“On my sixteenth birthday, I went to the Moon.”
This isn’t the way it is supposed to be. Turning sixteen should be a special, memorable time for any teenager. It should be unforgettable. And for Jamey Barlowe, it was. In the early hours of the morning of his sixteenth year Jamey and his two older sisters are unceremoniously awoken by their father and rushed out of their home under cover of darkness. In the midst of the chaos and confusion the children are able to discover that the President of the United States is dead, an incident that is being reported as an assassination and the Vice President, Lina Shapar, is calling for the detainment of a group of American citizens that she believes may have a part to play in the President’s death, a group that includes Jamey Barlowe’s father.
Jamey Barlowe was born on the moon. As a result he suffers from a condition that has left him crippled for the majority of his life. If Jamey ever dreamed of returning to the place of his birth it was not like this. But for Jamey and the five other young people leaving with him, this isn’t a time for dreaming, it is a time for cold hard reality. Their destination is Apollo, a mining colony on the Moon, and although they are being sent their for their own protection they will soon discover that safety is all a matter of perspective and the Moon holds harsh challenges for each and every one of them.
Allen Steele’s young adult novel is being hailed as a successor to the great Robert A. Heinlein and if Steele did not pen this as a loving homage to Mr. Heinlein’s juvenile fiction then the only plausible explanation is that Steele is Heinlein reincarnated. From start to finish Apollo’s Outcasts reverberates with the heartbeat of Heinlein’s best and creates a contemporary sense of wonder that will have you daydreaming all over again about a future that includes human habitation on the Moon.
Robert A. Heinlein’s juvenile novels stand the test of time because they were written for young readers in a mature voice that held high expectations for the reader. They presented a fantastical future that did not seem all that fantastic because the sense of wonder they created was grounded in plausible scientific speculation. Those novels did not shy away from their attempts to educate young readers in a way that encouraged them to pursue an education that would allow for them to be an integral part of an amazing future that included a presence amongst the celestial bodies in our solar system. Allen Steele captures that same spirit in admirable fashion with Apollo’s Outcasts.
I won’t be coy with you, dear readers, I was smitten with this book from the start and that feeling of attachment grew at a steady pace all the way through to its final pages. Apollo’s Outcasts is lovingly crafted and it speaks to its intended audience with the dignity and respect that today’s young reader has come to expect from good fiction. At the close of the novel Steele acknowledges the many sources of inspiration for his creation of a mining colony on the moon that feels so plausible that adults who grew up gazing at the heavens with longing and anticipation will feel a genuine ache that this is not our present reality.
Apollo’s Outcasts follows Jamey Barlowe and a group of young people as they travel to the moon, learn to acclimate to an environment unlike anything they are used to, and discover that the Moon is a place where hard work and a community spirit are necessary for survival. It is also a novel that presents a very scary, equally plausible, political environment of social unrest and government abuse of power. The combination of these two major plot threads creates a tension that keeps the novel exciting while at the same time avoiding the cliche of non-stop action that sometimes taints the entertainment options offered today.
It can be argued that good science fiction contains good science and Allen Steele delivers on this account. By the same token I will argue that good science fiction contains good characterization and Steele populates Apollo’s Outcasts with a strong, engaging cast. He takes some risks, including a main character who is crippled and a side character who is mentally challenged, and he does not shy away from the fact that life involves tragedy as well as triumph. I certainly felt the full range of emotion while reading this novel and came out of the experience with a deep respect for Allen Steele’s talent as a storyteller and a warm glow from the knowledge that this style of science fiction can be made relevant for today’s audience. I have a list of adults and children a mile long that I would love to gift this book to. I can only hope that the book creates some of that same sense of wonder that Heinlein’s juvenile novels did in their era. Time will tell, but I cannot help crossing my fingers in hopes that this novel will be a success and will spawn similar efforts from Steele and others.
Effective young adult authors know their audience and walk that fine line between underestimating their audience and writing a novel for adults masquerading as a book for kids. Apollo’s Outcasts is a great example of doing it the right way. Steele packs a lot of information and adventure into 300 pages while practicing the kind of economy of words that will keep younger readers engaged. At the same time this is a book that I think adults will enjoy. I did, very much.
I want to thank the staff at Pyr books for sending me an email asking me if I wanted to review this book. I saw the quotes comparing it to Heinlein and I jumped at the opportunity. I am glad I did. Apollo’s Outcasts is a winner. Solid storytelling, plausible scientific speculation, and emotionally satisfying characterization combine here for a 10/10 star rating. Buy it. Read it to your kids or read it to yourself. You will not be disappointed.
I have, but have not yet read, some of the Coyote books by Steele, buy was until now unaware of this one. The library has 6 copies on order, I’m the fourth hold, so I should get it as soon as it’s received, catalogued and shelved. Excellent review, thanks very much. Um, would I have been on that imaginary gift list for this one?
Yes indeed you were definitely on that list! I haven’t read Steele before and sadly was really only aware of his books because of a few excellent John Harris covers. The publicist at Pyr/Prometheus emailed me about this one and as soon as I saw the Heinlein juvenile comparisons I was all over it as those that I have read are among my favorite classic works of science fiction.
He did such a good job with this one, channeling the master. And of course I mean that as compliment to Steele’s ability, not in any way inferring that he just copied on what Heinlein had already done. No, this one feels very contemporary while at the same time has a hint of that nostalgic flavor that has me returning often to novels that were written four, five and six decades ago.
Will be anxious to read your thoughts one way or the other.
you write such compelling reviews Carl. We will be picking this one up for certain. Sounds like a perfect book to kick off our Sci-Fi Experience.
Thanks L, but when books are this good the reviews write themselves. This one would be high on my list to recommend for the Sci Fi Experience.
I so rarely read sci-fi, and yet some of my favorite books are from the genre. I guess I’m not naturally drawn to the genre but when it’s done well I really love it. I think I might love this one.
This one is really like any good young adult fiction in that the overlying story that sucks you in could be told in any setting. The additional seemingly plausible near-space elements just make it that much more exciting.
Hmm, my dad loves Heinlein, and was just asking me for YA sci fi recommendations…I am obviously forwarding this review to him!
Oh yes, this is one he HAS to read then. Most definitely.
I’ve read several Allen Steele SF novels and enjoyed them all. I will definitely be reading this one. I grew up reading Heinlein’s juveniles. My favorite is CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY followed by TUNNEL IN THE SKY.
Those are two I have yet to read, which makes me happy. I’ll be sad when I one day run out of new, to me, Heinlein juveniles to read. I hope you do read this one, you are one of the people who was in my mind on that long Christmas gift list. Wish I could buy everyone on the imaginary list a copy.
WOW! I just loved this book.
Carl lent me his review copy and I blazed through it just two and half days. It gripped me from the start and I couldn’t put it down. Needless to say Carl is a wordsmith in ways that I’m not so I will just say that I echo everything he says above. This was my first Allen Steele book and I know now it won’t be my last. I have also placed a hold on it at my library for when it comes in so I can share it with my sixteen and thirteen year olds.
So happy to see you have this reaction to the book. I was hoping you would the whole time I was reading it. Also glad my review made you want to read it right away so I didn’t have to force it on you, lol! I thought we would have the same special connection to it as we’ve had with the Heinlein books we’ve jointly read. Very cool. I hope you can find a way to make your kids want to read it as I do believe they would enjoy it once they dived in.
He did such a great job giving little nods here and there to different Heinlein stories and yet it never felt like he was just copying. The story felt very fresh which is why I’m excited about it.
I also liked his nods to Arthur C Clarke. I need to read more of his as well.
Yes, I thought that was really fun too, and I’m glad he mentioned Rescue Party as that was our first Clarke and is a story I really enjoyed.
This sounds absolutely brilliant! I just requested my local library buy a copy. and if they do, i’ll be first on the list to get it. 😀
Oh yeah, you’ll like this one very much Andrea. Hope you get it soon.
I just got this in the mail and remembered your review. I tried reading Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and couldn’t get into it so I’m interested to see how I do with this one based on my not so good track record with Heinlein 🙂 Your review has me excited to check this out!
Although I think there are probably references in this to Moon is a Harsh Mistress, that is not one of Heinlein’s juveniles so I don’t think you’ll find much by way of comparison here between the two books. I suspect you’ll enjoy it, it is very good.
I see what you mean – in regard to your recent comments on my blog about moon colonization. I love the idea of a crippled and a mentally challenged person meeting the high demands of such an unforgiving environment, and potentially even find some things to be a little easier. I’ll have to keep my eye out for this one.
There are certain special books each year that I love to sing the praises of and this is one I haven’t stopped talking about since I read it. Its a good one.
I have been looking for a good Sci Fi but until I read your review I was about to give up. I will give it a try and see if it stacks up. Thank you.
This is a good one, I hope you enjoy it. I’m really hoping that he revisits these characters at some point.