Robert Heinlein

Tunnel in the Sky

Pan Books Ltd, 1968, 222 pages

Rarely do I read Science Fiction novels, but Ralf brought this one home from a business trip last month and I was curious; one of his customers had lent it to him after some conversation they’d had about The Knowledge by Lewis Dartnell.

First published in 1955, Tunnel in the Sky takes place in a future where people travel to other planets easily enough through special gates.

Rod is a senior in high school and his final examination in Solo Survival takes him to an unknown planet for up to ten days. But something goes wrong and the exit gate back to Terra never appears. Rob and the other students stranded on the planet are left to their own devices for an indefinite amount of time. They must hunt, find water, build shelters and – as their group grows in number – build a society, which is not an easy task.

Robert Heinlein wrote 32 novels and 59 short stories in his lifetime, in addition to other works!