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A review by jstilts
Simon Black in Space by Ivan Southall
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
2.25
Early Australian science fiction!
Written in the 1950s, the "Simon Black" series follows the adventures of RAAF pilot Simon Black and his dog in escapades very much aimed at Australian fans of "Biggles", but with a home-grown hero.
This book and a few others veer a little away from airforce adventures and into Science Fiction, but it's still a story told through the lense of someone obsessed with the mechanics of air travel who loves a good punch-up, keeping a stiff upper lip and burying all their feelings - except ones of superiority! Note, there are almost no female characters in this.
It's a pretty basic straightforward adventure but fairly effectively cloaked in mystery that makes it seem more complex: where are these flying saucers coming from? What do they want? How will Simon catch them? What will Simon do? How will he return? Why the heck did they take a dog into space with them?
The dog must be a recurring character, but it's utterly ridiculous that it comes on this adventure and has a thoroughly miserable time on the spaceship and on Mars. At one point one of the three main characters actually punches the dog unconscious to simplify a tense moment.
The answer to "what do they want" contains a surprising critique against modern farming practices and humans impact on the environment, and "what will Simon do?" is - other than punching his way out of trouble - a very humanitarian response to the problem - if through a somewhat condescending colonialist mindset. Having not read any other Simon Black books I can't say if this is a common theme or a side-effect of exploring science fiction themes.
As an alternative to Biggles it succeeds, as a early Australian sci-fi it's an interesting curiosity. If I ever come across another volume I'll be interested to read it, but it's not something I'd especially recommend to modern children.
Written in the 1950s, the "Simon Black" series follows the adventures of RAAF pilot Simon Black and his dog in escapades very much aimed at Australian fans of "Biggles", but with a home-grown hero.
This book and a few others veer a little away from airforce adventures and into Science Fiction, but it's still a story told through the lense of someone obsessed with the mechanics of air travel who loves a good punch-up, keeping a stiff upper lip and burying all their feelings - except ones of superiority! Note, there are almost no female characters in this.
It's a pretty basic straightforward adventure but fairly effectively cloaked in mystery that makes it seem more complex: where are these flying saucers coming from? What do they want? How will Simon catch them? What will Simon do? How will he return? Why the heck did they take a dog into space with them?
The dog must be a recurring character, but it's utterly ridiculous that it comes on this adventure and has a thoroughly miserable time on the spaceship and on Mars. At one point one of the three main characters actually punches the dog unconscious to simplify a tense moment.
The answer to "what do they want" contains a surprising critique against modern farming practices and humans impact on the environment, and "what will Simon do?" is - other than punching his way out of trouble - a very humanitarian response to the problem - if through a somewhat condescending colonialist mindset. Having not read any other Simon Black books I can't say if this is a common theme or a side-effect of exploring science fiction themes.
As an alternative to Biggles it succeeds, as a early Australian sci-fi it's an interesting curiosity. If I ever come across another volume I'll be interested to read it, but it's not something I'd especially recommend to modern children.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Colonisation