Book Review: Between Planets

 

© 1951 by Robert Heinlein

 

Between Planets, a “juvenile novel” written by Robert Heinlein in 1951, has been sitting on the shelf for six years. I decided to start 2023 with it because my goal this year is to be “anti-epic.” Not anti-epic in scope, theme, plot, or vision, but anti-epic in page length. Between Planets clocks in at a lean, mean 182 pages.

“Juvenile novel” is the term given to the dozen or so science fiction stories he wrote for Scribner’s in the 50s with young male readers in mind. When yours truly was a young male reader I read only two (Red Planet and Time for the Stars) but would have gladly devoured any that would have come into my possession either through the local library or as Christmas or birthday gifts. Nowadays when I come across one I usually pick it up for the nostalgia that the style of story elicits in me. I think, over my adult years, I re-read Red Planet and Time for the Stars and read an additional one, Rocket Ship Galileo. I also own another book of long-shelf vintage, Citizen of the Galaxy, which, unfortunately, is packed away in a box in some closet or possibly the garage after the New Jersey to Texas move, and will have to be sampled at some undetermined time in the future.

Anyway, as I expected, I dug it. It was a quick read – check. It had intriguing aliens – check. It had a space war – check. What more could a young male reader want?

Written before probes were sent to Mars and Venus, it tells the tale of war between colonized Mars and Venus and home world Earth. Rather, the independence war fought by Venusians to escape Earth’s heavy-handed rule. Mars is more or less a research facility, while Venus is growing as a fully populated world (with breathable air and potable water, banks and even Chinese restaurants!).

Our young hero is Don, whose mother is of Venus and father is of Mars (or maybe it’s the other way around – I forget). Don is a student at an exclusive New Mexico high school, and as planetary tensions near the breaking point, gets called back to Mars by his parents. With one request: to bring with him a nondescript but very, very important ring a family friend will give him. He is never to part with it.

Unfortunately for young Don, war breaks out as he’s at the space station in low Earth orbit. He’s sent to Venus against his will along with other passengers as the rebel Venusians destroy the station. Stranded on Venus with no money or connections, he strives to get to Mars, and after a tragic encounter joins the Venus Resistance to fend off an Terran invasion.

Eventually he does get to the Red Planet, a hundred pages later, and the significance of the ring – and Mars – is revealed.

The most interesting part of the story are the native inhabitants of Venus: large, scaley, multi-limbed reptiles called “dragons.” They have a comparable if not superior intelligence to man but lack our belligerent concupiscence. They speak in whistles and have translating devices strapped about their chests. Yet they can speak human, oddly enough retaining the accent of the person who teaches them the language. Hence we have our main dragon character speaking in a cockney accent and another in a Texas twang. Additionally, a dragon will give themselves an honorary name of a human he respects immensely. Our main dragon is named “Sir Isaac Newton.”

The only negative I could put to the book is that the military depicted is basically World War II soldiery. A feature in early SF very similar to the “Asimov effect,” where every novel of Asimov’s reads to my modern ears like 1940s Long Islanders. Understandable, I suppose, as the book is a product of its time. And perhaps endearing. While I noticed it I was never taken out of the story.

Verdict: Good way to start the new year of the SF paperback.

Now to move on to more interesting stuff … !