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Godspeed
Jay Hara is an ordinary young man growing up on the isolated planet of Erin. But Jay dreams of adventure and escapades and the legend of the lost “Godspeed” drive which allowed humans to travel at faster-than-light speeds.His life changes when he joins up with the seedy spacer, Paddy Enderton and Captain Daniel Shaker. Captain Shaker is a charming but ruthless adventurer who inspires both fear and admiration in equal measure, and he and his questionable crew are joined by Jay as they race to find the legendary drive Jay Hara used to dream about.Godspeed is a true coming-of-age tale told in the classic tradition of R.L. Stevenson’s Treasure Island. A modern day pirate story, set among the stars.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
6 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Charles Sheffield
218 books172 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 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 28, 2017
-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
I hate how the only version of my copy on GoodReads is in Italian even though the actual book I read wasn't! GoodReads, seriously.
Anyway, I wanted to read this for some time because it was billed as a retelling of Treasure Island, but in space. Now Treasure Island is a really great book, and Treasure Planet is one of my most favorite Disney movies ever. So it was only natural that I wanted to read this.
Honestly, it gave me everything I was expecting, nothing less, nothing more. Obviously it is very much a product of the time it was written in, but I still enjoyed it.
A lot of the scientific talk lost me though, I'm not very smart so that was purely my problem. But the stuff I did understand was cool to read about and see people figure things out. And this book almost seems to be banking on the fact you've read the original, as the twists that happened in Treasure Island happen in this book without much segway.
The middle part kinda dragged, and the whole scene where Jay goes to Paddy's Fortune himself dragged the most. I understand why it was put in the book, mainly so he can meet this book's version of Ben Gunn, but it felt really stretched-out. The author should've just made it so he meets the girl and then they leave.
Overall, I really liked reading this. I'm not really sure if this was considered a classic or a staple of sci-fi back then, but it was still interesting to see the different spins this author put on Treasure Island himself.
I hate how the only version of my copy on GoodReads is in Italian even though the actual book I read wasn't! GoodReads, seriously.
Anyway, I wanted to read this for some time because it was billed as a retelling of Treasure Island, but in space. Now Treasure Island is a really great book, and Treasure Planet is one of my most favorite Disney movies ever. So it was only natural that I wanted to read this.
Honestly, it gave me everything I was expecting, nothing less, nothing more. Obviously it is very much a product of the time it was written in, but I still enjoyed it.
A lot of the scientific talk lost me though, I'm not very smart so that was purely my problem. But the stuff I did understand was cool to read about and see people figure things out. And this book almost seems to be banking on the fact you've read the original, as the twists that happened in Treasure Island happen in this book without much segway.
The middle part kinda dragged, and the whole scene where Jay goes to Paddy's Fortune himself dragged the most. I understand why it was put in the book, mainly so he can meet this book's version of Ben Gunn, but it felt really stretched-out. The author should've just made it so he meets the girl and then they leave.
Overall, I really liked reading this. I'm not really sure if this was considered a classic or a staple of sci-fi back then, but it was still interesting to see the different spins this author put on Treasure Island himself.
April 29, 2023
CW// for animal death, implied and CONSTANT threats of gender-based violence and sexual assault, plus one scene with an attempted rape
Fun but kind of loses itself by the end! Really strange that the final note of the book is Jay being a horny teenager? I don’t know the adventure and characterizations kind of died with his accelerated and mostly implied puberty. Still fun! Mostly well-paced. But with a compressed third act that leaves a confusing and sour taste in my mouth.
Fun but kind of loses itself by the end! Really strange that the final note of the book is Jay being a horny teenager? I don’t know the adventure and characterizations kind of died with his accelerated and mostly implied puberty. Still fun! Mostly well-paced. But with a compressed third act that leaves a confusing and sour taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2018
A sci-fi adventure story about the adventures of a teenage boy named Jay, living on a planet called Erin (which has become isolated from the rest of humanity). Jay is obsessed with space and space travel, and finally gets a chance to live his dream.
Around the 1950s, Robert Heinlein wrote a long string of sci-fi adventure novels for young readers ("Have Space Suit, Will Travel", for instance) starring bright, eager teenage boys. This book feels like one of those; considering that Heinlein is one of two writers the book is dedicated to, I'd say that was intentional. I was a bit disappointed, actually, because I was previously familiar with Sheffield only from a few of his more sophisticated novels; this was not what I expected.
If this were one of those Heinlein books, though, it would be among the best of them; well-written and well-plotted. Most notably, the villain is one of the best-written villains I've ever encountered. He's not cartoonishly evil or cruel; he gets his way by intelligence and manipulation rather than force, but makes sure he has force available if it should become necessary; he doesn't make stupid mistakes; he thoroughly out-thinks the hero every step of the way. Even at the end of the book, when he's finally done something possibly stupid, it's unclear whether or not it worked out for him.
The worst aspect of the book was its treatment of female characters. Thanks to living on an alien planet where humans don't quite fit the ecosystem, and the available nutrition isn't quite right, male births on Erin outnumber female by about 30-to-1. Women are treated with both on-a-pedestal reverence; and condescension, not allowed to do anything remotely dangerous (such as go out into space). Midway through the book, after a teenage girl secretly gets on board the ship Jay is traveling on, one of his primary concerns for the rest of the book becomes protecting her and keeping the ship's sex-starved crew from knowing that she's there; because if they find out, they'll become uncontrollable slobbering Rape Monsters.
Why did Sheffield choose to make Erin's society like that? Presumably because he was trying to produce a genuine 1950s-style "boys' adventure" story, but figured that his 1990s readers wouldn't accept that genre's typical level of chauvinism without a solid reason. Fine. But it feels awfully dodgy, and not all readers will be willing to play along.
Aside from that, though: this book is fun, quick-moving, and smarter than you'd expect.
Around the 1950s, Robert Heinlein wrote a long string of sci-fi adventure novels for young readers ("Have Space Suit, Will Travel", for instance) starring bright, eager teenage boys. This book feels like one of those; considering that Heinlein is one of two writers the book is dedicated to, I'd say that was intentional. I was a bit disappointed, actually, because I was previously familiar with Sheffield only from a few of his more sophisticated novels; this was not what I expected.
If this were one of those Heinlein books, though, it would be among the best of them; well-written and well-plotted. Most notably, the villain is one of the best-written villains I've ever encountered. He's not cartoonishly evil or cruel; he gets his way by intelligence and manipulation rather than force, but makes sure he has force available if it should become necessary; he doesn't make stupid mistakes; he thoroughly out-thinks the hero every step of the way. Even at the end of the book, when he's finally done something possibly stupid, it's unclear whether or not it worked out for him.
The worst aspect of the book was its treatment of female characters. Thanks to living on an alien planet where humans don't quite fit the ecosystem, and the available nutrition isn't quite right, male births on Erin outnumber female by about 30-to-1. Women are treated with both on-a-pedestal reverence; and condescension, not allowed to do anything remotely dangerous (such as go out into space). Midway through the book, after a teenage girl secretly gets on board the ship Jay is traveling on, one of his primary concerns for the rest of the book becomes protecting her and keeping the ship's sex-starved crew from knowing that she's there; because if they find out, they'll become uncontrollable slobbering Rape Monsters.
Why did Sheffield choose to make Erin's society like that? Presumably because he was trying to produce a genuine 1950s-style "boys' adventure" story, but figured that his 1990s readers wouldn't accept that genre's typical level of chauvinism without a solid reason. Fine. But it feels awfully dodgy, and not all readers will be willing to play along.
Aside from that, though: this book is fun, quick-moving, and smarter than you'd expect.
October 31, 2010
This was a good adventure tale with a young boy wanting to reclaim space flight for the future of the 40 worlds. I like the way sheffield likes to imagine what ifs of space exploration that so unique and how people adapt to it. Yet I always feel that his books are part of a universe or series of books because there is so much left unexplained and hanging. Yet the books are almost always stand alones and I feel that there were threads that were developed that didn't go anywhere. An enjoyable read though with fun characters.
July 12, 2019
Godspeed is a very competent retelling of Treasure Island in a science-fiction setting. Charles Sheffield completely nails the pacing of the original and the utter villainous ambiguity of Long John Silver's character. He has solidly reimagined the plot in an interesting universe, relying on his expertise in physics for some fascinating MacGuffins and on biology for broader-range plot tensions. And the protagonist does grow and change, both physically and emotionally in the course of the book, making this a good coming-of-age story for teens.
But it is still only a 3.5 star book for me, which I've rounded up to 4. There is more sexual tension and innuendo than in the original, making this a good book for modern teens, but not something I'd read to even an older child, which I would feel comfortable doing with the original book. Yet somehow the story never reached out and grabbed me -- it remained interesting, but tepid. And for an adventure novel, that's problematic.
That reaction is in stark contrast to how I felt about Tobias S. Buckell's The Trove, which is an utterly different retelling of Treasure Island in a vastly different universe. While it is unevenly written, it grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until it was done. I can quibble over The Trove's pacing, ending, and twists, but it is a ripping good yarn. That one also got 4 stars from me, but rounded down from 4.5. Both books are worth reading if you like science fiction YA adventures, but it's the differences between them that intrigue me; I think they say a lot about each author. I think Sheffield has the richer, better science, but Bucknell has the better fiction. Try them both and decide yourself; I'm glad I did!
But it is still only a 3.5 star book for me, which I've rounded up to 4. There is more sexual tension and innuendo than in the original, making this a good book for modern teens, but not something I'd read to even an older child, which I would feel comfortable doing with the original book. Yet somehow the story never reached out and grabbed me -- it remained interesting, but tepid. And for an adventure novel, that's problematic.
That reaction is in stark contrast to how I felt about Tobias S. Buckell's The Trove, which is an utterly different retelling of Treasure Island in a vastly different universe. While it is unevenly written, it grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until it was done. I can quibble over The Trove's pacing, ending, and twists, but it is a ripping good yarn. That one also got 4 stars from me, but rounded down from 4.5. Both books are worth reading if you like science fiction YA adventures, but it's the differences between them that intrigue me; I think they say a lot about each author. I think Sheffield has the richer, better science, but Bucknell has the better fiction. Try them both and decide yourself; I'm glad I did!
May 12, 2024
Remember the Chism Polypheme in Heritage Universe #5 (published 2002)? The Heritage Universe may have been a prequel to this book (published in 1995; Sheffield died in 2002). The known part of the galaxy is isolated human colonies around star systems colonized during the golden age of Godspeed Drive. Erin is an earth-like planet in a star cluster called The Maze, which is slowly losing population. Hardly any females are born. Jay Hara is a young teenage boy itching to go to space like the big tough beat-up men who visit his mother from the spaceport across the lake. He mastered sailing, so when another spacer becomes his mother's lodger he becomes the transportation to the town and spaceport. Then the spacer is murdered and Jay has to sort through his belongings and tall tales to uncover the truth. Jay finds a way to get aboard a space ship but it's an adventure he never would have guessed. The fabled planet full of women. Patching up derelict equipment. Navigation technology from before the Isolation. The Godspeed ships. The regional Slowdrive ships. Deep lessons on how to motivate crewmen. And treachery. And The First Law of Thermodynamics (with fields). Delta T, Jay's voice starts cracking and his shirt is too short.
May 6, 2019
Sheffield dedicated this book to Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Heinlein; there's your first clue. Yes, this is Treasure Island channeled through a Heinleinesque SF adventure, but it works well nonetheless. The villain is far more thoughtful and focused than simply malevolent, though the spacer crewmen are pretty low-brow lumoxes: a chance to explore a complex crew dynamic was lost there. Since the main character is a teen, and a sheltered one at that, it does allow the author to skim the ramifications of a planetary culture facing population crisis and extinction. That culture's accommodations to the problems (such as decreasing fertility, environmental selection against live XX births, delayed onset of puberty for offspring) are credible if uncomfortable to our mores, but the future remains a dark one even after the book's fairly upbeat ending. This is better than average SF, even with its more-or-less YA bent, and I bump it up from a 3.5 to a 4 simply because of my love for TI.
February 20, 2023
I picked this up for a light read, and since I'd enjoyed some of the late Charles Sheffield's later books, this seemed a good choice. And it's ok, although more of a young adult read. As others have pointed out, it has a Robert Heinlein boys' adventure feel to it, and the characterizations leave something to be desired. The resolution is a little deus ex machina, and rushed in comparison to the rather slow middle game. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the hapless crew, who suffered a cliched characterization for what was probably minimum wage.
October 20, 2018
Fairly disappointing. It took me a long time to finish it, even if it's not a long book, and the most interesting parts (the biological reservoir, the civilisation of the godspeed drive...) were rushed and brief in comparison with much more boring parts that I think might have been adapted from Treasure Island (yes, I'm a terrible person and I've never read Treasure Island, because I tried once but I was so bored I stopped).
July 20, 2020
An exciting, straightforward, and unchallenging read - very diverting, full of adventure. I appreciated the conversational tone. Felt a bit basic, parts were predictable, but worth the time. A Sci Fi beach read of sorts. 3.5/5
December 27, 2020
Not bad, a little childish but a decent exploration story.
March 27, 2022
Don't judge this by the blurb. This is a well put together adventure with a few surprising twists.
November 17, 2024
Wow, great book. Good world building and story arc. Hard to put down, too. Very happy to have randomly picked this up.
March 1, 2022
Based on the five days of reading, this somewhat ponderous "Treasure Island... in Spaaaaace!" novel never really grabbed my attention.
As a Department of the Navy government service civilian, I started working on the local Navy base on a Monday. For lunch each day I stopped in at the base rec center, with a small section setup as a library. This was one of the very few sci-fi books there, so for the heck of it I started reading it. Each day during my lunch break I returned to that library and grudgingly made headway on a coming-of-age tale that didn't especially thrill me. I wrapped up my business on the base on a Friday, saw no reason to continue on with this book, and dutifully returned it to where I found it -- never to think about it ever again. #DNF
As a Department of the Navy government service civilian, I started working on the local Navy base on a Monday. For lunch each day I stopped in at the base rec center, with a small section setup as a library. This was one of the very few sci-fi books there, so for the heck of it I started reading it. Each day during my lunch break I returned to that library and grudgingly made headway on a coming-of-age tale that didn't especially thrill me. I wrapped up my business on the base on a Friday, saw no reason to continue on with this book, and dutifully returned it to where I found it -- never to think about it ever again. #DNF
April 12, 2011
This early Sheffield book seemed like an attempt at something like the Heinlein juvenile SF novels of the 1950s, but much updated. While not great, it was very readable, and the story was exciting. My only complaint with it was that most of the adults acted like total idiots at least once during the story, sometimes with fatal results. Even the "reliable" adult characters let the reader down. The teen characters were much more believable than any of the adults, by the end of the book. Well, the villain wasn't as much of an idiot, but even he fell into the "Gee, here's a powerful and mysterious device...let's push this button" trap too many times for my taste.
November 10, 2016
Everyone else here at goodreads has said it; Treasure Island in space.
That didn't make it less enjoyable. A classic example of an old fashioned adventure story, meant to engage the imaginations of young readers; with some quantum physics thrown in. I wish there were more adventure stories like this out there.
At best, it's compelling me to reread the inspiration, which I haven't read since the fifth grade.
That didn't make it less enjoyable. A classic example of an old fashioned adventure story, meant to engage the imaginations of young readers; with some quantum physics thrown in. I wish there were more adventure stories like this out there.
At best, it's compelling me to reread the inspiration, which I haven't read since the fifth grade.
September 11, 2016
¿Habéis leído La Isla del Tesoro, de Stevenson?
Pues no hace falta que leáis esta. Es increíble el grado de paralelismo argumental. Solo hay que cambiar el barco por una nave espacial, y el tesoro por el "Godspeed drive" ese y oye, punto por punto con la novela de aventuras.
Poca imaginación, leche.
He de decir que solo lo he terminado por ver cómo trataba los paralelismos, porque la obra no creo que tenga otro valor, y el de ser un clon de la Isla tampoco es que sea mucho.
Pues no hace falta que leáis esta. Es increíble el grado de paralelismo argumental. Solo hay que cambiar el barco por una nave espacial, y el tesoro por el "Godspeed drive" ese y oye, punto por punto con la novela de aventuras.
Poca imaginación, leche.
He de decir que solo lo he terminado por ver cómo trataba los paralelismos, porque la obra no creo que tenga otro valor, y el de ser un clon de la Isla tampoco es que sea mucho.
September 13, 2009
I like Charles Sheffield's books. They're always fast paced and contain genuinely believable characters, but they're light as all get out. This is a lesser work than his Heritage books, but still enjoyable. A fascinating and plausible space adventure.
April 6, 2012
A book that really keeps you on your toes. I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time, I never wanted to put this one down. I was thoroughly disappointed when I found out there wasn't a second book to follow.
November 14, 2013
Treasure Island retold as SF. Mildly entertaining, but totally unnecessary. It just makes you want to read the original instead of enjoying the book. If not for that silly mistake, the book could have been a good juvenile.
October 3, 2014
... lost my review...
My main issue is the second half of the book falls flat. They work up to reaching Paddy's Fortune, then everything changes. Characters change demeanor, the plot looses all momentum, and the story looses its focus.
My main issue is the second half of the book falls flat. They work up to reaching Paddy's Fortune, then everything changes. Characters change demeanor, the plot looses all momentum, and the story looses its focus.
Read
January 30, 2016Treasure Island in space. This book is a clever S.F. adaptation of the old classic that has been a favorite of mine for many years. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a fast but enrapturing read.
January 9, 2011
This was a good fast read. I liked the protagonist and how the other characters seem believable. The story is tight and doesn't spend excessive time describing the scenes.
July 28, 2011
I liked the story, but something was missing in the writing. I just didn't care about the characters like I should have. It's a decent read but overall uninspiring.
Read
August 25, 2011Easy reading, written for youthful reader, but I still finished it and enjoyed it.
February 5, 2013
it's kind of preachy.
August 25, 2016
Another rating: 8/10
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews