Step to the Stars

Jim Stanley #1

by Lester del Rey

Step to the Stars is a juvenile science fiction novel about the construction of the first space station. This is hard science fiction, using the best technological ideas of 1954 to tell an adventure story of man’s exploration of space.

Step to the Stars was followed by two sequels: Mission to the Moon and Moon of Mutiny.

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

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for his juvenile novels such as those which are part of the Winston Science Fiction series, and for Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books edited by Lester del Rey and his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

Also published as:
Philip St. John
Eric van Lihn
Erik van Lhin
Kenneth Wright
Edson McCann (with Frederik Pohl)

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steps to the Stars was originally part of the Winston science fiction line for juvenile readers; these days they call it YA. Del Rey did a good job of telling the story with the most advanced scientific speculation of the time, when it was believed an orbiting space station would be necessary as a steppingstone for any interplanetary exploration. (In fact, the book is dedicated to Willy Ley, who probably is the father of space exploration more than anyone else.) It's a coming-of-age tale with well detailed character development, even if it lacks subtlety from time to time. I was surprised at his inclusion of workers in space with some ethnic diversity, as well as a major female character. It also has a rival group (Communists; remember it was the time of McCarthy's Red menace) that are depicted sympathetically. (It doesn't sound like much, but it really was unusual for the YA sf of the time.) The story concerns the construction of the first space station and was popular enough to spawn two sequels. It's obviously dated, but I enjoyed this old blast from the past.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts while reading:
It is interesting that the author postulates the United States wants to put another space station into orbit, but have it orbit at 22,000 miles in geosynchronous orbit so that it can be used to transmit television signals to cover the entire hemisphere [as 'current' TV signals only have a distance of 100 miles] (146). It is amusing that the author thought of using a space station for such a purpose, but did not consider a satellite [which would be smaller and cheaper to put into orbit] for the same purpose.

I thought it was funny that the author references pundits and armchair generals [my words, not his] complaining that money was wasted on the space station instead of being spent 'wisely' on 'more battleships and planes' (146). Really? After World War II showed the dominance of air power in conjunction with aircraft carriers and how air power was the death knell of battleships? That seemed like a very odd comment to make, considering even recent history showed that battleships no longer reigned supreme on the high seas.
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This was an interesting book. I did enjoy it more than I thought I might, but it did seem to drag in some places toward the middle of the book. I was pleasantly surprised that some female characters did appear in the book [one, a nurse, featured fairly prominently throughout the course of the book]. The last few books in this 'series' [released by the John C. Winston Company] have either not had any female characters or they were briefly mentioned in passing.

Overall, it was an interesting story about a space station being built by the United States [at first in secrecy, but then openly once its existence was revealed to the world by a spy]. The Combine stood in for the Communists, and the European Alliance stood in for NATO. You have your usual problems that have to be solved by the Bright Young Star [Jim Stanley, in this case] and nobody else. There is the obligatory sabotage that slows production. A Popular Character has to die. The BYS has to undergo some tests and trials before he 'becomes a man' and grabs hold of the responsibilities thrust upon him in order to ensure the day is saved. There are changes in management that slow the project down before ensuring it is completed in a timely manner. There is the saving of one's enemy to help bring about peace amongst mankind.

I was surprised at how the "Love Interest" for young Jim was developed. Nora Prescott was described as not "beautiful, though she was easy enough to look at. She was smaller than Jim, and too thin for beauty....Her nose was too short, her upper lip a bit too long, and it was hard to tell whether her eyes were green or blue" (49-50). At least she had her smile going for her! As the story progresses, we discover a few more things about her, such as she is quite intelligent, rather courageous, and learns how to drive the taxi as well as Jim. In fact, she is considered the 'other half' of Jim's 'team' when Jim is offered a new position at the end of the story as chief pilot of the team going to the Moon. About halfway through the book, Jim is sent back Earthside and discovers how much he misses Nora while he's there. I am sure if this story were rewritten today, it would be filled with all sorts of angst and emotions as well as 'other stuff' to describe their relationship [even though both of them are in their twenties] [based on other 'young adult' novels I have read], so I rather enjoyed this one because of the lack of angst and emotion-laden turmoil. They developed into their relationship, and it had a healthy foundation of mutual respect and friendship as opposed to base lust. I was glad to 'see' the relationship develop, considering the back-handed compliments the author initially gave Nora.

Obviously, the ending was broadcast a mile away, but there was still a level of anticipation to see how it ended. I thought the author did a good job of maintaining the tension throughout the last few chapters of the book. It is nothing 'deep' or whathaveyou, but the author still did a good job.

I thought the author did a decent job developing Jim Stanley's character over the course of the novel. He was already quite smart before going into space. He just had to finish 'growing up' while orbiting 18,000 miles above the Earth. I realize I am not quite saying as much about Jim as I did about Nora, but that is okay. To say too much about Jim might spoil the story for future readers. We do know that he is an orphan, that he has some money from his parents passing away. He has been working hard on a college degree, and some of his professors recommend him to the government to be a part of the construction crew working on the space station. He has a lot of general knowledge because of his education as well as the various odd jobs he has worked to try and earn money. He has to learn how to interact with people in order to finish growing up, and his boss Jonas uses the animosity Jim shows Jonas to help ensure the construction of the space station will be completed on time.

One other thing that I liked: I did like how the Americans were more than ready to rescue the Combine astronauts who suffered a mishap when their atomic-powered rocked exploded while in orbit. They managed to rescue all three crew members, one of whom was the Communist Premier's son! Of course, this helps settle some things down on the Earth, as the Communists stop accusing the Americans of trying to militarize outer space and hold the rest of the Earth as hostage. I also liked how the Peter Chiam [the Premier's son] names his twin boys James and Mark. It was a nice touch, even if a bit cliche.

I also thought it was interesting that the author had the Communists further ahead, in some respects, in terms of utilizing atomic power. The Communists build a rocket that is totally atomic-powered. It works beautifully, until it explodes in orbit. However, if they had not been off in their calculations it would have put them well ahead of the Americans in some respects in the space race.

It was a fun book to read, and I am glad I read it.

[Sally]

Serena bought this library-discard at a thrift store to use the cover on a handmade journal. (It looks great, by the way.) The first paragraph hooked me, and not having read any scifi this old before, I'm gonna read it, even though the cover is cut off.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1966 this was SiFi then but most of the story today would be real science. Great work by a master of SiFi. This is an excellent book for a young reader to start reading SiFi. Recommended

[Joe Santoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently, the person who sold a this recent couple books at got at an Annies a couple months back was a fan of these 'how we get to space' books written in the 50s... despite the cover, this is another of them.

It's definitely the best of the time I've read... the main character, of course, is a too-smart and too-perfect teenager that everyone loves, but he actually makes mistakes, which is refereshing. As is typical of these stories, they go through all the potential problems the author sees, including surviving accidents, communist spies, and the like, but also adds a unique element.

Del Rey talks about a world wanting the hope of a new dawning of science, instead of the cold war wrangling that was going on at the time... and that the station (as this is a 'we need a station in high orbit to get into space scenario, rather than one that hand waves some sort of atomic power).. we need more of that now for sure.

While anyone with a brain can predict the exact plot and even most of the details, del Rey's writing is spot on as always... he really doesn't get enough credit in the history of sci fi, IMO. The book is both entertaining and realistic, without being as preachy as Clarke can be.

[Phil Wujek · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a teenager I read some of Lester Del Rey's work. Now, at 73, I picked up one that I had missed! Written in 1954, Mr. Del Rey says in the preface "It is also one of the few science fiction stories of the future which needs no presently impossible gadgets or unknown scientific tricks." No spoilers here. This is a book about the construction of the first "big wheel" space station in earth orbit. The job is being done by your basic, blue collar construction team. There is spy activity, sabotage, and a major deadline to fulfill. The narrative seems to bog down near the middle, but just like a roller coaster, it may be slow going uphill, but it gains speed on the downhill! This is a short book, the paperback edition I had was 160 pages. A quick read, a good "page turner" and one that would be good poolside or at the beach.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent YA story about building the first space station. The protagonist of the story, Jim Stanley, is rather underdeveloped as a character, though we see him gain some self-confidence and leadership abilities over the course of the novel.

There is a subplot of espionage which is rather substandard, and a rah-rah of exploiting workers by a major corporation (Major Electric!). The supporting cast has absolutely no characterizations at all, except the one foreman who apparently didn't like people who went to college.

Del Rey is not a bad writer, but I think the audience for this book really made it to be simplistic compared to YA novels of today.

If you like early sci-fi, it's worth giving a quick read.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

[Happy (Mara) Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a discarded library copy of this book. The story is clearly obsolete, but shows the wonder of a time when exploring space was merely a developing dream. It's practical, yet also full of hope for the future. The Combine, a mysterious alliance or nation, serves as the antagonist in the story. However, the people of the Combine are also human! I like how the author cleverly avoids revealing where these Combine people live or what race they are.

If you enjoyed this book and would like a similar one with more modern circumstances, I recommend Paul Bussard's Beyond Hercules.

[Joseph DeBolt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eschewing space opera gadgetry and employing then-current knowledge and techniques, the book plausibly and convincingly lays out the various stages and dangers of constructing the first space station. The narrative husk involves Jim Stanly's growth from a lonely, skilled mechanic, too poor to pursue his goal of becoming a space pilot, to a confident, poised man who earns his space pilot wings. A subplot of espionage and sabotage by a pacifist group opposed to military uses of space is too conventional to add much to the book's impact. For ages 12 and up.

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young adults book set in the Cold War. Well although it was written long ago it still managed to keep my interest for the first third but then I’m afraid I rather lost patience with it as it became bogged down in political infighting. To be fair it’s set in a bygone era of hopeful optimism before the full horror of Trump Putin and Xi were unleashed on the world. The fears of nuclear annihilation and terrorism were already clear, but not, except to an enlightened few, the population driven impending threats of climate change, conspiracy theories and global pandemics.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

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