is more optimistic you do have an uphill struggle.
That said Asimov always tells a great story and with a few considerations this is another great tale from him (yes you have to make some allowances and in this one I feel one or two more than usual) but still I did enjoy it - certainly enough to see me to the end of the series

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was told that one day I will give an Asimov written story anything less than perfect I would have thought that person didn't know me at all. But here I'm giving this book a 4.
Compared to Lucky's other books this one contained a bit more science than usual. it's not necessarily bad but there were all in one chapter and I can even say in 2-3 pages. it was all about describing how Jupiter looks like and how its moon moves and how sunset and sunrise look like which made the story boring.
other than that, this one wasn't as mysterious as previous ones and it was actually so easy to figure out the spy. it was getting on my nerve how Lucky didn't see it.
also, usually the dangerous part of the story last longer with more detail but here the whole even of sabotage and rescue and repair was only 4-5 pages with vague details about them.

[Gortius Octavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creo que uno de los libros de lucky star que más he disfrutado, contiene muchas situaciones de acción y estrés que los anteriores, y ver a lucky encontrar un caso realmente difícil, compaginado con robots (y ese estilo tan especial de Asimov para escribir sobre robots)… muy recomendable, incluso si no se han leído los anteriores.

[Xabi1990 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novelas juveniles del Gran Maestro que suelen ser flojitas…..pero que en este caso me gustó bastante. Y aquí tenemos una vez más la Ranger del Espacio resolviendo problemas por la galaxia.

[Gianni Costanzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho appena terminato questo quinto capitolo della saga di Lucky Star di Asimov e posso dire che ho apprezzato questa avventura più delle precedenti su Venere e Marte, pur non essendo paragonabile agli scritti migliori di Asimov ma ne ero già consapevole. 4 stelle perché c'è di meglio nel panorama Asimoviano, ma se siete un giovane lettore la valutazione può essere anche più alta.

Raccomandazione: se siete un lettore adulto e vi accostate per la prima volta ad Asimov, non iniziate da questo ciclo, incominciate dal Ciclo delle Fondazioni: Prima Fondazione / Fondazione e Impero / Seconda Fondazione, l'opera migliore a parer mio da lui scritta. Quest'opera la consiglio ad un appassionato che come me vuole leggere tutti i 4 cicli principali (Fondazioni, Spaziali, Robot, Lucky Starr) di Asimov riguardanti lo Spazio oppure ad un lettore giovane che si avvicina alla Fantascienza con la F maiuscola e cerca una lettura avvincente e non troppo impegnativa.

[Vanesa Hic et Nunc · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5. He descubierto a Asimov en una lectura fluida y entretenida, me esperaba una historia más compleja y el desenlace ha transcurrido en la última cuarta parte del libro de forma rápida aunque bastante coherente.
Muy fan de Bigman, ha sido el personaje mejor conseguido de la trama y con unas emociones humanas fácilmente reconocibles.

[Adi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this is not the most famous novel by Isaac Asimov, it is still an interesting read. Especially if you are a fan of the sci-fi genre.
It was a bit predictable though.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Information about a secret research project is being leaked to the Sirians, and Lucky Starr and Bigman are sent to investigate. The research facility on the ninth moon of Jupiter is working on an antigravity drive (or Agrav) which would generate power while dropping into a gravity well, and use that same stored power to push the ship back out of the gravity well. Theoretically such a drive would open up planets and satellites for exploration previously though unreachable. But Lucky and Bigman are not well received by the suspicious residents of the Jovian moons. They must conduct their investigation for a spy while under constant threat. The race is on to solve the mystery before someone decides to do away with them both.

This may be the best of the Lucky Starr novels. The scientific ideas Asimov is playing with in this book are some of the most interesting and the plot is full of fast-paced action and interesting characters with good backstories. Yes, the formula starts to wear thin (must Lucky really engage in yet another duel or fight of some sort to win the respect of the locals?) but the writing is crisp and the scenarios are imaginative.

I confess that I guessed who the spy was before we got to the big reveal. That could be a sign of good foreshadowing, but it may also be that Asimov was not trying very hard to conceal his intentions. Either way, the ending is still rewarding and sets up the series for the big finale - a confrontation with the Sirians - in book number six.

[Nonethousand Oberrhein · Rating 2 out of 5]

The gas giant
David Starr, half a secret agent and half the futuristic translation of an “Old West” Marshall, is the swashbuckling hero watching over our Solar System peace! Stretching a bit (but not too much to break it!) the Science to fit the Fiction of a solar system peopled by human colons and extraterrestrial intelligent life forms, Asimov cooks up a fun, fresh and adventurous space opera saga, peppering it with quite a few Western genre tropes and leaving the tone evolve to a Cold War investigations series (moving with the author’s times, so to say). On a separate note, the saga bears the seeds of the universe explored in the Robots and Foundation series: an added value for any Asimov enthusiast!
Following the Big Sun of Mercury case, David and Bigman travel to jovian system in an attempt to thwart new Sirians’ plans. The novel takes place before Rings of Saturn

[Remo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tras mi reciente mudanza he sacado del trastero todos mis libros infantiles y juveniles (Hollister, tres investigadores, Elige tu propia aventura...), y descubrí que de las novelas de Lucky Starr me faltaban dos, que procedí a encargar de urgencia y leer ávidamente. En las lunas de Júpiter Lucky Starr debe contribuir al desarrollo de la tecnología terrestre para evitar una guerra con humanos de otros sistema estelar. Se nos habla de la gravedad y la composición atmosférica de Júpiter, de sus lunas, y de cómo sería el funcionamiento de un hipotético sistema antigravitatorio. Genial introducción a la ciencia para niños. Como novelas tienen más agujeros de guión que estrellas hay en el grupo galáctico local, pero siendo como son un fantástico acercamiento a la ciencia para niños y adolescentes, no podemos más que darles notaza.

[FranklinTV · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even at the time I read them in my early 20s, I was not greatly inspired by these, but then again, Issac Asimov wrote them in the 1950s as juvenile science fiction novels under the pseudonym Paul French. So, I kept them mainly as a collector, but possible now something to read with my son. As Asimov admits in the 1970s authors note, the knowledge about the planets and moons has changed greatly, and obviously much much now in 2016. So, there is that problem about reading sci-fi when you already know the science knowledge is significantly out of date. Still, that doesn't stop me watching schlock sci-fi movies. I would suggest approaching the reading of this as you would a generic pulp western novel, and it can become a light entertaining read. Review applied to all six books in the series as I forget the specifics of each!

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again IN THE FUTURE THERE ARE NO WOMEN! I do get disappointed when I read science fiction and ALL the characters are men. Not only are there no women working in space but there are no women mentioned at all. I would have thought better of Asimov. I suppose this was a "boy's adventure" but it still boggles my mind that in that situation they didn't feel the need to include women. The characters are all a bit stereotypical. The plot involves a sabotage attempt and someone secretly a robot. There is an awful lot of the characters explaining the scientific principles of their technology to each other. Really this is not one of his best.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of the series. There are several elements--including the one that the entire solution hinges on!!--that are blatantly inconsistent with the worldbuilding in earlier books. And Bigman, always the reckless sidekick, becomes in this book so cringeworthily boneheaded that some of his scenes are hard to read. I would say the series had jumped the shark here, but Rings of Saturn is arguably the best one, so who knows what went wrong with Moons.

That said, of course there are fun parts, and some of the gravity stuff is pretty neat. In three or four rereads of Lucky Starr, I've never actually skipped Moons.

[Hugo Cervantes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, engaging and thrilling. Highly recommended for fans of the genere and of Asimov.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I continue to prefer the direction taken in regards of Lucky’s approach to solving problems, more Sherlock Holmes than Batman.

It tempted me with psychic themes just to kill the frog half way through the book. Nevertheless he Robot theme continues through the end and the resolution was satisfactory for me at the end. The only inconsistency was, why not use the same device used on the previous book to detect the robot. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

I hope to meet the Sirians on the next one tho.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A one day read on the plane for me for this one, I would say that this was a step down after reading The Naked Sun, as the conclusion was preditable it was not well structured or surprising the end was predictable and not all that believable. Only one more Lucky Starr book left to read but I will first have to find a copy.
Now is time to move onto some other authors for a little while work through a bit of my back log of purchased books and some new ones like The Consuming Fire.

[Adrián Sánchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es divertido, Asimov usa su narrativa para una vez más explicar en base a los datos obtenidos de manera científica para la época el sistema de estelar de Júpiter, también se nota el cambio de la trama a algo más del estilo del espionaje a diferencia de los primeros libros que era más estilo luchador contra el crimen, sin embargo sigue siendo entretenida. Considero que este sería el segundo libro dentro de la mini saga sobre los Sirianos.

[Stephie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book. Unlike most of Asimov's other books, this one is mostly for children, but his writing is very entertaining in this genre too. Some things were a little illogical and some parts with astronomical descriptions seemed too educational while I prefer my books more psychological, but still it was a very nice adventure - I liked the mystery, I liked the characters, I liked the whole story.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 in the Lucky Starr series.

Lucky Starr, Space Ranger, and his sidekick Bigman Jones, go to Jupiter IX where a new type spaceship is being prepared for a flight to Io. Lucky becomes convinced that sabotage attempts are the result of Sirian espionage, accomplished through a sophisticated robot and a human agent.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viel besser als ich die Luckys in Erinnerung hatte. Eigentlich geradezu gut. Einfach gestrickt aber gut. In der Tat so einfach, dass ich doch gleich in dem Hund den Roboter vermuten konnte. Mit ordentlichem Namen und ohne Bigman wäre das ganz okay.

[Pere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una nova entrega de la sèrie, la penúltima. Interessant però amb un final molt previsible des de la 1/2 del llibre i amb una explicació/justificació del mateix massa forçada :(

[Kissu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginaba que el sistema de espionaje tenía que ver con los animales pero la revelación fue toda una sorpresa. Como siempre, muy emocionante.