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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
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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 First released in 1987, this is a murder mystery that - outdated scientific knowledge aside - is clever and plays fair as its resolution is built on clues that are based on the characters and settings that are established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 First released in 1987, this is a murder mystery that - outdated scientific knowledge aside - is clever and plays fair as its resolution is built on clues that are based on the characters and settings that are established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