Tunnel in the Sky (Heinlein's Juveniles Book 9)

I was a big fan of reading in my youth in the 70's, and Robert Heinlein's "adolescent" books were a wonderful segue into more serious stuff as I grew older.
Tunnel in the Sky, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel and Starship Troopers are all excellent books and would serve any younger reader well.

Excellent book. I read this book and to have it in audio format really made my day. Love the voices that went characters. I have always and still recommend people to read or listen to Robert Heinleins stories as he truely was ahead of time and rest of other authors in his stories.

read this when I was 11 or 12 and just read it again still very entertaining even now, some people get way to caught up in trying to be a critical reviewer of everything, sometimes a book is just fun to read...

I highly recommend this for teenagers -- and like all Heinlein, it has some good stuff in there for any thoughtful person. This is the sci-fi version of the darker Lord of the Flies (pulished one year earlier in 1954).

The book was not in the condition that I had expected it to arrive in. Not to say that it had been damaged in the mailing process; but for a second printing from around 68 the book was in fairly good shape. Front cover was worn and folded and the spine was losing its adherance to some pages... but besides that its in pretty good shape.

For people who think that Lord of the Flies was too pessimistic and Thomas Hobbes was a bitter misanthrope, Tunnel in the Sky is calibrated to just the right destination. As previous reviews have noted, the plot is basically a sci-fi rehash of William Golding's 1954 novel (a coincidental one, as the two books were written only a year apart), but what previous reviews do NOT note is that the sci-fi aspect is largely window dressing, to the point of the main protagonist suspecting early on that he is actually still on Earth (and with a few minor cosmetic changes, the book would function exactly the same for that twist). Heinlein's alien world is strictly backdrop; his real attention is on his characters, and the fundamental question of what humans do when cut off from society. In regards to the conclusions he reaches, I'll say that while I've seen Heinlein described as a "romantic" I never really quite made the connection until I read this novel. It's a very hopeful, idealized image of the human race, and frankly I'm amazed this book is so obscure, as it hits all the right beats to be popular with modern day progressives (women who are just as good if not better than men, a very capable supporting protagonist of ambiguous gender, even the all-important non-Caucasian lead). Maybe if it was read to them as an audiobook from the comfort of their Apple watches?

Anyway, it's no Stranger in a Strange Land, but it's not meant to be - Tunnel in the Sky was originally written for a YA audience, and in that role it's just as serviceable now as it was 60 years ago. If you like the idea of Lord of the Flies but find its conclusions needlessly grim, or want to introduce your youth to something in the rough vein of Ender's Game, consider a trip down this tunnel.

Tunnel In The Sky is one of Robert Heinlein's juvenile science fiction books, originally published in 1955. After sixty years it remains a good, solid, adventure tale with some good science mixed in, though some of the technology will seem quaint to modern eyes.

Rod Walker and the rest of the students who signed up for a special seminar at Patrick Henry High School knew they were in for an adventure, they just didn't realize how much of one it would be. In typical Heinlein style, something goes horribly wrong and what should have been routine suddenly turns extremely dangerous and bizarre. Rod and his friends end up marooned, somewhere far beyond the known worlds, and have to fend for themselves. In classic adventure story style, similar to Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson, they build new lives for themselves.

This is a well written adventure story with likable characters. Young people with a scientific bent and/or a love of adventure will enjoy it.

I first read “Tunnel in the Sky” around 50 years ago as a boy in middle school as part of in introduction to the greats of Science Fiction that has lasted a lifetime. “Tunnel in the Sky” holds up at least as well as others in the top shelf of SF writing of the era.
As a seventh grader I liked the idea of a school trip for the graduating senior class. That sounded cool. The school had its own arsenal, which I also though was cool. And the trip had as its destination a planet unimaginably far away and accessed through a gate or portal which transported the seniors across half the galaxy in a blink. Very cool.
Of course something goes wrong and the teens are stranded far from home and help. I thought it a great story then and I still do.
Heinlein has a sparse way of packing a lot of information in a few words without making his prose tedious or pedantic. His characters are believable. We understand why the bad'us might want to go that way and why the good'us don't. We dislike the former and we like the latter. I have carried Rod Walker around in my noggin like the memory of an old pal for a long time now. I still like him and admire his qualities.
This volume is one of a dozen or so of Heinlein's books for and about young people. I also recommend “The Rolling Stones” and “Farmer in the Sky”. The author has a distinct Libertarian slant to his writing which I appreciate. I think that in what we today call Young Adult literature that putting emphasis on self reliance and strong moral principles for the younger readers is a good thing. The lost kids must show intuitive, clear thinking under life and death pressure and must find others with those qualities to band with in order to survive on an untamed planet. Do right, depend on yourself and spend time with people who share your own high principles are good messages.
And always-always- keep a look out for the Stobor.

I remember this one- read when I was 13-14. Loved his Ya novels as a kid and later enjoyed his "middle years" (?) novels : "Puppet Masters", Door into Summer", "Glory Road", "the Moon is a Harsh Mistress"( in my opinion his best) and his short stories. After the early 70"s however his books began to suffer from what Steven King calls "diarrhea of the typewriter" and I lost interest. Still read them,or tried, but one was enough while the above mentioned have been re-read numerous times.

"Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert A Heinlein, originally published in 1955, is a futuristic YA science fiction novel about a group of high school and college student who become stranded on a hostile planet and must struggle to survive. Told mostly from the perspective of high school senior Rod Walker, the story starts a little slow but picks up considerably as the group fights the environment, carnivorous creatures—and each other. The 2015 multi-cast audiobook is well acted. Strongly recommended.

Who should read this book?

Anyone who likes old-school science fiction and hasn't read this already, and perhaps even if you have read it already, particularly if you're a fan of Heinlein's juvenilia.

Favorite passage:

I know how good a gun feels. It makes you bright-eyed and bushy- tailed, three meters tall and covered with hair. You're ready for anything and kind of hoping you'll find it. Which is exactly what is dangerous about it-because you aren't anything of the sort. You are a feeble, hairless embryo, remarkably easy to kill. You could carry an assault gun with two thousand meters precision range and isotope charges that will blow up a hill, but you still would not have eyes in the back of your head like a janus bird, nor be able to see in the dark like the Thetis pygmies. Death can cuddle up behind you while you are drawing a bead on something in front.

My subjective experience of the book

I first read this book 30 years ago when I was in junior high. On re-reading it, I was surprised by how well it has aged. Certainly it was a product of it's time, but I would opine that it is less dated than Lord of the Flies, which was published a year earlier and to which many comparisons can be drawn. This is not to say that high school english teachers should switch to Tunnel in the Sky, but if you're looking for an enjoyable read in the survival genre I would pick this over Golding.

I read this book when I was around 20 and just loved it. That was before the internet, and instant entertainment wherever you are, was ubiquitous. if you liked a certain genre you had to do some seeking in order to access it. At the time I was trending heavily on science fiction, and this book fits that niche, but it is also a rural survival story and a story about humanity and how human societies are formed by interdependence. Anybody that likes books about post-apocalyptic survival would enjoy it.
The writing is not melodramatic or childish but has a realistic style, so it doesn't read "for kids". Also, a lot of Heinlein's books wander off into threads about alternative sexuality and he doesn't get into that in this story. (Thankfully. He has written some stuff I just find STUPID, like "Stranger in a Strange Land". Maybe it's me?)

Because the book was written in the 1950's the beginning has a somewhat dated idea of everyday life in the future, but that part of the story is quite brief and is certainly forgivable. Most of the story is on the unknown planet where the students were tele-ported for their survival test and subsequently stranded.
I reread Tunnel In The Sky in my late 40's and didn't change my opinion of it's merits. It's a keeper.

When I was a kid, I started reading Robert A. Heinlein's wonderful science fiction stories. I don't know how much the themes of the books shaped me, but I know they helped me gain and maintain an interest in science and technology. He's a great story-teller, certainly one of the best, sci-fi or otherwise. His later books became much less appealing as he turned to a more adult audience. (As I remember one relative saying, RAH became a dirty old man.) Even though many of his novels are purportedly for young readers (teens, not little kids), their appeal holds at least for this middle-aged reader. The first RAH book I read was Tunnel in the Sky, when I was probably 10 or 12. Elliot is 11, so I thought I'd read it again and see if I still like it enough to pass it on. I do!

Rod Walker will be graduating from high school soon, but first he has to pass the final exam in survival class. On test day, he and his classmates will be deposited in an isolated area and will be expected to use the course's lessons and their limited equipment to survive, whatever the climate or surroundings. They'll get to the mysterious destination via a planetary gates, a sort of portal through which on can simply walk from one place to another, whether across the continent or across the galaxy. RAH does spend some time on the physics and discovery of the gates. That's a real strength of his: even when he introduces seemingly fanciful technologies, he provides a scientific rational or foundation, making it almost believable.

The survival test starts out as expected, but when there's no gate at the appointed coordinates in the appointed time frame, Rod and his classmates realize they may be stuck for good, wherever in the universe they may be. Like the English schoolboys in The Lord of the Flies, the kids have to figure out how to create a society together. Rather than let themselves fall into chaos, the kids in The Tunnel in the Sky are determined to maintain civility--and civilization. It was refreshing to see that when these older teenagers wanted to have sex and live together, they actually had the "mayor" perform a wedding. And cursing was strictly prohibited, in order to retain decorum.

Once they got through the gate to the new planet, Tunnel became not so much sci-fi as classic teen survival literature like The Cay, Hatchet, or Lord of the Flies. I love the message of the need for an ordered society, self-reliance and cooperation. The kids' experiments in self-governance are instructive and present the question, how would we structure society if the slate was wiped clean and we were starting fresh on a new planet?

Tunnel in the Sky is an adventure book that can also be used as a primer on how to organize a group that is just thrown together.

The story revolves around a technological invention whereby a person can travel to another place-even places as distant as far-off planet just by passing through a door. As a result, colonizing far-off planets is a trade one can learn at a community college. Enter Rod Walker, student of Advanced Survival. He and several other classes of students are to go through the tunnel in the sky for a short survival class on a strange planet.

The test goes wrong, Rod's simple survival test eventually becomes far more serious. The students must come together and form a society in a very, hostile world with no government. An older student leads the way by organizing a legitimate form of self government. Rod rises to become a city manager. Some students become thieves and thugs, but most form a respectable community of their own and when rescued are citizens of a sovereign city state. An outstanding book.

Some interesting things:

This book has a fleeting subtext of anti-Asian attitudes.

The Earth Government suppresses the birth-rate by putting women in the military as an the store Corps.

The key lesson taught to Rod, is to bring two knives as his only weapons. This makes him very careful-saving his life in the critical first hours of the test.

Like many of Heinlein's "Juvenile" science fiction titles, "Tunnel in the Sky" is a book about a young man (named "Rod" in this case) who is confronted with an impossible and not fully understood situation, and who must rely on his brain, willpower, and meager resources to survive: all of these books were about growing up through facing challenging situations, and this book is no exception.

While I personally have not found this particular novel to be as interesting as some of Heinlein's other works from this period - such as "Between Planets" or "The Rolling Stones" - it is definitely a worthwhile read: you find yourself identifying with Rod and his classmates as they try to survive being stranded on an unknown planet. They are interesting, believable characters; and are facing situations we could easily see ourselves in.

Like all of his books, Heinlein is trying to teach us several lessons here, and which are reflected in most of his novels: it's not the technology or power you have that counts, but your own morality and willingness to be true to your principles, your resourcefulness, and your relationships with those around you.

In that vein, while "technology" plays a role in getting our protagonist stranded on this remote planet, the book is more about what happens when resourceful people get stranded with nothing to help them survive but their own hands and brains - finding the others who are also stranded there and inviting them to help build a community, figuring out how to govern themselves, settling conflicts, surviving the terrors of that planet, learning how to make their own tools and technology, etc.

There is definitely humor in the story, as well as drama. I particularly like the description of Rod's first night on the planet, where he just about jumps out of his skin at every sound he hears - and then finds himself bothered when he realizes those sounds have stopped one night, several months later.

All in all, a book many teenagers, and adults, will enjoy reading.

I don't know if Heinlein had read Lord of the Flies before writing his book, Tunnel in the Sky. I think it unlikely because they were released within a couple years of each other. The plot is very similar: a group of boys and girls are stranded with no hope of rescue and have to learn to govern themselves. In Lord of the Flies, the students are prepubescent (to avoid the "hormone" issue) while Heinlein tackles it head-on: these are hale and hearty men and women from 16 to 22 who are sent on a survival test (because it's science fiction, on another world). They are allowed whatever they want on the test, but the best students know their best weapon is between their ears, and go through mainly with knives and other non-perishable material. However, their "warp gate" home never materialises at the end of the test, and they have to eke out an existence, assuming catastrophe at home has left them stranded forever.

Overall, I think Heinlein deals with the situation far more elegantly (and realistically!) than Golding. The point of both books is not whether they make it home, but how they adapt to their situation. They are trapped more irrevocably than the island-dwellers in Lord of the Flies ever could be - a way gate requires an atomic pile to drive it. The kids set decide to set up a "colony" and make the best of their situation. Heinlein allows them to dislike each other, to fight, to marry, and in every way act like real people. Sure, they still talk in early Heinleinese (they sound like they escaped from the set of Leave it to Beaver), but this was originally conceived as a juvenile. The first few chapters are the worst for this - once the hero lands in the new world for the start of his test, Heinlein changes tone to a more readable and less saccharine style. There are also some weird inconsistencies at the beginning, such as the students being unwilling (or unable) to form teams for the duration of the test - wouldn't you be stupid not to form a team?

However, once the story starts going and the kids start organising themselves into a society, Heinlein does a masterful job of protraying a realistic and interesting resolution to the problem. Alliances shift, people don't like each other but get along because they have to (or die), people pair off in marriage, some are sexist or racist, etc. Heinlein does tend to philosophise in his books, but it's mercifully absent (for the most part) here - he lets the situation and the characters speak for themselves. It makes for a fast read (the book is only 200 pages anyways), but an enjoyable one. It's somewhere at the level of Starship Troopers and Double Star for weight of ideas and level of activity (there is no sex per se and little violence), but probably does not contain the level of insight of these two. Having said that, it's certainly above the young adult stories like Between Planets (for which I have an irrational love) and Rocket Ship Galileo.

I am not a very good writer, so I won't be able to give justice to this really amazing book. I am a good reader though and I read hundreds of sci-fi books. This one is hands down one of the best I have ever read!

I bough this book because it was suggested to me after I read Arthur Clark's and Stephen Baxter's Time's Eye and Sunstorm, I loved those two and I though I will probably like Tunnel in the Sky. And hell, I wasn't mistaken.

The book is about near future, where people can travel instantaneously to other planets, through gates (author doesn't bother with technicalities). Since, there is a problem with overpopulation people immigrate in thousands to new planets. Hence, colleges and highs schools offer survival classes that teach people how to survive on the new planets. During one of the final examination for this course, something got horribly wrong, and dozens of kids got stuck on the strange planet, and have to be able to survive on their own.

This book is thrilling and entertaining, I finished it in two days! I just simply couldn't stop reading; I wanted to know what would happen to characters. Often I read books where authors cannot even handle one main character. Heinlein however, is different story. In this book there are plenty of characters and each one has enough depth to captivate just anybody. The description of alien world is incredible. This book could turn out to be as sad as the story of Robinson Crusoe, but Heinlen did not let that happen, it is so funny and witty that although I was sad throughout I still was laughing a lot.

It is such a worthy read, you won't regret getting it!

Heinlein novels can probably be easily classified into either his "juvenile" novels (Starship Troopers and earlier) and his more adult, more cerebral novels, like Stranger in a Strange Land and Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

This one would fit into the juvenile category, but be assured that there's plenty of action and adventure and character development for adult readers as well.

The main character of this story is Rod Walker, who is a high schooler about to take his final exam in Survival class, where the exam is to be placed on a strange planet for about a week or so and be forced to survive off the land and a few scant supplies they've brought with them. Passing the Survival course will enable Rod to apply for professions in the Outlands - those worlds different from Earth, where pioneering has gone back to almost early Industrial Age levels, due to the fact that complex machinery like aircraft, bulldozers and mechanical harvesters all require a highly complex and technologically advanced infrastructure to keep them running. Placed in the primitive Outlands, such machinery would be useless junk in no time. Horses and oxen, on the other hand, are worth their weight in gold.

Rod and his class are sent via a "Gate" to another planet (they are not told which one, in order that they cannot study up on native fauna and flora) and Rod quickly finds himself pursued by large, fearsome predators. As the time of departure comes and goes, Rod and the others soon realize that they have been stranded there, and could, in all probability, spend the rest of their lives there - moreover it might be many generations before contact is re-established with Earth. The survivors set about forming a colony, making laws, making government, doling out duties, etc. They quickly find that their greatest menace is not the native carnivorous animals, but the most dangerous and destructive species ever known - Homo Sapiens.

Though they all started as equals, a pecking order quickly establishes itself, and Rod finds himself the de facto leader of the colony. UNfortunately, he tires of the responsibility and allows himself to get voted out by a politicking rival. All the while, life ensues - people get married, people quarrel, people go off and have their own ideas, and so forth.

Heinlein uses this book as an illustration that Stone Age cultures, bereft of metallurgy, industry, and even workable agriculture, were far from "uncivilized" - they did the best they could with the tools they had. I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it highly.

"Tunnel in the Sky" is another one of the so-called "juveniles" Robert A. Heinlein wrote in the 1950's for Charles Scribners Sons. As I have explained in other reviews, virtually all of these novels remain in print. Actually none of them has ever gone out of print. None of them are sold for the juvenile market anymore either.

In this future, we have the Ramsbotham Jump, the `tunnel in the sky'. To travel long distances or even between stars, you simply walk through a gate and you're at your destination. Earth has colonized other worlds not with starships but with old-fashioned wagon trains driven through Ramsbotham Jump gates.

The point about the wagon trains is important. To the best of my knowledge, Heinlein was the first to point out distant colonies on other planets won't have a necessary high-tech industrial base for years. That takes a lot of people and a lot of specialties. Consequently, rather than air cars and ray guns, life will initially be draft animals, home-spun and no electricity.

Rod Walker is a high school senior taking an advanced course in survival. You only pass or fail this course. There is no middle ground. The final exam consists of Rod and his classmates being transported by gate to another world. They can take whatever equipment (including weapons) they want. Once they are through the gate, they can partner with whomever. They must be able to survive in any environment, on any planet for a period of not less than two and no more than ten days.

In order to pass, you must survive. On the other side there are no rules. You don't know what animals are dangerous. You don't know what plants are dangerous. Nor do you understand the extremes of the environment or anything about the eco-system.

Look at it like this, if you were from another planet, would you know a rattlesnake was dangerous? Would you be able to tell the difference between a dog barking a greeting and one threatening attack? You might even think a scorpion is cute. Or you'd be terrified of a rabbit.

In this test, there is one danger not born at the exam site. Remember there are no rules. It is perfectly legal for students to prey on other students. By `prey' that means up to and including murder.

So what happens? The time for recall comes and goes. It slowly dawns on Rod and the other students that wherever they are; they are stranded light years from Earth. They do not know what happened. They do not know if they will ever go home again. No doctors, no ready-made meals, no chance for re-supply.

They do know they must survive.

This book is about civilization. It's about how people act without it and why it is necessary. We all live in comfort and security. But it took a lot of suffering for that to occur. Rod, his classmates and the students from other classes have to build civilization from scratch. That is not just creature comforts. There is also the rule of law and it's enforcement.

Personally I never warmed to Rod very much. His most charming trait is he's stubborn. At times he's not too bright. But he never loses his moral compass and first and foremost he survives.

While this isn't Heinlein's best work, it is still better than must books in the genre.

"Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert Heinlein is an excellent and very entertaining science fiction novel for "juveniles" and young adults. Patrick Shepard "hyperpat' gives a very good, competent, review. There is no need to repeat his work. So, what else can I say?

Robert Heinlein fans tend to be folks who like to think. Heinlein may argue for this or that, but he was a very private person and his "public" writings do not always agree with each other, partly because he hid his actual views in any given story. Readers need to read a dozen or more of Heinlein's books before forming judgements about Heinlein's actual views.

Among other hard science fiction, this book uses a 'tunnel' as a way of moving from one place to another, often very remote place. That may be unique to this novel. Except for the "Stargate" TV series, I do not think I have seen any other author use Heinlein's 'Tunnel' to travel. Niven and a few other authors, including the series "Star Trek" use a 'transporter' type of device (different SF 'physics') for more local travel, but that is not Heinlein's 'Tunnel'.

Over his career, I think that Heinlein used more different ways to achieve interstellar travel than any other science fiction writer.

The point of all this is to say that Heinlein was a more sophisticated writer than many of his critics are willing to believe.

Read this story! It is entertaining and a very good story!

Heinlein was superb at everything he wrote, from unique set pieces to epics.

"Tunnel in the Sky" was an extremely interesting, well thought out set piece. A high school survival class goes thru a portal for a week long survival test to a wilderness world. When a super nova between point A and point B disrupts the ability to return them on schedule, the youngsters have more than a test, they have a need to establish a society where they can survive themselves as well as the wilderness challenges.

Heinlein was a fairly wise man. In my youth I learned a lot of valuable lessons and philosophies from his work, and this book was no exception.

The premise here is fascinating and well realized. Heinlein never hits you over the head with technology. He presents such devices as an instantaneous portal through space as an everyday utility, much as we'd regard an airliner. He doesn't go overboard trying to invent a scientific rationale for the technology, and he doesn't need one. The primary interstellar transportation in this book would be picked up on and used by no less an entity than the movie Stargate and its long running TV follow up series.

Once the kids are in the woods, science fiction leaves the scene to be replaced by hard edged personal struggles, and you'll enjoy every word of it.

. . . giving all of these Heinlein books such high ratings. His earlier books may not have been groundbreaking, thought provoking contraversy causing science fiction, but you know what, by and large they were far more entertaining. When Heinlein isn't so concerned with pushing forward a particular viewpoint or treading a topic for about the tenth time, he easily shows why he was and is still considered the master. This book's a good example, Rod and his classmates are finishing off a survival program and the final exam is to drop them on some random planet for up to ten days and see how long they last. Except something goes wrong of course or there'd be no book. Heinlein sets up Rod as a brainy guy who has to really work to adapt his classroom knowledge, his vision of the future earth is as fascinating as always and the concept of the "gates" linking different planets is a great idea that's almost tossed off as a plot device here, lesser authors would have labored over it for pages. The real meat of this story is barely SF, Rod and those he comes across must band together and form some sort of community, for however it might be before help arrives to come and get them. Some of the characters are obvious Heinlein mouthpieces but you should expect that by now and he really keeps the lecturing to a minimum, the emphasis is on the swift plot and the various accidents and trials that stand between the crew and a functioning community. The women are even portrayal almost fairly for once, although he still has this habit of wavering between tough as nails take no prisoners renditions and "whatever you say, dear" type girls, but you can probably make a similar argument for the guys. And anyway, in a story like this, the focus is more on the story itself and Heinlein succeeds on every level, delivering a story that is not only thrilling and exciting but also possessing just enough realism to really engage the reader. Even the ending adds some interesting twists, and in the name of pure fun, you really can't do much better than this.

Heinlein was just a great all around writer/thinker. Tunnel in the Sky is over 50 years old, yet it still is a taught action packed read. Heinlein has two major career arcs, the books he wrote earlier that encompass 'tunnel in the sky', 'starship troopers', and many other great stories that were oriented towards a younger audience... & the books he wrote post 'Stranger in a Strange Land' that suddenly take on a very adult/freelove style.

When you look at Heinleins early work, you can see that some of the books he wrote concerning the near future are very dated now. On the other other hand, when Heinlein steps out and tries his hand at something truly unorthodox (like a stargate), his work holds up very well. Here, Heinlein uses the concept of the stargate to pretty much tell a version of 'Lord of the Flies'.

The main character, Rod Walker, is dumped onto an alien planet with around 100 others. Each of them are sent out alone, with whatever they feel they need to survive 4-10 days, from knives and flints to state of the art blasters and power packs. As time goes on Rod finds that either he has missed the rendezvous or no one seems to be coming. And the story shifts focus to a long term survival on this alien world.

Heinlein has a great gift for suspenseful writing. This is one that should keep you enjoying it from start to finish.

Tunnel in the Sky should be required reading for all kids. I haven't read it in a couple of decades so this review will serve as an indicator of what impressed me when I first read it and what has stuck with me over the oh-so-many years since.

It's final exams for a survival class and in typical Heinlein fashion, it is a practical exam. The class is to be dropped on a wilderness planet where they must survive until they are picked up. But something goes wrong and the kids are left there long after the pick up time.

I remember the main character's sister helping him choose the one weapon he was allowed to take with him. She was a Marine or something, which was a surprise to me since I had never read about women in such careers. Its commonplace now. Her advice to him was to foget guns and fancy tech. Take a knife. I thought, "What?!" But she explained the value and psychology of that choice and suddenly, it made sense. Later in the book, we see just how brilliant a choice it was.

When preparing for the test, the instructor gave the class one warning: Beware of the stobor. I was certain that I knew what the stobor were going to be. You're probably guessing it now, but we're both wrong. To this day I remember how I SHOULD have been right, but alas, I must live with that failure. Heinlein had a better answer, but I do think he was playing with us.

Tunnel in the Sky is a great book for young readers and a quick fun read for adults. I recommend it highly.

Tunnel in the Sky is the most Naturalistic of Heinlein's juveniles, teaching some harsh lessons about death and survival. The novel is the coming-of-age story of Rod, a student who is about to take the final exam for "Outworlds Survival", a class he must pass to achieve his dream of becoming a planetary explorer. Rod is one of Heinlein's most likable characters: smart, compassionate, willing to listen, a natural leader, but still human enough to have his faults, and inexperienced enough to make plenty of mistakes. Watching these mistakes and the price he pays for them should be an exciting adventure for readers of all ages. Admittedly, the plot is not very original, although something about castaways in a hostile environment always captures the imagination. Rod's first night alone in the wilderness is especially well depicted. The book isn't really that big on action, or even on science; but Heinlein provides plenty of conflict, particularly once the students join
forces and sociological issues come to the fore. Heinlein has often been criticized for his view of women, but this book goes a long way towards refuting such charges. First, the students are both male and female, and the girls are granted absolutely no preference. Heinlein wants us to see that the laws of survival treat men and women as equals; it is only human society that invents the differences. Second, the female characters are frequently shown to be both more capable and more practical than their male classmates. Caroline is as skilled a hunter as any two boys together, and later proves herself an able administrator. Jacqueline manages to preserve the basic comforts of civilization while Rod has regressed to savagery. And Rod's own sister is a professional warrior, veteran of countless campaigns, and leader of her own platoon. The fact that these women appear as interested in getting married as in furthering their careers seems a byproduct of Heinlein's conservatism, rather than misogyny. And conservative Heinlein certainly is, at least at this point in his career. As the survival group becomes larger and more civilized, it becomes more comfortable, more divided, and less vigilant in its own defense. Once Grant takes control of the group, political expediency makes pleasing his constituents (ie., the newlyweds) more important than practical considerations required for their safety (ie., the wall). Heinlein clearly feels that eternal vigilance is the price of survival. The novel's conclusion is fairly weak, especially the coincidence relating to Rod's parents. Perhaps Heinlein is trying to show that he understands how young people can grow and mature without their parents noticing. His advice to them is to hang in there - it's worth it. This book is a good, fast read, and I enjoyed very much despite its flaws. I would recommend it very highly for younger fans of science fiction. For readers who prefer hard science, or who want complex characterization, or who have higher literary expectations, this book may be less enjoyable.

This is an enjoyable novel about high school students who are enrolled in an advanced survival class. The final exam consists of the students being transported to a distant and unknown (to them) planet in which they must survive on only their wits and what they can carry with them. After 7-10 days, they will be able to return to Earth. Grading is simple, either they pass (i.e. return alive) or they fail. The students must initially travel alone, but they can form teams (which can be pre-arranged before departure). The narrative centers on one of the students, Rod Walker, as he prepares for the exam, is sent to the unknown planet, and as he rapidly learns to deal with the unexpected.

This book is, in my opinion, one of Heinlein's top novels, if not his very best. I would rate it as 4.5 stars if I could, rounding up to 5 as it is RAH. As in most of the best of Heinlein, there are digressions into political philosophy and the social compact between individuals and the government. This is a quick read, and a well written, well paced story. In fact, if I had any negative comment to make, I wish the story was longer and more detailed! I think that anyone with an interest in adventure stories will like this one, there are only a few hard sci-fi elements in the plot line. I would have no hesitation about recommending this story to someone who didn't generally like science fiction. Highly recommended.

This is one of Heinlein's best YA novels (I prefer the modern label to "juvenile"). It places a large group of young people in as isolated a situation as anyone might imagine and shows how they not only survive but thrive and recreate civilization. It is a superb counter argument to "Lord of the Flies." If you haven't read or heard the book, I highly recommend it.

This audio book production is just what it says, a full cast of very talented actors performing the dialogue with an equally talented narrator reading everything else. It really works. I quickly identified the voices with the characters. Of course, Heinlein is a great story teller and Tunnel is an excellent story but, for me, the performances enhanced the story to a surprising degree. I can't recommend this audio book enough.

Although I am not a rabid fan of Mr. Heinlein, considered by many to be the grandmaster of science fiction, I do believe that Tunnel in the Sky is one of his better efforts.
The book, which apparently was originally slated for the juvenile market, tells the story of Rod Walker, a bright young man on the verge of graduating from a futuristic high school. In the book's future, the Earth is a vastly overcrowded planet, and teleportation has supplanted the internal combustion engine and its (hell)spawn as a form of mass transportation, especially over great distances. In the book, teleportation also presents a solution to Earth's bloated population: all the excess people were 'teleported' to new worlds surrounding distant stars, and as such they became de facto colonists.
It turns out that the young Mr. Walker aspires to be an explorer of these new worlds, or at least involved in some way with their governance and/or exploration. As one of these 'Space-Age' pioneers, he could participate in establishing a beach-head for humanity in some far-flung area of the universe, scout the terrain to get the lay of the land, and give the all-clear for human habitation and colonization. Under this system, he could even a group of colonists to a new world.
However, in order to do this, Rod must first pass a survivalist's exam. Before embarking on his challenge, to which his parents vehemently object, he gets more than a little helpful advice and a few useful life skills from his older sister, a futuristic sort of the storeian warrior, and a schoolteacher named the 'Deacon' (an apt title for he preaches quite a lot) who thinks fondly of Rod, calling him 'a hopeless romantic born into an age of practical men'.
I think Heinlein wrote this yarn as an extended lesson on good citizenship for minors. I especially liked the insights the 'Deacon' had on the human animal, and the advice that Rod's sister gave him with regard to the choice of a knife over a nuclear-powered Ray Gun in the bush. Awesome weapon power often breeds over-confidence, and can become a substitute for using one's brain, and powerful weaponry is absolutely useless against a thinking and determined adversary (certain dunderheads running strategic operations vital to our nation's well-being should take note of that particular lesson!).
In the end, the exploration bug gets into Rod's blood, and his fate is sealed. Unlike more than a few Heinlein novels, which tend to be preachy and over-bearing, this little gem passed on some very useful insights and life lessons. It would have been nice if Heinlein had written an encore, so that we could catch up with Rod in the future, to see what kind of man he had become as a result of his fateful choice.

I read this book in 1963 when I was a bookworm-ish teen, and I immediately fell in love with Heinlein and "sci-fi" literature. The book probably had a lot of appeal to me because I was a 'city kid' that loved fishing, camping, hunting and the great outdoors. Being abandoned in the wilderness for two weeks with my choice of rations, weapons, tools, shelter and clothing sounded like a real adventure for this Boy Scout. "Tunnel in the Sky", pre dates the current televised sci-fi series "Star Gate" by a good forty years. Heinlein's vision of an overpopulated world where Third World peasants were marched en masse through "star gates" to colonize new planets is very appropriate for the times.
A group of high school students are 'transported' to a primitive, hostile planet where they undergo the equivalent of a survival school 'final exam', and 'pass or fail' literally means life or death for these youngsters. Unfortunately, what starts out as a two week survival test for teens becomes a rite of passage into adulthood when the teens are stranded on the planet indefinitely and must band together, pool all of their resources/skills and form a working community in order to survive as a group rather than as individuals.

This is another of Heinlein’s work aimed at youngsters and it is good, much better than another one of his, Time for the Stars. The different types of characters give it an extra push.
The plot involves a group of high school students in the far future, when interplanetary, and intraplanetary travel is as easy as stepping trough doors. They have enrolled in a survival training course and their final exam consists of being dumped in an unknown environment where they must . . . survive. Initially, I thought it a precursor to The Hunger Games, and, Battle Royale. Anyway, they crux of the story is a surprise which I won’t relate in order not to spoil it for the potential reader. A good read for teens and above.

Check out my full review on my blog!

Oh, gosh, where do I start? I originally read this book in May of 2012…which, I know, isn’t a very big “throwback”, but no matter how many books I’ve read since then (124, to be exact) I’ve never been able to forget about this one. I don’t typically read Science Fiction, but this book…! Was absolutely amazing. The plot, the characters, the setting… It was a very intriguing and exciting book. I loved every second of it. :) Definitely one of my all-time FAVORITE novels.

People interested in books such as The Girl Who Owned a City, will love this novel!

Heinlein wrote many books intended for coming-of-age boys, but most of them are excellent books and enjoyable to anyone of any age. Tunnel In The Sky is no exception. Indeed, it may be his best attempt at the style. The book is realistic, it's not just "goody-goody" junk, and, in the end, it lays on you some strong moral values for teenagers. However, due to this same realism adults will love it as well. Heinlein, with this book, has pulled off that rare masterpiece that is enjoyable to all. It's an enthralling read - quick-paced, and a page turner nearly right from the start. That Heinlein, who never himself had children could pull off such provocative domestic scenes is a testament to his genius and vision. The basic plot is yet another variation on the "stranger in a strange land" theme, and is similar in many ways to Farnham's Freehold (not to mention other classics, like Lord of the Flies.) But, as always, RAH brings his own unique voice to the novel. The dialogue is distinctly Heinlein, as are some of the more risque elements. All in all, highly recommened reading that you will plow through pretty quickly and enjoy doing it.

Most sci-fi fans know Heinlein for big books like Stranger in a Strange Land. Heinlein wrote a number of shorter novels that really are worth reading
In Tunnel in the Sky, the hero Rod is kind of an everyman who seeks an escape from a regimented, rationed life on overpopulated Earth. He wants be a leader of expeditions to settle new worlds. To train for this dangerous career, Rod is enrolled in a survival class in high school.
Rod's final exam is at hand. Rod must get to the meeting point on time to transport to an unknown, unsettled planet. He can take a certain amount of luggage, anything he thinks necessary to survive a few days on a wild planet. (Items students deem to be survival gear range from the latest in sonic blasters, a dog, a saucepan and a deck of cards.)
Rod and several other classes transport to the planet and have a few days to survive before the beacon recalls them to the opening of the return gate. But something goes very wrong,
Rod's maturation during this adventure is great character development. It's a good novel for boys, but anyone could enjoy reading it. A great tale of survival and character

Tunnel in the Sky shows both the best and the worst in human nature. The worst, because some people are murderers and thieves at heart and will act on their impulses if they can get away with it. The best, because it shows what people can accomplish if pressed to survive. This quick read is one of the all-time classics and simply can't be overlooked.
The book is a page-turner from the very beginning, starting with the exciting possibility of simply stepping through a door to another world, and then bringing the reader face to face with the consequences of that act: Survival in a harsh wilderness. The ingenuity and the personal dynamics of the characters drive the story forward, with the constant question of what will happen next to improve the quality of life for their small pocket of civilization--or what will threaten it.
Like most Heinlein, a few things appear out of place at times but they add to the charm of the story. The mainstream news media, for example, seem a little sensationalistic and goofy even by today's standards. But as a Heinlein fan I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Tunnel in the Sky" is one of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels, which he wrote to target the young adult audience. People may think that since this book is targeted at juveniles that it is not a good read for adults. That is untrue and this wonderful novel can be enjoyed by an adult as well as a juvenile. The book takes place in a 1950's or so time where interplanetary travel happens by many people of the public every single day. People move through the planets by going through gates, where they are transferred to a plantet that can be millions of miles away in a matter of seconds. This is a very ineteresting idea that Heinlein brings forth.
Rod Walker is a high school teen that is enrolled in a survial course at his school. For the final exam he and his peers are asked to travel to another planet to stay for a maximum of ten days and survive there. Rod goes and at first is lost and has absolutely no clue where any of his friends are. He eventually meets up with a student from another school and they start a colonization on the planet that they ended up on. The instructors of the course were supposed to get the kids but you will learn at the end of the novel why the kids were never retrieved.
This novel shows how government forms and how it works among the people that are governed over. In the book, a whole new civilization is started on the planet and at first everybody works together to make a habitable living area and to get enough food for everybody. The colony that is formed starts of with just two people and grows to a very large amount of students that were taking the final exam for the survival course. There are elections to elect people to govern over the people of the colony and this book can show how people can start a new life when they need to. Heinlein is a very interesting author to read and it fascinated me how he was able to put in very important messages, such as the importance of working together and believing in yourself, in a fun read.
This is not only a science fiction novel but it is also a book on adventure, friendship, and hark work. This is a wonderful science fiction novel that is worth reading. I look forward to reading more of Robert A. Heinlein's novels in the future. This is a miraculous read that shouldn't be passed up.
Happy Reading!

I picked this up at a Goodwill bookstore for $2. Tunnel in the Sky was the Heinlein book i wanted to read most , since getting into his books. I couldnt believe i found it there . Anyway, its been reviewed alot, so i will just say.... Awesome short story. This should be required reading in school. I am almost 40, and only been reading scifi for maybe 2yrs. I have already read alot of the classics and new classics. I would say the Heinlein "juveniles" are my favorites. He can break down serious comming of age and adult issues into easy to read, fun stories. find it. read it. enjoy it.

The more Heinlein I read the more I see how much modern sci-fi is dirivitive of his work.
He is often called the Grandmaster of sci-fi, I submit he should instead be thought of as the Grand Father of modern sci-fi.

In this work, a number of school kids go to a far off unknown planet as the final exam in their survival course, their method of travel is the Star Gate. SG1 of Atlantis, take your pick, this is the origin of that whole thing as far as I can see.

The story itself is FANTASTIC, survival and troubles when things go wrong, people pulling together and sometimes apart. I was torn about the ending, but I suppose no matter which way he chose to end it, you might root for it to have gone the other way - If you have read it, you know what I mean, if you havent, then read it, and you will see.

This was simply one of the best books I have read simply for pure enjoyment. Heinlein brings out the kind of adventure in this work that we all dream that we could experience. This "Lord of the Flies" meets "Land of the Lost" work, Heinlein captures the desires of young people and displays them to a perfect degree. Even though the work is old, it is far from outdated. Young people of taday still desire this type of adventure. Like many of Heinlein's other works, this one shows how the younger generation would be able to take on responsibility and survive, if given the opportunity. I am so glad that there is not a movie version of this (at least I do not know of one). The way Hollywood ruined "Starship Troopers" by turning it into a 90210-esque peice of dung, and all of the "Puppet Masters" rip-offs (As can be found on "Star Trek: TNG") makes me sick. My only hope is that someday Hollywood will quit ruining good works of art and hire mindless drones to write their own movies.

...(unfortunate acronym!) is the book that introduced me to Robert Heinlein and science fiction many, many years ago. This is a good survivor story -- and I like survivor stories -- but what really made me sit up and pay attention was Heinlein's casual introduction of radical technology into the story. Rather than space ships, Heinlein's future has "gates." These are matter transmitters. One steps through a "gate" and instantly finds himself transmitted to his destination. This was a mind-blowing concept to me at the time -- and still is. What I enjoy most about Heinlein is his skillful incorporation of science and technology into adventure stories: moving roadways in "Let the Roads Roll;" a fourth dimension in "There was a Crooked Man;" weapons and jet-packs in "Starship Troopers;" and the magic carpets in "Glory Road." Nobody has ever wrapped a story around a technology as well as Heinlein. He wrote some of the worst books I've ever read, and some of the best. ... is one of the best.

In the future, Earth is bulging at the seams with people. Fortunately, a technology is developed which allows gateways to be opened to far-flung planets. By stepping through the gateway, you are almost instantaneously transported light years across the galaxy. This technology paved the way for the colonization of the galaxy by the immigrants eager to leave the crowded confines of Earth.

Naturally, with a colonization boom on, high school and college students are trained in survival and pioneering techniques to prepare them for being colonists. The culmination of these training courses is a survival course. The participants in the course are sent to a remote planet fraught with peril and must survive for up to ten days utilizing only the scant belongings they have carried with them through the gate. Usually these tests proceed with minimal injuries and casualties. But, what if something went wrong and the students could not be recalled?

Heinlein explores the disaster of students stranded among the stars with his usual precision and non-wordy prose. The character development is sufficient for the male characters, but a bit sparse for the females (somewhat typical of Heinlein). You can really empathize with these poor kids who are stranded, most likely without hope of ever being rescued, as they contend with the hardships of survival. Dangerous animals abound on their planet and they must learn to work together to be able to thrive as a group and survive the perils of their environment. Predictable as it may be, the most dangerous creatures often prove to be the students themselves, but not always for the reasons you would suspect.

As the students organize, Heinlein does explore the folly of trying to organize a government in the harsh surroundings. Fortunately, Heinlein uses this side plot to effectively advance the main plot line instead of digressing into a pointless discourse on the importance of government to achieve an orderly society (as other authors might have done).

Like Asimov, he tends to focus more on his characters than science. And even though this book was written in 1955, it still holds up very well today and can be enjoyed by all science fiction fans.

I never liked when they would tag a Heinlein novel as part of his "juvenile" series. It would tend to make adults not want to read it and that really is their loss as most of the juvenile books are every bit as good as his "adult" novels.

Tunnel in the Sky has variations of the themes covered in "Lord of the Flies". A group of youths are cut off from the world and must establish their own civilization.

"Rod" the survival trainee is one of Heinlein's most human protagonists in that he is not a superman but a regular guy that most readers can relate to.

The story deals with both the growth of a new society and the growth of a boy to a man, and what it means to be one.

Don't get me wrong though there are some great science fiction concepts going on here. Fans of Star Gate will give this book a knowing nod.

Don't hesitate a second to buy or read this one.

This is a Heinlen Juvenile that is not set in the 1940s SF Solar System. Instead Heinlein uses "Star Gate" style technology, without Ancient Egyptian mumbo-jumbo, to send humanity to planets surrounding alien stars. The basic story is about some young people marooned unexpectedly while on a field trip.

There is a resemblance to _Lord of the Flies_ but Heinlein is a much better writer with a sunnier, although still not too sunny, view of human nature.

The central character seemed annoying in some respects the first time I read this. However, his good qualities overshadow his flaws. Now I realize that he is fairly consciously creating his own flaws. He is a young man with heroic goals and those goals twist his character somewhat.

This story predates the "Star Gate" film or TV shows but it is likely that Heinlein didn't "invent" the technology either. It is a very tempting idea.

Ironically, the great Robert H. Heinlein's most influential writings were probably his "Juvenile SF" novels -- science fiction novels written for teenagers. While they may have been aimed at teens, mostly they are fine reading for adults as well. I read them all as a teenager, including this one, and have re-read most of them as an adult.

This particular novel is not generally considered one of Heinlein's best, but there is a lot here and in its own way this novel is pretty impressive. The storyline (outrageously simplified) is that a group of college students are stranded on a strange earthlike planet during a one-week survival test. When the week ends, there is no pickup. The group then gropes towards some kind of organization and government, and experiences all of the problems that this kind of effort usually involves. The result is a surprisingly insightful look at the problems of basic government.

The science fiction here is understated. The basic notion is that mankind is rapidly expanding into the galaxy in a new age of adventure. Survival skills are therefore paramount, and that is the other theme of this novel.

Recommended. RJB.

Tunnel in the Sky is one of Heinlein's Juvenile books and stars a teenager about graduate high school but with one last exam. The exam is for him to be put stranded on an unknown planet with an unknown terrain and be prepared for basically anything. There is also the possibility of death during the exam and this is the first problem with the book. The idea of putting high school students, as part of their HS courses, in such grave danger where some of them are indeed killed and many are very seriously wounded is crazy. What kind of future society would deliberately risk the lives and limbs of HS students like this? They also allow the students to take high powered guns, indeed any weapon they want, again unsupervised and alone on a far away planet. The other problem I have is that Heinlein basically moves the 1950's into some remote future (date unknown). This novel has 50's all over it, with the children using such phrases as "golly" and "fiddlesticks" and Cleaver type families. But these things aside, the book is great. Rod is a great leading character who makes mistakes and isn't a cardboard cutout, the supporting roles are also filled out nicely with good characters who behave like people. This book is a great read and any science fiction fan young or old will enjoy every thing it has to offer, despite being originally part of Heinlein's juvenile line-up. I highly recommend it.

Except perhaps for _Citizen of the Galaxy,_ this is Heinlein's best juvenile, and one of his best novels of any sort. Rod Walker is in high school, preparing himself for some kind of career in the Outlands -- the newly-discovered, newly-settled worlds now so close at hand through hyperspace gates. That means a bare-hands survival course with a final exam in which the class is dumped on an empty planet to survive however for a week or so. But something goes wrong with the gates, and nearly a hundred high school and college students are stranded on their test-world, perhaps forever. Setting up a new society, virtually a new civilization, won't be easy, but it gives Heinlein the opportunity to show the reader how *he* thinks it ought to be done. This is well-written, thoughtful adventure and the author avoids (for the most part) the syrupy overwriting of which he was often guilty in his later work. The portrait of Rod learning to cope, finding himself, and discovering what makes him happy, is very, very well done.

Heinlein felt that anyone who could not do everything from plan an invasion, change a diaper, butcher a hog, write a sonnet, design a building, or program a computer was at least partially incapacitated. In addition, he felt that our schools did a very poor job of preparing young people for what life was all about. This book presented at least one partial solution to both problems: have a school course in survival, whose final test was to be dropped onto some unknown 'wilderness' planet for a week and forced to actually survive. Around this basic concept Heinlein fashioned what is probably one of the best of his so-called 'juvenile' novels.

Roderick Walker is the prime character, a young man with some doubts about whether he is really ready to take the final exam in this course. With some encouragement and advice from his older sister, he decides to proceed, going through the 'gate' to a new world where nothing is familiar, where everything must be viewed as potentially deadly. But after managing to survive for the prescribed time, there is no pick up signal, no return gate, and Rod slowly comes to the conclusion that, regardless of what has gone wrong, he must make a go of really living long term on this new world. Along with other class survivors, a small society is formed, initially with Rod as the nominal leader.

From this point, Heinlein manages to show the essentials of how and why a government is formed, what type of government make sense for a small group, how a society protects itself from 'bullies' (the only truly deadly animal is the two-legged variety), the contribution made by both sexes to a properly functioning society, just what makes a man a man, and the essential qualities of a leader. All buried within a fine adventure story of just how the little group builds itself from an unrelated bunch of people huddling in a cave to a bustling, forward looking industrious town, with excellent characterizations of not just Rod but most of the people around him, and with very little direct preaching, but rather showing his points as results of the events and actions of his characters.

Heinlein's typical unforced, simple American prose style is much in evidence here, making both dialog and descriptions seem perfectly natural. This makes for a very fast reading experience, with a lot of his philosophical points sliding in under the reader's conscious radar, only to wake you up at 3AM with an 'Oh, yeah! That makes sense.' And perhaps you will come away from this book, as I did, thinking that the idea of a school course in survival is something that should actually be implemented.

Everyone, from teens to adults, homemakers to rugged individualists, engineers to social workers, can enjoy this book. There are very few works that can appeal to such a wide range of audience as this one does, but this is something that Heinlein made a habit of. Written almost fifty years ago, it reads just as well, if not better than anything published today.

Heinlein once again demonstrates his great writing skills with this story. This is a great adventure with a lot of action and overall great creative science fiction.. I was amazed that Heinlein thought up the idea of using time gates instead of rocket ships as the main souce of travel from planet to planet... This is a story that was originated in the 50's when science fiction was in its infancy... I thought that this was such a clever and innovative means for space exploration.. It kind of reminds me of the guardian of forever in the original star trek episode where you can select a certain era of time and if you jump through it you will be instantly transported physically to the time being viewed.... But because Heinlein thought of this before that star trek episode aired he is the true father of this invention... I also thought that this book demonstrated survival in a strong and positive way... On this planet the main characters after being stranded due to a malfunction in the space gates must go through the rough ordeal of survival... Together these individual put their minds together and face the arduous task of surviving day to day against many unknowns... A great Heinlein book that can be enjoyed by anyone..

This is an excellent adventure by the main charachter. I always enjoy the libertarian viewpoints countered with the mostly socialist/communist settings he portrays. Heinlein has this theme in many of his books, of moving from bondage in an overly controled society(and includes well thought out reasons to how society progressed to that state), to freedom and anarchary, then finding equilibriam between the two in a free, but structured society(this is also a strong theme in 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'). This book couples that theme with coming of age, and survival. When I first read this book when I was 13 it prompted me to learn about survival and gardening, and when I just re-read it a few weeks ago(I'm 24 now) I reflected on the state of government and our place within. A thought-provoking, funny at times, tragic at times, and in all excellent as Heinlein always is. I highly reccomend this book.

This novel introduced me to Heinlein when I was maybe twelve or thirteen, and I've read many more of his books since that time but this one and 'Stranger in a Strange Land' are his best. I have read 'Tunnel in the Sky' a few times since I was a kid, but enjoyed it most the first time - once you've already read a book, there's not a hell of a lot of suspense when you know what's happening next, but every time I read it I try to get myself ready to experience the magic again. This book was really inspiring to me and made me want to become a writer, but the job is harder than it looks. Robert Heinlein makes it look easy. The plot and characters are consistent, and the narrative is uncomplicated. If the school system wants to encourage young people to read more, this is the type of stuff that should be on the syllabus instead of Shakespeare and Jane Austin (sorry Will, we just don't talk like that any more; as for books like Emma, it's easier to read Browning's Notes).

One of the best fiction books I ever read. When I first read it as an 8th grader, I couldn't stop thinking of what I would do if I were stranded on a strange planet. How would I survive? How would I protect myself from alien creatures? How could I anticipate unknown dangers? How could I find directions? And a host of other survival-related questions.
These are still the questions that need to be answered as we think of exploring space.
When I was a Boy Scout, whenever I learned another constellation, or learned how to use a compass, I occasionally remembered this book and how important these skills could be to me in a survival-type situation.
Definitely a great book to get any young adult thinking about serious issues.

Any age really, but the sooner you read it in life the better. This is one of the best adventure tales I have ever read, remembered fondly for the last 25 years (I am 42 tomorrow). I give it to young men I know (nephews, friend's kids, etc...) when they are about 15 and each agrees that it is a fantastic story. I am sure that young women like it too, but I am not one so I don't know, either are my nephews, nor the lead character who doesn't understand girls very well.

We identify with the hero and the other characters in their individual and then group survival. The hero is one of my favorite characters in all of literature, a role model and maybe that is one reason I like this book so much, and his sister is right up there with him on the list of great characters. The predicaments are more than exciting, they present the opportunity for us to read how the characters deal with them.

It is an easy read and you will find yourself rooting along.

After all these years, I still miss the joy of a new Heinlein novel every two years. Recently I dug out my copies (I've moved) and started rereading. Turnnel in the Sky is BETTER than I remembered, and I'm spotting some information that slid right past me a few years ago.
SPOILER ALERT
When the main character, Rod, finds a murdered classmate at the very start of the solo survival test, he doesn't think it through. The students were dropped in series, separated by perhaps a kilometer or two. The killer, who later tries to kill Rod, must have been someone from his class ...
None of the new 'colony' members realize what a close call they had with the bullies Jock and 3 others. If the lazy bullies had won, would they just have been lazy? I think not. I think by nightfall Rod and any other 'troublemakers' would have been fed to the piranha. 'Reasonable' colonists would have started obeying the new rulers ... and the women would have been divided up. A barbaric kingdom.
I'm also astonished that an emergency crate wouldn't always routinely be dropped near the planned pickup site. Locked, after 30 days it would unlock itself and provide more extensive survival gear. Just in case. After all ... the universe is out to get us.Tunnel in the Sky

This is one of two books that haunt me. The other being The Martian Child by David Gerrold. What always got to me was the last few pages.

When the gate opened up and that wagon train did its thing, I was bawling. I'm not a believer in reincarnation, but if I didn't know better I'd swear I identify so strongly with that scene because I had been there myself. Heck, I get misty just thinking about it.

But as I got older I also found Audio Books. I have to admit, I love them, especially those with full casts, music and sound effects. And I honestly can think of few books that would benefit more greatly from that sort of treatment than this one.

I don't see a single audio version; not on cassette, 8-track or reel-to-reel. I hope some bright audio house gets the message.

A tunnel in the sky was a ground-breaking novel when it first came out and it still holds up today. This overcrowded Earth is a future that might happen still. From there, the adventure that the characters get caught up in is a wild ride full of anthropology, socio dynamics, exobiology, and even a bit of astrophysics. You really like to root for the good old fashioned teen hero, who's a "square," and his supporting cast of tough as nails kids. Rod Walker is a great everyman. My only complaint would be that this book could have been longer, but the YA of the day tended to be very short. This book is great for all ages.

They don't get any better than this. It's sold as as a young adult book, but I'm 65 years old and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My first reading of this book was probably 55 years ago. It's still the best read ever.

I read this book when I was in my early teens. I learned a lot from it, it was my first look at life on the edge. I was 13, cut me some slack. It gave me the first inkling of what being an adult was. The book showed a kid in a dangerous situation, growing up faster than any kid should have. The things he went through, losing his dream and finally, getting everything back he'd lost and more.

Pretty heavy stuff for a 16 year old. But, it made a long lasting impression on me.

A couple of years later, I wound up in Vietnam...and I carried two knives.

A MUST read for science fiction fanatics around the world. Fast paced and suspenceful, this book wll capture you as it did me. This book is the exact definition of the genre: Sciece Fiction. I read this book over the christmas holidays, and literally, I could no put this book down. But there was one point which consequently lost that fifth star, the ending. he ending I thought did not work well with the rest of the book. The plot was intense while they fought of a horde of pack hunting aliens, but then humans came and just sent everyone home. But still my greatest regards go to Henlein, for writing this masterpeice of a book.

This was the book that got me hooked on Robert Heinlein, the Grand Master of science fiction. Unlike most young science fiction readers of the 50s, 60s, or 70s, Heinlein was not my first introduction to the field: that was Frank Herbert's "Dune." But I read "Tunnel in the Sky" one day at school (I hid it in my notebook all afternoon and read it faster than any book I'd ever found) and within three weeks I'd read every single one of his books. That was the first time I'd ever done that. And now, twenty five years later, I teach "Tunnel in the Sky" to my freshmen English class. None of Heinlein's juveniles create a future world so fast, or so different from our own; when Rod Walker and his class become lost on an alien world and have to fend for themselves, my entire class starts ripping through the pages as fast as they can. A great read, full of ideas and adventure.

What an awsome read this book was for me. This is the book that got me reading sci fi in the first place. I am presently reading it for the second time, and i can see now why i found it so enjoyable the first time around. I mean forget the whole ingenious concept of a portal for a second(which by the way, when the book was written,was a very novel concept)what i really loved about this book is the way he describes the whole future society on this planet. An overcrowded earth where the Greater New York City stretches from the east coast all the way to the grand canyon and tubes and portals that can get you from one side of the city to the other in a manner of minutes.Just good old fashioned sci fi nothing more nothing less.Oh yeh and the parts that take place on the other planet are fun too. enjoy, all you fun loving adventurers out there. =)

Teen survival stranding.

A group of young people get sent to a planet in basically an advanced scouts/rovers/venturers sort of scenario to see how they go.

What they didn't count on was getting stuck there for orders of magnitude longer than they expected.

So, they have to work out how to survive as a group, establish leaders and a social structure, and deal with some not so friendly wildlife. Stobor and all that.

Slightly dodgy ending perhaps, but overall a good book.

I have not read this book in a very long time, but I remember it as being a favorite from the first time that I picked it up at the age of 12 or so.
The book is about a group of students in a survival class who get stranded on the planet where they were supposed to be living for only a few weeks as a test. The way their group evolves into a little society was very interesting (and not nearly as dark as what happens in a similar situation in The Lord of Flies). I don't remember very many details, but do remember being completely enthralled. Recommended.

Another entry from Heinlein's series of juveniles, and less impressive than some of the others. A group of young people are stranded on a distant planet where they must struggle to survive, against the dangers of the planet and against each other. Interesting story, but the characters are less fully developed than in some of the other juveniles, and the premise is limiting.

Even though this is more of kids book, it is actually a very good and quick read for a someone whose been around the science fiction block a time or two. I gave it a 5 star rating because to me it was solid in all areas, premise, writing style, characters, and a good ending for a book like this is very critical and i feel that it had all of these things. dont hesitate to read a younger book just because its for young readers, authors that write young adult books have to know how to keep the pace good so they wont lose the attention of they young reader, and when that happens we all benefit.

I highly recommend it if you want an enjoyable easy fun read, or if you want to give it your kids.

I have read this book several times but not for quite a number of years. At the time of my first read, I had read most of what Heinlein had written up to that point (I think my intro to his work was Star Beast when I was in elementary school).
I was taken by the concept of the gates to other worlds - a concept that has been explored in many forms including the Star Gate movie and TV series and in Michael Crichton's recent book Timeline.
Heinlein weaves a lot of material into what might be mistaken for a simple adventure story. He understands the psychology of the individual and the group and has a good grasp of what is required for basic survival in an unknown and hostile environment. He also treats topics like dealing with bullies, the problems with being a nice guy and the resistance some people have to leaving something they have invested with their time, energy and personal values.
I'm back to buy a new copy of this book and to read it again!

Not a full review, but a side bar - this book has more verisimilitude than many by Heinlein and seems so much like a solid world that I pay attention to every side glance or of stage detail - even tones of bones in an imagined landscape. It is so good that by the time they get to covered wagons going into space, it seems real.

24 years ago my grandad gave me this book. It was my first Heinlein. I can't remember how many times I've read it but I'm on my third copy. It's a simple tale of survival. Like Starship Troopers, family and friends play an important role and the way the characters develop is inspiring.
I've read and re-read all of Mr Heinlein's published works, he is so easy to read. I hope this classic tale does not fall under some action movie director's axe like Troopers. The story is perfect as it is and does not need to be re-told.

Tunnel in the Sky is an easy, quick and entertaining read. Teenagers will learn a lot from this book and adults may learn a few things, too.

Whenever I read the classics of science fiction I have to remind myself that even though a lot of the ideas expressed seem commonplace now, they were new and often controversial when the stories were first published. The notion that a woman would be part of an elite fighting force was unheard of in the 1950's, but in Tunnel in the Sky, the protagonist's sister is not just part of one-- she's commands it. It has been my experience that Heinlein's female characters are, most of the time, intelligent and capable, while at the same time retaining their femininity, which isn't always found in science fiction. So, I would recommend this book to young girls especially.

The dialogue is dated (it would be nice if people actually spoke this way), but the concepts are not. An all around fun book to read.

I'm sure I would have liked this when I was younger. I wish I read more like this when I was a kid(not that long ago) well I am still a teenager for a few months more at least.
Interesting to the extent people will go to survive in the wildnerness. I love the fact that the people who think they can protect themselves with technology are easily killed off. It is almost saying that technology is leading us in the wrong directions. Maybe everyone has a bit of a savage inside of themselves.
The structure is similar but better than "Farnham's Freehold", another novel by Heilein. This book sticks true to one vision throughout the novel whereas in Farnham the story goes off in a million directions about halfway through. There is nothing wrong with Farnham just that this is more structured.
I can see that kids would enjoy this kind of literature. Altough reading it now is infintely better than lets say if I had read it 10 years ago. "Starman Jones" is something I would consider more childish although it certainly has some adult elements.
Enjoyed it, one of the better Heilein novels.

The reason I read Tunnel In The Sky originally was because it was assigned in Mr. Fassolds(Review listed earlier) social studies class, but after awhile it became difficult to not read ahead. The story is about a student named Rod in a survival class that has to go to an unknown land for his final survival exam. Rod encounters many dangerous people and animals as well as the feared stobor and the most dangerous animal of them all man. Everything seems to be going as it should until the signal for them to return to terra(earth) never comes. Faced with being stranded the survivors from several classes unite in an attempt to set up a colony and survive.

I definitely enjoyed this book for its riveting plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It also has great inclusions of other works such as quotes from poems and other books. Lastly it has a great example of how government is set up and works.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone teen or adult. I would also recommend that when you come across one of the quotes in the book to look it up because allot of the time it plays an important part in the story. All around an excellent read.

Tunnel in the sky was the first Heinlein book I read. I haven't stopped. "Red Planet", "Have a Space suit will travel", his all famous "Stranger in a strange land", "Citizen of the Galaxy" and a few others, some of which I cannot recall at this time, include the long list of books that have touched my life at one time or another, but "Tunnel in the sky" started it all. Except for "Stranger in a strange land" this is his best novel. While the characters names have gone and went throughout years since reading this novel, the stories essance remains in my heart. It is a book of survival, of civilization, of building and rebuilding, and of friendship. Heinlein is a master at story creation. When the last page swept threw my fingers, those many years ago, I couldn't help but feel delight, sarrow, anger (that it was over), and everything else all at once. I had finished a great book and I thank Heinlein for allowing me to experience this. If you enjoyed this book as much as I than I highly recommend you read "Survivor" by Robert Gray, and the Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer. You wont be dissapointed!

I truly enjoyed this book for it's fluid story telling and the use of concepts of travelling to other worlds (to name just one). It sometimes moved too fast for me, though, with new characters and names to keep track of. Some characters were introduced early on only to reappear later with little significance to the story. The ending was also a little bit of a let down. It seemed too quick and unexpected. A very good book overall.

My teacher, Mr. Fassold, read this book to us in my seventh grade class, and I'm glad he did. Normally I don't read science fiction books like this, but I had no choice. The book is about this kid in the future enrolled in advanced survial. He is a senior in high school enrolled in a college class. After somestrange events he finds that he must survive on his own without help longer then was expected.

I thought Robert Heinlein was very clever with his complete turn around of the plot and the universe he creates. I also admired the way the book is just as good now, as it was fifty years ago.

I would recomend this to anyone to anyone looking for a good read, regardless of the genres you normally read. The book is funny and it's characters are lively. This is one of the best books I have ever read and now I finally understand the saying, "I just couldn't put the book down."

In 7th grade, I actually stole this book from my school library. It was unintentional, that I stole this particular book, but run off with it I did. For whatever reason, I happened to pick this book, and I'm glad that I did (but not glad that I stole it...) It has, to this day, remained one of my favorite sci-fi books of all time (Starship Troopers being my all-time favorite). Without giving too much away, I have always looked for my version of 'stobor' to overcome in life. Get this book for yourself, your kids, or your grandkids. Better yet, buy two copies; one for yourself and one to leave out in the hopes that it gets ripped off by a kid that will grow up to appreciate the lessons in life this book tries to relate...

This is the book and edition some relative gave me. How can I thank him or her so many years later? This is gripping stuff, as didactic in its own way as "Stranger in a Strange Land" but far more of an adventure tale, and more gripping. RAH's hero is genuine but the mighty Bob is careful to show us all the angst and doubt that go with the role. An amazing achievement.

After reading the book every year for the past 36 years I finally designed a junior high government teaching unit for the book. The book was a hit with my students. I read the book aloud in the beginning so that I could hook my reluctant readers. Also by guiding kids though the science in the science fiction it got me past the genre bias.

The story allows students to evaluate the development of the city-state from a government stand point and from a civilization's cultural universals.

This book provides much of the same conversation starters as Lord of the Flies, but without the darkness and the stilted language. In addition, the success of the city-state allows for deep discussion on the determination of the label "civilization".

If you are interested in the novel for your class you may email me and I'll send everything that I used.

Long before Robert Heinlein turned his considerable talents to 500-page discussions of marriage and incest in the Howard Family, he had reached the peak of his powers with his so-called "juveniles." These were stories of regular, identifiable young people thrust into some of the most imaginative and exciting adventures in all of science fiction. Tunnel in the Sky is perhaps the best, and most memorable, of these works. You'll remember this book years after you read it, from the vivid portrayal of the protagonist's first night on a wild, alien planet, to the eminently satisfying end of this deeply engaging story. Heinlein makes you feel as if you were there for every moment of it.

I found this to be a introduction to Heinlein. It's considered a young adult book, and I agree: the sentence structure and vocabulary is not complex, the time line is linear and easy to follow without jumping around, and it's a fast read.

Unlike most new dystopian youth novels which pit a heroic protagonist against unspeakable odds, this story focuses equally on the the problems of self government within the context of pioneering a savage "new world". Imagine a crossover between "My Side of the Mountain" and 'Lord of the Flies" and throw in some Gilbert and Sullivan, and you get the idea.

Science fiction writers often deploy the trick of leaving the futuristic superscience stuff in the background, usually as the means of transportation, while the characters in the main part of the action depend on familiar tools, weapons and skills, like knives, firearms and martial arts. That simplifies the storytelling and makes it easier for the reader to follow the plot without the bafflement of interpreting too much imaginary tech-speak. (How often does Captain Kirk get into old-fashioned street fights on the original "Star Trek" series, for example, despite all the futuristic technology at his disposal?)

But what happens when you don't really need the science fiction background for the story? We have a genre of stories called "robinsonades," named after the novel Robinson Crusoe, about the adventures of people who get stranded on terrestrial islands or in wilderness areas and have to find ways to survive. Heinlein's story uses the template of the robinsonade, only he strands his characters, a group of high-school and college-age youngsters out for a survival exercise, on an exoplanet instead of an island. Once Rod and his companions wind up on this exoplanet with no way to return to Earth, nothing until the time of their rescue requires anything science-fictional which they wouldn't also have to do in a normal survival situation. For example, they can eat the local animals and some of the local plants, without having to devise machines to make the alien biochemistry compatible with their own. So why bother with the science fiction premise in the first place?

Heinlein's obsession with Malthusian catastrophes also appears in this novel, and the specter of overpopulation provides the rationale for the use of the "tunnels in the sky" to export Earth's excess population onto suitable exoplanets. I suppose Heinlein noticed all the extra kids showing up in his neighborhood in the years following the Second World War, and he assumed that the Baby Boom would extend to the following generations. Apparently it never occurred to him that people might decide to stop breeding so haphazardly, as we have seen in developed countries which have undergone what demographers call the demographic transition to lower birthrates and smaller family sizes.

The ideology in Rod's society, about the need to subject youngsters to harsh ordeals which would have the effect of eliminating the weak, the uncooperative and the stupid, sounds plausible to me, like something the ancient Spartans would have believed. But again, nothing about that world view as such requires "science fiction" to account for it.

So if you just ignore the "science fiction" in this novel, you have left a survival story in a kind of alternate universe which could have plausibly taken place in a terrestrial wilderness area. Perhaps readers had different expectations about "science fiction" in the 1950's, and this provides an example of them.

This is my second time reading 'Tunnel in the Sky.' The book has no plot, no change in the main character - Rod Walker - no urgency in the story. It is reminiscent of 'Lord of the Flies' as Rod is part of a mandatory survival that he has to take in high school; students go through a gateway to an area on a planet, and must survive with items they have taken with them - cleared items - until a set time when they are picked up. Walker meets other kids, ranging from 16 to 22 years of age, and they build a community, juggle politics - which Rod Walker wants to stay out of until the end when he must take charge against an animal attack on their village community - and form couples (some having babies with one another).

Walker has a sister named Helen who is a high-ranking officer in the military, and she is described as looking like a Zulu girl - Caroline - who is also on the survival mission. This is interesting because the book, written in the 1950s when black individuals weren't legally treated humanely, depicts black men and women as strong leads. The audio book of 'Tunnel in the Sky' shows Rod as a black young man. (Of course, the 1950s cover has Rod Walker as a white kid). So, Heinlein was ahead of his time in this regards. Unfortunately, the plot and pacing leaves much to be desired.

I don't remember when I first read this book. I was somewhere between 5th and 12th grade. Now I am grown and I read a chapter of an old childhood favorite to my daughter every night. So many books that my mother recommended to me I ignored (after all, Moms don't know anything). So as I read them to my daughter, (who is now 10) she has come to appreciate that sometimes Moms do know things.
This one is a "keeper". It is adventure. It is romance. It is hope for the future. It is Heinlein at his Young Adult best.

I find that one of Heinlein's best qualities as a writer is his fertile imagination and the tension he often weaves into his stories. The problem, however, is that Heinlein sometimes struggles to maintain that tension and I felt that was the case with this novel toward the end. It is, however, forward thinking-it contains many ideas that are later featured in The Hunger Games and has similar elements of the contemporary Lord of the Flies. As I have written, this book is good, but not quite complete enough to be great.

"Tunnel in the Sky" is a fun book to read as a youth or an adult; I read it at both ages, and enjoyed each time. The book gives a straightforward adventure story, entertaining as it progresses, giving young readers a sense of exposure to concepts that can stretch their imagination. It also exposes Heinlein's progression in his development of philosophy and writing style -- it's not far from the material he produced in the 1960s and later, but still just a slight step below the works that made him most famous.

Like all of the Heinlein junior novels, Tunnel in the Sky is about responsibility, competence, and how the world really works. Like the best of them, it also succeeds completely as a story. A terrific book; I'm giving one to my 9-year-old nephew, who I think is old enough to enjoy it.

Robert Heinlein is the master of Science Fiction writing and this is perhaps his best novel of his early work. I first read this book when I was 12 and recently re-read it. It was every bit as good then as the first time I read it. A must have for Heinlein fans

This was for my husband. He says, "This is a nice read. Not spectacular and not one of his best but worth reading if you are a fan of Heinlein." (His favorites are "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Friday" and "Glory Road".)

*SPOILER ALERT*

One of the best books i've ever read. Fascinating plot of kidsz getting sent to outer space but then having to live for two years. Loved and woud recomend it to any sci-fi lover.

I was born in 1952 and have been reading SF (particularly mainstream with some Fantasy) since I was about 10. I have read thousands of SF books over the last 38 years, and in all this time, there has never been any author who consistantly 'produced the goods', so to say. I would give all of his books a rating of 5 out of 5. Even this week I was mentioning this particular book and 'Stobors' to work associates. I won't elaborate on this, for those who have yet to read it. I have lost count of howmany times I have re-read all of Mr Heinlein's books. Jules Verne is great, H.G. Wells also, others shine too; but there is only one king, Robert Heinlein!

Tunnel in the Sky was a good book. When I say good, I mean it was easy to understand, it had a good plot, and it kept me interested right until the last page. It is about a teenager named Rod who is taking an advanced survival course in his high school. The final test is: all weapons 2-10 days anywhere in the universe. This means that they could be sent anywhere in the universe for 2-10 days, and they can bring any weapons they want. The book is filled with adventure, danger and fun. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to read it.

The book keep my interest from the begining to the very end. This is a great book to cause a person to want to work on solving all those problems that have to be solved for us to move on to a better way of life.

How go you develop a expanding galaxy wide star empire with 1950's technology? To find out just read this book. No scientific discrepancies and very entertaining. As hard to put down as when I read it 48 years ago.

Great story that makes you wish you could climb in and participate. One of the few I have read more than once. Nice to read a novel cover to cover and not have a single profanity. And beware the STOBOR!

After giving up looking for Heinlein's Starship Troopers in a number of second hand bookshops (I'm having a financial crisis), I eventually plumped for this book. However, much to my surprise, it was excellent. A sort of fusing together of Lord of the Flies and sci-fi, Tunnel in the Sky is a thrilling read, with some excellent characters. I also liked the way that the themes shifted throughout. ............................... give it a look.

An amazing book that is both adventurous and fascinating. It touchs people of all ages. I read it as a child and now that I'm older it still is in my mind. It's universal theme is what appeals so greatly to everyone: survival. Everyone wants it and can relate to it many different ways. Heinlien's choice of setting makes it even more fantastic and enjoyable. It should have 6 STARS.

It was an ok read. Not what I expected. This book was written long, long ago and I guess reading it now it resembled allot to The Hunger Games which threw me a bit. The story took its on we'll through half of the book. I don't know I connected with Rod right away, but I can't say the same for the rest of the characters.

With Heinlein there are two sorts of books, the ones aimed at teenage boys with lots of action and good hard sci fi, and the waffley semi religious strange ones he wrote in later life. Personally I liked both styles. Anyway this book is of the former sort, ideal for younger readers, but I enjoyed it too as this was one of the early gem's I missed in my youth.

and though it isn't RAH's best, it was enough of an intro for me that about forty years later, Sci-Fi is still the 1st place I look in the library or bookstore.
This isn't really meant to be a review, just an off-the-wall, unplanned moment of thanks to a great, but slightly bent talent like RAH.
Thanks, buddy.

Nothing about this feels modern - the characters, setting, themes, and so forth all have a certain mid-20th century earnestness, idealism, and us-versus-them quality to them. But this is fun throughout.

Robert Heinlein is a well know science fiction writer so i assumed tunnel in the sky would be fairly well written. Boy was i wrong. The premise of the book was interesting however the characters and dialogue were not believable. There was no flow to the story. It was as if the book had been written by an eighth grader. Save your money and do not buy this book. Big disappointment.

Even though it was written many years ago this is a great science fiction piece - one of the best of the genre. Especially suitable for young folks, but I would strongly recommend it for any one who likes sci-fi.