Journey Between Worlds

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (4/06) Melinda plans to marry Ross after graduation and someday live at Maple Beach in the house she will inherit from Gran. She fosters no aspirations to pioneer new places like her ancestor Melinda who traveled across the plains to Western Oregon in a covered wagon. She plans to teach and live a quiet life. But her father's graduation gift threatens to change her world-literally. He offers her a ticket to accompany him on a year-long business trip to the colonies on Mars. Wanting to reconnect with her father and responding impulsively to her fianc?'s negative reaction, Melinda boards the Susan Constant and journeys to Mars. She compares everything about the trip and her time on the planet to Earth. She misses the abundant water, the fresh air, the rhythm of the ocean and "normal" gravity. If it weren't for Alex Preston, a second-generation Martian colonist, she might not have learned many of the positives that life on Mars offered or the thoughtfulness of genuine love. Engdahl's science fiction romance targets young adult readers well. Melinda tells her story in first person with believability and the indecisiveness and emotion that naturally accompany major life decisions when the ramifications will last forever. The journey between worlds literally spans between Earth and Mars, but it also shows her journey into adulthood as well as the shift in her thinking about what she wants from life. I enjoyed my return visit into the world of Engdahl's books. She updated this volume to reflect what we now know about Mars, and to reflect our shift in thinking about women. However, the book seems to me as fresh as it did when I read it as a child. The pace moves a bit slower than today's readers might expect, but the story line remains solid and the themes still feel relevant today. What a thrill to see Engdahl's books back in print!

It's not very often that you can say a science fiction book is dated--and not consider that a problem. I wish someone would reprint _Journey Between Worlds_ because I'm not sure there's anything else like it--and it's a wonderful read. It's fascinating to look at how strange some of Melinda's preconceptions sound today. She assumes that she should let her boyfriend make decisions for her, and that she'll end up a housewife after she gets married and her husband finishes law school--and she eventually realizes she's not satisfied with that, but it happens quietly. Mentions of "Manifest Destiny" are also troubling historically--but it's funny when you realize that the planets they're talking about colonizing don't have any native inhabitants. The social implications all change, of course; in that sense this may be a really excellent book to read in the classroom, probably at a junior-high or high school level (if only it were in print!), because it does sort of explain the perspective of colonization in a way that lets you understand how the colonists must have felt. Comparing this book to a story sent on Earth, looking at colonization and oppression, would be a very interesting exercise. On the other hand, perspectives of the space age--right as it began--are fascinating and beautiful. I'm not sure of any other novel that expresses that feeling so well. It's also a bit bittersweet to read it now, since the author's wide-eyed hopes haven't come to pass, after all over the intervening decades. I guess, all in all, there's a surprising amount to think about here. Plus a really good story (which I haven't even mentioned...)

I'm a lucky owner of this young adult novel. My poor copy is a beaten, bruised thing with a twisted spine and stained pages; I adore it. Anyone familar with Engdahl's work understands that she lays a foundation of philosophy and bases story atop this sometimes shaky ground. Her ideals, however, are refreshing. Not hard sci-fi, not entirely romantic, and certainly not pushy, but full of hope and whimsy and thought-provocation. Considering that this was published in 1970, the scientific reasoning (surrounding the journey to Mars and Mars itself) is left open-ended and ambiguous, which I actually appreciate. It gives the novel a sense of timelessness and doesn't outdate recent scientific knowledge. What's left is a charming, charming tale.We the reader even get our happy ending.By the way, this was the first novel Engdahl wrote. She had difficulties locating a willing publisher and, while still searching, wrote Enchantress from the Stars. It was this second novel that got quickly swallowed by the Atheneum publishing house who then agreed to also print the much beloved Journey Between Worlds. So, if this book presents itself, I highly recommend it! It's a fast and fetching read, Absolutely charming.

This is a wonderful book, and one of my favorites in the whole world. The reader can really connect to the characters. It's a shame that it isn't in print. In my opinion, Engdahl's novels should be included with other popular young adult science fiction/fantasy classics like The Giver, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz, etc. Don't pass up a chance to read this book. P.S. They should make this book into a movie!

If you ever ran out of Heinlein juveniles and Andre Norton's best space books and you started sobbing, wondering why there couldn't be more of those wise, wonderful, exciting books, calm down. Dry your eyes. Go find this book and Engdahl's Enchantress from the Stars. They are really good books, and it seems that the only reason they aren't as famous as the Moon of Three Rings or Have Spacesuit, Will Travel is that Engdahl must have run into some kind of serious marketing problems.