Red Planet (original 1949; edition 2006)

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First book I ever read. Love it. ( )

ohh, I loved this book when I first read it as an adolescent. It spawned (in me) a love for Heinlein and for science fiction that spanned decades. I admired Jim Marlowe, and remember Willis, the martian, with great fondness. I think I'll read it again soon to relive the experience. ( )

short review: A really fun Heinlein "juvenile" first published in 1949. I would call this a "boy's adventure story" of it's time. Jim Marlowe is a young martian colonist who has developed a close relationship with a native martian creature that he calls "Willis". Willis is a kick and is more than a pet. Willis and Jim have a close bond that proves to be especially important as the novel progresses and finishes. I really enjoyed this golden oldie and can recommend it without hesitation. The story does show it's age in quite a few ways, esp the tech, but it didn't detract from what to me was a fun adventure and a good story about colonists and society, power and rebellion. The martian society was good in an old fashioned way. ( )

Ah, for the good old days when we didn't know anything about Mars and could dream up all sorts of things.

This is a science fiction novel written for teenage boys in an age that is both culturally and scientifically long gone. Heinlein wrote a lot more books in this genre that have aged better. ( )