Starman Jones by Robert A. HeinleinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was a blast (pun not intended). One of Heinlein's "juvenile" novels, it's easy to see why this story remains a perennial favorite amongst his fans. It's good enough that even though I missed the intended teenage window on my first reading, I still enjoyed it.
As a young adult space adventure novel, it's fantastic. A likeable protagonist, a sidekick redemption story, FTL ships, beating impossible odds with sheer skill... everything that such a story should be. I particularly enjoyed that the characters amongst the ship's crew displayed a full range of competence, arrogance, pride, and situational awareness. Heinlein was clearly aware of the power of working with a skilled group of people (even if his crew are, typically, all men) under inspired leadership.
One star docked because of Heinlein's usual assumption of continued gender inequality, which mars my enjoyment of the story. Otherwise, lots of fun. Recommended to fans of Heinlein, science fiction, adventure stories, and young adult novels.
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