Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet

By: Harold L. Goodwin

Narrated by: Arthur Vincet

"Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet" is a young adult science fiction novel written by Harold L. Goodwin under the pseudonym Blake Savage. Freshly graduated and commissioned Planeteer Lt. Richard Ingalls Peter ("Rip") Foster, already contending with inter-service rivalry with the Space Force (equivalent to Navy) crewmen with whom he serves, is tasked with retrieving an asteroid made of pure thorium from the asteroid belt and bringing it to Earth for use as fissionable material.

In this he is opposed by agents of the "Consolidation of Peoples Governments", who also seek control and use of the asteroid. The villains in Rip Foster are known as "Consops", agents of the "Consolidation of Planetary Governments" that the Space Force and Planeteers of the "Federation of Free Governments" oppose. It is easy to see that the nickname "Connies" is reference to "Commies", an abbreviation of "Communists", given that the book was written during the Cold War and Korean War.©2017 Audioliterature (P)2017 Audioliterature

Childhood (and old, cold war rivalries) Revisited

This wasn't the first book I read as a kid, but it WAS the first book I read voluntarily (not a school assignment, etc). I remember thoroughly enjoying it then, and it set me on a lifelong path into science fiction. For that, and those memories, I've had a fondness for this title ever since. But like many childhood memories, I'd been personally skeptical if the book would actually hold up to a little adult scrutiny. Basically, I'd wondered if this old book I once revered merited that place in my memory. I should have had more faith in my tastes as a kid, because this book was a lot of fun, it was interesting, well written, and even as a YA novel, it kept me interested even as a senior citizen. Plus, back then I didn't have an actual voice actor fleshing out the characters with pretty damn credible accents, which added a new layer of the book which I didn't have previously. Good stuff. I'm glad it's in my library, and when I'm feeling nostalgic, will probably give it another go at some point. It's only 5.5 hours long after all, why not?