Farmer in the Sky

infobox Book |
name = Farmer in the Sky
title_orig =


image_caption = First Edition cover for "Farmer in the Sky"
author = Robert A. Heinlein
illustrator =
cover_artist = Clifford Geary
country = United States
language = English
series = Heinlein juveniles
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Charles Scribner's Sons
release_date = 1950
media_type = Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = NA
preceded_by = Red Planet
followed_by = Between Planets

"Farmer In The Sky" is a 1950 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about a teenage boy who emigrates with his family to Jupiter's moon Ganymede, which is in the process of being terraformed. First published in "Boys' Life" magazine, in serial form (August, September, October, November 1950), under the title "Satellite Scout". It was published in hardcover that year by Scribner's as part of the Heinlein juveniles.

Passing references by the lead character to the song "The Green Hills of Earth" three times and to its author, Rhysling, once, have caused some to consider it part of Heinlein's "Future History" series.

Plot summary

The story is set in a future, overcrowded Earth, where food is carefully rationed. Teenager William (Bill) Lermer lives with his widower father, George. George decides to emigrate to the farming colony on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons. After marrying Molly Kenyon, George, Bill and Molly's daughter Peggy embark on the torchship "Mayflower". On the journey, Bill saves his bunkmates from asphyxiation by improvising a patch when a meteor punctures their compartment. To combat the boredom of the long trip, the Boy Scouts among the passengers form troops, and all the children attend classes.

When they arrive on Ganymede, an unpleasant surprise awaits the newcomers. The group is much larger than the colony can easily absorb. The farms they were promised do not yet exist. In fact, the "soil" has to be created from scratch by pulverizing boulders and lava flows, and seeding the resulting dust with carefully formulated organic material. While some whine about the injustice of it all, Bill accepts an invitation to live with a prosperous farmer and his family to learn what he needs to know, while his father signs on as an engineer in town. Peggy is unable to adjust to the low pressure atmosphere and has to stay in a bubble in the hospital. When the Lermers are finally reunited on their own homestead, they build their house with a pressurized room for Peggy.

One day, a rare alignment of all of Jupiter's major moons causes a devastating moon quake which damages most of the buildings. Peggy is seriously injured when her room suffers an explosive decompression. Even worse, the machinery that maintains Ganymede's "heat shield" is knocked out and the temperature starts dropping rapidly. George quickly realizes what has happened and gets his family to the safety of the town. Others do not grasp their peril soon enough and either stay in their homes or start for town too late; two thirds of the colonists perish, either from the quake or by freezing. The Lermers consider returning to Earth, but then Peggy dies. In true pioneer spirit, they decide to stay and rebuild.

The colony gradually recovers, and an expedition is organized to survey more of Ganymede. Bill goes along as the cook. While exploring, he and a friend discover artifacts of an alien civilization, including a working land vehicle that has legs, like a large metal centipede. This proves fortuitous when Bill's appendix bursts and they miss the rendezvous. The shuttle picks up the rest of the group and leaves without the pair. They travel cross country to reach the next landing site. Bill is then taken to the hospital for a life-saving operation.

Major themes

The book takes up consciously many of the themes of the 19th century American frontier and homesteading.cite journal|last=Abbott|first=Carl|date=July 2005|title=Homesteading on the Extraterrestrial Frontier|journal=Science Fiction Studies; , , |volume= Vol. 32|issue=Issue 2|pages=p240–264|issn=00917729]

References

The novel refers to the "Space Patrol," the interplanetary peace-keeping organization described in "Space Cadet".

In "Variable Star", a novel written by Spider Robinson based on an outline by Heinlein, the lead character is a farmer from Ganymede, where there is a Lermer City.

Because it was written to be serialized in the Boy Scout magazine "Boy's Life", as well as in a Scribner's novel, Bill Lermer's participation in the Scouts is pervasive, mentioned at least once per chapter.

Comments

This is the first appearance (in Heinlein's novels) of the concept of overpopulation threatening to bring on a war (back on the Earth).

External links

*isfdb title|id=1964|title=Farmer in the Sky

Notes