About this item
Highlights
- A beloved book from one of the greatest writers of science fiction ever, restored with its original ending that was changed by the original publisher.The Podkayne of Mars follows a teenage girl named Podkayne "Poddy" Fries and her younger brother, Clark, who leave their home on Mars to take a trip on a spaceliner to visit Earth, accompanied by their great-uncle.
- About the Author: Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science-fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and retired Naval officer who is known as the"dean of science fiction writers".
- 172 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Science Fiction
Description
Book Synopsis
A beloved book from one of the greatest writers of science fiction ever, restored with its original ending that was changed by the original publisher.The Podkayne of Mars follows a teenage girl named Podkayne "Poddy" Fries and her younger brother, Clark, who leave their home on Mars to take a trip on a spaceliner to visit Earth, accompanied by their great-uncle. Podkayne is a bright, adventurous sixteen-year-old whose ambition is to become the first woman deep-space pilot.
The trip suddenly becomes extremely dangerous when they take an unexpected detour to Venus, and she gets involved in a volatile diplomatic and political situation involving her uncle.
The book is a first-person narrative consisting of the diary of Podkayne Fries, a 15-year-old (Earth years) girl living on Mars with her parents and 11-year-old brother Clark1.
The book explores
themes such as gender roles, family relationships, and politics and has been noted that Heinlein's portrayal of Podkayne as a strong-willed and independent young woman was ahead of its time.
Heinlein was extremely
unhappy with the change in the ending the publisher insisted upon when it was first published. This edition restores the original ending Heinlein wanted.
About the Author
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science-fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and retired Naval officer who is known as the"dean of science fiction writers". His works emphasized scientific accuracy, pioneering hard science fiction, and expressed admiration for competence and critical thinking.He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades and is often considered one of the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.Heinlein's work continues to have a significant influence on the science-fiction genre and modern culture more generally. He coined terms that have become part of the English language, such as "grok", "waldo", and "speculative fiction", and popularized existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He anticipated technologies such as mechanical computer-aided design and the modern cellphone in his writing.Four of Heinlein's novels won Hugo Awards, and he was named the first Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Grand Master in 1974. Seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos" fifty years after publication. Heinlein repeatedly addressed social themes such as individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, and the influence of organized religion on culture and government within the framework of his science-fiction stories.He died in Carmel, California in 1988.