Marsbound

#212
Title: Marsbound
Author: Joe Haldeman
Publisher: Ace
Year: 2008
296 pages

Marsbound invokes Heinlein at many turns, not least in its nod to Podkayne of Mars (including the female teen narrator with a younger brother and their adventures on Mars). The style is similar to Heinlein's juvenile novels, but with frank sexual intrusions that would be more characteristic of his middle period. This provides an interesting comparison to Haldeman's much-lauded The Forever War with its critique of Heinlein's Starship Troopers.

After a relatively slow opening, the story darkens, though sometimes not enough to generate suspense. Anachronistic details are jarring but do add to the impression of reading out of date juvenile science fiction: Wet diapers in the space suits, for example, or "virtual reality" college classes that must be synchronized with real time classrooms. (My students aren't hurtling away from me on a spaceship, but I still find it more convenient to teach online classes asynchronously.)

Haldeman gives the reader a nice description of aliens who don't understand aspects of their own lives. This evokes the feeling of Clarke's Childhood's End. (Unfortunately, there's a little of 3rd Rock from the Sun's Big Giant Head as well.)

Marsbound could stand alone, albeit in an unsatisfactory way, but is clearly to be followed by one or more sequels.