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Tom Corbett, Space Cadet #3
Tom Corbett Space Cadet - Danger in Deep Space
Carey Rockwell is the pseudonym used for the author of the Tom Corbet Space Cadet series of books written for young boys. This 1950's series included books, comic strips, coloring books and television shows. The Tom Corbett space series consists of eight books, which may have been based on the novel Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein. The series follows the adventures of Tom and his friend Roger as they train to be members of the Solar Guard. The stories center around the academy, the bunkroom and their training ship Polaris. Their adventures take them to alien worlds in our solar system and beyond.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1953
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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 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 30, 2022
Grand low adventure! trappings of WWII Navy terms; out there plots, characters, pseudoscience; daring do intrepid young men saving the day... oh, and typical sexism of the day that helped reinforce the generation's warped perspective: "If one more scatterbrained female asks me how the astrogation prism works", "Molly ain't nothing but an electronic cook I got installed in the kitchen. She cooks better'n any space-brained woman and she never opens her mouth to give me any sass."
Still, I'll read the rest of the series as time allows.
Still, I'll read the rest of the series as time allows.
March 1, 2015
Tom, Roger, and Astro, the crew of the Polaris, blast off again in one of the better entries in the series. Very nice blue outer-space art endpapers and interior illustrations by Louis Glanzman enhanced the series, all of which had colorful and action-packed covers. Willy Ley was credited as being the technical adviser on the whole series, though I suspect they didn't pay as much attention to his suggestions as they might or should have. Anyway, I still want to be a Space Cadet when I grow up.
September 8, 2015
Probably the best of the first three Tom Corbett novels. As corny as ever, but I'm not holding that against them.
February 9, 2020
My obsession with Tom Corbett Space Cadet continues with the third novel in the young adult science fiction/TV tie-in series On The Trail Of The Space Pirates. Like the first two novels, it is listed as being written by Carey Rockwell, apparently a joint pseudonym assigned to any Tom Corbett book. In this adventure Corbett and his fellow cadets Roger Manning and Astro find themselves assigned to exhibiting their ship, the Polaris, at a giant "world's fair" style exhibition. The mission changes, however, when pirates steal a scientific marvel from the exhibit and go on a crime spree, starting with a jail break at the solar system's only prison asteroid.
This was, unfortunately, the weakest of the trio of Tom Corbett books I have read. It features a plot that was a little too unbelievable, even within the mythos of Tom Corbett, and villains were willing to mount 3 inch atomic blasters on their rockets (and that is something you don't want to mess with) only to be content with stealing and employing the Solar Guard's non-lethal paralyzing ray guns. The return of Spinny, a character from an earlier adventure, was a nice touch that builds a continuity in the novel series but overall On The Trail Of The Space Pirates was, ultimately, the most juvenile of the Tom Corbett offerings so far.
On a related note, I recently listened to a radio adventure of Tom Corbett Space Cadet (Giant of Mercury) which mentioned Astro's family despite the fact it is firmly established in the first Tom Corbett novel, Stand By For Mars, Astro is an orphan who grew up on the streets of Venus. I truly wonder if this is the first instance of canon conflicts between various media types of a science fiction property!
In summary, I have been an enthusiastic follower of the adventures of the Polaris and its cadet crew in whatever form I can find them, but if On The Trail Of The Space Pirates was my introduction to the series, I probably would have ended my exploration with it. Hopefully things will pick up in the fourth novel The Space Pioneers.
This was, unfortunately, the weakest of the trio of Tom Corbett books I have read. It features a plot that was a little too unbelievable, even within the mythos of Tom Corbett, and villains were willing to mount 3 inch atomic blasters on their rockets (and that is something you don't want to mess with) only to be content with stealing and employing the Solar Guard's non-lethal paralyzing ray guns. The return of Spinny, a character from an earlier adventure, was a nice touch that builds a continuity in the novel series but overall On The Trail Of The Space Pirates was, ultimately, the most juvenile of the Tom Corbett offerings so far.
On a related note, I recently listened to a radio adventure of Tom Corbett Space Cadet (Giant of Mercury) which mentioned Astro's family despite the fact it is firmly established in the first Tom Corbett novel, Stand By For Mars, Astro is an orphan who grew up on the streets of Venus. I truly wonder if this is the first instance of canon conflicts between various media types of a science fiction property!
In summary, I have been an enthusiastic follower of the adventures of the Polaris and its cadet crew in whatever form I can find them, but if On The Trail Of The Space Pirates was my introduction to the series, I probably would have ended my exploration with it. Hopefully things will pick up in the fourth novel The Space Pioneers.
November 25, 2021
Published in 1953 before there was a detailed understanding of the environments of the other planets and satellites in the solar system, there are some major scientific holes in the plot. Venus is depicted as a habitable planet and there are rather Earthlike colonies on Mars and some of the satellites of Jupiter. Humans have extended their range of habitat all the way to Pluto.
Yet, this is fundamentally an adventure written for the YA market and it is basically a good guy versus outlaw story. Tom Corbett is a cadet in the Solar Guard, the military/police force of the Solar Alliance. He is the command cadet of a three-member unit. They serve under Captain Steve Strong and they come into direct opposition with a powerful interplanetary pirate force led by the ruthless Bull Coxine.
The action is somewhat formulaic, their position relative to the pirates rises and falls until there is a tense moment in the end with a climactic battle. They battle with modern stun weapons and powerful laser cannons, but at times it comes down to a one-on-one battle with their fists.
This book is very typical of YA science fiction of the fifties. Although it is scientifically very dated, it is still entertaining, replace the spaceships with sailing ships and the basic story is hundreds of years old.
Yet, this is fundamentally an adventure written for the YA market and it is basically a good guy versus outlaw story. Tom Corbett is a cadet in the Solar Guard, the military/police force of the Solar Alliance. He is the command cadet of a three-member unit. They serve under Captain Steve Strong and they come into direct opposition with a powerful interplanetary pirate force led by the ruthless Bull Coxine.
The action is somewhat formulaic, their position relative to the pirates rises and falls until there is a tense moment in the end with a climactic battle. They battle with modern stun weapons and powerful laser cannons, but at times it comes down to a one-on-one battle with their fists.
This book is very typical of YA science fiction of the fifties. Although it is scientifically very dated, it is still entertaining, replace the spaceships with sailing ships and the basic story is hundreds of years old.
July 7, 2022
4.5 good ending
July 28, 2022
Corny, but great fun! An exciting space opera for younger readers.
January 13, 2025
I'm tired of these books. It's mostly the putting the word space in front of everything.
He's a dead space bird instead of a dead duck. Space scum, space crawler as insults.
He's a dead space bird instead of a dead duck. Space scum, space crawler as insults.
October 30, 2014
Nice juvenile science fiction story
This novel is part of a 1950s TV show. "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" was part of the popular genre of juvenile space shows happening in the 50s. And because of that popularity with the show, a series of kid novels were written. Here we have the traditional tale of rockets, ray guns, and space pirates in an adventure that not saves the World, but also the whole civilized solar system. The heroes of the story are the three space cadets from the TV series. And they are very much apart of all the danger and excitement, right up to the story's climax.
I gave this book only three stars. While the plot and action of the story were fine, the book was written in the 1950s and is abit dated. The best reader for this book is eight to ten years old.
This novel is part of a 1950s TV show. "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet" was part of the popular genre of juvenile space shows happening in the 50s. And because of that popularity with the show, a series of kid novels were written. Here we have the traditional tale of rockets, ray guns, and space pirates in an adventure that not saves the World, but also the whole civilized solar system. The heroes of the story are the three space cadets from the TV series. And they are very much apart of all the danger and excitement, right up to the story's climax.
I gave this book only three stars. While the plot and action of the story were fine, the book was written in the 1950s and is abit dated. The best reader for this book is eight to ten years old.
July 24, 2015
This is a fun, exciting, and fast-paced adventure. It's somewhat predictable with stereotypical characters but would make good reading for preteen boys with an interest in science. A good jumping-on point for this series.
January 13, 2009
This one was a little lacking in the "attempt to get the science right" department. Still a fun read though.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews