It’s the final day of Bout-of-Books. By now, my habit, and hopefully yours, of reading every day and reading in place is well set. Today, I’m going to sit in my armchair and travel among the stars. I’ll go beyond the sky and visit the moon, Mars, and the worlds beyond.
As a tried-and-true original series Star Trek fan, I’d start there with the shows and movies and all the books. But that’s perhaps cheating since I’m watching and not reading. Therefore, I’m turning to books that take me into the beyond.
There’s a universe of science fiction that speculates on life beyond planet Earth, of life in the stars. Some describe traveling, others the planets themselves. When we get past the “Golden Age” of Sci-Fi writers, Robert Heinlein is at the top of my list, particularly his juvenile fiction where teens are the main characters.
I read Heinlien's Juvenile titles over and over again including “Red Planet,” Tunnel in the Sky,” and “Have Spacesuit – Will Travel” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17792442-have-space-suit-will-travel I just loved imagining living on other planets and was ready to pack my bag and go. The last Juvenile title was written in 1958, and sadly we still haven’t made it to the stars. Maybe our grandchildren’s children will get there.
Heinlein’s adult books are many with “Time Enough for Love” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1348631.Time_Enough_For_Love featuring Lazarus Long tops my favorites list and takes me on a journey across the United States and into the stars.
Sadly, Heinlein died in 1988, leaving a hole in the genre that’s been filled by many talented writers including Catherine Asaro and Mary Robinette Kowal.
“Primary Inversion” by Catherine Asaro https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/365672.Primary_Inversion takes use beyond our solar system to the Skolian Empire. The Skolians communicate using “faster-than-light” communication mostly telepathy and are involved in a long-term interstellar war. Asaro is a talented physicist who writes about life elsewhere and does her best to make the science obey “the rules.”
“The Calculating Stars” is set in an alternative universe where earth was hit by an asteroid in 1952 and humankind must escape to nearby planets and moons, beginning with Earth’s moon. Using slide rules and computers, both human and early hulking machines, pilots and then astronauts take to space stations and then the moon. The next two books in this series take armchair travelers to Mars and beyond.
If you want to read about some of the women computers featured in "The Calculating Stars," check out “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25953369-hidden-figures. These women were on the forefront of the space race and are just now being recognized for their contributions.
Reading in place, secure in my armchair, I’m ready to dive into new adventures. Watch for more books and reviews or bibliophilic ruminations in this ever-evolving blog. Thanks for reading.
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