Tunnel in the Sky (1955)

Robert A. Heinlein

Del Rey, New York; ISBN: 0-345-35373-0; Pages: 214

This is one of RAH's ``juvenile'' novels and as such treats its subjects with some deliberate superficiality, which at times sounds offensively didactic. This, however, does not detract from the beauty of the book, which features the usual RAH paraphernalia---an arresting plot, fast development, excellent characters, crisp and witty dialogue, and a nostalgic ending.

The story is nothing new in the world of SF. The basic premise of placing a group of children 16 to 23 years of age in an unknown environment with nothing more than a few tools and their own basic survival skills, is vaguely reminiscent of the classic Jules Verne novel except there the kids were stranded on a remote island instead of a planet and did not have special training like the ones in this novel. The survivalist motive recurs in RAH's own work as well (see, for example, ``Farnham's Freehold'' and the colony there).

Briefly, Rod Walker is a high school senior in an elective seminar in ``Advanced Survival'' is to take the final examination, which consists of being dropped on an unknown planet with nothing more than the gear of his choosing. His task? To survive until he is picked up, anywhere between 48 hours and 10 days. He (and about twenty classmates) are dropped off through the portal (a futuristic technology that allows instantaneous space travel through gates linking the two points) individually. He barely escapes with his skin when an unknown attacker strips him of everything but a concealed knife. Rod finally manages to team up with Jackie (who later turns out to be Jacqueline) and they resolve that something has gone terribly wrong... there would be no pickup, they will have to survive on their own, on a planet which resembles Earth except for the dangerous stobors, animals about which they have been warned upon departure.

The entire story revolves around the establishment of the first colony on the new planet, Cowpertown. More and more examinees show up, the population grows and with it, the need for governmental organization. This is the most interesting part of the book, and the one which distinguishes it from the earlier (and later) works. Unfortunately, the treatment is aimed at adolescents and is not terribly persuasive at moments. There is nothing of the mature RAH philosophy of government---instead, the quasi-parliamentary democracy (replete with committees, reports, votes of confidence, etc.) seems primitive and very much unlike anything one would expect to see arise under similar circumstances, namely some form of oligarchy, dictatorship, or something alone the lines of the anarchy in our own ancient hunter-gatherer societies. Nothing of the sort happens here and even though leadership conflicts are resolved one way or the other, it is a wonder the colony succeeds as well as it does. It is also unclear why the kids would opt for Grant Cowper and his smooth politicking when Rod has shown everyone that he can handle the job. The feeble excuse of lacking authority could easily be remedied by asking whoever disliked the arrangements to leave. No need for a procedural committee, agendas, and democratic voting. Hell, the whole idea of a constitution was a sham anyway. Romantic, but not persuasive. RAH's later versions usually handle this aspect much better.

Anyway, eventually, the colonists are rescued and they go their separate ways, a realistic albeit disappointing finale. Rod fulfills his dream and becomes a professional captain who escorts colonists through the gates to new planets for humanity to conquer.

The obvious flaw of the juvenile market is the inability to express strong sexual themes, and the gap is patently obvious in the novel. With a population roughly evenly distributed, all we get are some sort of formal marriages which always entail the separation of the couple into its own dwelling (even when it means taking stones from the defensive wall). Boys and girls sleep in separate quarters, a moral sheepishness that comes unnaturally to Heinlein. The story bursts with latent eroticism below the veneer of propriety, with Rod as the obvious focal point. But time and again, the female characters inexplicably marry off other boys although a couple of them display more than friendly affection toward Rod. Chalk up the negative to the target market and the publisher.

Oh, and by the way, the stobors turned out to be really dangerous!

January 11, 2000. BLS