What do you think?
Rate this book
Omni Odysseys #2
Space Station Ice-3
Rusty McPhee discovers the body of an unknown man, but when he tries to report his discovery the space colony's computers tell him all the colonists are alive and accounted for
- GenresScience Fiction
188 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1987
About the author
Bruce Coville
294 books1,239 followersBruce Coville was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1950. His family lived in farm territory, about twenty miles north of Syracuse. Bruce grew up around the corner from his grandparents' dairy farm, where he spent a great deal of time as a child, dodging cows and chores to the best of his ability. As a young reader he loved Mary Poppins and Dr. Dolittle, and still has fond memories of rising ahead of the rest of his family so he could huddle in a chair and read THE VOYAGES OF DR. DOLITTLE. He also read lots of things that people consider junk (Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and zillions of comic books). His only real regret is the time he spent watching television, when he could have been reading instead. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste!)
His first book, THE FOOLISH GIANT, was published in 1978. It was illustrated by his wife, Katherine, whom he had married in 1969. This was followed in 1979 by SARAH'S UNICORN, also illustrated by Katherine. After a long period of working separately, the Covilles began collaborating again with SPACE BRAT and GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE, both published in 1992.
Before getting published Bruce earned his living as a toymaker, a gravedigger, a cookware salesman, an assembly line worker, and finally as an elementary school teacher (second and fourth grades). He left teaching in 1981 to devote himself to becoming a full time writer - though it took another five years to achieve that goal!)
Bruce has published over 100 books, which have appeared in over a dozen countries around the world and sold more than sixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN, INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS, and THE MONSTER'S RING. In 2001 he founded Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company dedicated to creating unabridged, full cast recordings of the best in children's and young adult literature.
His first book, THE FOOLISH GIANT, was published in 1978. It was illustrated by his wife, Katherine, whom he had married in 1969. This was followed in 1979 by SARAH'S UNICORN, also illustrated by Katherine. After a long period of working separately, the Covilles began collaborating again with SPACE BRAT and GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE, both published in 1992.
Before getting published Bruce earned his living as a toymaker, a gravedigger, a cookware salesman, an assembly line worker, and finally as an elementary school teacher (second and fourth grades). He left teaching in 1981 to devote himself to becoming a full time writer - though it took another five years to achieve that goal!)
Bruce has published over 100 books, which have appeared in over a dozen countries around the world and sold more than sixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN, INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS, and THE MONSTER'S RING. In 2001 he founded Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company dedicated to creating unabridged, full cast recordings of the best in children's and young adult literature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 15, 2023
Bruce Coville is best known for his kids' series - like "I Was a Sixth Grade Alien" (also adapted, well, for TV), "My Teacher is an Alien," and "Space Brat." His books are notable for never talking down to kids - which makes them eminently readable for all ages.
Space Station ICE 3 is a locked room mystery in which the locked room is, you guessed it, a space station. First released in 1987, this is a murder mystery that - outdated scientific knowledge aside - is clever and plays fair as its resolution is built on clues that are based on the characters and settings that are established throughout.
Protagonist Rusty McPhee lives and works on the titular space station. He's not yet eighteen but is earnestly working toward a profession that will enable him to stay on the station.
When he discovers a body in a waste-processing tank, no one believes him (because the body is fully processed before he can recover from vomiting and cleaning himself up before he actually tells someone) - well, no one except Dr. Elmo Puckett: the man who is largely responsible for the station's existence (and a friend of Rusty's Earthbound grandfather).
After an attempt on Rusty's life makes it clear that something less than ethical is going on, things move into high speed.
Coville's writing is clear and concise (no doubt a product of his time as a magazine editor); his characters well rounded and the space station (at least the parts pertinent to the story) crisply detailed.
"Space Station ICE 3" is a delightful few hours read.
Space Station ICE 3 is a locked room mystery in which the locked room is, you guessed it, a space station. First released in 1987, this is a murder mystery that - outdated scientific knowledge aside - is clever and plays fair as its resolution is built on clues that are based on the characters and settings that are established throughout.
Protagonist Rusty McPhee lives and works on the titular space station. He's not yet eighteen but is earnestly working toward a profession that will enable him to stay on the station.
When he discovers a body in a waste-processing tank, no one believes him (because the body is fully processed before he can recover from vomiting and cleaning himself up before he actually tells someone) - well, no one except Dr. Elmo Puckett: the man who is largely responsible for the station's existence (and a friend of Rusty's Earthbound grandfather).
After an attempt on Rusty's life makes it clear that something less than ethical is going on, things move into high speed.
Coville's writing is clear and concise (no doubt a product of his time as a magazine editor); his characters well rounded and the space station (at least the parts pertinent to the story) crisply detailed.
"Space Station ICE 3" is a delightful few hours read.
February 17, 2015
Pretty good for a book I bought at a thrift store while on vacation, mostly for the funky cover and its claim to let me "expirience the future-now!" The book takes place on a space station in 2018, and since its already 2015 when Im writing this review on earth we clearly need to step it up a notch to reach the expeactations of the 1980s. :P Overall a fun and fast read but not as interesting as I had hoped. Worth picking up if you run across it and like slightly nonsensical scifi, but I wouldnt seek it out even if you are a Bruce Coville fan.
December 11, 2010
A fun little YA novel - a sci-fi flavoured mystery. It's got a 50's style innocence to it that's quite different that the current darker style currently in vogue. A solid three for me, I suspect I'd have liked it more if I was closer in age to the main character.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews