Tunnel in the Sky

I never liked when they would tag a Heinlein novel as part of his "juvenile" series. It would tend to make adults not want to read it and that really is their loss as most of the juvenile books are every bit as good as his "adult" novels. Tunnel in the Sky has variations of the themes covered in "Lord of the Flies". A group of youths are cut off from the world and must establish their own civilization. "Rod" the survival trainee is one of Heinlein's most human protagonists in that he is not a superman but a regular guy that most readers can relate to. The story deals with both the growth of a new society and the growth of a boy to a man, and what it means to be one. Don't get me wrong though there are some great science fiction concepts going on here. Fans of Star Gate will give this book a knowing nod. Don't hesitate a second to buy or read this one.

This is an excellent adventure by the main charachter. I always enjoy the libertarian viewpoints countered with the mostly socialist/communist settings he portrays. Heinlein has this theme in many of his books, of moving from bondage in an overly controled society(and includes well thought out reasons to how society progressed to that state), to freedom and anarchary, then finding equilibriam between the two in a free, but structured society(this is also a strong theme in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'). This book couples that theme with coming of age, and survival. When I first read this book when I was 13 it prompted me to learn about survival and gardening, and when I just re-read it a few weeks ago(I'm 24 now) I reflected on the state of government and our place within. A thought-provoking, funny at times, tragic at times, and in all excellent as Heinlein always is. I highly reccomend this book.

Heinlein felt that anyone who could not do everything from plan an invasion, change a diaper, butcher a hog, write a sonnet, design a building, or program a computer was at least partially incapacitated. In addition, he felt that our schools did a very poor job of preparing young people for what life was all about. This book presented at least one partial solution to both problems: have a school course in survival, whose final test was to be dropped onto some unknown 'wilderness' planet for a week and forced to actually survive. Around this basic concept Heinlein fashioned what is probably one of the best of his so-called 'juvenile' novels. Roderick Walker is the prime character, a young man with some doubts about whether he is really ready to take the final exam in this course. With some encouragement and advice from his older sister, he decides to proceed, going through the 'gate' to a new world where nothing is familiar, where everything must be viewed as potentially deadly. But after managing to survive for the prescribed time, there is no pick up signal, no return gate, and Rod slowly comes to the conclusion that, regardless of what has gone wrong, he must make a go of really living long term on this new world. Along with other class survivors, a small society is formed, initially with Rod as the nominal leader. From this point, Heinlein manages to show the essentials of how and why a government is formed, what type of government make sense for a small group, how a society protects itself from 'bullies' (the only truly deadly animal is the two-legged variety), the contribution made by both sexes to a properly functioning society, just what makes a man a man, and the essential qualities of a leader. All buried within a fine adventure story of just how the little group builds itself from an unrelated bunch of people huddling in a cave to a bustling, forward looking industrious town, with excellent characterizations of not just Rod but most of the people around him, and with very little direct preaching, but rather showing his points as results of the events and actions of his characters.Heinlein's typical unforced, simple American prose style is much in evidence here, making both dialog and descriptions seem perfectly natural. This makes for a very fast reading experience, with a lot of his philosophical points sliding in under the reader's conscious radar, only to wake you up at 3AM with an 'Oh, yeah! That makes sense.' And perhaps you will come away from this book, as I did, thinking that the idea of a school course in survival is something that should actually be implemented. Everyone, from teens to adults, homemakers to rugged individualists, engineers to social workers, can enjoy this book. There are very few works that can appeal to such a wide range of audience as this one does, but this is something that Heinlein made a habit of. Written almost fifty years ago, it reads just as well, if not better than anything published today.

Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers and Time Enough for Love are more familiar to readers than Tunnel in the Sky. But this novel of pioneering and coming-of-age is well worth reading.Rod,who is a kind of "everyman" character, sets off for his final exam in a survival course. The students can take up to a certain weight of any equipment they want, from the latest model laser blaster, a German shepherd dog, and in one case, a saucepan and a deck of cards, and are dropped by star gate on an uninhabited planet. Objective; to survive until the pickup signal a few days later. But something goes terribly, terribly wrong. The pickup signal never happens and the band of survivors, from various schools' classes, must join and form a society for surviving the completely primitive planet.How they band together and get over the natural personality frictions, use the little they have brought and how they survive all the unexpected challenges makes for exciting reading. The most appealing part of the book is that the protagonist Rod is NOT top dog, the big hero, but struggles along honestly and prevails. This is a charming book and shows Heinlein at his best in handling some of the emotions of young men.

Tunnel in the Sky shows both the best and the worst in human nature. The worst, because some people are murderers and thieves at heart and will act on their impulses if they can get away with it. The best, because it shows what people can accomplish if pressed to survive. This quick read is one of the all-time classics and simply can't be overlooked.The book is a page-turner from the very beginning, starting with the exciting possibility of simply stepping through a door to another world, and then bringing the reader face to face with the consequences of that act: Survival in a harsh wilderness. The ingenuity and the personal dynamics of the characters drive the story forward, with the constant question of what will happen next to improve the quality of life for their small pocket of civilization--or what will threaten it.Like most Heinlein, a few things appear out of place at times but they add to the charm of the story. The mainstream news media, for example, seem a little sensationalistic and goofy even by today's standards. But as a Heinlein fan I wouldn't have it any other way.