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Jupiter #2
The Billion Dollar Boy
New York Public Library "Best Books for the Teen Age" selection
Shelby Cheever V is a spoiled brat. He is also the richest kid in the country. Actually, make that the universe . Bored with his all-the-amusements-money-can-buy life, he decides on a bit of interstellar action, Shelby-style. But it turns out life on a starship is not all fun and games. As part of a crew, Shelby has a few things to learn. Like, how to follow orders instead of simply giving orders. Can Shelby learn how to cooperate with his crewmates?
He may not have a choice. When Shelby becomes the target of a hostage-for-ransom scheme, he'll need all the help he can get.
Shelby Cheever V is a spoiled brat. He is also the richest kid in the country. Actually, make that the universe . Bored with his all-the-amusements-money-can-buy life, he decides on a bit of interstellar action, Shelby-style. But it turns out life on a starship is not all fun and games. As part of a crew, Shelby has a few things to learn. Like, how to follow orders instead of simply giving orders. Can Shelby learn how to cooperate with his crewmates?
He may not have a choice. When Shelby becomes the target of a hostage-for-ransom scheme, he'll need all the help he can get.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1997
6 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Charles Sheffield
216 books171 followersCharles A. Sheffield (June 25, 1935 – November 2, 2002), was an English-born mathematician, physicist and science fiction author. He had been a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronomical Society.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 28, 2021
This is the second book in the Jupiter series, which were juvenile (now known as YA) novels which shared a common setting (not Jupiter; that was just the name) but featured different characters. It's very much in the tradition of the Robert A. Heinlein or Lester del Rey books of the preceding generation. This one was all right, but not the best of the set. It tells the story of a very rich and privileged young man who, through drunken misadventure, ends up far from Earth at a mining frontier and has to grow up very fast. As always, Sheffield's scientific content is interesting and educational.
December 2, 2020
The Billion Dollar Boy is the by Charles Sheffield. It is the second book in the Jupiter Novels. It is a Young Adult Science Fiction novel.
In this one, Shelby Prescott is a spoiled rich boy with too much time on his hands. He impulsively decides to take a cruise on a space liner. As usual, he gets bored so he finds a source for some liqueur even though he is underage and proceeds to get drunk. While drunk he decides to talk a walk and inspect a node that will transport people and objects to the Kuiper Belt mining facility. He decides to step through and see the Kuiper facility for himself. Instead, he is transported to the Messina Dust Cloud - twenty-seven light-years from Earth. He is picked up by the harvester ship Harvest Moon. He will have to learn an entirely new way of life for the months it will take until he can be returned to Earth. After many adventures and quite a bit of danger, a spoiled rich boy will return as a much wiser young man.
In this one, Shelby Prescott is a spoiled rich boy with too much time on his hands. He impulsively decides to take a cruise on a space liner. As usual, he gets bored so he finds a source for some liqueur even though he is underage and proceeds to get drunk. While drunk he decides to talk a walk and inspect a node that will transport people and objects to the Kuiper Belt mining facility. He decides to step through and see the Kuiper facility for himself. Instead, he is transported to the Messina Dust Cloud - twenty-seven light-years from Earth. He is picked up by the harvester ship Harvest Moon. He will have to learn an entirely new way of life for the months it will take until he can be returned to Earth. After many adventures and quite a bit of danger, a spoiled rich boy will return as a much wiser young man.
June 12, 2024
Shelby is the son of the richest man on Earth. He is a fat, lazy, rude, spoiled brat. Everything he could possibly want is provided for him, and he treats everyone like crap. His father is mostly absent, and he runs roughshod over his mother. He convinces her to take him on a trip to the asteroid belt, where he gets roaring drunk and goes on a one-man mission though the wormhole without first programming the destination. He ends up many lightyears from Earth among a bunch of miners.
Out here they mine transuranics like the crab fishers of "Deadliest Catch." Shelby demands to be taken home, tells them how rich he is, but they inform him that his money means nothing here and their schedule will not allow them to return to Earth for months. He'll stay on the ship and learn to be useful and that's that. He adapts to his new surroundings and learns that he had a lot to learn. He learns mining, goes to a party, gets punched in the nose, and learns a little about women.
It could have been a generic coming of age story, but it is so well written that it is more than that. And especially at the end, which really made the whole thing worthwhile. I have to give Sheffield a pass in thinking that a spoiled 15-year-old would become a real human being in such a short time, but a book about a snot nosed brat would have been hard to deal with. Apparently, Shelby had a great deal of hidden resources which just needed a bit of prodding to make him into a really likeable kid. Pretty good for a young adult novel.
Out here they mine transuranics like the crab fishers of "Deadliest Catch." Shelby demands to be taken home, tells them how rich he is, but they inform him that his money means nothing here and their schedule will not allow them to return to Earth for months. He'll stay on the ship and learn to be useful and that's that. He adapts to his new surroundings and learns that he had a lot to learn. He learns mining, goes to a party, gets punched in the nose, and learns a little about women.
It could have been a generic coming of age story, but it is so well written that it is more than that. And especially at the end, which really made the whole thing worthwhile. I have to give Sheffield a pass in thinking that a spoiled 15-year-old would become a real human being in such a short time, but a book about a snot nosed brat would have been hard to deal with. Apparently, Shelby had a great deal of hidden resources which just needed a bit of prodding to make him into a really likeable kid. Pretty good for a young adult novel.
Read
April 26, 2021This novel is one in a series of juveniles called the Jupiter novels, that authors like Sheffield and Pournelle have been publishing recently. Billion Dollar Boy is a story of a spoiled rich kid, Shelby Crawford Jerome Prescott Cheever V, who is rescued by a transuranic harvester ship in the Messina Cloud after a mishap with the transportation system during a tour of the outer solar system. The harvester is not scheduled to return to the solar system for several months, so Shelby has to himself useful by working as crew on the ship while waiting to be returned home.
Needless to say, Shelby must do a lot of growing up during his sojourn on the harvester ship. The pampered child learns a lot about work, friendship and responsibility.
While the characters are likable and the story amusing, I'm afraid that this sort of juvenile novel just won't catch on with today's teens. You've got to pack in a lot more intense action than say, Heinlein or Del Rey did in their pre-Nintendo juvenile novels that got many of us hooked. If you're looking for a dose of nostalgia in a new twist on Between Planets, then go ahead and read this one, otherwise.
Needless to say, Shelby must do a lot of growing up during his sojourn on the harvester ship. The pampered child learns a lot about work, friendship and responsibility.
While the characters are likable and the story amusing, I'm afraid that this sort of juvenile novel just won't catch on with today's teens. You've got to pack in a lot more intense action than say, Heinlein or Del Rey did in their pre-Nintendo juvenile novels that got many of us hooked. If you're looking for a dose of nostalgia in a new twist on Between Planets, then go ahead and read this one, otherwise.
January 12, 2019
Part of the Jupiter series, but each book stands alone, so read in any order you like.
I keep thinking this is Richie Rich's cousin Reggie, in a future alternative world. I liked this story somewhat, but found the lack of detailed events spoke too much to the "teen" reader and so it detracted a bit from my enjoyment. This is a bit dated and I think today's "young adult" reader is more demanding. It is a fun read, and likely was well received in its day, but could stand for some modernization.
Have a GoodReads.
I keep thinking this is Richie Rich's cousin Reggie, in a future alternative world. I liked this story somewhat, but found the lack of detailed events spoke too much to the "teen" reader and so it detracted a bit from my enjoyment. This is a bit dated and I think today's "young adult" reader is more demanding. It is a fun read, and likely was well received in its day, but could stand for some modernization.
Have a GoodReads.
October 22, 2025
I picked this book up at a small old bookstore and only really wanted to read it because I like the cover and title.
I don’t really read sci-fi books so I didn’t know what to expect but - I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a great little read that kept me engaged.
Scrim is and always will be the goat.
I don’t really read sci-fi books so I didn’t know what to expect but - I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a great little read that kept me engaged.
Scrim is and always will be the goat.
February 9, 2022
This was released in 1997 but reads like it's 30 years older. It's still good but the morality tale is strongly forced, and the character development has no time to breathe naturally. Good ending though. My memories of the first book "Higher Education" are better, but it has been a while.
October 27, 2024
Felt like I was watching a scifi movie 🤩 though I would like it very much if we get to see or learn more of the space, the Harvesters, basically the whole world. It felt like the ending was rushed. But all in all, good book! Worth it yung P15 ko na bili dito sa Booksale sa SM Dasma haha
June 21, 2021
Really good. Can't wait to read the next in the series
August 26, 2025
Pocket book - was better than expected. Started off really odd with and character development could have been more pronounced. Some characters lacked personality
January 9, 2012
by Charles Sheffield, published in 1997.
If you enjoy the young adult Heinlein novels then you are sure to like “The Billion Dollar Boy” by Sheffield. It is the second book in the “Jupiter Novel” series begun by Sheffield and Pournelle with “Higher Education”.
This novel deals with Shelby Crawford Jerome Prescott Cheever V (yes a very pretentious name) the son of Industrial superpower J.P Cheever and yes, he is incredibly rich - at least on Earth. Bored and wanting to do something he convinces his mother to take a cruise out to the Kuiper Belts to see the mining operations.
And of course it goes horribly wrong. He jumps through a node and winds up not a the Kuiper Belt but in the Messina Cloud some 37 light years from Earth. Lucky for Shelby he is picked up aboard a harvester ship and, through some heavy learning, eventually becomes a part of her crew.
“The Billion Dollar Boy” is essentially a coming of age story where Shelby has much to learn which his pampered life on Earth never prepared him for. But he is eager to learn and gains a lot of insight into his previous behaviour and how the real world works.
A delightful novel really and the more I think of it the more it reminded me of “Red Planet” by Heinlein, another great young adult read.
Sheffield really does get things right in this novel and it is fun to discover the mysteries of the Messina cloud with Shelby. Machines possess incredible logical artificial AI, and everything is recycled and reused where possible - and all the harvester crews, despite being in direct competition help each other whenever possible.
And the reefs in the Messina clouds have a huge enigma in the “sounders” - they are either strange phenomena or a life form and nobody knows for sure. They play a part in the story though and what we find out about them is pretty cool.
A recommended read for sure if you like young adult fiction. The whole four book series is as follows (the can be read separately but I would read them in the order written below) if you want to make sure you don’t miss any of them.
Higher Education
The Billion Dollar Boy
Putting Up Roots
The Cyborg From Earth
If you enjoy the young adult Heinlein novels then you are sure to like “The Billion Dollar Boy” by Sheffield. It is the second book in the “Jupiter Novel” series begun by Sheffield and Pournelle with “Higher Education”.
This novel deals with Shelby Crawford Jerome Prescott Cheever V (yes a very pretentious name) the son of Industrial superpower J.P Cheever and yes, he is incredibly rich - at least on Earth. Bored and wanting to do something he convinces his mother to take a cruise out to the Kuiper Belts to see the mining operations.
And of course it goes horribly wrong. He jumps through a node and winds up not a the Kuiper Belt but in the Messina Cloud some 37 light years from Earth. Lucky for Shelby he is picked up aboard a harvester ship and, through some heavy learning, eventually becomes a part of her crew.
“The Billion Dollar Boy” is essentially a coming of age story where Shelby has much to learn which his pampered life on Earth never prepared him for. But he is eager to learn and gains a lot of insight into his previous behaviour and how the real world works.
A delightful novel really and the more I think of it the more it reminded me of “Red Planet” by Heinlein, another great young adult read.
Sheffield really does get things right in this novel and it is fun to discover the mysteries of the Messina cloud with Shelby. Machines possess incredible logical artificial AI, and everything is recycled and reused where possible - and all the harvester crews, despite being in direct competition help each other whenever possible.
And the reefs in the Messina clouds have a huge enigma in the “sounders” - they are either strange phenomena or a life form and nobody knows for sure. They play a part in the story though and what we find out about them is pretty cool.
A recommended read for sure if you like young adult fiction. The whole four book series is as follows (the can be read separately but I would read them in the order written below) if you want to make sure you don’t miss any of them.
Higher Education
The Billion Dollar Boy
Putting Up Roots
The Cyborg From Earth
July 11, 2017
This is one of the Tor Jupiter series, with four juvenile novels (
Higher Education
,
The Billion-Dollar Boy
,
Putting Up Roots
,
The Cyborg from Earth
) released between 1997 and 2003. All four books are enjoyable even for adults, but (and I have the word of my two children here) they are great fun for teens as well.
This novel is somewhat a space-fiction Captains Courageous . Shelby Cheever is the eponymous boy who decides that he can pout and tantrum his way to what he wants. In a move to get attention from the staff on his mother’s space liner, Shelby lands himself in an outbound ore carrier, on his way to a ship-bound society where a man’s name means less than his word (and where Shelby’s word has no value).
As with the boy in Captains Courageous , character growth proceeds along realistic lines: Shelby learns how to negotiate rather than lie, contribute instead of throwing tantrums, and appreciate the value of others’ efforts in his behalf—and with that appreciation comes an realistic idea of his own capabilities and worth.
This novel is somewhat a space-fiction Captains Courageous . Shelby Cheever is the eponymous boy who decides that he can pout and tantrum his way to what he wants. In a move to get attention from the staff on his mother’s space liner, Shelby lands himself in an outbound ore carrier, on his way to a ship-bound society where a man’s name means less than his word (and where Shelby’s word has no value).
As with the boy in Captains Courageous , character growth proceeds along realistic lines: Shelby learns how to negotiate rather than lie, contribute instead of throwing tantrums, and appreciate the value of others’ efforts in his behalf—and with that appreciation comes an realistic idea of his own capabilities and worth.
May 8, 2016
Indeciso entre dos y tres estrellas porque el libro tiene algunas carencias.
El protagonista es el hijo único de una de las personas más ricas de la Tierra, y como tal es bastante mal educado y repelente. Pero una travesura hace que se encuentre en un lugar alejado de toda ayuda de su familia y ante completamente extraños.
El primer fallo viene aquí: el chico se adapta demasiado rápido, demasiadas pocas complicaciones al principio de la historia. Sheffied resuelve en dos páginas todos los problemas de adaptación del chaval.
El segundo está en la aventura final. No es el protagonista, ni su novia, que todos saben que yas on pareja menos ellos mismos, quienes salvan la situación, sino una secuencia de hechos bastante fortuita.
Lo mejor del libro es que resulta bastante corto, y como otras obras de este tipo (Young Adults), el inglés es bastante sencillo.
El protagonista es el hijo único de una de las personas más ricas de la Tierra, y como tal es bastante mal educado y repelente. Pero una travesura hace que se encuentre en un lugar alejado de toda ayuda de su familia y ante completamente extraños.
El primer fallo viene aquí: el chico se adapta demasiado rápido, demasiadas pocas complicaciones al principio de la historia. Sheffied resuelve en dos páginas todos los problemas de adaptación del chaval.
El segundo está en la aventura final. No es el protagonista, ni su novia, que todos saben que yas on pareja menos ellos mismos, quienes salvan la situación, sino una secuencia de hechos bastante fortuita.
Lo mejor del libro es que resulta bastante corto, y como otras obras de este tipo (Young Adults), el inglés es bastante sencillo.
October 15, 2016
All four of these are basically the same plot, with similar themes. They're engaging, but not awesome, imo. Probably best for teen boys. Possibly dated by now. The first is the grittiest. My favorite is Putting Up Roots. This is the most cliched. All are recommended if you happen to find them at your library or friend's house, none if you have to buy them.
They do *not* need to be read in order. The significant characters do not carry over, nor does the plot. The world that is being built is developed further in each, but an understanding beyond what is included in each book is not necessary.
The writing is unexpectedly fresh and clean, with some gems. From The Billion Dollar Boy, "Shelby woke up bit by bit, body before brain, memory before mind."
(Review copy-pasted to each of the four.)
They do *not* need to be read in order. The significant characters do not carry over, nor does the plot. The world that is being built is developed further in each, but an understanding beyond what is included in each book is not necessary.
The writing is unexpectedly fresh and clean, with some gems. From The Billion Dollar Boy, "Shelby woke up bit by bit, body before brain, memory before mind."
(Review copy-pasted to each of the four.)
January 1, 2015
This is my favorite of the Jupiter novels. It's a well-done story about how a spoiled brat grows up, and the people who help him do it once he's removed from the bad influence of his stiflingly rich family. I found it interesting enough that I have reread it several times (even though I am well out of the age range of the target audience of the Jupiter novels).
Sheffield comments that this is his rewrite of a classic story by Rudyard Kipling. I haven't read that story, but from what I can tell, the least plausible parts of this story come from trying to adhere too closely to Kipling's outline.
Sheffield comments that this is his rewrite of a classic story by Rudyard Kipling. I haven't read that story, but from what I can tell, the least plausible parts of this story come from trying to adhere too closely to Kipling's outline.
December 12, 2008
I liked this story. Once you get past the beginning where the main character is a complete and total rich-boy oblivious prat (which really doesn't jig with the boy's father who we don't meet 'til the end, but only to people like me who will not be swayed from criticism by soppy endings.), the story is a really great adventure story. You could perfectly substitute the technology of science-fantasy in this story with the sailing ships of the previous century (and assorted details, of course) and have an equally compelling story. It's a character journey, and a good one.
May 7, 2008
man o man...got this book for 30 cents at goodwill, was suffering serious insomnia when i cracked it, painfully bad and not in an enjoyable way, as mind numbing as half an hour of reality tv and lacking any attractive 20somethings to make up for the waste of time...dont read this book...maybe the worst book i ever finished
May 19, 2010
Not necessarily intended for YA readers, but suitable for them. I remember the first book in the series, Higher Education, as being much more interesting.
Found with help.
Found with help.
June 2, 2016
I'm actually quite pleased with this book. It was engaging, with a great moral to the story.
I can't quite give it five stars, but 4.5 would do.
For my clean readers:
language, mild violence, and poor teenage choices such as drinking and fighting.
I can't quite give it five stars, but 4.5 would do.
For my clean readers:
language, mild violence, and poor teenage choices such as drinking and fighting.
February 3, 2009
I enjoyed this book, although I believe it was more for young adults.
December 6, 2015
Nice coming of age story set in the future on galactic harvesters - the new frontier.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews