A review by zmull
Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein

4.0

Tunnel is the Sky is one of Heinlein's juveniles, which means its a fun adventure story before anything else. The plot involves a group of kids stranded on an alien world forced to restart civilization without the supervision of adults. William Golding's Lord of the Flies was published the year before Tunnel in the Sky and Tunnel is clearly Heinlein's response to it. Golding thought deep down people were basically shit. Heinlein thought humanity's default was much more honorable. The main problem with the novel, and it is a big one, is that Heinlein's misogyny cast a shadow over everything here. His treatment of women in the novel is frustrating at best. I'd avoid passing along Tunnel in the Sky to teens or pre-teens without first discussing the gender dynamics it presents. That said, the book is a lot of fun and I look forward to reading the other's Heinleins of the era that I haven't gotten to yet.