By Carey Rockwell
4 Stars
Science Fiction
Children/Young Adult
This was the first science fiction book I ever read. It was part of my parents' library at home, and I have no idea how they acquired it. I don't know why they had it. I don't know if anyone else in the family ever actually read it. The illustration at the beginning of this review is not the cover. It was the first illustration inside the book. The memory of that picture, for some reason, always stuck with me. The cover itself was blah.
This series of books is from an old TV/Radio series: Tom Corbett Space Cadet. This book is the first in a series of, I believe, nine books. This is the only one I've read. The author is a pseudonym, and the book was written by in-house writers, much like other more successful and enduring series like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
The story starts with three stock characters arriving at the Space Academy to train for and join the Solar Guard. Tom Corbett is the perfect leader/hero. Roger Manning is the brilliant but arrogant jackass. Astro is the big galoot. They have the talent for greatness and the personality friction to spice up the story. All the other characters come across as stock characters as well, and this is really my only complaint about it. The three main characters gain depth as the story progresses and end up being memorable. They eventually become the crew of their own ship, the Polaris. Without spoiling the story, which is a good one, this book is their first big adventure together. The adventure helps them overcome their differences and pull together as a team.
In the US, this book is in the public domain and is available for free here:
It was kind of fun to find this and skim through it. It's amazing how much of the story I retain after almost 55 years. That's also probably the best endorsement I can give.
