Thom reviewed Trouble on Titan by Alan Edward Nourse
Review of 'Trouble on Titan' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Likely compared to the Heinlein juveniles which were published around the same time, I found this story to be quite a bit better. Ten years later, RAH would dedicate his novel Farnham's Freehold to Alan E. Nourse, and Trouble on Titan was his first published full-length work.
The descriptions of Titan are darn close to what probes found fifty years after this book was published, even though the silicon life forms are a bit fanciful. Women could have played a stronger role here, especially as the colony was described as balanced. The story works well, even though the villain is mostly a cliche. There is a good reason this novel was included in the Winston science fiction series (juvenile novels with a focus on science) and James Wallace Harris' "Defining Science Fiction Books of the 50s" list.
Definitely looking forward to reading more from the late Alan Nourse in the …
Likely compared to the Heinlein juveniles which were published around the same time, I found this story to be quite a bit better. Ten years later, RAH would dedicate his novel Farnham's Freehold to Alan E. Nourse, and Trouble on Titan was his first published full-length work.
The descriptions of Titan are darn close to what probes found fifty years after this book was published, even though the silicon life forms are a bit fanciful. Women could have played a stronger role here, especially as the colony was described as balanced. The story works well, even though the villain is mostly a cliche. There is a good reason this novel was included in the Winston science fiction series (juvenile novels with a focus on science) and James Wallace Harris' "Defining Science Fiction Books of the 50s" list.
Definitely looking forward to reading more from the late Alan Nourse in the near future!