Books: Anderson, Bova, Stout, Heinlein, and Danny Dunn

[woodwardiocom]

Virgin Planet by Poul Anderson

A Han Solo-type hero is out exploring when he lands on a planet inhabited solely by women, the result of a colony ship going astray. They've been keeping themselves going through cloning, and (apart from the cloning banks) are relatively low-tech. They have a complex religion about the Return of the Men, and our hero manages to disappoint them pretty badly in his mere mortality. This book's presentation of an all-woman society didn't offend me too much, particularly since most of its problems arise from the fact that everyone's a clone of someone else (e.g., there's a caste system), and that the cloning banks are controlled by a small group (who, natch, are defensive of their power). How our hero ends up proving he's truly a Man also made me roll my eyes. Still, it was a fun read.

As on a Darkling Plain by Ben Bova

Humanity, as it explores the Solar System, finds some giant alien machines on Titan, mysteriously chugging away. Our protagonist, Sidney Lee, is first driven wacko by the mystery, then makes it his life's work, seriously screwing up a few relationships along the way. The end reveal is pretty well done. On the other hand, it's an obvious fixup, and some of the chapters are tangential to the plot.

Over My Dead Body and Champagne For One by Rex Stout

A couple more Nero Wolfe mysteries, both delightful if you like Nero Wolfe mysteries.

The Star Beast by Robert A. Heinlein

This may be the last Heinlein novel I hadn't read before. [checks] Well, except for For Us, The Living, and Variable Star, both of which don't really count. Synopsis: John Thomas Stuart the Seventh, like many Johns before him, has an alien pet, who is the size of a bus, can eat steel, and can sorta talk. There's a fuss after it eats some rosebushes and demolishes some greenhouses, which gets the Department of Spatial Affairs involved . . . and they'd rather not be, since they're kinda busy with these aliens threatening to destroy the Earth if their lost princess isn't returned. The xenodiplomacy bits were quite good, but John's mother was an annoying stereotype, and John himself, frankly, was a bit of an idiot. Still, I'll keep it for the diplomats.

Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine by Williams and Abrashkin

I read a lot of the Danny Dunn books as a kid, and grabbed this at a yard sale a few weeks back. The kids are actually solidly written. Irene Miller, in particular, is a delight in how she keeps Danny off-balance by being as smart as he is (and with more common sense, to boot).

Comments

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

OMG Danny Dunn! The homework machine was the one where they program a computer to do their work, right? And the authority figure decides it's okay because they have to really understand how to execute a task in order to write a program?

*nostalgic*

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's the one. Solid little book.

[szasz.livejournal.com]

And Professor Bulfinch's special new electronickal switches only work at the exact temperature of 98.6 degrees, leading of course to a prominent thermostat placed on the side of MANIAC or whatever the computer was called. The bully (what was his name?) disconnects the thermostat, and do the switches stop working resulting in computer failure? No! Instead MANIAC produces all its reports as if it were freezing cold.

"The P-P-P-Products of P-P-Peru. oh oh oh c-c-cold."

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

You aren't quite remembering that right. The computer just starts producing gobbledegook, not shivering.

[szasz.livejournal.com]

Are you sure? I'm positive I remember one of the kids having to read the report out loud to class, and they had to prepare it in such a rush that morning that they didn't read it ahead of time, and reading it out loud was comical because of all the shivering and stuttering. In particular, I'm positive I remember "the p-p-products of p-p-peru."

I did just remember that the computer was MINIAC, though. Joe misheard it as "MANIAC" and had one of his typical neurotic reactions.

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

On re-read, the "cold" computer does have a tendency to end sentences with "brr", but the rest of the time it alternates between repeated letters and complete gibberish.

So, your memory did not lead you completely astray.

Silly followup

[szasz.livejournal.com]

Having just been given a copy of this by your lovely sister, I now see with my own eyes that my memory was basically correct with the "oh-oh-oh brrrr!" but the one thing I was so positive about ("The P-P-P-Products of P-P-Peru") turns out not to be present.

Memory is so weird.

I also had forgotten that the ever-awesome Irene then gives up on the gibberish report and then only pretends to continue reading while in fact recalling all of the information from the text.

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

You are so cute. I die.

[hackard.livejournal.com]

I really liked The Star Beast, and John Thomas (I think the Eleventh, not the Seventh, but I don't have the book with me) is certainly in the mold of the callow heroes Heinlein liked to write, from John Lyle through Jim Marlowe to Juan Rico. All started their stories somewhat naive -- the term I would use is "goofy" -- and make it through with the support of more-worldly friends. I like those kinds of stories.

[nakor.livejournal.com]

There's a musical adaptation of Homework Machine once available on long-playing record. It's fantastic.

[spacecrime.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I hadn't thought about Danny Dunn in a LONG time... those were fun.

And as far as John Thomas is concerned, I don't think the bit of an idiot part is an accident. It's pretty clear who the smart ones in that particular relationship are... I always liked the ending of that one. And Mr. Kiku, too!

[badger.livejournal.com]

I think _The Star Beast_ was the second Heinlein novel I read. I was 6.

[szasz.livejournal.com]

I loved Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine! I think it was my very first science fiction book, and probably helped me get into computers as a hobby and then a career.

I was sadly disappointed by many of the other Danny Dunn books, though, especially their lack of even fundamental science accuracy. "Homework Machine" was more speculative than most.

[bluepapercup]

Woah! I read that Danny Dunn book! Thanks for reminding me of it!