Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert Heinlein
01/03/2005 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: Ace. 211 page paperback. Price: $ 6.99 (US), $ 9.99 (CAN). ISBN: 0-441-01237-X. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.penguin.com
Written in 1947, this is Heinlein's own take on the first trip to the Moon.
Aimed at the younger generation, I don't think they had invented teenagers then.
It's also a 'boys-own' type adventure - another sign of the times.
Ross, Art and Morrie build rockets. Their enthusiasm and skill brings them to
the attention of Doctor Donald Cargreaves, Art's uncle. Cargreaves, known as
the 'atomic bomb' Uncle, has come down to see what the boys are up to. Despite
being knocked out, apparently by a piece of their ill-fated rocket, he is still
keen to discuss their plans.
Although they haven't looked further than the school science project, Uncle
Donald thinks they are good enough to fly with him to the Moon. It's a huge
commitment. First he must talk the boys' parents round and then there is flight
training and the journey itself.
Heinlein's book is almost like a practical guide to a moon flight. Allowing
for odd Jules Verne moments, it really feels like the boys are making this historical
trip. The problem is that the structure of the story requires something more
to happen. In previous Moon stories, this usually meant little green men but
this is a more modern take. Given the scientific development in the Second World
War, it is not surprising that there are concerns about the apparently beaten
enemy. The real threat of V2 rockets that continued to devastate parts of London
very late in the War is taken further here as it seems the Germans have also
discovered how to get a rocket into space. However, the final few pages lapse
into fairly ludicrous post-Second World War paranoia involving a hidden enemy
and plans for world domination. The stereotyping involved in the portrayal of
the Nazi enemy is unforgivable but I presume, of its time, it really dates the
book even more so than some of the language used.
'Rocket Ship Galileo' is remarkable from a historical point of view but the
story is not believable in a modern context. The build up to the Moon landing
is good with amusing interaction between the characters but there is no emotional
depth here. It really functions on a comicbook level rather than as a novel.
The book's real charm lies in the belief that these things were possible 22
years before men walked on the Moon.
Sue Davies
(also) News Editor and Reviewer
www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk 
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