By far the very best Lucky Starr book, the plot starts off with a boobytrapped ship which is sent into the asteroids with the hope that pirates will find it, bring it home, and blow themselves up (the ship is rigged to explode).
Lucky, however, changes the script a bit by stowing away on the boobytrapped ship and trying to convince the pirates that he wants to join them. The pirate leader is suspicious and tries to have Lucky killed, but Lucky survives, so the pirate leader dumps Lucky on an asteroid with a hermit. The hermit, who has worked with the pirates, agrees to defect, and take Lucky to Ceres, the largest asteroid in the belt where civilized people have established a base.
The pirates soon attack, however, and retake the hermit. Lucky goes after their flagship, which is on its way to Saturn to form an alliance with their deadly enemy, the Sirians. In a dramatic ending, Lucky threatens to ram their ship unless they surrender. Lucky for him, they do. But the real surprise comes when Lucky reveals that the hermit is himself a pirate, and, based on flimsy deduction, Lucky believes he's responsible for the death of his parents. When they ask "Doesn't it bother you, Lucky?" he gives an anti-death penalty speech and states that it's sufficient for the guy to go to jail.
That seems a bit disingenuous. But that's ok, because of the great chase scene at the end of the book.
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| Plot Summary of Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids |
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"Lucky Starr tries to infiltrate the pirates of the asteroid belt to find out more about them. But they're wise to his attempts and try to kill him several times. This doesn't slow Lucky down much, as he discovers a big secret about the pirate leader that affects him personally."
Steve, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book
- very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Spying & Investigations
Yes
What is main char. doing?
- spying/espionage in enemy territorry
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- preventing/managing clash/war between govts/kingdoms
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- scientist
Age:
- 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Spaceship setting:
- futuristic human warship
- futuristic human freighter/transport
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue?
- mostly dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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