by Robert A. Heinlein
As a preface, I'm kind of about to harsh all over this book, but there were a lot of aspects of it that I really enjoyed, as well. I have some super mixed feelings about this book. It was originally written in 1949, but was reissued later in 2009. To start with, I adored the Martian creatures. All of them. The roundhead bouncers, the three-legged, flap-handed Martian natives, and the Elders. I felt like they were well handled, and beautifully created. Love these guys. I also love the setting. I love his envisioned Mars colonies, the cities they have set up, the cities the Martians set up - they're beautiful. As for the human characters though, I felt like many of them who became important weren't well handled. We know very little about some of the people who become main characters, but the two students, Frank and Jim who we follow for the entire story, are decently well written.
When it comes to the plot, this novel was incredibly predictable. Not much happens that is unexpected, and the story plods. I kept hoping that something would happen that was unexpected and surprising, but made it to the end of the book without. I anticipated most of the things that would happen, and kept waiting for something to be surprising. Then, tragically, the ending was wrapped up with very little real conflict. Heinlein set up a situation that could have had a very dramatic and exciting conclusion, but instead, it just tapered off, and all the loose ends were tied up in neat little bows. Granted, it's written for kids, but it still felt like he went too far in the "easy" direction.
Lastly, for such an imaginative and futuristic premise, Heinlein's views on gender roles were very 1950s. Which, considering when he wrote it, isn't surprising...but still incredibly frustrating. The comments about how boys are considered men when they can carry guns and girls are women when they can cook and care for babies, or when Jim comments about not being able to trust women with anything important...The only women characters are Jim's mother and sister (Phyllis), and Mrs. Pottles. Jim's mother and Phyllis are there only to flesh out Jim and his father's characters slightly more - literally as soon as there's a crisis they go and lie down and leave the men to handle it, and Mrs. Pottles is the hysterical, annoying, women who is there only to make a point.
Despite these things, I didn't hate the novel. I did enjoy it, and found Heinlein's idea of the colony on Mars fascinating, though I probably won't read it again.
-Cat
This book was a reread for me...sort of. I read this back in 6th grade, and for those of you playing along at home, that was a long time ago. When I put this one on the list, I couldn't remember much more than the title and the setting, and Willis.
Heinlein wrote this book in a different time, and it shows. The things that Frank and Jim say are quite dated at this point, though Heinlein did throw in some of his own slang (to "burn" someone meaning to shoot them with a raygun). Gender roles are super prominent here, though I'm glad to see adult men thinking it's ok for Jim's sister to get her own gun. Small victories, right?
Anyway, the story. THE STORY. I'm going to have to agree with Cat, it's pretty simple and straightforward. Really cool setting, the Martians are pretty nifty. The conflict isn't terrible, but it's resolved pretty quickly. I remember really loving this book in 6th grade, and I can see why. All these years later, though, and it's just a book.
Red Planet is not bad by any means. It's a sci-fi book written for younger readers. It's well-written and coherent. It is, perhaps, too safe. If you're looking for an easy science fiction romp, you could do far worse than Red Planet.
--Mikie
