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Tom Corbett, Space Cadet #2
Danger in Deep Space
Carey Rockwell was a pseudonym used to produce kids books, the most famous featuring Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
14 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Carey Rockwell
24 books7 followersThe name Carey Rockwell was a pseudonym used by Grosset & Dunlap. It is unknown who wrote the books, or even if there was only one writer. It is interesting to note, however, that while much of the content was original, a number of scenes and plot points were taken from the television series of the same name.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 26, 2022
I completed my collection of the series in 2021 and will work my way through them as side time permits. Boy adventures in space. Dicey science and pretty far fetched at that, but … 1950s syndicate pubs…
Nitpick: no way a crotchety old Major would be calling the cadets by their first names, but… target audience were pre-teen boys that would never know that.
Nitpick: no way a crotchety old Major would be calling the cadets by their first names, but… target audience were pre-teen boys that would never know that.
February 17, 2015
The crew of the Polaris, fighting bad guys and some poorly-researched science (even for 1953), prove that teamwork and training and pluck will win out. Not quite as good as the first volume but I still liked it quite a lot.
January 12, 2020
The second Tom Corbett printed adventure finds Corbett and his fellow cadets (Roger Manning and Astro) getting a special assignment far outside the solar system. Danger In Deep Space takes Tom Corbett and the Polaris outside the solar system for the first time in an adventure which expands on one of the radio show stories.
Human beings are beginning to explore a few worlds in outer space, thanks to hyper drive. Interstellar communication, however, has proven to be a problem. The Polaris crew is assigned to take an experimental transceiver unit to the extra-solar planet Tara for testing. Tom Corbett and his friends will not be under the command of their Space Academy instructor Captain Strong, though. Instead, they are placed under the watchful eye of Major “Blast Off” Connel. The major commanded the mission which first surveyed Tara but is also known as one of the toughest officers in the Solar Guard.
Before leaving for Tara, the Polaris must dock at a space station to be refitted with hyper drive. While station crews work on the refit, Tom, Roger and Astro are assigned to assist station personnel. Roger modifies the station’s radar equipment to send signals back to his girlfriend on Earth and is discovered by Major Connel. Soon after, a civilian space freighter crashes into the space station, killing most of its crew. Fearing his unauthorized radar modifications will be blamed, Roger flees and becomes a wanted man. The crew of the Polaris can not help their friend, though, as they are assigned a substitute astrogator and launch for Tara. The mission brings even more adventure than the space cadets bargained for, though, as unscrupulous spacemen have discovered a fabulous treasure on Tara and are rocketing for the planet to claim their prize.
Much like the first book in the Tom Corbett series (Stand By For Mars), Danger In Deep Space is not high intellect, cutting edge science driven so-called “hard” science fiction. It is light reading, originally aimed at younger readers, in the vein of pulp space operas. It is bubblegum, Saturday matinee style science fiction that deserves its place among classics such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon (I am thinking more the Buster Crabbe versions than Gil Gerard and Sam J. Jones). I touched on the importance of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and likened this series to Heinlein’s space juvenile series in my review of Stand By For Mars and will not repeat them here. Instead, let’s just concentrate on Danger In Deep Space as a story and its place in the Tom Corbett universe.
Danger in Deep Space shares a much of its plot with the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet radio show episodes Space Station Of Danger Parts 1 and 2. It is my understanding that many of the radio show episodes drew their plots from episodes of the TV series, but I am not sure if this story was ever televised. Unfortunately, very few of the TV episodes seem to have survived despite its five year multi-network run. The radio show (one of the few to be adapted from a TV show instead of transitioning from radio to TV) ran twice a week for about six months in 1952 with the same cast as the television series. Over forty of the radio episodes survive, so the radio show has become the modern fan’s best source for Tom Corbett’s adventures.
This novel, although still firmly in the G-rated realm of kids adventure television, is a little more intense than the radio series. During his time on the run, Roger finds himself stuck in a rough and tumble part of an off world outpost, drinking is introduced (although our down on his luck hero abstains). While the Solar Guard restricts itself to non-lethal weapons such as paralyzing rayguns, the villains of Danger In Deep Space are not just willing to do violence, they actually kill people. All in all, this story reads more like the novelization of a 1950s science fiction film than a children’s TV show. It is not a challenging read, but Danger In Deep Space is a good bit of fun for anyone who is looking for a light read and has trouble passing up old science fiction films such as Forbidden Planet, Crash of Moons and Conquest of Space.
Best of all, like pretty much all of the Tom Corbett novels, you can easily find digital copies for free on Amazon and Project Gutenberg.
Human beings are beginning to explore a few worlds in outer space, thanks to hyper drive. Interstellar communication, however, has proven to be a problem. The Polaris crew is assigned to take an experimental transceiver unit to the extra-solar planet Tara for testing. Tom Corbett and his friends will not be under the command of their Space Academy instructor Captain Strong, though. Instead, they are placed under the watchful eye of Major “Blast Off” Connel. The major commanded the mission which first surveyed Tara but is also known as one of the toughest officers in the Solar Guard.
Before leaving for Tara, the Polaris must dock at a space station to be refitted with hyper drive. While station crews work on the refit, Tom, Roger and Astro are assigned to assist station personnel. Roger modifies the station’s radar equipment to send signals back to his girlfriend on Earth and is discovered by Major Connel. Soon after, a civilian space freighter crashes into the space station, killing most of its crew. Fearing his unauthorized radar modifications will be blamed, Roger flees and becomes a wanted man. The crew of the Polaris can not help their friend, though, as they are assigned a substitute astrogator and launch for Tara. The mission brings even more adventure than the space cadets bargained for, though, as unscrupulous spacemen have discovered a fabulous treasure on Tara and are rocketing for the planet to claim their prize.
Much like the first book in the Tom Corbett series (Stand By For Mars), Danger In Deep Space is not high intellect, cutting edge science driven so-called “hard” science fiction. It is light reading, originally aimed at younger readers, in the vein of pulp space operas. It is bubblegum, Saturday matinee style science fiction that deserves its place among classics such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon (I am thinking more the Buster Crabbe versions than Gil Gerard and Sam J. Jones). I touched on the importance of Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and likened this series to Heinlein’s space juvenile series in my review of Stand By For Mars and will not repeat them here. Instead, let’s just concentrate on Danger In Deep Space as a story and its place in the Tom Corbett universe.
Danger in Deep Space shares a much of its plot with the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet radio show episodes Space Station Of Danger Parts 1 and 2. It is my understanding that many of the radio show episodes drew their plots from episodes of the TV series, but I am not sure if this story was ever televised. Unfortunately, very few of the TV episodes seem to have survived despite its five year multi-network run. The radio show (one of the few to be adapted from a TV show instead of transitioning from radio to TV) ran twice a week for about six months in 1952 with the same cast as the television series. Over forty of the radio episodes survive, so the radio show has become the modern fan’s best source for Tom Corbett’s adventures.
This novel, although still firmly in the G-rated realm of kids adventure television, is a little more intense than the radio series. During his time on the run, Roger finds himself stuck in a rough and tumble part of an off world outpost, drinking is introduced (although our down on his luck hero abstains). While the Solar Guard restricts itself to non-lethal weapons such as paralyzing rayguns, the villains of Danger In Deep Space are not just willing to do violence, they actually kill people. All in all, this story reads more like the novelization of a 1950s science fiction film than a children’s TV show. It is not a challenging read, but Danger In Deep Space is a good bit of fun for anyone who is looking for a light read and has trouble passing up old science fiction films such as Forbidden Planet, Crash of Moons and Conquest of Space.
Best of all, like pretty much all of the Tom Corbett novels, you can easily find digital copies for free on Amazon and Project Gutenberg.
March 13, 2024
The second Tom Corbett Space Cadet tie-in novel (written under the psuedonym Carey Rockwell by an unknown author) sends Tom and his fellow cadets out of the solar system for the first time.
Danger in Deep Space (1953) is another slam-bang Space Opera tale that drips with fun. Tom, Roger and Astro are assigned to fly the Polaris to the planet Tara, orbiting around Alpha Centauri. Once there, they are to test a new interstellar communication device. For this mission, the Polaris will be refitted with a hyperdrive and overall command will go to Major Connel, reputed to be the toughest officer in the service.
This is apparently true, as Connel's first encounter with the three cadets involves him chewing them out and all three soon have a bucketful of demerits charged to them for a variety of minor infractions.
But Connel isn't just a martinet. Yes, his command technique for cadets is at first to go into total Drill Sergeant Mode. But we soon find out he's really good at his job--that he cares about both the service and those under his command--and that, if you've earned a "well done," you'll get it. Connel's character template isn't original, but it's presented here with sincerity and a genuine respect for men who do jobs requiring discipline, intelligence and courage.
And discipline, intelligence and courage will be needed. The Polaris heads first to a large spaceport in orbit around Venus. It's from here they will refuel and then launch for Alpha Centuri. (By the way, there is a few paragraphs of technobabble to explain how a hyperdrive works, but then any real-life problems with relativity and Einsteinian physics are blissfully ignored. The book jumps with both feet into Space Opera territory and only occasionally about realistic science. This is how it should be in the Tom Corbett universe.)
While there, a ship crashes into the space station and the two crewmen aboard are killed. Roger Manning, who had been on duty in what was essentially the space station's air traffic control, is framed for being responsible. He goes on the run, while a replacement is brought aboard the Polaris.
While the good guys fly to the planet Tara on their mission, the guys who framed Roger actually recruit the fugitive aboard their ship. They are also flying for Alpha Centauri, intending to mine a small planetoid that is rich in copper. Copper is now very valuable--its esssential for making modern electronics, but most copper sources on Earth have been mined out.
This leads to an entertaining storyline in which the overall situation keeps changing in fun ways. The bad guys try to blow up the good guys. Roger helps foil this plan and then helps capture the bad guys, rejoining the crew of the Polaris.
The crew of the Polaris decides to blast the copper-planet out of orbit and send it towards Earth. Apparently, it will reach the Earth in a reasonable period of time despite a distance of four light-years. It's similar to how the Millenium Falcon can reach Bespin despite its hyperdrive being knocked out. Or how the Mandalorian could get himself and Baby Yoda from one star sytem to another with no hyperdrive. Like Star Wars, the Tom Corbett Universe works according to Space Opera Physics. As it should. I DON'T WAN TO HEAR A WORD OF COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS! UNDERSTAND?
To carry out this plan, the cadets have to spend several near-sleepless days working out complicated math while building reaction bombs and timing devices. The bombs have to go off at the exact correct second to send the planet off on the correct trajectory.
I really enjoy this part of the book. As in Stand By For Mars, the book here stresses not just physical courage, but education and intelligence. We are reminded that the cadets are all very, very smart. In our universe, they'd each have at least one doctorate in the fields of math, physics or astronomy. When Major Connel obligates them to do Nobel Prize winning tasks on the fly, they step forward to do them.
But sometimes the need for physical courage arises as well. The captured bad guys stage a break-out at the worst possible moment, putting the mission and the men of the Polaris in a situation that seems pretty much hopeless.
Danger in Deep Space brings the Tom Corbett series so far to 2 wins and no losses.
Danger in Deep Space (1953) is another slam-bang Space Opera tale that drips with fun. Tom, Roger and Astro are assigned to fly the Polaris to the planet Tara, orbiting around Alpha Centauri. Once there, they are to test a new interstellar communication device. For this mission, the Polaris will be refitted with a hyperdrive and overall command will go to Major Connel, reputed to be the toughest officer in the service.
This is apparently true, as Connel's first encounter with the three cadets involves him chewing them out and all three soon have a bucketful of demerits charged to them for a variety of minor infractions.
But Connel isn't just a martinet. Yes, his command technique for cadets is at first to go into total Drill Sergeant Mode. But we soon find out he's really good at his job--that he cares about both the service and those under his command--and that, if you've earned a "well done," you'll get it. Connel's character template isn't original, but it's presented here with sincerity and a genuine respect for men who do jobs requiring discipline, intelligence and courage.
And discipline, intelligence and courage will be needed. The Polaris heads first to a large spaceport in orbit around Venus. It's from here they will refuel and then launch for Alpha Centuri. (By the way, there is a few paragraphs of technobabble to explain how a hyperdrive works, but then any real-life problems with relativity and Einsteinian physics are blissfully ignored. The book jumps with both feet into Space Opera territory and only occasionally about realistic science. This is how it should be in the Tom Corbett universe.)
While there, a ship crashes into the space station and the two crewmen aboard are killed. Roger Manning, who had been on duty in what was essentially the space station's air traffic control, is framed for being responsible. He goes on the run, while a replacement is brought aboard the Polaris.
While the good guys fly to the planet Tara on their mission, the guys who framed Roger actually recruit the fugitive aboard their ship. They are also flying for Alpha Centauri, intending to mine a small planetoid that is rich in copper. Copper is now very valuable--its esssential for making modern electronics, but most copper sources on Earth have been mined out.
This leads to an entertaining storyline in which the overall situation keeps changing in fun ways. The bad guys try to blow up the good guys. Roger helps foil this plan and then helps capture the bad guys, rejoining the crew of the Polaris.
The crew of the Polaris decides to blast the copper-planet out of orbit and send it towards Earth. Apparently, it will reach the Earth in a reasonable period of time despite a distance of four light-years. It's similar to how the Millenium Falcon can reach Bespin despite its hyperdrive being knocked out. Or how the Mandalorian could get himself and Baby Yoda from one star sytem to another with no hyperdrive. Like Star Wars, the Tom Corbett Universe works according to Space Opera Physics. As it should. I DON'T WAN TO HEAR A WORD OF COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS! UNDERSTAND?
To carry out this plan, the cadets have to spend several near-sleepless days working out complicated math while building reaction bombs and timing devices. The bombs have to go off at the exact correct second to send the planet off on the correct trajectory.
I really enjoy this part of the book. As in Stand By For Mars, the book here stresses not just physical courage, but education and intelligence. We are reminded that the cadets are all very, very smart. In our universe, they'd each have at least one doctorate in the fields of math, physics or astronomy. When Major Connel obligates them to do Nobel Prize winning tasks on the fly, they step forward to do them.
But sometimes the need for physical courage arises as well. The captured bad guys stage a break-out at the worst possible moment, putting the mission and the men of the Polaris in a situation that seems pretty much hopeless.
Danger in Deep Space brings the Tom Corbett series so far to 2 wins and no losses.
August 3, 2020
A 1950s young adult science fiction story, Danger In Deep Space is the follow on from Stand By For Mars! featuring Tom Corbett, space cadet.
It's a light space romp where we see two disgraced spacemen attempt to heist a satelitte consisting mainly of copper which is now extremely rare and sought after, the science is, uh, shall we say imaginative even for 1953, yet I felt that didn't really detract from the story.
One thing I did note was like the first novel in the series the prefix of space is added to many words to, well, spacify them. It kind of seems like lazy writing to just throw space infront of a word rather than a proper description or even just leave boots be boots, is there a need for them to be space boots? I already know they're in space. Examples of this include space-papers, space-dreams, space-dolls (women), space-happy, space-bums, space-speed and a few others.
Overall though, it's a light and entertaining read.
It's a light space romp where we see two disgraced spacemen attempt to heist a satelitte consisting mainly of copper which is now extremely rare and sought after, the science is, uh, shall we say imaginative even for 1953, yet I felt that didn't really detract from the story.
One thing I did note was like the first novel in the series the prefix of space is added to many words to, well, spacify them. It kind of seems like lazy writing to just throw space infront of a word rather than a proper description or even just leave boots be boots, is there a need for them to be space boots? I already know they're in space. Examples of this include space-papers, space-dreams, space-dolls (women), space-happy, space-bums, space-speed and a few others.
Overall though, it's a light and entertaining read.
October 11, 2021
This was written before people had gone into space.
Venus and Mars are inhabitable , where Venus has swamps and dinosaurs.
And you'd be a space brained space rat if you traveled at full space speed in the space lanes.
And even though its set 400 years in the future, there are no women in space.
Venus and Mars are inhabitable , where Venus has swamps and dinosaurs.
And you'd be a space brained space rat if you traveled at full space speed in the space lanes.
And even though its set 400 years in the future, there are no women in space.
November 14, 2018
A space drama that is a classic in literature and by the style of Carey Rockwell there is the reason. A wonderful action packed tale of space and the dangers in it. I loved it. A must read by any and all readers world wide!
August 22, 2017
Really fun for an old sci fi story. The British accents for the voice actors was especially fun and they did a good job bringing the story to life.
February 17, 2021
It’s ok. It’s not the best sci-fi pulp I e read but for a quick one day read not bad either.
May 21, 2022
4.5 good ending
April 13, 2025
Fun read that I wish I was introduced to as a kid. A good faced paced space adventure. Not a lot of character development but good entertainment overall.
June 27, 2011
So the first book was bad, in a lot of ways, but by the end I was able to get myself in such a mood to enjoy it. This book, however, was absolutely terrible. There was a lot more mention of just completely wrong science which kicked me out of any attempt of just enjoying the story for what it was. Just terrible science. I realize that most sci-fi includes some type of incorrect science in the technology to make the story seem in the future, but most authors don't screw up super basic science like the color of the sky without an atmosphere. And even the technology that the author tried to explain was completely implausible. I generally let gravity generation go, since it is so ubiquitous, but most books don't try to describe how it works. There is no way that a gyroscope will generate gravity, as this author tries to claim.
I'll try to avoid listing too many of the many scientific errors for the rest of the review and go on to the rest of the story. The first book had the personality conflict between Astro and Roger be a large part of the story which was, whatever, but now that they're all chum-chums in this book, they needed to introduce more characters to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, these characters were just ridiculous caricatures and just dumb. The "villains" were so stupid, yet the good guys kept falling for it/seeming even less intelligent. Arfie... nobody talks like that. Nobody. Gah.
The science was bad; the characters were bad, the plot was... see previous comment regarding science. The main plot of the book was based on a terrible experiment. Let's see if this radio communicator will work from another galaxy! How wonderful, it allows for instantaneous communication over a distance of over four lightyears! Erg. And the author also tries to describe how hyperdrive works. What's described does absolutely nothing to explain how one might go faster than light. Wait, I'm stopping with the science.
What else is there? There was an excessive use of terms with "space" and other flight-related terms (i.e. jets) in idioms which was rather obnoxious. There were no lethal weapons, yet a strong aversion to shooting people with non-lethal paralyzing guns (which shut down one's nervous system - not killing the person - and freezing the person hard). Umm, just no. I found myself researching any science-related reference which I didn't immediately know was wrong/right and found that many of them were wrong. By the way, the Alpha Centuri system is a binary system - two suns; thanks for ignoring the second one, author.
This book was so bad. Even if I try to ignore the egregious science catastrophes and just allow the '50s naivete like I was able to do by the end of the first book (which had significantly less of each), the characters were flat and annoying, the plot was a stretch, the conflict was childish. The book was just terrible.
I'll try to avoid listing too many of the many scientific errors for the rest of the review and go on to the rest of the story. The first book had the personality conflict between Astro and Roger be a large part of the story which was, whatever, but now that they're all chum-chums in this book, they needed to introduce more characters to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, these characters were just ridiculous caricatures and just dumb. The "villains" were so stupid, yet the good guys kept falling for it/seeming even less intelligent. Arfie... nobody talks like that. Nobody. Gah.
The science was bad; the characters were bad, the plot was... see previous comment regarding science. The main plot of the book was based on a terrible experiment. Let's see if this radio communicator will work from another galaxy! How wonderful, it allows for instantaneous communication over a distance of over four lightyears! Erg. And the author also tries to describe how hyperdrive works. What's described does absolutely nothing to explain how one might go faster than light. Wait, I'm stopping with the science.
What else is there? There was an excessive use of terms with "space" and other flight-related terms (i.e. jets) in idioms which was rather obnoxious. There were no lethal weapons, yet a strong aversion to shooting people with non-lethal paralyzing guns (which shut down one's nervous system - not killing the person - and freezing the person hard). Umm, just no. I found myself researching any science-related reference which I didn't immediately know was wrong/right and found that many of them were wrong. By the way, the Alpha Centuri system is a binary system - two suns; thanks for ignoring the second one, author.
This book was so bad. Even if I try to ignore the egregious science catastrophes and just allow the '50s naivete like I was able to do by the end of the first book (which had significantly less of each), the characters were flat and annoying, the plot was a stretch, the conflict was childish. The book was just terrible.
March 21, 2014
In this book, the second in the series, the focus is on action and intrigue rather than personalities, though the human element still outweighs the technological. With the Academy behind them, the cadets of Polaris Squad has been chosen to make the second run to Tara, a world orbiting Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light-years from Earth, a statistic burned on my brain while I was yet in grammar school. The solar system depicted, with Venus a jungle world, is now a fantasy, burned away by the high-pressure fires of runaway greenhouse gases, but it was valid for the era. The technology of the imagined future (tapes, vacuum tubes and the like) are long-overtaken by our real future, just as our social dystopia of cynicism and apathy has triumphed over their technocratic optimism, but a modern reader can still appreciate it as "period fiction," just as we can accept the lusty fantasies of the Georgian romances, which, in many ways, are as much as true recreation of the past as the Tom Corbett space adventures are prophesies of the future. On the other hand, their techno-babble about hyper-drive (accelerating all molecules in a confined space simultaneously) makes as much sense as Star Trek's warp-drive. The part of the novel which I appreciated most, but with which modern readers might have trouble connecting, is the idea of a human future. Sure, they have computers (huge things, no good in the confines of a spaceship!) but command, navigation, communications, maintenance and power are all carried out by human beings with nothing more complicated than pencil, paper and brain. Even the massive gyroscope that keeps the huge Venus Orbital Station on an even keel, and which must be calibrated constantly as ships continuously arrive and depart, is adjusted by hand, eye and mind. Though this book celebrates the imagined adventure of space travel, it actually celebrates the human spirit, no matter whether those humans are from Earth, Venus, Mars, or even (gasp!) female. For people who first read this book as a wide-eyed youth (as did I), this is a revisitation of not just the golden age of juvenile science fiction, but the golden age of ourselves; for those discovering it for the first time after a long journey through the wasteland, it is a chance to enjoy a more optimistic time and to see how we had hoped the future would turn out...I was really hoping for flying cars. "sigh"
October 28, 2009
It surprises me that my boys manage to enjoy these older adventure books, but they do!
What I find when I read these kinds of books is that they are big on exposition, which tends to slow the pace down. However, apparently my boys, ages 10 and 12, seem to have learned how to listen to this kind of exposition.
I read this book aloud to them, at bed time, a chapter a night. They remembered what happened the night before and would often ask for a second chapter each night.
There's just enough plot here to keep the interest. One member of the three-person cadet crew is unjustly accused of allowing an accident, and through the careful conniving of the two men who are actually responsible, the cadet joins forces with them, becoming an outlaw himself. This sets up a nice conflict and obstacle. Cadets and outlaws are racing to the same goal, arrive about the same time, and in typical fashion, square off.
There is some excitement in this adventure, enough to keep us reading, but I still find them generally boring. A little goes a long way, so while we likely WILL read the next book in the series, it will be awhile before we get to it.
What I find when I read these kinds of books is that they are big on exposition, which tends to slow the pace down. However, apparently my boys, ages 10 and 12, seem to have learned how to listen to this kind of exposition.
I read this book aloud to them, at bed time, a chapter a night. They remembered what happened the night before and would often ask for a second chapter each night.
There's just enough plot here to keep the interest. One member of the three-person cadet crew is unjustly accused of allowing an accident, and through the careful conniving of the two men who are actually responsible, the cadet joins forces with them, becoming an outlaw himself. This sets up a nice conflict and obstacle. Cadets and outlaws are racing to the same goal, arrive about the same time, and in typical fashion, square off.
There is some excitement in this adventure, enough to keep us reading, but I still find them generally boring. A little goes a long way, so while we likely WILL read the next book in the series, it will be awhile before we get to it.
August 13, 2012
I picked up this book at Deseret Industries because it had some really nice retro illustrations from the 50's on the cover and inside. But then I decided since I had the book I might as well read it.
It was your typical Tom Swift type of young boy adventure stuff with a silly plot, terrible characters, and an ending that was almost embarrassingly preachy (in the end there was this bolted on scene where the bad guys apologized for their behavior and asked if they could be sent to an asteroid mine rather than prison so they could earn some money to send to the children of the men they killed).
That all said, like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, the book made me feel eight again, which was worth the short read.
It was your typical Tom Swift type of young boy adventure stuff with a silly plot, terrible characters, and an ending that was almost embarrassingly preachy (in the end there was this bolted on scene where the bad guys apologized for their behavior and asked if they could be sent to an asteroid mine rather than prison so they could earn some money to send to the children of the men they killed).
That all said, like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, the book made me feel eight again, which was worth the short read.
April 9, 2013
Better than the first volume. Actually pretty entertaining in a weird way. The science is better than a lot of books and movies done today. Probably the biggest drawback is the complete lack of female characters.
June 21, 2024
Tom and his friends Astro and Roger Manning are selected for a deep-space trip to another star. However, they run afoul of a couple of crooks who see a chance to make millions of dollars - if they can dispose of the three friends. Straight-forward adventure that's imaginative and pure fun.
December 7, 2010
108 pages Okay
September 28, 2011
Good classic sci fi book. Felt like watching a 50s cornball sci fi movie.
April 24, 2008
eBook; original text from Project Gutenberg; Mobipocket version downloaded from
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews