Star Driver

by Lee Correy (Pseudonym), G. Harry Stine

An exciting new thriller of industrial espionage and scientific discovery.

Genres: Science Fiction

244 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Pseudonym for G. Harry Stine.

Reviews

[Cory Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My inner pilot loved this book! Many elements of this story appealed to me, however, it was also fairly obvious it came out in 1980. The worst parts of the book were the main characters Taekwondo prowess when it came to 'goons' and the super lame excuse the 'spy' used to give away company secrets. I would recommend this to anyone who has a passion for flying (especially older planes), as I found sitting in the cockpit of this story to be entertaining!

[Barry Haworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was mentioned in a Reddit discussion I saw recently and I decided to check it out. A decently written techno-thriller from the early 80s about the development of a revolutionary reactionless drive, all done in a small company with the ever-present threats of industrial espionage and office politics. The process of technological development felt very authentic, and I had a few nostalgic moments at the paraphernalia of 1980s office life (index cards, typewriters, mini computers) that formed the background to the story. The technological development of a new device is the heart of the story and felt very authentic to a non-engineer like me, and I also liked how the characters tempered their expectations with reality from flying an aeroplane to Mars, to flying an aeroplane into orbit, to simply flying higher and faster than possible for a plane of that type, in a way that unambiguously showed something new was happening.

The main flaw of this novel was that the characterisations were pretty shallow and one dimensional. Nobody seemed to have more than one motive, and the interpersonal relationships felt very simplistic. Still a good and entertaining read.

[Valery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it was my dad's favorite book growing up. For the time period, this was an exceptionally well thought out and written book, but in this day and age, no one will appreciate it. The technical jargon may go over many people's heads. Being around the aerospace environment has given me a deeper, while still limited, understanding of that information. But many could be lost when it comes to the aeronautical terms.

The plot is sound. The characters are gritty and strong. It's a fun book, and still has some plausability today.

For my clean readers: language-some, but no f-bombs. Violence-fighting. Romance-kissing and some sexual content, though nothing graphic, still not for younger readers.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If you can fly a prop plane, you can fly [insert] a star driver that defies the laws of physics"

Kinda futurist or something... kinda a novel

2.8

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1986 grade B-