Podkayne Of Mars

Podkayne of Mars (1985) – Robert A. Heinlein
New English Library | ISBN: 9780450002786
Condition: Good | Sold by Crappy Old Books

Mars. The Red Planet. Once imagined as a world of mysterious canals, hostile aliens and dying civilisations, but in Robert A. Heinlein’s future, it has become something considerably more familiar: a place where people live, work, argue, raise families and occasionally discover that teenagers are quite capable of creating interplanetary complications without any assistance whatsoever.

Welcome to Podkayne of Mars, Heinlein’s entertaining and occasionally unsettling science-fiction adventure featuring Podkayne Fries, an ambitious young Martian whose determination to explore the universe is matched only by her confidence that she understands considerably more about life than the adults around her.

Podkayne dreams of travelling through space, seeing Earth and Venus, and eventually becoming a spaceship captain. She is intelligent, enthusiastic, independent and possessed of the optimistic conviction that the universe is simply waiting to provide her with exciting opportunities.

Unfortunately, the universe has other ideas.

Accompanying her on an interplanetary journey are her younger brother Clark, a precocious little menace whose intelligence is surpassed only by his capacity for trouble, and their influential Uncle Tom, whose political interests introduce complications rather more serious than the ordinary inconveniences of space tourism.

Clark is the sort of child who would regard dismantling a spacecraft’s control system as an interesting educational opportunity, preferably without informing anybody responsible for keeping the passengers alive.

As the journey progresses, Podkayne discovers that travelling between planets involves rather more than admiring the scenery and collecting interesting souvenirs. Political intrigue, conflicting loyalties and unexpected dangers gradually intrude upon her carefully imagined adventure.

Heinlein combines the excitement of interplanetary travel with a sharp examination of growing up, personal responsibility and the sometimes uncomfortable distance between youthful confidence and adult reality.

The novel is particularly interesting for its presentation through Podkayne’s own lively first-person narration. Her observations offer humour, curiosity and an engagingly imperfect understanding of the increasingly complicated world around her.

Originally published in 1963, Podkayne of Mars reflects the social attitudes and technological imagination of its period, including Heinlein’s familiar fascination with competence, individualism and the difficulties of preparing young people for an unpredictable future.

It also raises questions about family relationships, ambition and the consequences of treating political manoeuvring as a perfectly respectable occupation.

The novel is notable for its publication history, particularly the differing endings associated with Heinlein’s original intentions and editorial decisions, making it an interesting subject for readers fascinated by the development of classic science fiction.

This 1985 New English Library edition, offered in Good condition by Crappy Old Books, is an appealing acquisition for Heinlein collectors, enthusiasts of vintage science fiction and readers who enjoy interplanetary adventure with a generous helping of family dysfunction.

A lively, thoughtful and increasingly dramatic journey across the Solar System, demonstrating that even in an age of spaceships and planetary colonies, humanity’s greatest difficulties remain remarkably familiar.

Because mankind may eventually conquer the distances between worlds, establish settlements on Mars and develop technology beyond our wildest dreams.

But none of that will prevent younger brothers from being infuriating.

And when your younger brother is a mechanical genius with questionable judgement, the consequences can be considerably worse than somebody borrowing your favourite jumper without asking.

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