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Skyclimber
Tower Books, 1981. Mass market paperback, 1st edition. Adventure novel by one of the pioneers of modern science fiction.
- GenresScience Fiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
11 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Z. Gallun
190 books12 followersAka William Callahan, Arthur Allport.
Raymond Zinke Gallun (March 22, 1911 - April 2, 1994) was an early science fiction writer.
Gallun (rhymes with "balloon") was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. He lived a drifter's existence, working a multitude of jobs around the world in the years leading up to World War II. He sold many popular stories to pulp magazines in the 1930s. "Old Faithful" (1934) was his first noted story. "The Gentle Brain" was published in "Science Fiction Quarterly" under the pseudonym Arthur Allport. Another of his pseudonyms was William Callahan.
Raymond Zinke Gallun (March 22, 1911 - April 2, 1994) was an early science fiction writer.
Gallun (rhymes with "balloon") was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. He lived a drifter's existence, working a multitude of jobs around the world in the years leading up to World War II. He sold many popular stories to pulp magazines in the 1930s. "Old Faithful" (1934) was his first noted story. "The Gentle Brain" was published in "Science Fiction Quarterly" under the pseudonym Arthur Allport. Another of his pseudonyms was William Callahan.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 13, 2023
On the one hand this is typical pulpy trash. It starts out with some promise but as soon as the story revolves around Tim, it quickly becomes very, very stupid.
On the other hand, I would say its a fairly accurate representation of stupid teenagers. Tim is pretty emotionally and socially immature for his age, which makes sense since he's lived around crusty adults on a dead planet for the entirety of his life. So whilst he's annoying, he's pretty true to life.
There's some real 80's sentiments and really terrible science in this, like breaking up the moon into pieces to make space colonies. Or that it's OK to kiss a guy you just met and who is currently passed out. Prose generally ranges from serviceable to terrible. Lots of telling rather than showing. Nobody says they're married but rather they've "mated" or are somebody's "Man" or "woman".
So this was pretty readable and it's very short. I wish it was more Gotch and his friends rather than Tim but that's how it goes. I don't regret picking it up at the second-hand book store.
On the other hand, I would say its a fairly accurate representation of stupid teenagers. Tim is pretty emotionally and socially immature for his age, which makes sense since he's lived around crusty adults on a dead planet for the entirety of his life. So whilst he's annoying, he's pretty true to life.
There's some real 80's sentiments and really terrible science in this, like breaking up the moon into pieces to make space colonies. Or that it's OK to kiss a guy you just met and who is currently passed out. Prose generally ranges from serviceable to terrible. Lots of telling rather than showing. Nobody says they're married but rather they've "mated" or are somebody's "Man" or "woman".
So this was pretty readable and it's very short. I wish it was more Gotch and his friends rather than Tim but that's how it goes. I don't regret picking it up at the second-hand book store.
April 5, 2015
A solid book. The sci-fi gobbledygook didn't get too outrageous and the characters were interesting. I appreciated that there was not a major focus on the issues Earth faced, perhaps due to the overexposure to doom and gloom real life on Earth presents.
Some parts of the book seemed a bit contrived and unnecessary, but as a whole novel, I found it enjoyable. Also topical now given the talk of colonization of Mars. Ahead of its time by 34 years? Strongly recommend for those with a passing curiosity about colonization of Mars.
Some parts of the book seemed a bit contrived and unnecessary, but as a whole novel, I found it enjoyable. Also topical now given the talk of colonization of Mars. Ahead of its time by 34 years? Strongly recommend for those with a passing curiosity about colonization of Mars.
August 28, 2015
I found this one a wonderful adventure that I had a hard time putting down. Been a long time since I read it, I believe it was around 1986 when I read this book but I have fond memories of it and have recently picked it up as a nook book to read again. I stayed up way to late reading this book, not wanting to wait to find out what happened next.
July 2, 2015
Not a truely original idea but well told and written
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews