• 61020 words
• Language: English

Synopsis

When we hear a work has been written by person or persons unknown under a house pseudonym, was part of a series that ran simultaneously in the newspaper comics, on TV, on radio, and in cheesy-looking off-size paperback books, we feel safe we can assume that the content will be not just forgettable, but something we'll be better off forgetting. But work made for hire isn't always so awful, actually, or it didn't used to be, anyway. And in the case of the book you hold in your hands -- first in the Tom Corbett series by "Carey Rockwell" (whoever he was in real life) -- this book is really pretty damned neat. It's the tale of three young men who join the Solar Guard to serve as Space Cadets (yes, really! That's what the book calls them). It tells of the challenges that face them, and the way they triumph over adversity. Neat stuff! Read it now!

Excerpt

"Stand to, you rocket wash!"

A harsh, bull–throated roar thundered over the platform of the monorail station at Space Academy and suddenly the lively chatter and laughter of more than a hundred boys was stilled. Tumbling out of the gleaming monorail cars, they froze to quick attention, their eyes turned to the main exit ramp.

They saw a short, squat, heavily built man, wearing the scarlet uniform of the enlisted Solar Guard, staring down at them, his fists jammed into his hips and his feet spread wide apart. He stood there a moment, his sharp eyes flicking over the silent clusters, then slowly sauntered down the ramp toward them with a strangely light, catfooted tread.