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Available
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Publication
in The Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr, SFBC (2001)
User reviews
LibraryThing member StormRaven
This is the second Lucky Starr book, and the first Asimov wrote after it became clear that no television show would be made with the character. This is also the book where David Starr morphed from being a Lone Ranger imitation to being a Cold War counterintelligence agent. The books also began
The Lucky Starr books were supposed to interest young boys in science, although it is hard to figure out how. They are, however, pretty good adventure tales. Having been to Mars in the previous book, Lucky heads out to the Asteroid Belt to take on the pirates referenced in the first book. Lucky accompanies a ship booby trapped by the Science Council intended to cause trouble for the pirates. Once in the belt, the pirates predictably board the ship, and seem to know all about the Council's trap. Lucky infiltrates the pirate band, has to fight to prove himself (something that seems common in the Lucky Starr books), and eventually figured out who the leader is, and has to undertake a daring maneuver only made possible by his Martian mask. On the way, Lucky finds out about the Sirian involvement in the pirate plots. The Sirians become the antagonists for the rest of the series, plotting against Earth over and over again.
This is not deep, philosophical science fiction, and some of the information in the book is now dated to a certain extent (planetary astronomy has made significant strides since the book was written). The book remains a solid adventure story aimed at teenage boys, and a reasonably good adventure story for older readers too, who will see some of the seeds of ideas Asimov fleshed out in books such as The Caves of Steel in this book. This isn't great science fiction, but it is fun and readable.
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referring to the character as "Lucky" Starr, because Asimov apparently thought that David was too mundane a name for a planet hopping character.The Lucky Starr books were supposed to interest young boys in science, although it is hard to figure out how. They are, however, pretty good adventure tales. Having been to Mars in the previous book, Lucky heads out to the Asteroid Belt to take on the pirates referenced in the first book. Lucky accompanies a ship booby trapped by the Science Council intended to cause trouble for the pirates. Once in the belt, the pirates predictably board the ship, and seem to know all about the Council's trap. Lucky infiltrates the pirate band, has to fight to prove himself (something that seems common in the Lucky Starr books), and eventually figured out who the leader is, and has to undertake a daring maneuver only made possible by his Martian mask. On the way, Lucky finds out about the Sirian involvement in the pirate plots. The Sirians become the antagonists for the rest of the series, plotting against Earth over and over again.
This is not deep, philosophical science fiction, and some of the information in the book is now dated to a certain extent (planetary astronomy has made significant strides since the book was written). The book remains a solid adventure story aimed at teenage boys, and a reasonably good adventure story for older readers too, who will see some of the seeds of ideas Asimov fleshed out in books such as The Caves of Steel in this book. This isn't great science fiction, but it is fun and readable.
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LibraryThing member rufty
Don't get me wrong I love Asimov, i just think this book is missing something, some spark that set out Asimov as the genius we all love him to be.
LibraryThing member Karlstar
Similar to the space opera novels of 'Doc' Smith. Basic, simple science fiction set in our solar system. A good book for early readers of science fiction.
LibraryThing member Shimmin
A sci-fi adventure story. As with most Asimov, although it's an adventure story it takes a fairly serious tone, and is full of hardish science. It didn't really throw up anything unexpected, I'd guessed the main points of the plot fairly early on, but it's quick, fairly interesting and I didn't see
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much to complain about either. It doesn't feature character development or sparkling conversation, but that's not really what it's going for. Scientific Adventure in Space is what this is. Show Less
LibraryThing member pgiunta
One year after David Starr's adventure on Mars—where he encountered a benevolent race of energy beings living in isolation below the planet's surface while investigating a food poisoning scare—Starr sets off to eliminate a growing pirate threat originating from our solar system's asteroid
David "Lucky" Starr, a junior member of the Council of Science, proposes that an expendable, unmanned vessel, the Atlas, be sent to the asteroid belt with the intention of allowing the pirates to capture it and tow it back to their base—where explosives rigged in certain sections of the ship would detonate.
Starr's mentors, Doctors Conway and Henree, endorse the plan but are shocked when they learn from Starr's sidekick, the diminutive but capable Bigman, that Starr had decided to board the Atlas in order to infiltrate the pirates.
As planned, the ship is captured by a pirate vessel, commanded by one Captain Anton, who suspects that Starr, traveling under the alias Bill Williams, is a government man. After narrowly winning a duel to the death with Anton's first officer, a surly and stout pirate named Dingo, Starr is dropped off on a large asteroid, where he encounters a hermit named Hansen, who claims to help the pirates on occasion in exchange for his safety—as long as he remains on the asteroid.
However, Hansen recognizes David Starr as the son of the late scientist Larry Starr. Further, Hansen has a small vessel that can take them off the asteroid and he pleads with Starr to help put him contact with the Council of Science base on Ceres.
Once there, Hansen is not at all forthcoming with information about the pirates and he claims to have forgotten the coordinates of the asteroid he calls home. However, Starr had taken notes on the way from Hansen's asteroid and decides to return in his own vessel, the Shooting Star along with Bigman. Eventually, they locate the asteroid, but Starr quickly finds himself ensnared in a trap set by the pirates led by Dingo. They capture him and take him below the surface, where Starr observes a manufacturing plant and main base of pirate activity.
Will Lucky Starr escape the asteroid alive and make it back to the Shooting Star? Even if he does, will he and the Council of Science be able to stop a raid on Ceres by a fleet of pirate ships bent on recapturing Hansen? What's more, how will the Council of Science eliminate the pirate threat from the asteroid belt once and for all?
Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids is the second volume in a six-book series. As with David Starr, Space Ranger, the story is an easy, fast-paced read. This time around, the plot twist was predictable, but that did not diminish the enjoyment of a vigorous, rip-roaring adventure.
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belt.David "Lucky" Starr, a junior member of the Council of Science, proposes that an expendable, unmanned vessel, the Atlas, be sent to the asteroid belt with the intention of allowing the pirates to capture it and tow it back to their base—where explosives rigged in certain sections of the ship would detonate.
Starr's mentors, Doctors Conway and Henree, endorse the plan but are shocked when they learn from Starr's sidekick, the diminutive but capable Bigman, that Starr had decided to board the Atlas in order to infiltrate the pirates.
As planned, the ship is captured by a pirate vessel, commanded by one Captain Anton, who suspects that Starr, traveling under the alias Bill Williams, is a government man. After narrowly winning a duel to the death with Anton's first officer, a surly and stout pirate named Dingo, Starr is dropped off on a large asteroid, where he encounters a hermit named Hansen, who claims to help the pirates on occasion in exchange for his safety—as long as he remains on the asteroid.
However, Hansen recognizes David Starr as the son of the late scientist Larry Starr. Further, Hansen has a small vessel that can take them off the asteroid and he pleads with Starr to help put him contact with the Council of Science base on Ceres.
Once there, Hansen is not at all forthcoming with information about the pirates and he claims to have forgotten the coordinates of the asteroid he calls home. However, Starr had taken notes on the way from Hansen's asteroid and decides to return in his own vessel, the Shooting Star along with Bigman. Eventually, they locate the asteroid, but Starr quickly finds himself ensnared in a trap set by the pirates led by Dingo. They capture him and take him below the surface, where Starr observes a manufacturing plant and main base of pirate activity.
Will Lucky Starr escape the asteroid alive and make it back to the Shooting Star? Even if he does, will he and the Council of Science be able to stop a raid on Ceres by a fleet of pirate ships bent on recapturing Hansen? What's more, how will the Council of Science eliminate the pirate threat from the asteroid belt once and for all?
Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids is the second volume in a six-book series. As with David Starr, Space Ranger, the story is an easy, fast-paced read. This time around, the plot twist was predictable, but that did not diminish the enjoyment of a vigorous, rip-roaring adventure.
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Language
Original publication date
1953
1978-02 (fra.)
Local notes
Lucky Starr, 2
DDC/MDS
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