FANDOM NAME: The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet book series by Carey Rockwell
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet was something of a cultural phenomenon in the 50s, starting with a TV show and including all manner of merchandise, including some tie-in books that very much stand alone as a series without knowing anything about the show (which is good, because the show did not age half as well as the books have).
It's a boys' own adventure type science fiction romp, about three young men who are a team at the Space Academy, training to become officers of the Solar Guard in a world where much of the solar system has been colonized by humans (and there are dinosaurs on Venus). They get pulled into adventures much bigger than cadets really should, but they always come out okay, and they make for a great team. Plus every book contains at least one instance of at least one member of the team being imperiled and the other two taking care of him, if hurt/comfort is your jam.
Tom Corbett is, of course, our team's leader, a good person who's got a plan in any crisis and who is just squeaky clean enough that he might be a little annoying if he didn't also enjoy getting into shenanigans with his friends.
Roger Manning is snarky, always getting himself into trouble, and the "astrogator" of their three-man team, Tom being the commander. He's something of an antagonist for most of the first book, before he just turns into the member of the team most likely to mouth off and get in trouble.
Astro is an orphan brought up on Venus (where, I cannot stress this enough, there are dinosaurs) and while he's not particularly academically gifted, he's a brilliant engineer who can come up with a solution to any mechanical problem their ship, the Polaris, can throw at him. He and Roger spend a whole lot of time snarking at each other.
There are other regular characters, most notably Captain Stephen Strong, the officer in charge of their unit at the Academy, and the one woman in the Solar Guard (sigh, the 50s), a scientist named Dr. Joan Dale, but those three are our heroes.
Overall, it is optimistic pulpy sci-fi, in short easily-digestible books!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Happily, seven of the eight books are available for free on Project Gutenberg! (And the eighth removes Roger, from what I hear, so where's the fun in that?) Since each book stands alone quite well, I'm putting an asterisk by the ones I think are best, since as with series like Nancy Drew or the like, "Carey Rockwell" means "whoever they could assign to write that book" and quality varies. All are worth reading, but if you're pressed for time, the starred ones are a good place to start!
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WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
Tom Corbett, Space Cadet was something of a cultural phenomenon in the 50s, starting with a TV show and including all manner of merchandise, including some tie-in books that very much stand alone as a series without knowing anything about the show (which is good, because the show did not age half as well as the books have).
It's a boys' own adventure type science fiction romp, about three young men who are a team at the Space Academy, training to become officers of the Solar Guard in a world where much of the solar system has been colonized by humans (and there are dinosaurs on Venus). They get pulled into adventures much bigger than cadets really should, but they always come out okay, and they make for a great team. Plus every book contains at least one instance of at least one member of the team being imperiled and the other two taking care of him, if hurt/comfort is your jam.
Tom Corbett is, of course, our team's leader, a good person who's got a plan in any crisis and who is just squeaky clean enough that he might be a little annoying if he didn't also enjoy getting into shenanigans with his friends.
Roger Manning is snarky, always getting himself into trouble, and the "astrogator" of their three-man team, Tom being the commander. He's something of an antagonist for most of the first book, before he just turns into the member of the team most likely to mouth off and get in trouble.
Astro is an orphan brought up on Venus (where, I cannot stress this enough, there are dinosaurs) and while he's not particularly academically gifted, he's a brilliant engineer who can come up with a solution to any mechanical problem their ship, the Polaris, can throw at him. He and Roger spend a whole lot of time snarking at each other.
There are other regular characters, most notably Captain Stephen Strong, the officer in charge of their unit at the Academy, and the one woman in the Solar Guard (sigh, the 50s), a scientist named Dr. Joan Dale, but those three are our heroes.
Overall, it is optimistic pulpy sci-fi, in short easily-digestible books!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
Happily, seven of the eight books are available for free on Project Gutenberg! (And the eighth removes Roger, from what I hear, so where's the fun in that?) Since each book stands alone quite well, I'm putting an asterisk by the ones I think are best, since as with series like Nancy Drew or the like, "Carey Rockwell" means "whoever they could assign to write that book" and quality varies. All are worth reading, but if you're pressed for time, the starred ones are a good place to start!
1. Stand By for Mars*
2. Danger in Deep Space
3. On the Trail of the Space Pirates*
4. The Space Pioneers
5. The Revolt on Venus*
6. Treachery in Outer Space*
7. Sabotage in Space
8. The Robot Rocket (not on Project Gutenberg)