Higher Education

This book is written in the best tradition of Robert Heinlein. It is a well written story of a young man thrown from the dubious comfort of a failing public school system into the opportunities and dangers of young adulthood.This is "hard" science fiction. No magic space rays or mysterious alien technology. Everything works. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It brought back memories of the books I enjoyed in high school.

"Higher Education" is the best science fiction novel written for young people since Robert Heinlein stopped writing juveniles in the early 60s. Using a future history that is both shocking and sad in its predictions (the satire on education alone will make any student or teacher love the book), Pournelle and Sheffield quickly capture the reader's attention with a classic prank. Like all of Heinlein's juveniles, "Higher Education" is a coming-of-age story, rife with the hardships of that perilous journey. The science is dead-on accurate; the adventure is even better. This is just a first in a series called "Jupiter Novels" all set in this future; while the other novels aren't sequels in the strictest sense of the world (and when will we get that sequel, Dr. Pournelle? Dr. Sheffield?), they are just as wonderful to read. I've taught this novel to high school freshmen over the last several years, and most of them go on to read the other "Jupiter Novels." As an adult who grew up reading Heinlein's juveniles, "Higher Education" brought me back that same sense of wonder.

This is the best book I've read in several years. It goes straight from a very believable, present-day setting to an outer-space adventure which is reminiscent of Heinlein. I am deeply disturbed that the realistic portrait of the ghetto makes so many reviewers want to silence these authors.

The novel higher education is written by two famous and great authors. Rick Luban, a sixteen year old gets himself kicked out of school for a practical joke. He then applies with vangard mining. He will have to face a tough training course, tough teachers (or slave drivers as you can call them) and the odd setting. Yes, there is some stuff that didn't have to be in there (like all the violence)which even without the book still would have been good. Overall I rated this book a nine because it was well written and it kept me up all night reading it.