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Tom Swift Jr. #13
TOM SWIFT AND HIS SPACE SOLARTRON, #13 Tom Swift Jr. Series
No. 13 in series. Lists to Repelatron Skyway.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1958
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About the author
Victor Appleton II
121Ìýbooks22Ìýfollowerssee also Victor Appleton
The character of Tom Swift was conceived in 1910 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging company. Stratemeyer invented the series to capitalize on the market for children's science adventure. The Syndicate's authors created the Tom Swift books by first preparing an outline with all the plot elements, followed by drafting and editing the detailed manuscript. The books were published under the house name of Victor Appleton. Edward Stratemeyer and Howard Garis wrote most of the volumes in the original series; Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, wrote the last three volumes. The first Tom Swift series ended in 1941.
In 1954, Harriet Adams created the Tom Swift, Jr., series, which was published under the name "Victor Appleton II". Most titles were outlined and plotted by Adams. The texts were written by various writers, among them William Dougherty, John Almquist, Richard Sklar, James Duncan Lawrence, Tom Mulvey and Richard McKenna. The Tom Swift, Jr., series ended in 1971.
The character of Tom Swift was conceived in 1910 by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging company. Stratemeyer invented the series to capitalize on the market for children's science adventure. The Syndicate's authors created the Tom Swift books by first preparing an outline with all the plot elements, followed by drafting and editing the detailed manuscript. The books were published under the house name of Victor Appleton. Edward Stratemeyer and Howard Garis wrote most of the volumes in the original series; Stratemeyer's daughter, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, wrote the last three volumes. The first Tom Swift series ended in 1941.
In 1954, Harriet Adams created the Tom Swift, Jr., series, which was published under the name "Victor Appleton II". Most titles were outlined and plotted by Adams. The texts were written by various writers, among them William Dougherty, John Almquist, Richard Sklar, James Duncan Lawrence, Tom Mulvey and Richard McKenna. The Tom Swift, Jr., series ended in 1971.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 3, 2020
Once again, Tom Swift predicts Star Trek! This time it is his "matter making machine"--the fancy alliterative label later provided by his sister in one of her three speaking scenes. While there is the usual hand-wavy explanation for how Tom is yet again doing the until-now impossible, it is still so much more of an explanation than Star Trek ever provided. There is also the usual mix of the then current science (solar panels), the previously predicted Star Trek science (repelatron rays, or a reverse tractor beam), the near-future science (rockets, space suits, space walks with reaction pistols), the future science (hand-held computers!), and the completely phantasmagorical science (tomasite, the worlds lightest, strongest, most indestructible plastic!) which are all woven into a the now familiar 1950s white bread tale of Local Boy Does Good.
The story actually gets a little more complicated than the usual Tom Swift adventure with multiple sub-plots finally converging into a quick, yet satisfying finish neatly wrapped up in the last ten pages or so. If you are looking for a very low-stress, fun read to distract you from the worries of the day, you can stop looking and start reading here!
The story actually gets a little more complicated than the usual Tom Swift adventure with multiple sub-plots finally converging into a quick, yet satisfying finish neatly wrapped up in the last ten pages or so. If you are looking for a very low-stress, fun read to distract you from the worries of the day, you can stop looking and start reading here!
June 28, 2015
The Tom Swift, Jr., books were a fun, upbeat, and interesting adventure series published for kids from 1954 to 1971 that promoted science, fair-play, patriotism, and team-work; they were good, positive books. The series served as a sequel to the original Tom Swift series that appeared from 1910 to the beginnings of World War II; Tom and his sister, Sandy, are the children of the first Tom and his wife, Mary Nestor; Tom's girlfriend Phyllis Newton is the daughter of Tom Sr.'s sidekick Ned Newton (now Uncle Ned to Tom and Sandy); the family home is still located in Shopton along Lake Carlopa, etc. It's nice that the continuity is preserved rather than just being over-written as happened to The Hardy Boys; in the first Tom Jr., book beings make contact that were first hinted at in the final real Tom Sr., book, Planet Stone, and throughout the series references to the history are made such as naming a device the Damonscope in honor of a character from the first series, Mr. Wakefield Damon. In addition to the Swifts and Newtons, Tom Jr. has his own sidekick, Bud Barclay, and there are several interesting supporting characters such as Phil Radnor, Harlan Ames (I wonder if Harlan Ellison was the inspiration for the name?), Hank Sterling, Miss Trent (who I don't believe ever had a first name), and especially Chow Winkler, Tom's cook, a former "Texas chuck-wagon" cook who was given to a variety of wild and unlikely expressions such as, "Well, brand my space biscuits!" The earlier books had nice covers, end-papers, and illustrations: Graham Kaye and Charles Brey provided the art for the first twenty-five volumes, followed by Edward Moretz, after which the artistic (as well as the literary) quality starting going downhill. Tom invented and built many fantastic inventions (but remember it was the '50s and '60s), and had many exciting adventures along with his friends and family. They faced off against saboteurs and spies and the evil Brungarians but their good spirits and hard work and can-do attitude always paid off in the end. The continuity didn't always hold logically from book to book, and looking back it's easy to pick apart one thing or another, but they were fun and fine books in their time. This thirteenth volume has a good cover showing the perils of space flight. Let's colonize the Moon!
February 8, 2023
Found at an antiques shop last Friday, I self-diverted yesterday to make sure it didn't stay too long on the Small Stacks of other found books. These books got more... imaginative, and far-fetched as they ran out of material. Less racist than the originals, but still racist (at one point, Tom crept as "silently as an Indian"; and the antagonists, well...they didn't believe in making up Slongorians back then, I guess). In a funny to me passage, jack of all everything Tom forged some copper conductors, then discarded them for new ones he constructed our of aluminum. Why funny? Because electrical contractors always want to substitute aluminum feeders on my construction projects and we disallow their requests every time. Yes, we might save a little money, but the thing about aluminum is that it expands and contracts a lot more than copper and needs to have its connections tightened a lot more often.
Another thing different this time, there were a few caged references to an earlier (possibly immediately preceding) book that seemed to have significance. The pulp series usually stand on their own, even with references to earlier novels.
I'll still read more as I come across them, because I'm interested in the period pieces.
Another thing different this time, there were a few caged references to an earlier (possibly immediately preceding) book that seemed to have significance. The pulp series usually stand on their own, even with references to earlier novels.
I'll still read more as I come across them, because I'm interested in the period pieces.
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October 23, 2016possibly read in winter 1966
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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