I bought this book because I have made generally good experiences with books in this series, however, I was deeply disappointed by it. David Harland tries to cover the whole of the Galileo mission, but overall, I consider the book a failure. If you want to read a 500p+ NASA press release, this book might be for you. If you want a summary of the Galileo mission, without many repetitions, with factual scientific information on a popular level, however, this book is not for you. Many things, for example the cause for the Galileo launch delay and many important scientific results, are never really spelt out, the illustrations (all in black and white, by the way, despite what the cover might imply) are all the same JPEGs that you can get cheaper from NASAs web-site, and without the strong JPEG aliases that suggest that somebody tried to compress them even more, and I just could continue with that. This is unfortunate, however, since seldomly an author has attempted to cover the results of a space mission as important as Galileo, in such a detail. Because such an attempt is laudable, I give the book 2 stars instead of one.

This book takes you on a ride with the famous robot spacecraft Galileo. Although the first couple chapters describe the spacecraft and deal briefly with the administrative headaches and unfortunate events that led to the greatly delayed launch, the bulk of the book literally follows the robot around as it makes its 6-year interplanetary journey and subsequent groundbreaking observations of remote Jupiter and the Galilean moons.

Despite communications being severely hindered by the early loss of the high-gain antenna, Galileo was still able to send back lots of high-resolution pictures of the Jovian system as well as tons of readings from other instruments. Many of these pictures are printed in this book. The previous reviewer was correct in stating that the pictures on the Internet look better due to more dramatic image scale, but this is a paperback book and the pictures had to be shrunk to fit in. Nevertheless, many of the photographs are stunning, especially of Europa and Io, the two moons closest to Jupiter.

The story really sheds light on how much was lost due to the failure of the main antenna, because instead of a few high-resolution shots of selected areas of the surface like we got, all four moons would have been covered in glorious detail. Anyway, it's still remarkable what the programming team was able to achieve with data compression.

Also, the accounting of the numerous radiation-induced glitches and resets suffered by Galileo helps us understand how incredibly hostile Jovian space is. If a well-shielded electronic device encounters so many problems with radiation out there, how much worse would it be for living creatures??

Overall, a fantastic telling of an incredible story, somewhat accessible to the layman but especially so to the amateur astronomer or space science enthusiast.

At last ... someone's written the full story of this amazing mission. The story of Galileo - a true space odyssey for 2001 - is long and complex, involving much trial and tribulation. Harland has decided to concentrate on the discoveries rather than the drama - the failed antenna, launch delays and uncooperative tape recorder - although he does cover these topics well and with authority. This book comes into its own with the description of the often mind-boggling discoveries made at Jupiter, and the lesser-trumpeted but equally-impressive observations made at Venus, the Asteroid Belt and of the Earth-Moon system. I particularly liked the account of the kamikaze Jupiter Atmospheric Probe - the little package of instruments despatched into the atmosphere of the giant planet itself and which, despite all the telecoms foul-ups, still managed to send back reams of priceless information to earth from the interior of a gas giant! And all this, with 1980s technology. Thee is full coverage of the discoveries made at Europa and Io, the ''sexiest'' part of the mission. The account of the geology of Io is particularly good, and the chapter dealing with Europa is as up-to-date as could be hoped for. Harland does not ignore Callisto and Ganymede either - these moons have not had the coverage of their more glamorous siblings - yet under their icy crusts there may lurk, as Harland says, dark oceans. Jupiter itself gets a good show here, with an in-depth account of the bizarre meteorological processes operating on this photogenic planet. Some of the more ''obscure'' stuff is covered in detail too. Tis is Harland's forte - covering the nitty-gritty of a space mission, the often arcane details that other accounts leave out. Thus we learn all about Jupiter's complex magnetic field, the tiny moonlets some of which are smaller than cities, and some fascinating stuff about interplanetary dust. This is a good read, quite technical at times but there is a substantial glossary at the back for those of us who have difficulty distinguishing out faculae from our calderas. Buy this book if you are interested in space. Brilliant.

There was a not missing fromm thje copyright page: "This boook was previously published in slightly diofferent form under the title _Captins Couragous_ by R Kipling" This is a reteelign of the Kipling book with the most minor of changes to set it in space, even to the point of calling the smaller spaceships 'Dorys' and retainign many other terms and elemets which made sense in their original settign and don't here. Changing one character from male to female introduced a mild romatic sub-plot, and moving the festival scen from the end to the middle of the voyage was interesting, as was the added cloak&dagger sub-plot, but the original is still better.

Shelby Cheever is the kind of kid that everyone, at one point or another, has run into and wished they hadn't. Adapted from a story by Rudyard Kipling and now reprinted for a juvenile crowd by Starscape Books, "Billion-Dollar Boy" is solid if unamazing SF journey.

It's the future, when Earth is impoverished except for a tiny number of corporate big-shots. And Cheever heir Shelby has everything a boy could want and more: insane amounts of money, a staff to wait hand and foot on him, and a dimbulb mother who lacks the brains to tell him "no" sometimes. In short, he's spoiled rotten. And when he wants to take a space cruise, his mum says yes. Unfortunately, Shelby gets drunk on the voyage, and decides to take a small jaunt OUTSIDE the spaceship -- where he gets literally lost in space.

Fortunately, he's picked up by a mining vessel. Unfortunately (depending on your viewpoint) the family on board has never heard of the Cheevers, and they certainly don't believe that he's wealthier than all the miners put together. So for the first time, Shelby is forced to use his brain and his body, and pitch in on actual work. That would be fine -- until someone recognizes him, and plans a ransom demand to his father.

Like "Putting Up Roots," this book is not an amazing, groundbreaking piece of SF, but it's readable for both adults and kids. It has a pretty simple, straightforward plot: Go from A to B, where C will happen. And Sheffield does a good job of shifting Shelby from a bratty, overweight, obnoxious teenage boy to someone resourceful, skilled, and if not smart, then at least trying to be. The writing is fairly ordinary, with some good descriptions of life on a gritty mining ship.

This novel is far from flawless, though. One of the biggest problems is the technobabble that the characters launch into, or the idea that Shelby's smart "salt of the earth" dad would marry an idiot socialite and let his son run wild. Or, for that matter, how there could be a mere few hundred rich elite on Earth; why this is so is never explained, since that sort of scenario wouldn't last long.

Shelby is a pleasant oasis in a sea of kid characters who either know it all, or are just plain annoying. He's meant to be annoying, and the means by which he STOPS being annoying is what makes him interesting. Grace is a pretty good character, although I had trouble figuring out if she was a love interest or not. Most of the supporting characters are okay, not stellar, except for the dryly amusing Logan (a robot).

Despite the odd implausible points, "Billion-Dollar Boy" is a solid enough read, with a very flawed lead and a solid, action-filled story. Nice job.

Where "Higher Education" failed, this book succeeded! "Higher Education" had a great story line, some great observations about society and our education system, and it had some great science. However, it failed in providing a good role model for the teens it was trying to reach. The characters were profane and sexually crude throughout "Higher Education". This book provided a good role model and included all of the good things "Higher Education" had to offer. A great read for all ages!

A surprising turn of events leaves teen-aged Josh Kerrigan twenty-seven light years from Earth on the frontier planet Solferino - with a crew of young trainees and a cruel brigadeer. But Josh's frustrated attempts to figure out Solomon Brewster's true motives are complicated by the fact that he must look after his autistic cousin Dawn and get along with the rest of the group - which includes bullies and drug-addicts.

"Putting Up Roots" is well-written, if entirely unexceptional. The characters are simple and convincingly human - even if the science lacks the "wow-factor" and Brewster's criminal machinations are extremely easy to figure out. The book's real merit is that it reads quickly and easily. A likely candidate for rainy-day reading, "Putting Up Roots" can also be categorized as a young adult novel - making it a nice, quick introduction to the genre.

Juvenile scifi, a much-neglected area, has been given a boost in the last year or two by TOR's Starscape books. One of the new releases is Charles Sheffield's "Putting Up Roots," an unexceptional but likable scifi story with a good cast, though a slightly predictable storyline.

Joshua's mother, a self-absorbed actress, sends him to live with his relatives at Burnt Willow Farm. Having had a good time there eight years before, Joshua is pleased -- until he gets there. He learns that his aunt has died in that time, and his uncle has remarried a sharp-tongued shrew called Stacy, who doesn't hesitate to make him feel unwelcome. She isn't much kinder to her stepdaughter Dawn, an autistic girl who says practically nothing. But Dawn hears and understands a lot more than she seems.

Stacy, in an effort to get her husband to sell the farm, sends the two kids to the untamed planet of Solferino, which has only some lower animals and a lot of plants. To make matters worse, the transport has a bunch of other rejected kids -- four sisters with gemstone names (one of whom is a druggie), and three boys who have Wagnerian names (ex-street thugs). And when the kids arrive on Solferino, Joshua begins to suspect that their bullying supervisor is hiding a dark secret about Solferino's value -- and about the presence of innocent, intelligent creatures on it.

The pacing is the main problem with "Putting Up Roots" -- it starts off rapidly, lags for a long time, then picks up in the last chapters of the book. And the ruperts aren't as big a part of the story as you'd expect. Despite this, it's a fairly good SF adventure story, with its realistic corporate battles and suitably bizarre aliens and planets.

Joshua is a pretty likable hero, especially since he tends to take a very balanced view of what's good or bad. A lot of characters in that sort of situation start whining about what they don't want to do, but Sheffield doesn't. Dawn is a fairly good supporting character, but has a tendency to fade out when she isn't being focused on. Topaz is much more vivid and present in the story. And supporting characters like Sig and Saph are similarly good -- even if you don't totally like them, Sheffield will let you see why they are what they are.

His writing is pretty descriptive, but not immensely. (I occasionally felt frustrated when told that an object was brown and "rounded," but nothing more) And he does an excellent job with the dynamics of the teens in the group -- not everybody is friendly, and not everyone trusts. If you like a little tension in your heroes rather than a big band of buddies, you'll like this.

"Putting Up Roots" isn't perfect, but a flair for characterization saves it from being totally average. Good solid read.

Putting Up Roots
Charles Sheffield
Science Fiction
A boy and his autistic cousin are sent to a far away planet to participate in a research program. It starts out normal enough but there is a sick twist when they find out what their leader is up to. The end is full of action and excitement when it comes time for them to stop his plans.
I've never really read any books like this before with such an extreme change directly in the middle of the novel. It starts out very slow and continues in that fashion until about halfway through where there so much action and so many events going on you can hardly set the book down. It really surprised me and I ended up fairly pleased with the book but the slow intro and begining is my reason for 4 stars.
My personal reaction to the book is pretty good. Sheffield has many unique characters in the book that make for many interesting conflicts when they come together. I also enjoyed the happy ending though it has a bit of a twist. The characters start to get along better and they begin to accept the planet as their own home. This novel also covers the topic of intelligent life on alien planets. The suprise about their leader is very exciting and gets better as the book goes on. "He had found what he wanted, and we were no more use to him." pg. 206. This is what I loved most about his book, the surprises come out of nowhere with absolutely no hint making it a very fun and leaving the reader with no idea whats going to happen next.
I do not think this book is for everyone. It would be best for patient readers, because of its slow start I had trouble keeping the book open for more than 30 minutes or so.

I too found this book very interesting and fun to read. That's probably why I'm here looking for it when I read it almost 20 years ago. For some reason it came to mind. I myself am a Stephen King fan. Not being much of a reader I stepped outside Kings bounds and picked up Jupiter Theft and found it enjoyable & fun reading.

This book approaches the mechanics of writing with a 'good enough' attitude, and focuses instead on plot, setting, and interesting ideas. To my surprise, it worked very well. I inhaled this book in a weekend ten years ago, and I still remember it as a fun read. It would be an excellent book for less experienced readers who haven't developed their stylistic prejudices yet :)

There is a science-fiction series from Germany called Perry Rhodan, and Number Fifty-Three of that series (going by the numbers applied to the North American translations) is called Spybot!. What does this have to do with the Lucky Starr adventure I'm reviewing? Well, more than a little...because each novel uses the same gimmick when it comes to the identity of a spy hiding amongst the crew of a spaceship. I guess if you've read Spybot! I've now just spoiled Asimov's trick, but for the adult reader, the mystery may be pretty transparent anyway. I copped to it--but as I say, I've read Spybot!.

Dropping the Perry Rhodan comparison (except that Lucky Starr does have the charisma, and the commanding height, of Perry; there, now I'll cease), Lucky and his diminutive pal, Bigman, head for one of Jupiter's moons to try to find out how the Sirians know so much about the Terrans' supposedly secret new Agrav (Anti-gravity) propulsion system. They bring along a V-Frog (from Venus) that can detect true emotions in other beings...certainly a potential spy-buster if ever there was one. Unfortunately, Lucky's simple plan goes awry practically from the start, when the blue-collar contingent on the moon in question, Io, attempt to bully and bruise him right back into space (officers of the law are not wanted, where most of the workers are paranoid fugitive criminals from Earth). Things go from bad to worse when murder (sort of) strikes. Some kind of killer robot could be lurking. And the Commander of the inaugural Agrav flight is openly hostile over Lucky's meddling, practically apoplectic when our young hero insists on going along for the ride.

Asimov spins a terrific tale for the younger reader, with some science tossed in as well. Sure, it's outdated science from 1957, but his descriptions of the view as it could possibly exist from not one, but two, moons of the Big Planet, both revolving around Jupiter at fantastic speeds, really instilled a sense of wonder. Besides that, it's action and intrigue all the way, as Lucky struggles to unmask a spy, even after it may be too late, and the experimental ship is sabotaged, possibly doomed for a very long fall.

My first Lucky Starr adventure, and I feel lucky for sampling it.

This is the fifth book in the Lucky Starr series, originally published under the pseudonym Paul French. In this volume, Starr and Bigman Jones travel to a moon of Jupiter to discover the cause of a series of accidents on a secret project to develop a space craft with an antigravity engine. They uncover a spy of Earth's enemy, Sirius. Jupiter IX is called Adrastea in the novel; however, now Adrastea is referred to as Jupiter XV (more (16) satellites are known now than were known in 1957). It is one of the closest moons to Jupiter's surface and could not be the moon referred to in the novel. In an introduction written in 1978, Asimov apologizes for some of the scientific inaccuracies in the story due to all of the new information that had been discovered since 1957. Besides the number of moons, Jupiter's magnetosphere would present severe difficulties to space travelers. The intense radiation field that surrounds Jupiter would be fatal to travelers unless some new method is available to counter the problem. It is also doubtful that the characters would have landed on Io due to its large degree of volcano activity (there are at least eight active volcanos). There is also evidence that Io forms a ring (or torus) around Jupiter consisting of ionized sulfur and oxygen. In 1989, it was discovered from infrared spectroscopy using Earth-based equipment that Io has hydrogen sulfide on its surface. The characters in the novel also land on Amalthea (Jupiter V). This moon, discovered in 1892, is small and has a low orbit. Also unknown in either 1957 and 1978 was the fact that Jupiter has a single faint ring encircling the planet, a ring not detected by Earth-based observatories.

I really enjoyed the book, as I enjoy Heinlein books as an adult, but it is obviously geared toward the juvenile audience. Great. However, it is not finished and we are left hanging in space (pun intended) with the story unresolved. Heinlein didn't do that. I hope Mr. Sheffield continues the story line, but he has so many irons in the fire------. Well, we'll see.

In The Moons of Jupiter, Munro clearly reveals the universal perplexities of our everyday lives. The characters have a rich realness to them and must be commended for their candid honesty. The strength of this book lies in Munro's ability to create a genuine perspective in which the reader has no choice than to become emotionally connected to the characters. I enjoyed these stories because there are many "grey areas" in which the reader must rely on his own experiences to draw conclusions. There are no definative endings to these stories. They are written in such a way that there is often a fine line between hope and despondence; only the reader's morals and values can recognize one from the other.

Ben Bova has been around a long time, has written a lot of novels, and when he writes a novel it is bound to be a decent read. That is what this book is: a decent read for those of us who enjoy "hard" science fiction.
Candidly, this book is not in the same league as Bova's "Mars" or even "Moonrise" or "Moonwar." Although the story takes place almost entirely aboard a space station orbiting Jupiter, one would never know it. They might as well have been at an Antarctic research station--few of the special issues that surely would exist in such an envirnonment ever come out. The book takes a crack at being imaginative by featuring some odd aliens: a genetically modified (more intelligent) gorilla, and whale-like intelligent Jovians. It doesn't work. The ape reminded me of my three year old son except with gorilla strength, and the Jovians act just like human beings. Not at all compelling, convincing, or interesting. Well, that's my opinion, anyway.

Nor did I find the politics of the novel to be particularly interesting. In effect, the novel is set in a world where a caricature of the present American so-called "religious right" is in full control in both the future USA and other countries. Just as you'd expect, these folks (the "New Morality") are narrow-minded characters who you would not want to have a beer with. They are against science and progress because, well, they are narrow-minded characters. OK, so we know that Bova doesn't like the "religious right." We find that out in the first ten or so pages, which essentially constitute a recital as to how awful the "New Morality" is. The "New Morality" then basically drops out of the novel into the distant background, basically as a bunch of puritans who don't want the folks on the space station to explore Jupiter and find out that it contains life and maybe intelligent Jovians. They don't want people to know that there are intelligent aliens because, well, the New Morality is comprised of narrow minded characters. Ho hum.

Basically, like all of Bova's books that I have ever read (most of them) Bova paints a depressing view of the future--one in which individual liberty is very limited, and anything resembling a Jeffersonian view of freedom is a thing of the past. In virtually all of Bova's books he postulates a future in which the authorities can pretty do whatever they like to whomever they like, and generally this is pretty ugly. That is certainly the case in this book--you'll find this recurrent theme throughout. Just like in Bova's "Mars" "Moonrise" "Moonwar" and I imagine the others.

Bova's prose is good. As usual, his character development is serviceable, but none of the characters are compelling, and all are quite forgettable. Nevertheless, this is a readable book; good for an afternoon at the beach or whatnot.

This is the first Ben Bova book that I've read, so I cannot compare it to his earlier works like some other reviewers. That said, I found this book to be very interesting. I liked it a lot and I thought it was a very enjoyable read.

"Jupiter" does not have the hard core science that I typically like in science fiction novels (like Red Mars) but Bova creates an interesting enviornment for a planet we don't know a whole bunch about. With the enviornment he creates he does apply the science (such as fluid dynamics and the chemistry behind the atmosphere) very well, even though it may not be the actual case in reality.

As for the morality and religious implications in the book, they are few and far between. I forgot a few times the original reason why Grant went to Jupiter in the first place, but it wraps up nicely without being overly offensive to either side of the belief system.

All in all, I highly recommend "Jupiter." It is a quick read, it is interesting, and thought provoking.

This is my third Bova book, and they just keep getting better. Jupiter is an unforgettable novel. It combines brilliant characterization with a fast-paced, tension-filled plot filled with action and suspense. Grant Archer is a young scientist assigned to a station in orbit around Jupiter. A quiet, reserved man, he is torn between his natural curiosity and his desire for a simple, quiet life with his new bride. Along the way he discovers a new depth of spiritual faith while at the same time doing battle with dangerous religious zealots. Jupiter grapples with age-old question while at the same time never failing to entertain. Read this book!

I bought this book about a year ago and it has taken me much of the year to read. This is by far the most interesting science book that I have ever seen. For a non-scientist like myself, it is an extremely interesting approach to explaining physics, chemistry, biology, geology, evolution and astronomy. The interesting thing is that one is, most of the time, reading a story about the universe or the history of earth or life and that one doesn't even realize that one is learning science. The Bible According to Einstein is a great book.

The Bible According to Einstein is the most incredible book that I have ever read. I am in a daze. The birth of the universe, the creation of the earth, the emergence of life -- all narrated in the most wonderful rhythmic poetry. I feel so enlightened about the world, about my place in the universe. Every day, I re-read a few pages. It has become my bible. The only criticism that I have is that I found the chapter on the supernova explosion too detailed.

I salute the book by a quote that appears at the beginning of The Third Book of Physics, Called Classical Physics:

"Give thanks unto Nature. Make know her laws unto all men.

So it was written. So it shall be."

I learned so much from The Bible According to Einstein. It is the best science book that I have ever read. Stars, planets, earth, dinosaurs, molecules, cells are all so clearly explained. I discovered many fascinating things. For example, did you know that sun as viewed from Mercury sometimes undoes zig-zag movements? That's right. The sun as it inches across the sky moves forward, then back and then forward again. It is also wonderful to experience the birth of life of earth that occured 3.5 billion years ago. When I read the book, I can almost hear winged trumpets celebrating this event.

As already noted in the reviews, the book has all the elements of the genetically-engineered-child-as-bad-seed books that seem to be proliferating lately. You've got the betrayed wife, the amoral doctor who crosses the line into evil, the helpless friends, the works. While it's not terribly plotted, there is also nothing interesting or new.

Furthermore, the writing style is uneven. While it picks up steam later in the book, the first few chapters read like a writing workshop exercise, with one adjective per sentence-- "blinding brightness", "bitterly cold", "perfect blanket", and "southern sky"-- and this all in only the first (short) paragraph.

I like genetics thrillers, and this one is pretty standard. There's the requisite creepy child, worried parent, bad doctor, good doctor, etc. I recently picked this book up for a second time, and I found I had to skip long boring portions. However, if this is the best book you've ever read, I would suggest broadening your horizons.

I first heard of this great book from a book-report at school. From the name, I could tell that I would like this book. After that day at school I began a quest to get this book. It took 5 different trips (and 3 months) to various book stores to find out that the book was out of print. I was devistated by this news. I really wanted to read this book. When my mother and I went to the library I saw an oppertunity. I look for the book in the card catalog and.......to my stars it was there. I was so happy. I finally got to read my book. The only problem that I face right now is that I don't want to return the book, but of course I have to. I just WISH that I could have this book FOR MY VERY OWN =o(. If anyone has an extra copy of this great book, please contact me at my websight