Farmer in the Sky (1950)

Robert A. Heinlein

Del Rey, New York; ISBN: 0-345-32438-2; Pages: 221

Survivors Survive

I approached this juvenile with a bit of apprehension---I am not usually thrilled by reading about the perils of farm life, even if it is on Ganymede. RAH, however, did not disappoint; boredom with a novel of his is about as rare as the lineup of the sun, Jupiter, and four of its moons (for reference, about 200,000 years).

In the not-so-distant future, Earth is overpopulated to an extent that food rationing is necessary. Bill, the young (sixteen year old?) boy, lives with his father George in an apartment ninety floors up. California is one big city, with the former 20th century metropolises forming its boroughs. Heinlein could not resist giving us a glimpse of his ideas of the future---microwaves, incinerators (for scraps and clothes), and the like. It is amusing how close he was on the mark for certain conveniences, especially the one about food taking a couple of minutes to prepare.

When the space ship ``Mayflower'' is complete, Bill and George decide to leave with it to become colonizers of Ganymede, the third moon of Jupiter. The day before blast-off George marries Molly and she brings her daughter Peggy into the family. In just a few pages the ``Bifrost'' takes the load of settlers to orbit around the Moon, where the interplanetary voyage will begin.

The sixty-day trip to Jupiter is uneventful save for RAH's meticulous description of the ship, its artificial gravity, and the routine on board. Only one unexpected and possibly dangerous event punctures the jaunt: a little meteor blasting through the ship's skin in the room where Bill boards up with other boys. Bill's scout training saves the day as he stuffs his uniform and then a pillow to slow down the air leak until the hole can be repaired. Commendations.

Finally they arrive on Ganymede and the settler story begins. It is fast-paced, almost devoid of action, but with RAH's obvious love for the rugged individual permeating the narrative. RAH takes the time to poke fun and show plenty of displeasure at sissies who complain about the rough deal they got and run to the government for help every time they need to tie their shoe-laces. The moralizing can become somewhat tiresome but it is possible to put up with it. I am not one for lengthy descriptions, but Heinlein's view of the Ganymedian sky is breathtaking. Not only did he manage beautifully to bring to life the exotic star dome with a handful of moons gracing the sky, but one wonders how much he had to read to make it that believable.

In keeping with the lessons of history, the colony is almost wiped out when an earth, I mean, ganyquake destroys almost all buildings and, most importantly, the power plant that provides the heat trap. The heat trap is the wonderful contraption that turns the icy lifeless Ganymede into a place where humans can live. It is a sort of terra-forming, similar to NASA's descriptions of what could be possible to do on Mars. Except the real life timetable is certainly not the several decades in the novel. Melting the ice produces atmosphere (although I am not quite sure how the moon's low gravity would keep it from syphoning into space) and keeps the meager sunlight from radiating out. The heat trap is the backbone of life on Ganymede, at least of the human variety. The one-third of the colonists that survive the disaster is soon busy restoring life. It is utterly pleasant to read the curious mixtures of advanced space technology and primitive farming with cows and horses.

Peggy, whose physique could not adjust to the alien conditions dies, thus removing the necessity of going back to Earth. RAH's usual attachment to strong family bonds shows up throughout the entire ordeal. When it seems that humanity has gotten a toehold in the new world, it is time for Bill to trek back to Earth for higher education. Only he discovers that Ganymede has become his new home and decides to stay. (As a side note, it would have been interesting to explore the alien civilization that had left their technological marvels in that cave/hangar. And what about those crystals?)

Although there isn't much below the surface of this novel (which is not surprising given its intended audience), RAH customary themes run throughout. Self-reliance, goodwill, honor, family ties, and a strong sense of personal freedom---from the Schultzes who seem to be the only ones to survive the quake in their own house, to the colony pulling together---everything reminds me of RAH's "This I Believe." One word: people. Despite the long digressions in physics, engineering, astrogation, binomics, and assorted esoteric sciences, technology consistently takes a back seat to the humanity of the main characters. The only dark cloud in this picture is RAH's grim prophecy of the impending war on Earth, a grand disaster to be caused by the expanding population. But, a new colony is a new hope.

June 22, 2000. BLS