PODKAYNE OF MARS by Robert A. Heinlein

Podkayne of Mars [NOOK Book] by Robert A. Heinlein

This book was first published in 1963. Twenty-six editions are listed at http://openlibrary.org/works/OL59735W/Podkayne_of_Mars.

 

 

(SCIENCE FICTION, JUVENILE)

Reviewed by James Kauzlarich

 

This book is, in my opinion, unfinished.

Now, it IS true that I read it as a child, so it is possible that a more mature reader may find the book more engaging. But it's also true that I was reading at least 3 books a week at the time, and actually had MORE patience then, so maybe not.

To me the book is written as if it's all one long prologue. It's written completely in the third-person, as Podkayne's diary entries. I kept waiting for the action to start, but the book ends before that ever happens.

I believe that this was an experiment by Heinlein, and a failed one at that. My evidence: he never wrote another book in the third person.

The story it describes would have been very good—it IS a Heinlein book after all—but there is no suspense, no action, and no adventure, because the action and adventure is always presented as something already completed because of the diary, and third-person format.

I really felt cheated by this book, so unless you want to read all of Heinlien's work, I'd skip it. My biggest Heinlein disappointment.

INHERITANCE by Christopher Paolini

Christopher Paolini, Inheritance (Knopf, 2011).

Read by Gerard Doyle (Listening Library, 2011). Also available on Kindle and Nook.

(NOVEL, FANTASY)

Recommended by Kevin A. Penrod, Jr.

I recently finished reading the book Inheritance, the long anticipated final installment in the series which started with Eragon. In the book, Eragon and his dragon Saphira finally confront the evil king Galbatorix who years before had betrayed and killed the Dragon Riders who were peace keepers in the land of Alegasia. This book was extremely well written by Christopher Paolini who, if I remember correctly started writing the series at the age of 15.

This was quite an amazing read. It is filed with epic battle scenes, one of which lasts for almost 200 pages. But it doesn’t only have epic battles between good and evil. Christopher also does great job on going into detail about the characters and their inner conflicts and feelings towards each other. To anyone who likes fantasy and straight up great writing and storytelling I highly recommend this series.  The ending was just as good as—if not better than—the beginning.