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Тоннель в небе
В качестве выпускного экзамена, студентам предстоит пройти тест на выживание в очень жёстких условиях — на незнакомой планете земного типа, где каждому предстоит сражаться за свою жизнь самостоятельно, защищаясь не только от диких животных и незнакомой природы, но и от своих недавних знакомых.
332 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
266 people are currently reading
6820 people want to read
About the author
Robert A. Heinlein
1,055 books10.5k followersRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 666 reviews
February 21, 2021
Very original and entertaining Heinlein adventure.
This was one of my favorite Heinlein juvenile books and concerns a Stargate type of portal (did this influence the later films?) where colonists are sent out into the farther reaches of the universe. But before a band of colonists would attempt to settle a planet, adventurous types would go out first to provide reconnaissance and determine of the habitat was livable.
Many of Heinlein's later ideas are revealed here, and his hard scrabble libertarianism blossoms. Many scenes anticipate his later work Time Enough for Love. I also think about Philip K. Dick's novel The Crack in Space.
**** 2021 reread
This was one of my favorite Heinlein juvenile books back in the day and it hasn’t lost any of its potency or relevance in all the time since.
First published in 1955, a year after Lord of the Flies, comparisons with that great work will be drawn immediately. Both books describe a scene where children have been left alone in a savage environment and how their society changes to adapt to the new setting.
Heinlein’s story may have been a response to Golding’s seminal novel. Ever the optimist, Heinlein’s group of students deal with environmental pressures, but don’t resort to barbarity. While Heinlein introduces some scenes where characters shirk convention and lean towards a might makes right sentiment, his group of accidental colonists hold firm ideas of civil society and community.
The idea of space travel through “tunnels” in space, a kind of teleportation, effectively supplanting mechanical travel is also cool and would influence science fiction ever since.
Very cool book, a must read for SF fans.
This was one of my favorite Heinlein juvenile books and concerns a Stargate type of portal (did this influence the later films?) where colonists are sent out into the farther reaches of the universe. But before a band of colonists would attempt to settle a planet, adventurous types would go out first to provide reconnaissance and determine of the habitat was livable.
Many of Heinlein's later ideas are revealed here, and his hard scrabble libertarianism blossoms. Many scenes anticipate his later work Time Enough for Love. I also think about Philip K. Dick's novel The Crack in Space.
**** 2021 reread
This was one of my favorite Heinlein juvenile books back in the day and it hasn’t lost any of its potency or relevance in all the time since.
First published in 1955, a year after Lord of the Flies, comparisons with that great work will be drawn immediately. Both books describe a scene where children have been left alone in a savage environment and how their society changes to adapt to the new setting.
Heinlein’s story may have been a response to Golding’s seminal novel. Ever the optimist, Heinlein’s group of students deal with environmental pressures, but don’t resort to barbarity. While Heinlein introduces some scenes where characters shirk convention and lean towards a might makes right sentiment, his group of accidental colonists hold firm ideas of civil society and community.
The idea of space travel through “tunnels” in space, a kind of teleportation, effectively supplanting mechanical travel is also cool and would influence science fiction ever since.
Very cool book, a must read for SF fans.
January 5, 2026
A teenager Rod Walker in Patrick Henry High School takes a jaunt for a survival test of less than a couple of weeks the alluring premise, set in the future with gates and tunnels transporting humans to distant planets. Dr. Matson his teacher, adviser, fan of these projects encourages, warns
him too and friends of visiting primitive dangerous worlds, instantly . However plans never quite go as planned, things fluctuate especially in these genre books or any other come to think of it. Survival is the object for the hundred scattered male and female students from different schools, the alternative extinction. The plot slowly unfold in the harsh planet, big and little animals attack, the small group led by Rod from Earth organize for protection, as the inevitable stragglers appear thanks to smoke signals. Even here the twenty- six hour days pass , never quickly the rather inept colonist know nevertheless time continues forward. The schedule to return passes, into weeks, months, years, stuck forever they must become better settlers or the results won't be pleasant. The growing community needs homes not pretty, still roofs required as couples form. Jimmy Throxton, Mr. Walker best friend , classmate strangely here will be replaced by Jack , for a while though something's not right. Carol tough as any man yet attractive, loyal and fun to be with maybe more, after a detour there are rivals, Mr. Walker. Rob evolves to mayor of the tiny insignificant rustic village, becomes proud if not power hungry, enjoys his difficult job from just being another student to "mighty" ruler, life can be beautiful. But conflicts will commence as people are by nature quarrelsome , cliques rise and fall, some die, some are born, civilization is messy the old adage the survival of the fittest in nature never becomes obsolete. Robert Heinlein in a never subtle way show how a new society can arise from the wilderness and nothing, maybe not an Utopia but close enough, hell it's not, neither heaven more like purgatory. One of the masters of science fiction the writer , a so called juvenile novel before he fully flowered into the giant, the dean of the big three, Asimov and Clarke are the other two. Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress his most famous books. Now if they the pioneers are ever rescued this would be a fine kittle of fish, but very interesting.
him too and friends of visiting primitive dangerous worlds, instantly . However plans never quite go as planned, things fluctuate especially in these genre books or any other come to think of it. Survival is the object for the hundred scattered male and female students from different schools, the alternative extinction. The plot slowly unfold in the harsh planet, big and little animals attack, the small group led by Rod from Earth organize for protection, as the inevitable stragglers appear thanks to smoke signals. Even here the twenty- six hour days pass , never quickly the rather inept colonist know nevertheless time continues forward. The schedule to return passes, into weeks, months, years, stuck forever they must become better settlers or the results won't be pleasant. The growing community needs homes not pretty, still roofs required as couples form. Jimmy Throxton, Mr. Walker best friend , classmate strangely here will be replaced by Jack , for a while though something's not right. Carol tough as any man yet attractive, loyal and fun to be with maybe more, after a detour there are rivals, Mr. Walker. Rob evolves to mayor of the tiny insignificant rustic village, becomes proud if not power hungry, enjoys his difficult job from just being another student to "mighty" ruler, life can be beautiful. But conflicts will commence as people are by nature quarrelsome , cliques rise and fall, some die, some are born, civilization is messy the old adage the survival of the fittest in nature never becomes obsolete. Robert Heinlein in a never subtle way show how a new society can arise from the wilderness and nothing, maybe not an Utopia but close enough, hell it's not, neither heaven more like purgatory. One of the masters of science fiction the writer , a so called juvenile novel before he fully flowered into the giant, the dean of the big three, Asimov and Clarke are the other two. Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress his most famous books. Now if they the pioneers are ever rescued this would be a fine kittle of fish, but very interesting.
May 10, 2025
Re-Read 5/10/25:
I was in the middle of a complete RAH reread when I finally returned to Tunnel.
Honestly? I may have been a bit too harsh in my original review. As long as you are EXPECTING to start a colony on a harsh new world without any help from any outside sources, and you're stuck with a bunch of young brats, it's kinda a wonder they didn't all go Lord of the Flies.
That being said, the CAN DO attitude and the basic optimism IS pretty nice to revisit.
Original Review:
Stargate! Minus all the gods and the missions and the ascension crap.
Add survival, walls, and GOVERNMENT! Wooooo.... um... well at least the survival bit was fun. :)
Seriously, this YA is still a very can-do Americana book, with a seriously heavy Liberterian bent, but I have no issues there. I love that crap.
Still... I think I prefer Miles Vorkosigan's conception of the most important survival tool better. Tipping the invisible hat was one of Bujold's greatest inventions. But Heinlein had the same idea. Screw guns or even shoes, the one thing that any hardscrabble colony needs is the concept of a politics where people can actually work together, and that's what this book is really about.
YA? Sure, more like New Adult in today's classifications. Are you civic-minded enough?
As an adventure and a straight story, it's pretty great all the way to the point where they start voting, then my attention started wandering a bit. Still, some other crazy goes on and we flash forward to see how they all turn out and we even get a complete wrap up, so it's not like the tale went nowhere. It just didn't really do all that much for me. Plus, even though the women were all pretty strong and as can-do as the men, I didn't quite like how the old stereotypes came out in conversation... EVEN IF they were slapped down by a woman right in the group immediately afterward. I just hate the idea that women have to pretend to be men to be treated like men. It's just a sign of the times kind of story, unfortunately, but fortunately, there was very little of this kind of crap and Heinlein's stance on it is pretty egalitarian and equal rights and equal responsibility, so it's more of a me thing hating older cultural trends than a "I blame Heinlein" thing. Petty jealousies and toxic encounters in a closed group, indeed. Of course, she turned it right back and said the same thing about men in any closed group. It may not be clever, but it's true.
I loved the whole stargate survival business and the worldbuilding that led up to it. That was pretty great. :)
It's just the other stuff that made me knock it a star from my original review. Let's Vote! *blech* :)
I was in the middle of a complete RAH reread when I finally returned to Tunnel.
Honestly? I may have been a bit too harsh in my original review. As long as you are EXPECTING to start a colony on a harsh new world without any help from any outside sources, and you're stuck with a bunch of young brats, it's kinda a wonder they didn't all go Lord of the Flies.
That being said, the CAN DO attitude and the basic optimism IS pretty nice to revisit.
Original Review:
Stargate! Minus all the gods and the missions and the ascension crap.
Add survival, walls, and GOVERNMENT! Wooooo.... um... well at least the survival bit was fun. :)
Seriously, this YA is still a very can-do Americana book, with a seriously heavy Liberterian bent, but I have no issues there. I love that crap.
Still... I think I prefer Miles Vorkosigan's conception of the most important survival tool better. Tipping the invisible hat was one of Bujold's greatest inventions. But Heinlein had the same idea. Screw guns or even shoes, the one thing that any hardscrabble colony needs is the concept of a politics where people can actually work together, and that's what this book is really about.
YA? Sure, more like New Adult in today's classifications. Are you civic-minded enough?
As an adventure and a straight story, it's pretty great all the way to the point where they start voting, then my attention started wandering a bit. Still, some other crazy goes on and we flash forward to see how they all turn out and we even get a complete wrap up, so it's not like the tale went nowhere. It just didn't really do all that much for me. Plus, even though the women were all pretty strong and as can-do as the men, I didn't quite like how the old stereotypes came out in conversation... EVEN IF they were slapped down by a woman right in the group immediately afterward. I just hate the idea that women have to pretend to be men to be treated like men. It's just a sign of the times kind of story, unfortunately, but fortunately, there was very little of this kind of crap and Heinlein's stance on it is pretty egalitarian and equal rights and equal responsibility, so it's more of a me thing hating older cultural trends than a "I blame Heinlein" thing. Petty jealousies and toxic encounters in a closed group, indeed. Of course, she turned it right back and said the same thing about men in any closed group. It may not be clever, but it's true.
I loved the whole stargate survival business and the worldbuilding that led up to it. That was pretty great. :)
It's just the other stuff that made me knock it a star from my original review. Let's Vote! *blech* :)
June 16, 2017
After reading Brad's review just now, my fingers, as far as I can tell entirely of their own volition, googled "strong female characters in Heinlein". They knew what they were doing! Within a few seconds, they'd found us this interesting article.
Well, all I can say is that I'm ashamed. I like to imagine that I'm an independent thinker who goes where the data takes him, and I find I'm just another herd animal. Convinced by the first two examples that popped into my head (okay, one of them was Eunice Branca from I Will Fear No Evil), I just swallowed that whole argument about sexist Bob without checking any of the fine print. But as soon as I looked at D.A. Houdek's carefully researched piece, I realized how wrong I'd been. The three most egregious items, for those who can't be bothered to click on the link:
- Lummox in The Star Beast is female. How could I not have remembered that?!
- The only worthwhile characters in Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, PeeWee and the Mother Thing, are both female.
- The one I really feel bad about is Podkayne of Mars. I'd completely forgotten that her mother was a "Master Engineer, Heavy Construction, Surface or Free Fall", who rebuilt Phobos and Deimos. I'm so sorry, Podkayne! I misjudged you. I see now that you were just a normal teen going through a phase of revolting against Mom. Later on, I bet you also went into space construction and remodelled Ganymede.
Mea culpa! I tell you, I'm that close to rereading the entire suite of Heinlein juveniles to show how sincerely repentant I am.
Well, all I can say is that I'm ashamed. I like to imagine that I'm an independent thinker who goes where the data takes him, and I find I'm just another herd animal. Convinced by the first two examples that popped into my head (okay, one of them was Eunice Branca from I Will Fear No Evil), I just swallowed that whole argument about sexist Bob without checking any of the fine print. But as soon as I looked at D.A. Houdek's carefully researched piece, I realized how wrong I'd been. The three most egregious items, for those who can't be bothered to click on the link:
- Lummox in The Star Beast is female. How could I not have remembered that?!
- The only worthwhile characters in Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, PeeWee and the Mother Thing, are both female.
- The one I really feel bad about is Podkayne of Mars. I'd completely forgotten that her mother was a "Master Engineer, Heavy Construction, Surface or Free Fall", who rebuilt Phobos and Deimos. I'm so sorry, Podkayne! I misjudged you. I see now that you were just a normal teen going through a phase of revolting against Mom. Later on, I bet you also went into space construction and remodelled Ganymede.
Mea culpa! I tell you, I'm that close to rereading the entire suite of Heinlein juveniles to show how sincerely repentant I am.
September 4, 2012
One of Heinlein's youth books that stirred my imagination more than most. I really liked this book and read it many times in my youth. A class of young "survivalists" (college and high school students taking survival classes in school) are sent to a distant un-colonized planet to survive...and are lost. They then have to survive on their own with no way to get home.
As I said as a "youth" I loved this book. Rod Walker's teacher is worried about Rod taking the final exam in the survival class (being left on a planet to survive) because as the teacher puts it, he's a romantic born in a romantic age. Had he not been born in a romantic age he'd have had a mundane job and dreamed what it would have been like to be in a romantic age. I suppose that was me.
Good book interesting and enjoyable.
Update 9-4-12:
I read this book first long ago (the 1960s). It has stayed with me and I still held scenes from it in my "imaginary memory". I just reread it and I must say that as is the case with many of Heinlein's works (though sadly not all) this novel holds up and read from a more adult point of view has facets that a younger reader may miss.
Tunnel in the Sky is one of what are usually called Heinlein's youth or teen books. The protagonist (Rod Walker) is a young man in his last year of high school readying himself to take his "solo survival" test. The characterization and plotting are both good. while geared to a younger audience it holds up very well for an adult readership. I can highly recommend this one.
The way things are laid out and played out here sets up a story that I wish Mr. Heinlein had built on with further stories, but he didn't. I believe that for some as with me this book will stir imagination in a way that will stay with you...and now I'm an old guy.
Highly recommended, enjoy.
As I said as a "youth" I loved this book. Rod Walker's teacher is worried about Rod taking the final exam in the survival class (being left on a planet to survive) because as the teacher puts it, he's a romantic born in a romantic age. Had he not been born in a romantic age he'd have had a mundane job and dreamed what it would have been like to be in a romantic age. I suppose that was me.
Good book interesting and enjoyable.
Update 9-4-12:
I read this book first long ago (the 1960s). It has stayed with me and I still held scenes from it in my "imaginary memory". I just reread it and I must say that as is the case with many of Heinlein's works (though sadly not all) this novel holds up and read from a more adult point of view has facets that a younger reader may miss.
Tunnel in the Sky is one of what are usually called Heinlein's youth or teen books. The protagonist (Rod Walker) is a young man in his last year of high school readying himself to take his "solo survival" test. The characterization and plotting are both good. while geared to a younger audience it holds up very well for an adult readership. I can highly recommend this one.
The way things are laid out and played out here sets up a story that I wish Mr. Heinlein had built on with further stories, but he didn't. I believe that for some as with me this book will stir imagination in a way that will stay with you...and now I'm an old guy.
Highly recommended, enjoy.
June 16, 2017
I'm in that place again where I went back to the well of my teen reading loves and found the book wanting.
Is this, I wonder, the form a mid-life crisis takes in the literary minded? We go back to the books we loved in the past, the things we held fond memories of, and destroy that love once we wonder how on earth we, the people we are now, could have ever loved something so [fill-in-the-blank].
Tunnel in the Sky is just such a book for me. I listened to an audio version this time, after rediscovering it on a random browsey afternoon on Audible. The cover popped out at me and I instantly recognized the picture from that tattered paper back I had pulled from my junior high library novel rack and devoured in one or two days at age 11 or 12 or 13. The fact that I am a guilty Heinlein fan made a re-listen impossible to resist. I wish my resistance hadn't been futile.
Most of the time I listened to this audiobook (and I have to acknowledge that the uneven "full cast" performances added to my cringing), I was suspended in one big, "Ugh!"
Tunnel in the Sky is, essentially, a more positive, more culturally and sexually inclusive, Sci-Fi Lord of the Flies -- published one year after William Golding's masterpiece. Sounds good, right? When I was a teenage boy in the 80s, it was.
But now, as I listened to the tale, as I followed the half-baked creation of a working (nearly utopian), adolescent society, all I could do was ugh my way through the inherent sexism (more on this in a minute), the intentional Heinlein dumbing down of his juvenile titles, my dislike of pretty much every character -- especially the protagonist, Rod Walker -- and my deep disdain for the "pioneering spirit" and colonialism that Heinlein trumpets. It was tough to take. I probably should have stopped listening right away, but I was compelled to keep going out of morbid curiousity, all the while knowing I was destroying a childhood memory.
So now to the inherent sexism. I am not one of those who believes that Heinlein was consciously a sexist or a misogynist. I've never read any bios of the man, never spent any time getting to know his opinions beyond his novels and short stories, nor have I heard any of his recorded interviews, but I am a fan of his writing and I've read plenty of his fiction, which is the sole basis of my opinions concerning his sexism and/or misogyny. I think he not only loved women but respected women and believed them capable of vastly more than his male contemporaries did. I also think he went out of his way to try and showcase his positive beliefs throughout his fiction, which means that now, for today's readers, his views on and of women and portrayals of women remain for all to see, whereas many of his contemporaries didn't rate women at all, so their opinions never saw the light of day (and, thereby, they escape the sort of criticism Heinlein's writing invites). But even so, Heinlein was a product of his time, and there is only so far a person, shaped by the time and culture in which they move, can go.
Heinlein's views on women (and men) -- for all the ways in which they were progressive and positive in his day (Heinlein's "day" was the fifties and sixties) -- don't fly with audiences today. We (or many of us) can't help seeing his work as sexist and misogynist by today's standards. He engages in classically patriarchal, binary driven gendering, and for readers sensitive to such things, every instance of these issues forces a bigger and bigger "ugh."
I have changed as a reader over the years. I know this. I have changed just as the times have changed, and cringing at Heinlein's outmoded ways of thinking in a fifties' story that foresees the future is as much my issue as a reader as it is Heinlein's as writer -- and maybe moreso because the man seemed to be truly trying to create strong female characters. But I have changed, and despite the strength of Jack and Carol and Rod's sister, Heinlein's women still end up gendered into classic "feminine" roles to greater and lesser degrees, and I found it impossible to set my annoyance aside.
Now some of that is probably the fault of Heinlein's "dumbing down," as I mentioned before, of his juvenile books because I can much more easily overlook similar issues in Heinlein's more adult fare, such as Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land, but mostly it is me and our culture.
I feel I am rambling now, so I should end this by saying that I think people should give Heinlein a chance regardless of our feelings today about his opinions in his. Heinlein's work did give us strong and intelligent women when other Sci-Fi writers couldn't be bothered, which was an important step in the opening up of Sci-Fi -- to Sci-Fi's future inclusivity. But we run the risk of missing this step in Sci-Fi's evolution and the importance of Heinlein's work if we let our own biases only see Heinlein's work through our lens. Should we point out how sexist Heinlein's work is in terms of today's sensibilities? Absolutely. It is one of the ingredients for healthy discourse. But another important ingredient is that Heinlein's work was progressive in his time, and his progressiveness inspired others to be more progressive still.
Is this, I wonder, the form a mid-life crisis takes in the literary minded? We go back to the books we loved in the past, the things we held fond memories of, and destroy that love once we wonder how on earth we, the people we are now, could have ever loved something so [fill-in-the-blank].
Tunnel in the Sky is just such a book for me. I listened to an audio version this time, after rediscovering it on a random browsey afternoon on Audible. The cover popped out at me and I instantly recognized the picture from that tattered paper back I had pulled from my junior high library novel rack and devoured in one or two days at age 11 or 12 or 13. The fact that I am a guilty Heinlein fan made a re-listen impossible to resist. I wish my resistance hadn't been futile.
Most of the time I listened to this audiobook (and I have to acknowledge that the uneven "full cast" performances added to my cringing), I was suspended in one big, "Ugh!"
Tunnel in the Sky is, essentially, a more positive, more culturally and sexually inclusive, Sci-Fi Lord of the Flies -- published one year after William Golding's masterpiece. Sounds good, right? When I was a teenage boy in the 80s, it was.
But now, as I listened to the tale, as I followed the half-baked creation of a working (nearly utopian), adolescent society, all I could do was ugh my way through the inherent sexism (more on this in a minute), the intentional Heinlein dumbing down of his juvenile titles, my dislike of pretty much every character -- especially the protagonist, Rod Walker -- and my deep disdain for the "pioneering spirit" and colonialism that Heinlein trumpets. It was tough to take. I probably should have stopped listening right away, but I was compelled to keep going out of morbid curiousity, all the while knowing I was destroying a childhood memory.
So now to the inherent sexism. I am not one of those who believes that Heinlein was consciously a sexist or a misogynist. I've never read any bios of the man, never spent any time getting to know his opinions beyond his novels and short stories, nor have I heard any of his recorded interviews, but I am a fan of his writing and I've read plenty of his fiction, which is the sole basis of my opinions concerning his sexism and/or misogyny. I think he not only loved women but respected women and believed them capable of vastly more than his male contemporaries did. I also think he went out of his way to try and showcase his positive beliefs throughout his fiction, which means that now, for today's readers, his views on and of women and portrayals of women remain for all to see, whereas many of his contemporaries didn't rate women at all, so their opinions never saw the light of day (and, thereby, they escape the sort of criticism Heinlein's writing invites). But even so, Heinlein was a product of his time, and there is only so far a person, shaped by the time and culture in which they move, can go.
Heinlein's views on women (and men) -- for all the ways in which they were progressive and positive in his day (Heinlein's "day" was the fifties and sixties) -- don't fly with audiences today. We (or many of us) can't help seeing his work as sexist and misogynist by today's standards. He engages in classically patriarchal, binary driven gendering, and for readers sensitive to such things, every instance of these issues forces a bigger and bigger "ugh."
I have changed as a reader over the years. I know this. I have changed just as the times have changed, and cringing at Heinlein's outmoded ways of thinking in a fifties' story that foresees the future is as much my issue as a reader as it is Heinlein's as writer -- and maybe moreso because the man seemed to be truly trying to create strong female characters. But I have changed, and despite the strength of Jack and Carol and Rod's sister, Heinlein's women still end up gendered into classic "feminine" roles to greater and lesser degrees, and I found it impossible to set my annoyance aside.
Now some of that is probably the fault of Heinlein's "dumbing down," as I mentioned before, of his juvenile books because I can much more easily overlook similar issues in Heinlein's more adult fare, such as Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land, but mostly it is me and our culture.
I feel I am rambling now, so I should end this by saying that I think people should give Heinlein a chance regardless of our feelings today about his opinions in his. Heinlein's work did give us strong and intelligent women when other Sci-Fi writers couldn't be bothered, which was an important step in the opening up of Sci-Fi -- to Sci-Fi's future inclusivity. But we run the risk of missing this step in Sci-Fi's evolution and the importance of Heinlein's work if we let our own biases only see Heinlein's work through our lens. Should we point out how sexist Heinlein's work is in terms of today's sensibilities? Absolutely. It is one of the ingredients for healthy discourse. But another important ingredient is that Heinlein's work was progressive in his time, and his progressiveness inspired others to be more progressive still.
May 29, 2019
“The extradimensional distortions necessary to match places on two planets many light-years apart were not simply a matter of expenditure of enormous quantities of energy; they were precision problems fussy beyond belief, involving high mathematics and high art-the math was done by machine but the gate operator always had to adjust the last couple of decimal places by prayer and intuition.”
I do love Heinlein’s style of tech-talk, sounds great, and seems to make sense with just about the right amount of handwavium. High mathematics and high art FTW!
Tunnel in the Sky is one of Heinlein’s popular Juvenile titles, opinions vary concerning his better-known adults titles like Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers, they are often regarded as classic sci-fi but also feature a high quotient of the author’s trademark didacticism (some of his later books are so didactic they are unreadable for me). His juvenile titles – on the other hand – are generally well-liked and remembered fondly by veteran SF readers, especially as early exposures to sci-fi lit. They tend to be short, entertaining intergalactic adventures, with some thought-provoking ideas behind them if you care to look. Tunnel in the Sky is a fine example of this.
Fun cover, no such scene in the book
The main “SFnal” conceit of the book is portals between planets, a very common sci-fi/fantasy trope where you step through a door or gateway and is immediately transported to another location far away. Set in an unspecified future age, the Earth is overpopulated and humanity is expanding to colonize other planets via “Ramsbotham gates”. The young protagonist Rod Walker and other students are being sent to a potential colony planet on an “Advanced Survival” test, armed with some basic survival tools. Unfortunately, something goes wrong with the gateway system and the students are stranded. When it becomes apparent that rescue is not imminent and may never come, the students have to band together to survive and, not knowing why they have lost contact with Earth, perhaps the onus is upon them to ensure the continuity of the human race.
Rod Walker is supposed to be black, actually
Once Walker’s adventure on the unnamed planet starts in earnest the narrative shifts into a tale of survival, and then when Walker meets other students and begin to form a colony the narrative becomes something a little akin to Lord of the Flies (published a year earlier). Then we have the next step of a gradual formation of a society and even a civilization, with a little bit of Heinleinian didacticism but just the right amount to be interesting and not grinding the storytelling to a halt. The sci-fi element – in term of futuristic tech – is mostly absent from the middle section of the book (the biggest chunk), there are some non-sentient alien creatures for the characters to contend with but nothing particularly outlandish. The teleportation portals are just a plot device to place the characters where they need to be. For the most part, the narrative is more concerned with the development of a colony, leadership, society, politics and baby steps towards civilization. The characters are quite well drawn, something Heinlein has over his legendary contemporaries Asimov and Clarke, this and the occasional sparkles in the dialogue. I really like the ending, not a massive surprise but it feels right.
For the most part Tunnel in the Sky is more “spec-fic” than sci-fi, but more importantly, it is a very good, engaging, well-paced read with some depth to it. Well worth the time (and money).
Quotes:
“Why I had one girl who wanted to- never mind; the thing about the griffin is that it does not really have vital organs. Its nervous system is decentralized, even its assimilation system. To kill it quickly you would have to grind it into hamburger. Shooting merely tickles it.
“I know how good a gun feels. It makes you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, three meters tall and covered with hair. You're ready for anything and kind of hoping you'll find it. Which is exactly what is dangerous about it-because you aren't anything of the sort. You are a feeble, hairless embryo, remarkably easy to kill. You could carry an assault gun with two thousand meters precision range and isotope charges that will blow up a hill, but you still would not have eyes in the back of your head like a janus bird, nor be able to see in the dark like the Thetis pygmies. Death can cuddle up behind you while you are drawing a bead on something in front.”
Black Rod!
I do love Heinlein’s style of tech-talk, sounds great, and seems to make sense with just about the right amount of handwavium. High mathematics and high art FTW!
Tunnel in the Sky is one of Heinlein’s popular Juvenile titles, opinions vary concerning his better-known adults titles like Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers, they are often regarded as classic sci-fi but also feature a high quotient of the author’s trademark didacticism (some of his later books are so didactic they are unreadable for me). His juvenile titles – on the other hand – are generally well-liked and remembered fondly by veteran SF readers, especially as early exposures to sci-fi lit. They tend to be short, entertaining intergalactic adventures, with some thought-provoking ideas behind them if you care to look. Tunnel in the Sky is a fine example of this.
Fun cover, no such scene in the book
The main “SFnal” conceit of the book is portals between planets, a very common sci-fi/fantasy trope where you step through a door or gateway and is immediately transported to another location far away. Set in an unspecified future age, the Earth is overpopulated and humanity is expanding to colonize other planets via “Ramsbotham gates”. The young protagonist Rod Walker and other students are being sent to a potential colony planet on an “Advanced Survival” test, armed with some basic survival tools. Unfortunately, something goes wrong with the gateway system and the students are stranded. When it becomes apparent that rescue is not imminent and may never come, the students have to band together to survive and, not knowing why they have lost contact with Earth, perhaps the onus is upon them to ensure the continuity of the human race.
Rod Walker is supposed to be black, actually
Once Walker’s adventure on the unnamed planet starts in earnest the narrative shifts into a tale of survival, and then when Walker meets other students and begin to form a colony the narrative becomes something a little akin to Lord of the Flies (published a year earlier). Then we have the next step of a gradual formation of a society and even a civilization, with a little bit of Heinleinian didacticism but just the right amount to be interesting and not grinding the storytelling to a halt. The sci-fi element – in term of futuristic tech – is mostly absent from the middle section of the book (the biggest chunk), there are some non-sentient alien creatures for the characters to contend with but nothing particularly outlandish. The teleportation portals are just a plot device to place the characters where they need to be. For the most part, the narrative is more concerned with the development of a colony, leadership, society, politics and baby steps towards civilization. The characters are quite well drawn, something Heinlein has over his legendary contemporaries Asimov and Clarke, this and the occasional sparkles in the dialogue. I really like the ending, not a massive surprise but it feels right.
For the most part Tunnel in the Sky is more “spec-fic” than sci-fi, but more importantly, it is a very good, engaging, well-paced read with some depth to it. Well worth the time (and money).
Quotes:
“Why I had one girl who wanted to- never mind; the thing about the griffin is that it does not really have vital organs. Its nervous system is decentralized, even its assimilation system. To kill it quickly you would have to grind it into hamburger. Shooting merely tickles it.
“I know how good a gun feels. It makes you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, three meters tall and covered with hair. You're ready for anything and kind of hoping you'll find it. Which is exactly what is dangerous about it-because you aren't anything of the sort. You are a feeble, hairless embryo, remarkably easy to kill. You could carry an assault gun with two thousand meters precision range and isotope charges that will blow up a hill, but you still would not have eyes in the back of your head like a janus bird, nor be able to see in the dark like the Thetis pygmies. Death can cuddle up behind you while you are drawing a bead on something in front.”
Black Rod!
October 31, 2010
3.5 stars. A good, solid Heinlein "juvenile" SF about a group of young adults stranded on a distant world during the final exam of an "advanced survivor" course. I really liked the first half of the book in which the world is introduced, the concept behind the "tunnels" is explained and the effect that the tunnels have had on the form of society. This part is top notch Heinlein and I would have given 4 to 5 stars.
Once they find themselves stranded, I thought the story became less interesting and turned into a standard survival story. It was still a decent read and Heinlein does a good job showing the difficulty in arriving at a group consensus for important decisions, it just was not as compelling for me as the first half of the story. I am a big fan of interesting world building and what I call "explanatory SF" meaning the backstory of a science fiction universe. I am less intrigued by the action scenes in science fiction stories (chase scenes, battles, etc). Thus, once the students became stranded, the most interesting parts of the story were over for me. That said, this is a good read and fans of Heinlein will certainly want to read thus one.
Once they find themselves stranded, I thought the story became less interesting and turned into a standard survival story. It was still a decent read and Heinlein does a good job showing the difficulty in arriving at a group consensus for important decisions, it just was not as compelling for me as the first half of the story. I am a big fan of interesting world building and what I call "explanatory SF" meaning the backstory of a science fiction universe. I am less intrigued by the action scenes in science fiction stories (chase scenes, battles, etc). Thus, once the students became stranded, the most interesting parts of the story were over for me. That said, this is a good read and fans of Heinlein will certainly want to read thus one.
October 22, 2014
This is not the correct edition. Mine is an OLD mono rip from cassettes done probably 20 years ago or more.
I'm 2/9 of the way in & quite impressed (no, not by the sound quality) by all the things Heinlein's managed to pack into the beginning of this novel. It's not just the neat new way of traveling to the stars, but the whole way he's done the colonization idea. The contrast between low tech pioneering & super high tech travel is economically & socially feasible.
I have to say, sending mules & steers across makes absolutely no sense & undercuts the point for using hay burners that he just made, though. A few to get started - maybe - but if the economics are tight, varieties that can breed make a lot more sense. Last I heard, mules are the sterile offspring of a stallion & a jenny, while steers had their jewels stolen.
Oh well, his point on guns was very well taken & demonstrated. I loved the way he put it too. The family circumstances are quite a good, poignant point, too. All in all, I don't when I've last liked the setup to an entirely new world so well.
Like most of Heinlein's juveniles, this one has a lot of lessons to teach, but some are more apparent than others. Rod, our hero, is black according to Heinlein. He wasn't allowed to say so, though. There isn't anything to point out his race one way or the other, mostly the clues are in the lack of descriptive elements. While others get sunburned, Rod never is nor is his skin ever described as being tanned. Kind of cool that he slid this one through. He has some very strong, smart women, too.
The book has its problems, but I think they're overwhelmed by its good points. Rod isn't a perfect hero, but he's pretty much a perfect adolescent male & firmly plants his foot in his mouth more than once. Didn't we all? But he's basically a good guy who does a lot of growing & never gives up, so he gets what he wants eventually. Love it. Lot's of fun with a great many things for kids, teens, & even adults to aspire to. What boy wouldn't want adventures of this sort? (I still do!)
;-)
I'm 2/9 of the way in & quite impressed (no, not by the sound quality) by all the things Heinlein's managed to pack into the beginning of this novel. It's not just the neat new way of traveling to the stars, but the whole way he's done the colonization idea. The contrast between low tech pioneering & super high tech travel is economically & socially feasible.
I have to say, sending mules & steers across makes absolutely no sense & undercuts the point for using hay burners that he just made, though. A few to get started - maybe - but if the economics are tight, varieties that can breed make a lot more sense. Last I heard, mules are the sterile offspring of a stallion & a jenny, while steers had their jewels stolen.
Oh well, his point on guns was very well taken & demonstrated. I loved the way he put it too. The family circumstances are quite a good, poignant point, too. All in all, I don't when I've last liked the setup to an entirely new world so well.
Like most of Heinlein's juveniles, this one has a lot of lessons to teach, but some are more apparent than others. Rod, our hero, is black according to Heinlein. He wasn't allowed to say so, though. There isn't anything to point out his race one way or the other, mostly the clues are in the lack of descriptive elements. While others get sunburned, Rod never is nor is his skin ever described as being tanned. Kind of cool that he slid this one through. He has some very strong, smart women, too.
The book has its problems, but I think they're overwhelmed by its good points. Rod isn't a perfect hero, but he's pretty much a perfect adolescent male & firmly plants his foot in his mouth more than once. Didn't we all? But he's basically a good guy who does a lot of growing & never gives up, so he gets what he wants eventually. Love it. Lot's of fun with a great many things for kids, teens, & even adults to aspire to. What boy wouldn't want adventures of this sort? (I still do!)
;-)
October 8, 2017
Classic sci fi from a classic sci fi author -- gotta love it :) Best part is the plethora of kickass female characters, starting with the main character's sister who is a commander in an advanced military division known as the Amazons. She didn't need to be for the story to work, which makes it even better. Not deep or epic or philosophical, but an entertaining story well told.
February 27, 2021
One of Heinlein's juveniles, which I read at just the right age and era. I remember thinking it was a pretty good adventure. I had already read his Starship Troopers and was impressed that he'd created a female equivalent to the Mobile Infantry (called, unimaginatively, the Amazons) and that they could screw up just as well as any man could. It challenged my '60's era thinking. But Heinlein always had a way of seeing which way things were headed. His philosophy towards survival in alien environments was to go gently on the land, rather than to power through it-that also made an impression. I don't think I'd bother with a re-read; times have changed after all but the book's a fond memory.
August 10, 2012
Copyrighted in 1955, Tunnel in the Sky is the 9th of the Heinlein juveniles and it is noteworthy in several respects. First, while it is set in the future and on another planet, the bulk of the novel isn’t really science fiction at all, it is more of a survival tale. Second, while some of the story involves Robinson Crusoe type details on improvising basic technology, a major portion of it is social and political commentary made through the actions and statements of the characters. And third, the protagonist, Rod Walker, is black.
In this future, the Ramsbotham Jump has made interstellar travel as simple as passing through a doorway: on one side you are on Earth, step to the other side and you are on another planet in another star system. This is how Rod Walker and his classmates travelled to another planet for the final exam of their high school course in survival. What they didn’t know was that a fluke in the form of a stellar nova, short-circuited the gate they had just passed through and left them stranded. A trip that should have been several days long, lasted for two years. Heinlein turns how Rod and the others survived their stay on this strange planet into a fascinating tale.
While the clues are often subtle, this is probably the Heinlein juvenile with the most social commentary. Sex and race are irrelevant to the job of surviving on this dangerous planet and Heinlein treats them that way. After having spent several days alone, and after having been ambushed and robbed by an unknown assailant, Rod met Jack Daudet, who allowed Rod to share his own shelter in a cave. A few days later while hunting, they met Jimmy Throxton who joined them as well. It is after Jimmy was there that Rod discovered that Jack was really Jackie: a girl. Heinlein uses this clever plot twist to drive home the point that men and women are equal, and particularly so in this extremity.
Gradually their colony grew with students similarly stranded until it reached a population of about 75. They constructed a village with a stockade to keep out predators and Rod emerged as the ex officio leader of the group. At this point it was decided that they needed some sort of government so the group elected a mayor for the settlement. The mayor-elect was an older student who proposed holding the election in the first place. Heinlein uses this micro-society to explore the advantages and disadvantages of democracy and those of the very concept of government itself, while Rod discovered that politics trumps ability every time.
Heinlein treats race, sex and ethnicity as irrelevant in this book. While this is a diverse group, the surnames of the characters are the only clues we have to place any of them into an identity group. One character, Caroline Mshiyeni, has a clearly East African surname and was seen by the other members of the group as natural girlfriend and possible wife for Rod. In the context of 1955 society, the implication here is clear: Rod must be of African descent himself. At that time, what was termed miscegenation, or interracial marriage, was not only frowned upon by the society that would be reading this book, it was illegal in about a dozen states. Therefore, looking through the lens of the mores of the mid-1950’s, the implication is that Rod is black. To drop a subtle clue like this is typical of Heinlein. He could not state that his main character was black. His editors would have rejected the story out of hand. But he could imply it to the readers sharp enough to pick up the clues. Similarly, as I noted earlier, while he could not state that men and women were absolute equals; with the Jack to Jackie transformation he could show it to be true.
The story also depicts how the young people strived over the two years or so that they were stranded on that planet to build a decent society and civilization. They dealt successfully with outlaws and crime, made the tools and equipment necessary for life, planted and raised crops, hunted in an organized way and married. They formed a government, however imperfect and dealt successfully with an environmental threat that could have consumed them.
This book moves right along and has the constant tension created by the “man on the edge of survival” situation Rod and his fellows find themselves in. Tunnel in the Sky is an optimistic book about the strength, resilience and basic decency of human nature. While there were villains and low life characters, they were a minority and were ultimately killed or exiled by the strong and decent majority. It is telling that at about this same time William Golding’s Lord of the Flies was published. His book placed a group of young people in a similar survival situation, but with much less exemplary results: they degenerated into predatory animals. Naturally, Golding’s dark book was a success among the cynical critics. On the other hand, if you are looking for an upbeat page turner for the weekend, this is your book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPT3V2...
In this future, the Ramsbotham Jump has made interstellar travel as simple as passing through a doorway: on one side you are on Earth, step to the other side and you are on another planet in another star system. This is how Rod Walker and his classmates travelled to another planet for the final exam of their high school course in survival. What they didn’t know was that a fluke in the form of a stellar nova, short-circuited the gate they had just passed through and left them stranded. A trip that should have been several days long, lasted for two years. Heinlein turns how Rod and the others survived their stay on this strange planet into a fascinating tale.
While the clues are often subtle, this is probably the Heinlein juvenile with the most social commentary. Sex and race are irrelevant to the job of surviving on this dangerous planet and Heinlein treats them that way. After having spent several days alone, and after having been ambushed and robbed by an unknown assailant, Rod met Jack Daudet, who allowed Rod to share his own shelter in a cave. A few days later while hunting, they met Jimmy Throxton who joined them as well. It is after Jimmy was there that Rod discovered that Jack was really Jackie: a girl. Heinlein uses this clever plot twist to drive home the point that men and women are equal, and particularly so in this extremity.
Gradually their colony grew with students similarly stranded until it reached a population of about 75. They constructed a village with a stockade to keep out predators and Rod emerged as the ex officio leader of the group. At this point it was decided that they needed some sort of government so the group elected a mayor for the settlement. The mayor-elect was an older student who proposed holding the election in the first place. Heinlein uses this micro-society to explore the advantages and disadvantages of democracy and those of the very concept of government itself, while Rod discovered that politics trumps ability every time.
Heinlein treats race, sex and ethnicity as irrelevant in this book. While this is a diverse group, the surnames of the characters are the only clues we have to place any of them into an identity group. One character, Caroline Mshiyeni, has a clearly East African surname and was seen by the other members of the group as natural girlfriend and possible wife for Rod. In the context of 1955 society, the implication here is clear: Rod must be of African descent himself. At that time, what was termed miscegenation, or interracial marriage, was not only frowned upon by the society that would be reading this book, it was illegal in about a dozen states. Therefore, looking through the lens of the mores of the mid-1950’s, the implication is that Rod is black. To drop a subtle clue like this is typical of Heinlein. He could not state that his main character was black. His editors would have rejected the story out of hand. But he could imply it to the readers sharp enough to pick up the clues. Similarly, as I noted earlier, while he could not state that men and women were absolute equals; with the Jack to Jackie transformation he could show it to be true.
The story also depicts how the young people strived over the two years or so that they were stranded on that planet to build a decent society and civilization. They dealt successfully with outlaws and crime, made the tools and equipment necessary for life, planted and raised crops, hunted in an organized way and married. They formed a government, however imperfect and dealt successfully with an environmental threat that could have consumed them.
This book moves right along and has the constant tension created by the “man on the edge of survival” situation Rod and his fellows find themselves in. Tunnel in the Sky is an optimistic book about the strength, resilience and basic decency of human nature. While there were villains and low life characters, they were a minority and were ultimately killed or exiled by the strong and decent majority. It is telling that at about this same time William Golding’s Lord of the Flies was published. His book placed a group of young people in a similar survival situation, but with much less exemplary results: they degenerated into predatory animals. Naturally, Golding’s dark book was a success among the cynical critics. On the other hand, if you are looking for an upbeat page turner for the weekend, this is your book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPT3V2...
August 3, 2020
Actualmente, cuando uno queda fascinado con la idea de ‘Los juegos del hambre’, ‘El corredor del laberinto’, u otras obras distópicas similares (salvando las distancias, evidentemente), pensad en que Heinlein fue precursor de ello también.
Y es que ‘Túnel en el espacio’ nos habla de Rod Walker, un pre universitario que debe someterse a la prueba de supervivencia individual, cómo parte de su formación en el colegio mayor al cual asiste. Esta tiene una duración estimada de entre 24 horas y 10 días, en la que el destino de los que se examinan es incierto: cualquier continente o planeta; incluso el más inhóspito.
El marco de fondo de este juvenil Heinleiniano, vuelve a ser el de un futuro con sobre población, en la que los que serán la población futura, debe saber vivir en cualquier situación, para adaptarse a los duros tiempos. En el presente de la obra, la inmigración traspasa a tiempo real unas puertas espacio-dimensionales para vivir en otros mundos (confeccionadas a base de Uranio, lo cual hace incrementar los impuestos), dependiendo de la demanda de cada país. También las hay ‘cotidianas’, que te llevan a casa (no importa que residas en un estado diferente, y estudies o trabajes en otro). Australasia (Asia absorbe a Australia y Nueva Zelanda) es una de las grandes potencias planetarias. El equilibrio económico y la vida tal cual la conocemos está a tocar a su fin.
Al comienzo de la particular odisea personal de nuestro protagonista, el chico estará dubitativo (aunque posee un fuete carácter y determinación, sin aún saberlo, fundamental en todo personaje de Heinlein). Es por ello, que es mini instruido y aconsejado por su hermana mayor Helen (la cual es teniente de las Amazonas espaciales) con el ABC del sentido común, que le plantea información extra acerca de su familia. Una vez decidido a marchar, se encontrará con una aventura que nunca imaginó, la cual se prolonga más de lo normal. Lo cual le hará sacar su yo verdadero y replantearse su existencia.
Y es que, una vez sentados los elementos de la historia, el maestro nos desarrolla una intrépida a la par que aleccionadora aventura de supervivencia y convivencia (por lo tanto, de gran énfasis socio - político), en la que la unión casual de una serie de adolescentes dejados a su suerte, dará paso a la formación forzosa de una colonia cooperativa. Y he ahí cuando se hace despliegue de un repaso práctico de un gobierno a todas las escalas: periodo de transición, formación de comités de ejecución, reuniones, alcaldía y mociones. Y todo de modo ágil y sin entuertos. Heinlein muestra la dificultad de llevar a cabo la práctica de un gobierno democrático efectivamente; sin caer en la tiranía, los sobornos o la compra de personas mediante ‘cargos’. También de la ampulosidad e inutilidad de comités. Es toda una excelente crítica radiografiada del sistema político, sus ejes y la dificultad de su equilibrio y conservación, a través de estos chicos y chicas abandonados a su suerte. Como culmen, llega a la posibilidad (imposible por otra parte), del reinado autónomo y lo que le supondría a Rod Walker, que se hace a sí mismo, descubriéndose mediante la prueba que es la vida sin decoros, adornos o nostalgias poco útiles. Ciertamente, es una novela con un mensaje marcadamente individualista, de no retorno, en la que sobresale el protagonista al desposeerse de las asfixias convencionales y los sentimentalismos, después de haber gobernado a una mini población y convivido por el bien común.
Podría decirse que es una anticipación catalogada de algunos de sus grandes: ‘La luna es una cruel amante’ (la formación de colonia, el pro a su independencia y autonomía), ‘Granjero de las estrellas’ (el día a día en un nuevo lugar, el avance del establecimiento en éste), ‘Forastero en tierra extraña’ (en el modo de presentar a una comuna) o ‘Ciudadano de la galaxia’ (por su marcado mensaje individualista).
Así pues, ‘Túnel en el espacio’ es otro Heinlein ágil, de mensaje crítico- aleccionador y que marcó tendencias posteriores; y eso ya por si mismo dice mucho.
Y es que ‘Túnel en el espacio’ nos habla de Rod Walker, un pre universitario que debe someterse a la prueba de supervivencia individual, cómo parte de su formación en el colegio mayor al cual asiste. Esta tiene una duración estimada de entre 24 horas y 10 días, en la que el destino de los que se examinan es incierto: cualquier continente o planeta; incluso el más inhóspito.
El marco de fondo de este juvenil Heinleiniano, vuelve a ser el de un futuro con sobre población, en la que los que serán la población futura, debe saber vivir en cualquier situación, para adaptarse a los duros tiempos. En el presente de la obra, la inmigración traspasa a tiempo real unas puertas espacio-dimensionales para vivir en otros mundos (confeccionadas a base de Uranio, lo cual hace incrementar los impuestos), dependiendo de la demanda de cada país. También las hay ‘cotidianas’, que te llevan a casa (no importa que residas en un estado diferente, y estudies o trabajes en otro). Australasia (Asia absorbe a Australia y Nueva Zelanda) es una de las grandes potencias planetarias. El equilibrio económico y la vida tal cual la conocemos está a tocar a su fin.
Al comienzo de la particular odisea personal de nuestro protagonista, el chico estará dubitativo (aunque posee un fuete carácter y determinación, sin aún saberlo, fundamental en todo personaje de Heinlein). Es por ello, que es mini instruido y aconsejado por su hermana mayor Helen (la cual es teniente de las Amazonas espaciales) con el ABC del sentido común, que le plantea información extra acerca de su familia. Una vez decidido a marchar, se encontrará con una aventura que nunca imaginó, la cual se prolonga más de lo normal. Lo cual le hará sacar su yo verdadero y replantearse su existencia.
Y es que, una vez sentados los elementos de la historia, el maestro nos desarrolla una intrépida a la par que aleccionadora aventura de supervivencia y convivencia (por lo tanto, de gran énfasis socio - político), en la que la unión casual de una serie de adolescentes dejados a su suerte, dará paso a la formación forzosa de una colonia cooperativa. Y he ahí cuando se hace despliegue de un repaso práctico de un gobierno a todas las escalas: periodo de transición, formación de comités de ejecución, reuniones, alcaldía y mociones. Y todo de modo ágil y sin entuertos. Heinlein muestra la dificultad de llevar a cabo la práctica de un gobierno democrático efectivamente; sin caer en la tiranía, los sobornos o la compra de personas mediante ‘cargos’. También de la ampulosidad e inutilidad de comités. Es toda una excelente crítica radiografiada del sistema político, sus ejes y la dificultad de su equilibrio y conservación, a través de estos chicos y chicas abandonados a su suerte. Como culmen, llega a la posibilidad (imposible por otra parte), del reinado autónomo y lo que le supondría a Rod Walker, que se hace a sí mismo, descubriéndose mediante la prueba que es la vida sin decoros, adornos o nostalgias poco útiles. Ciertamente, es una novela con un mensaje marcadamente individualista, de no retorno, en la que sobresale el protagonista al desposeerse de las asfixias convencionales y los sentimentalismos, después de haber gobernado a una mini población y convivido por el bien común.
Podría decirse que es una anticipación catalogada de algunos de sus grandes: ‘La luna es una cruel amante’ (la formación de colonia, el pro a su independencia y autonomía), ‘Granjero de las estrellas’ (el día a día en un nuevo lugar, el avance del establecimiento en éste), ‘Forastero en tierra extraña’ (en el modo de presentar a una comuna) o ‘Ciudadano de la galaxia’ (por su marcado mensaje individualista).
Así pues, ‘Túnel en el espacio’ es otro Heinlein ágil, de mensaje crítico- aleccionador y que marcó tendencias posteriores; y eso ya por si mismo dice mucho.
December 11, 2014
For years, a good friend has been recommending Robert A. Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky to me and for years it's sat on my to-be-read shelf, silently accusing me of neglect. One excuse I'd used was I was part of a sci-fi/fantasy book group that read a novel by Heinlein to start the year and I figured we'd eventually get around to Tunnel.
But the book group became extinct and the book just kept sitting there, expectantly. So, I finally dusted it off and cracked the cover.
If you follow my reviews, you know that I'm not a huge fan of Heinlein. I know he's an influential writer in the science-fiction genre, but I find that I enjoy less of his output than most people do. Part of it could be that my first entry into the universe of Heinlein was some of his later works, which I've come to understand aren't the best entry points or examples of what makes him so well regarded.
I will also say that I find his "juvenile" novels to be far more entertaining and readable than some of his novels intended for more "mature" readers. And that's the case with Tunnel in the Sky.
With Earth exploring the universe by a series of gates, young Rod Walker wants nothing more than to leave Earth behind and explore a new horizon. Signing up for a survival course, Rod and his classmates' final assignment is to take a trip through the gate to an unexplored, unknown world and survive for up to a week. Encouraged by his older sister (who is a member of the military and took the course during his school years), Rod sets out on the assignment, but soon finds something has gone wrong. Cut off from Earth and hopes of returning home, Rod and his classmates set out to not only survive but also to create a society for themselves.
Tunnel in the Sky is a tale of two halves. The first half that chronicles Rod's desire to travel through a gate and his fascination with them as well as the first steps toward surviving on this unknown world are fascinating, compelling and page-turning. It's one Rod and his classmates realize that they're stranded and they have to begin creating their own society and structure that things come to a bit of a halt and the second half of the novel feels like it's a bit more of slog to get through. Part of this is that the action from the first half slows down as Heinlein's characters engage in philosophical debates about the nature of government and its role in the group's survival. It's not quite as eye-rollingly bad as some other Heinlein installments, but it still made the second half of the book seem a bit less entertaining and interesting than the first.
I will say the final chapter or so makes up for this with some interesting developments for Rod and company. To say more might ruin the novel for those of you who haven't read it yet, so I won't do that. I will say the novel ended on enough of a high point that I walked away fairly satisfied with the book as a whole and recalling more of the fondness I had for the first half than the pitfalls of the second.
Once again, a Heinlein juvenile proves more mature than some of his later, longer works that are targeted more at adults. I will admit I've missed my yearly visits with Heinlein (whether good or bad) and I may have to try visiting him again sooner rather than later.
But the book group became extinct and the book just kept sitting there, expectantly. So, I finally dusted it off and cracked the cover.
If you follow my reviews, you know that I'm not a huge fan of Heinlein. I know he's an influential writer in the science-fiction genre, but I find that I enjoy less of his output than most people do. Part of it could be that my first entry into the universe of Heinlein was some of his later works, which I've come to understand aren't the best entry points or examples of what makes him so well regarded.
I will also say that I find his "juvenile" novels to be far more entertaining and readable than some of his novels intended for more "mature" readers. And that's the case with Tunnel in the Sky.
With Earth exploring the universe by a series of gates, young Rod Walker wants nothing more than to leave Earth behind and explore a new horizon. Signing up for a survival course, Rod and his classmates' final assignment is to take a trip through the gate to an unexplored, unknown world and survive for up to a week. Encouraged by his older sister (who is a member of the military and took the course during his school years), Rod sets out on the assignment, but soon finds something has gone wrong. Cut off from Earth and hopes of returning home, Rod and his classmates set out to not only survive but also to create a society for themselves.
Tunnel in the Sky is a tale of two halves. The first half that chronicles Rod's desire to travel through a gate and his fascination with them as well as the first steps toward surviving on this unknown world are fascinating, compelling and page-turning. It's one Rod and his classmates realize that they're stranded and they have to begin creating their own society and structure that things come to a bit of a halt and the second half of the novel feels like it's a bit more of slog to get through. Part of this is that the action from the first half slows down as Heinlein's characters engage in philosophical debates about the nature of government and its role in the group's survival. It's not quite as eye-rollingly bad as some other Heinlein installments, but it still made the second half of the book seem a bit less entertaining and interesting than the first.
I will say the final chapter or so makes up for this with some interesting developments for Rod and company. To say more might ruin the novel for those of you who haven't read it yet, so I won't do that. I will say the novel ended on enough of a high point that I walked away fairly satisfied with the book as a whole and recalling more of the fondness I had for the first half than the pitfalls of the second.
Once again, a Heinlein juvenile proves more mature than some of his later, longer works that are targeted more at adults. I will admit I've missed my yearly visits with Heinlein (whether good or bad) and I may have to try visiting him again sooner rather than later.
August 31, 2017
In this classic science fiction novel Heinlein is takes us through the experiences of a young man, Rod Walker, who as part of a final exam (high school, no less) on a survival course must complete a period of a few days on an alien planet, surviving on his own.
The 'Tunnel in the sky' actually refers to the method in which a future society has developed to colonise far worlds. Heinlein remains coy about the date, so all we really know is that it is a future Earth and future society. Once on this unknown alien planet something goes wrong with retrieval and Rod, his classmates and a number of other classes are all marooned, possibly forever.
This is a really fun story; I first read it back in the 80's and it remained with me just well enough that I kind of remembered the story but never was quite sure what was about to happen. Re-reading was heaps of fun.
A few things struck 2017-Deborah that 80's Deborah didn't notice. There are some similarities with Starship Troupers (the book, not the movie) in that the main character is young, has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with parents, and the society seems to bear some similarities.
Heinlein really REALLY does like a particular older-mentor-know-it-all type character. In this novel it is Rod's sister Helen, but whenever she said anything I kept thinking I was 'hearing' Lazarus Long. Very odd sensation.
Written in the 1950's it bears clear signs of the fact; the fifties by our standards was violently sexist, racist and had a value system that has not, generally, aged well. For the most part Tunnel In The Sky is unaffected by having been written more than half a century ago, but there are a few glaring moments, especially in the sexist attitude of the main character where it is clear this was written historically. Heinlein, like all the best sci-fi writers was using his genera to explore the boundaries of society, point out the idiocies of it and open the readers mind to a different viewpoint. Thus, there are females in combat (but they have their own squadron, they are not integrated) , the main character does not want to team up with girls (though the author proves him wrong) and other similar examples. It seems clear to me that Heinlein was trying to open the minds of his readers, but to a modern youngster it might not seem that way.
Well, too much seriousness! This is a fun adventure, with a pretty likable main character and several good secondary characters in survival mode on another planet. The plot and world building are very readable, there are adventures and problems to be overcome and it is a hell of a good read!
The 'Tunnel in the sky' actually refers to the method in which a future society has developed to colonise far worlds. Heinlein remains coy about the date, so all we really know is that it is a future Earth and future society. Once on this unknown alien planet something goes wrong with retrieval and Rod, his classmates and a number of other classes are all marooned, possibly forever.
This is a really fun story; I first read it back in the 80's and it remained with me just well enough that I kind of remembered the story but never was quite sure what was about to happen. Re-reading was heaps of fun.
A few things struck 2017-Deborah that 80's Deborah didn't notice. There are some similarities with Starship Troupers (the book, not the movie) in that the main character is young, has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with parents, and the society seems to bear some similarities.
Heinlein really REALLY does like a particular older-mentor-know-it-all type character. In this novel it is Rod's sister Helen, but whenever she said anything I kept thinking I was 'hearing' Lazarus Long. Very odd sensation.
Written in the 1950's it bears clear signs of the fact; the fifties by our standards was violently sexist, racist and had a value system that has not, generally, aged well. For the most part Tunnel In The Sky is unaffected by having been written more than half a century ago, but there are a few glaring moments, especially in the sexist attitude of the main character where it is clear this was written historically. Heinlein, like all the best sci-fi writers was using his genera to explore the boundaries of society, point out the idiocies of it and open the readers mind to a different viewpoint. Thus, there are females in combat (but they have their own squadron, they are not integrated) , the main character does not want to team up with girls (though the author proves him wrong) and other similar examples. It seems clear to me that Heinlein was trying to open the minds of his readers, but to a modern youngster it might not seem that way.
Well, too much seriousness! This is a fun adventure, with a pretty likable main character and several good secondary characters in survival mode on another planet. The plot and world building are very readable, there are adventures and problems to be overcome and it is a hell of a good read!
October 24, 2018
I was tempted to set down my comments here in verse that would fit with the Norman Greenbaum tune, but I resisted. You're welcome. This is one of Heinlein's better "juveniles," full of can-do American spirit and Libertarian-tinged philosophy. It's got an optimistic Lord of the Flies vibe, too. It's remarkably sexist in some ways, and remarkably non-sexist in others, and I wonder how it will be viewed after another sixty-some years. I noticed that Rod is portrayed on the cover of the audio version I just finished as being of African ancestry, whereas all of the previous paper versions I've seen show him as Caucasian; race doesn't affect the story either way. The obsessive working of mathematics on paper is the only really jarring anachronism in the story to my mind. It's a very good story, and though I doubt that it all ends up the way any reader would prefer, I can't imagine anyone not finding something in the plot to hold their deep interest.
October 31, 2011
Survival stories are frequent in YA literature, and Tunnel in the Sky was probably one of the first, originally published in 1955. It is referred to as one of "Heinlein's Juveniles," and is a great tale of adventure with a life-threatening scenario. Rather than making a statement, as some of Heinlein's works attempt to do, this book is just danger and kids using what they have learned to create a new society and survive on an alien planet. Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games or Ender's Game would probably also enjoy this story, as it has similar themes. The time period of its original publication is evident in a few moments, but not to the extent I am used to when reading Heinlein.
I'd probably say 3.5 stars, but that rounds up to 4.
See my longer review on SFF Audio, including information on the audiobook by Full Cast Audio.
I'd probably say 3.5 stars, but that rounds up to 4.
See my longer review on SFF Audio, including information on the audiobook by Full Cast Audio.
November 25, 2021
From 1947 through 1958, Robert A. Heinlein wrote twelve young adult novels for Scribner’s, and these are today known as the “Heinlein Juveniles.” I read a number of them in 5th through 7th grade, when I was cruising through the science fiction section of the children’s room at my town’s public library. When I re-read one now, it’s always a pleasant challenge to try to remember whether I read it back then, or not. In the case of Tunnel in the Sky, I’m still not sure. The core twelve were:
#1 Rocket Ship Galileo (1947)
#2 Space Cadet (1948)
#3 Red Planet (1949)
#4 Farmer in the Sky (1950)
#5 Between Planets (1951)
#6 The Rolling Stones (aka Space Family Stone, 1952)
#7 Starman Jones (1953)
#8 The Star Beast (1954)
#9 Tunnel in the Sky (1955)
#10 Time for the Stars (1956)
#11 Citizen of the Galaxy (1957)
#12 Have Space Suit—Will Travel (1958)
In addition, Starship Troopers was written in 1959, but rejected by Scribner's, ending RAH’s relationship with them. He also later wrote other YA novels such as Podkayne of Mars, but I do not consider those part of the set.
Tunnel in the Sky follows Rod Walker, a high school student whose class final exam involves a survival test after being individually transported to an unknown planet, about which no one is given any information. Once there, he encounters natural hazards and hazards from other humans being tested. After losing all his gear in a mishap, he soon teams up with Jack, a student from another school. (The fact that I did not remember about Jack is a clue that maybe I had not read this one before). As it becomes obvious that the return pick-up has failed to happen, other boy and girl students join as well. Their community grows to the point where governance becomes necessary, and RAH uses this as a platform to explore themes of democracy and the balance between individual freedom and the common good. He wrote this book in 1955, one year after the publication of Lord of the Flies, and the formation of RAH’s democratic government is in complete contrast to the descent into authoritarianism and barbarism there.
#1 Rocket Ship Galileo (1947)
#2 Space Cadet (1948)
#3 Red Planet (1949)
#4 Farmer in the Sky (1950)
#5 Between Planets (1951)
#6 The Rolling Stones (aka Space Family Stone, 1952)
#7 Starman Jones (1953)
#8 The Star Beast (1954)
#9 Tunnel in the Sky (1955)
#10 Time for the Stars (1956)
#11 Citizen of the Galaxy (1957)
#12 Have Space Suit—Will Travel (1958)
In addition, Starship Troopers was written in 1959, but rejected by Scribner's, ending RAH’s relationship with them. He also later wrote other YA novels such as Podkayne of Mars, but I do not consider those part of the set.
Tunnel in the Sky follows Rod Walker, a high school student whose class final exam involves a survival test after being individually transported to an unknown planet, about which no one is given any information. Once there, he encounters natural hazards and hazards from other humans being tested. After losing all his gear in a mishap, he soon teams up with Jack, a student from another school. (The fact that I did not remember about Jack is a clue that maybe I had not read this one before). As it becomes obvious that the return pick-up has failed to happen, other boy and girl students join as well. Their community grows to the point where governance becomes necessary, and RAH uses this as a platform to explore themes of democracy and the balance between individual freedom and the common good. He wrote this book in 1955, one year after the publication of Lord of the Flies, and the formation of RAH’s democratic government is in complete contrast to the descent into authoritarianism and barbarism there.
April 22, 2018
Tunnel in the Sky is an underappreciated gem of a Heinlein juvenile. In the future, an overpopulated Earth expands into space through wormhole gates. Any job in the Outlands, as the other worlds are called, requires passing Outland Survival. The final exam is being dumped on an unknown planet, and surviving a few days until recall. Rod Walker is a high school student facing such an exam.
We meet his family, and get some cool hints at the expanded setting. A new religion called Monism has joined the big three Semitic faiths. China has conquered Australia and irrigated the outback, but population continues to rise. Rod's sister Helen is an officer in the all-female Amazon space marines. We see pioneers going through the a gate with horses and Conestoga wagons, because 'grass-burners' make their own replacements and resupply will be rare until the colony can export food or Uranium back to Earth. Rod's parents are facing a hard choice as well, a 20 year wait in cryogenic stasis while his father's rare metabolic disease is cured.
We get some useful advice on survival, "don't carry a gun, your job is to be a rabbit and live", and then we're off. Rod does fine the first few days, but then someone knocks him on the head and steals everything but his back-up knife. Worse, as days pass and the gate home fails to appear, it becomes apparent something has gone very wrong. The survivors of the 100-odd high school and college students have to settle down and figure out some kind of long term solution for survival. Rod's is pushed aside in favor of a smooth talking college kid, who's early attempt at democracy becomes mired in committees and social niceties, like building houses for newlyweds rather than a defensive wall. The colony is well on its way to becoming a stone age society, when a seasonal migration of 'dopey joes' turns a previously harmless species into a vicious killer. Rod is vindicated, and becomes mayor of their colony for a year, when the gate reopens and suddenly he is no longer an independent leader on a frontier world, but a kid again, with all that that entails.
There are lots of hints of ideas that Heinlein would develop in later works. The themes of power and responsibility in Starship Troopers, the frontier space colonies of Time Enough for Love, and the survivalism of Farnham's Freehold. Heinlein has lighter touch on these topics, focusing more on the coming of age of his protagonists. There are some missteps, the characterization is a little thin, and who stole Rod's survival gear is a dropped thread. Heinlein's attitudes on gender and race are progressive for their time, but they haven't aged very well. His female characters (Caroline, Jack), are the equals of the men, but it takes Rod some time to get over his prejudices against women. Even so, men hunt and women cook. The 'yellow hordes' bit in the beginning is not great, but according to a letter from Heinlein Rod is canonically African-American, which is solid for a book published a year after Brown v. Board of Education.
We meet his family, and get some cool hints at the expanded setting. A new religion called Monism has joined the big three Semitic faiths. China has conquered Australia and irrigated the outback, but population continues to rise. Rod's sister Helen is an officer in the all-female Amazon space marines. We see pioneers going through the a gate with horses and Conestoga wagons, because 'grass-burners' make their own replacements and resupply will be rare until the colony can export food or Uranium back to Earth. Rod's parents are facing a hard choice as well, a 20 year wait in cryogenic stasis while his father's rare metabolic disease is cured.
We get some useful advice on survival, "don't carry a gun, your job is to be a rabbit and live", and then we're off. Rod does fine the first few days, but then someone knocks him on the head and steals everything but his back-up knife. Worse, as days pass and the gate home fails to appear, it becomes apparent something has gone very wrong. The survivors of the 100-odd high school and college students have to settle down and figure out some kind of long term solution for survival. Rod's is pushed aside in favor of a smooth talking college kid, who's early attempt at democracy becomes mired in committees and social niceties, like building houses for newlyweds rather than a defensive wall. The colony is well on its way to becoming a stone age society, when a seasonal migration of 'dopey joes' turns a previously harmless species into a vicious killer. Rod is vindicated, and becomes mayor of their colony for a year, when the gate reopens and suddenly he is no longer an independent leader on a frontier world, but a kid again, with all that that entails.
There are lots of hints of ideas that Heinlein would develop in later works. The themes of power and responsibility in Starship Troopers, the frontier space colonies of Time Enough for Love, and the survivalism of Farnham's Freehold. Heinlein has lighter touch on these topics, focusing more on the coming of age of his protagonists. There are some missteps, the characterization is a little thin, and who stole Rod's survival gear is a dropped thread. Heinlein's attitudes on gender and race are progressive for their time, but they haven't aged very well. His female characters (Caroline, Jack), are the equals of the men, but it takes Rod some time to get over his prejudices against women. Even so, men hunt and women cook. The 'yellow hordes' bit in the beginning is not great, but according to a letter from Heinlein Rod is canonically African-American, which is solid for a book published a year after Brown v. Board of Education.
September 26, 2010
Humans are colonising the galaxy, thanks not to rocket ships capable of taking us to remote star systems, but gateways through hyperspace that allow us to travel anywhere in an instant. But before people are allowed to start a new life in a frontier world, they must take survival classes which culminate in a test in which students are dopped into alien environments and must survive or die.
Our protagonist is takes his test and is sent to an alien world (along with many other students) only to find himself cut off and stranded after something goes wrong. He soon realises that he is better off finding others and living together than remaining on his own although it then becomes apparent the the social problems of living in a group can be trickier than anything else.
While the initial premise of the book is gripping and entertaining, it is what happens when things go wrong and the students are forced to agree their own social structures that things get more interesting and thought provoking. As more and more stragglers turn up the problems of coordinating their efforts to ensure everyone is safe and gets fed become trickier. Eventually they find themselves to having to establish some form of government in order to impose effective disipline; as one character comments: "Government is the art of getting along with people you don't like". And the problem of what to do with unsocialable individuals who just won't tow the line manifests itself too.
This is also a form of coming of age tale for the protagonist as the harsh realities of survival and later responsibility turn him from a youth into a man.
Whilst this is one of the better Heinlein novels I have read, it was still not perfect. Flawed characterisation with often irritating and pointless exchanges permiated the story but then I've come to realise that characters aren't his strongpoint and the story and handling of ideas generally more than made up for this.
Our protagonist is takes his test and is sent to an alien world (along with many other students) only to find himself cut off and stranded after something goes wrong. He soon realises that he is better off finding others and living together than remaining on his own although it then becomes apparent the the social problems of living in a group can be trickier than anything else.
While the initial premise of the book is gripping and entertaining, it is what happens when things go wrong and the students are forced to agree their own social structures that things get more interesting and thought provoking. As more and more stragglers turn up the problems of coordinating their efforts to ensure everyone is safe and gets fed become trickier. Eventually they find themselves to having to establish some form of government in order to impose effective disipline; as one character comments: "Government is the art of getting along with people you don't like". And the problem of what to do with unsocialable individuals who just won't tow the line manifests itself too.
This is also a form of coming of age tale for the protagonist as the harsh realities of survival and later responsibility turn him from a youth into a man.
Whilst this is one of the better Heinlein novels I have read, it was still not perfect. Flawed characterisation with often irritating and pointless exchanges permiated the story but then I've come to realise that characters aren't his strongpoint and the story and handling of ideas generally more than made up for this.
June 19, 2022
1977 grade B+
2009 grade A-
2022 Grade A-
I actually read a two day short out of a Simak collection between books 74 and 75. Which means I finished this one quite quickly. That's one of the problems of really good books.
The survival test ran long, very long. Could the 18 year old and the others of similar ages survive and what effects will it have. Except in the political third quarter, the story is excellent. I did speed read a little in the political bits, but new readers shouldn't need to. This is one of Heinlein's transition books from late teen protagonists to adult stories. It was written in 1953 so you will see the various social prejudices of the era. You will also see smatterings of Heinlein's philosophies. You will just have to suspend your disbelief. It is worth it.
Recommended.
2009 grade A-
2022 Grade A-
I actually read a two day short out of a Simak collection between books 74 and 75. Which means I finished this one quite quickly. That's one of the problems of really good books.
The survival test ran long, very long. Could the 18 year old and the others of similar ages survive and what effects will it have. Except in the political third quarter, the story is excellent. I did speed read a little in the political bits, but new readers shouldn't need to. This is one of Heinlein's transition books from late teen protagonists to adult stories. It was written in 1953 so you will see the various social prejudices of the era. You will also see smatterings of Heinlein's philosophies. You will just have to suspend your disbelief. It is worth it.
Recommended.
December 2, 2024
Robert A Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky is fairly typical of his juvenile novels. It has a fast-moving plot, interesting child characters (though a little older than is typical for him) and a fantastic speculative setting.
Rod Stewart is precocious enough to be taking Advanced Survival in high school instead of the more typical college timing. The final exam requires spending 2-10 days on a raw frontier planet, transported there through a trans-dimensional gate. Accident causes the gate to stop functioning and leaves Rod's class of 20 and three other classes stranded on the planet for longer than had been expected.
In addition to interesting brushes with nature, the children have to learn to live with, as Heinlein typically puts it, the most dangerous animal known to man -- each other. They form together as a group and eventually are drawn to the vice of government. The interactions between the kids make as much of the story as the struggle to survive in an alien and strange world.
2011: I started this one a little early because the audio was poor on the old one I have and there is a new one available from Full Cast Audio. I like this recording rather more than the older one.
2014: I found that I loved this one more reading it with the kids than I did reading it on my own. It really clicked with them, probably second only to The Star Beast
Rod Stewart is precocious enough to be taking Advanced Survival in high school instead of the more typical college timing. The final exam requires spending 2-10 days on a raw frontier planet, transported there through a trans-dimensional gate. Accident causes the gate to stop functioning and leaves Rod's class of 20 and three other classes stranded on the planet for longer than had been expected.
In addition to interesting brushes with nature, the children have to learn to live with, as Heinlein typically puts it, the most dangerous animal known to man -- each other. They form together as a group and eventually are drawn to the vice of government. The interactions between the kids make as much of the story as the struggle to survive in an alien and strange world.
2011: I started this one a little early because the audio was poor on the old one I have and there is a new one available from Full Cast Audio. I like this recording rather more than the older one.
2014: I found that I loved this one more reading it with the kids than I did reading it on my own. It really clicked with them, probably second only to The Star Beast
June 10, 2015
One of Heinlein's juveniles. Though you've got to notice that it starts with a college course that has a final of being dropped on some planet -- and surviving. And bright kids can take it in high school.
Rod Walker just learned with the rest of his class that it's the next day. Sees some of his world, filling us in, and has some conflict with his family, but ends up going. His military sister talks him out of a gun but gives him an additional knife.
When he arrives -- the title tunnel in the sky refers to the transportation means -- his first sight of another candidate is the corpse of a classmate, whose missing gun clearly reveals he was murdered. He faces thereafter a night chorus of wailing beasts, someone found in a tree and injured, trying to take shelter in a cave, a wild guess that they are still on Earth, the discovery of a serious problem that has the candidates having to band together, elections, and much more.
Rod Walker just learned with the rest of his class that it's the next day. Sees some of his world, filling us in, and has some conflict with his family, but ends up going. His military sister talks him out of a gun but gives him an additional knife.
When he arrives -- the title tunnel in the sky refers to the transportation means -- his first sight of another candidate is the corpse of a classmate, whose missing gun clearly reveals he was murdered. He faces thereafter a night chorus of wailing beasts, someone found in a tree and injured, trying to take shelter in a cave, a wild guess that they are still on Earth, the discovery of a serious problem that has the candidates having to band together, elections, and much more.
July 15, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this classic YA novel. I always knew it was a "lord of the Flies" type story but the way the teenagers interacted and the way they faced situations was so well done that's its clear why Robert Heinlein was one of the masters of science fiction. Although written over 50 years ago, the book isn't dated much at all. A few turns of phrase that aren't in vogue today, but basically, it is such a good view of the human condition that it is timeless.
May 24, 2017
...been reading a lot of my old Heinlein paperbacks lately....this one is my 3rd or 4th favorite Heinlein. It's basically a survival story. Rod Walker is sent along with other young men through a hyperspatial tunnel to another planet. All they have to do is survive for a limited time till pick-up. But then the deadline passes.... I enjoyed this book immensely when I first read it back in elementary school--and I enjoyed rereading it 50 years later!
March 11, 2021
I really enjoyed this since I like man against nature survival type stories. Plus I think Heinlein's juvenile stories are his best. I can see how it would have been a favorite if I'd have read it when I was young.
February 23, 2021
На одном дыхании, но чего-то не хватает. Возможно, я ожидал немного другого финала.
October 4, 2010
I find myself wondering if Heinlein had read Golding's "Lord of the Flies" (1954) before publishing this novel in 1955. If I'm charitable, I'll assume he didn't. Otherwise, I would have to conclude that he was portraying a society built by kids from scratch that works (after a fashion) as opposed to one that emphatically does not.
Keeping that in mind, I also find that RAH ascribes much more maturity and stalwart nature to his characters than is likely to be the case in reality. The snappy repartee between individuals is more in the line of "Hail, fellow! Well met!" than real conversational interchanges.
Of course,it isn't a tale of either utopia or dystopia. There have to be some oppositional characters or the story would be incredibly dull. But in the main, it's a description of how some teens from Tom Brokaw's "Greatest Generation" (this was written barely ten years after the conclusion of WW II) managed to create order from chaos: reflective of Heinlein's fairly ubiquitous view that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It also reflects the world view of the time that people should recognize their role and not stray from it, e.g., all the girls in the cave while the guys fight off the critturs. Lots of macho bravado that doesn't translate well into the 21st century. Caroline is an atypical character in that she wants to take on roles reserved for males, but even she (perhaps because of her "African" background) falls into the "Yowsa, Boss" mold all too easily.
I was reminded of another book, "King Rat" by James Clavell (1962), when reading the concluding pages. After a couple of years in a society not only created by an isolated group, but also judged and endorsed by that same group, it comes as a shock that the "rescuers" might not see their accomplishments as anything but the most basic of survival tactics and that the rescuers may be seen as intruders, rather than saviors. I was especially reminded of the parallel between the kids happily eating meat that may or may not have turned a little and the "King Rat" prisoners savoring the dog stew that they had made on the sly.
The parts of the story I liked the most were in the ealy chapters: a description of an oddly evolved multicultural society on Earth; specialized groups which provide a release from stereotype, like the Amazon Batallion; the description of Rod's first days on the planet and his survival amid perilous encounters with both humans and animals. The society building portion I found to be way too idealistic and hackneyed. But overall, it was a worthwhile read.
Keeping that in mind, I also find that RAH ascribes much more maturity and stalwart nature to his characters than is likely to be the case in reality. The snappy repartee between individuals is more in the line of "Hail, fellow! Well met!" than real conversational interchanges.
Of course,it isn't a tale of either utopia or dystopia. There have to be some oppositional characters or the story would be incredibly dull. But in the main, it's a description of how some teens from Tom Brokaw's "Greatest Generation" (this was written barely ten years after the conclusion of WW II) managed to create order from chaos: reflective of Heinlein's fairly ubiquitous view that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It also reflects the world view of the time that people should recognize their role and not stray from it, e.g., all the girls in the cave while the guys fight off the critturs. Lots of macho bravado that doesn't translate well into the 21st century. Caroline is an atypical character in that she wants to take on roles reserved for males, but even she (perhaps because of her "African" background) falls into the "Yowsa, Boss" mold all too easily.
I was reminded of another book, "King Rat" by James Clavell (1962), when reading the concluding pages. After a couple of years in a society not only created by an isolated group, but also judged and endorsed by that same group, it comes as a shock that the "rescuers" might not see their accomplishments as anything but the most basic of survival tactics and that the rescuers may be seen as intruders, rather than saviors. I was especially reminded of the parallel between the kids happily eating meat that may or may not have turned a little and the "King Rat" prisoners savoring the dog stew that they had made on the sly.
The parts of the story I liked the most were in the ealy chapters: a description of an oddly evolved multicultural society on Earth; specialized groups which provide a release from stereotype, like the Amazon Batallion; the description of Rod's first days on the planet and his survival amid perilous encounters with both humans and animals. The society building portion I found to be way too idealistic and hackneyed. But overall, it was a worthwhile read.
January 11, 2020
Rod Walker is a young New Yorker in a future in which Malthusian catastrophe has forced humans to discover and colonize far planets. This goal has such primacy that young people are basically trained from childhood on into early adolescence to prepare for potential hardships in the quest to colonize the distant reaches of space.
Rod, in addition to dealing with well-meaning but overbearing parents, is preparing for his own "Jump through the Gate," a sort of trial period in which he must survive with only his wits and limited supplies to prove he has the right stuff. The Deacon (his teacher) impresses on the kids that there will probably be casualties, and the attrition rate may be high.
I don't like to pile on Heinlein, with the same sort of accusations that have been lobbed at him for decades now in some quarters of the Science Fiction community, that he espouses a sort of Futurist Spartan/Fascist worldview, in which Man is obligated to manifest his destiny among the stars, and I rather enjoy the wide-eyed "Gee Golly Gosh" tone of some of his characters, and their pluck and endless resolve, but something was missing this time around for me.
The first act, in which Rod Walker prepares for the sternest test of his meddle, promised much and was handled well, and consequently raised my hopes perhaps a bit too high. For, for me, the second act is when it sort of fell apart, and became everything that Heinlein's harshest critics accused him of being, a sort of quasi-Rice Burroughs retread that was a bit hackneyed even in the 1950s, when "Tunnel in the Sky" was written.
The book does, however, gain some ground back in the third act (which I won't spoil here) and certain chapters and excerpts have that inspired cosmic majesty and near-boundless imagination that I remember from reading Heinlein as a young man. Speaking of young, the book is written for juveniles/young adults, but its flaws have nothing to do with that; if anything, the way Heinlein uses the pressures of the Rite by Tunnel to isolate his adolescents from the rest of the world works very well as a metaphor for the kind of pains those transitioning from childhood to adulthood must endure.
But the shadow of better works like "Starship Troopers" and "Stranger in a Strange Land," loomed a bit too large in my mind while reading, especially while plodding through that second act.
Rod, in addition to dealing with well-meaning but overbearing parents, is preparing for his own "Jump through the Gate," a sort of trial period in which he must survive with only his wits and limited supplies to prove he has the right stuff. The Deacon (his teacher) impresses on the kids that there will probably be casualties, and the attrition rate may be high.
I don't like to pile on Heinlein, with the same sort of accusations that have been lobbed at him for decades now in some quarters of the Science Fiction community, that he espouses a sort of Futurist Spartan/Fascist worldview, in which Man is obligated to manifest his destiny among the stars, and I rather enjoy the wide-eyed "Gee Golly Gosh" tone of some of his characters, and their pluck and endless resolve, but something was missing this time around for me.
The first act, in which Rod Walker prepares for the sternest test of his meddle, promised much and was handled well, and consequently raised my hopes perhaps a bit too high. For, for me, the second act is when it sort of fell apart, and became everything that Heinlein's harshest critics accused him of being, a sort of quasi-Rice Burroughs retread that was a bit hackneyed even in the 1950s, when "Tunnel in the Sky" was written.
The book does, however, gain some ground back in the third act (which I won't spoil here) and certain chapters and excerpts have that inspired cosmic majesty and near-boundless imagination that I remember from reading Heinlein as a young man. Speaking of young, the book is written for juveniles/young adults, but its flaws have nothing to do with that; if anything, the way Heinlein uses the pressures of the Rite by Tunnel to isolate his adolescents from the rest of the world works very well as a metaphor for the kind of pains those transitioning from childhood to adulthood must endure.
But the shadow of better works like "Starship Troopers" and "Stranger in a Strange Land," loomed a bit too large in my mind while reading, especially while plodding through that second act.
August 14, 2019
I'd like to give this book a higher rating, because it does do some things very well, but I just can't. Things it does well include excellent world-building, a very good record for coming up with interesting or surprising (or both) takes on the situation, at least acknowledging alternat epoints of view (rare for Heinlein), and a relatively unpredictable plot--in a juvenile, this is especially noteworthy.
Unfortunately, Heinlein's virtues often go for naught, and that's largely true here, though perhaps less so than in some of his other books. There's far less hectoring of the reader than you get in some of his books, for instance; Heinlein can be very reluctant to just tell you the story without also telling you what you should think about everything under the sun. However, whatever credit he deserves for arguing that "girls" can be just as capable as boys at conventionally masculine tasks, for instance, is eradicated by the fact that he is nevertheless amazingly condescending about it, given that inevitably for these girls, doing so is basically just a stopgap until the right man comes along, and that despite the theoretical equal competence of the girls, they are nevertheless still treated as weaker vessels that need protecting when things get tough. And then there's the sexual creepiness. The more Heinlein I read, the more I have to think this guy had serious issues. It's pretty much subtextual here, but incest once again lurks in the shadows.
Even worse, though, is Heinlein's "man is the greatest thing ever" ideology (with the gender-specific pronoun apropos, I'd argue). I love manly action stories and stories about conventional testosterone-factory guys, but Heinlein just manages to go way too far with the whole thing. When a key point in the book involves our protagonist insisting on facing what ought to be virtually certain destruction (it isn't, of course) because, hey, we're MEN, and MEN will never let any lesser creature drive them out, well, the temptation just to throw the book away in disgust is hard to resist. . . . And when you consider that this book was intended for adolescents, that's simply a reprehensible message.
Unfortunately, Heinlein's virtues often go for naught, and that's largely true here, though perhaps less so than in some of his other books. There's far less hectoring of the reader than you get in some of his books, for instance; Heinlein can be very reluctant to just tell you the story without also telling you what you should think about everything under the sun. However, whatever credit he deserves for arguing that "girls" can be just as capable as boys at conventionally masculine tasks, for instance, is eradicated by the fact that he is nevertheless amazingly condescending about it, given that inevitably for these girls, doing so is basically just a stopgap until the right man comes along, and that despite the theoretical equal competence of the girls, they are nevertheless still treated as weaker vessels that need protecting when things get tough. And then there's the sexual creepiness. The more Heinlein I read, the more I have to think this guy had serious issues. It's pretty much subtextual here, but incest once again lurks in the shadows.
Even worse, though, is Heinlein's "man is the greatest thing ever" ideology (with the gender-specific pronoun apropos, I'd argue). I love manly action stories and stories about conventional testosterone-factory guys, but Heinlein just manages to go way too far with the whole thing. When a key point in the book involves our protagonist insisting on facing what ought to be virtually certain destruction (it isn't, of course) because, hey, we're MEN, and MEN will never let any lesser creature drive them out, well, the temptation just to throw the book away in disgust is hard to resist. . . . And when you consider that this book was intended for adolescents, that's simply a reprehensible message.
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