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Podkayne of Mars  By  cover art

Podkayne of Mars

By: Robert A. Heinlein
Narrated by: Emily Janice Card
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Publisher's summary

From the author of Friday and Rocketship Galileo comes this classic tale featuring the Grand Master of science fiction's most remarkable heroine.

Podkayne Fries, a smart and determined maid of Mars, has just one goal in life: to become the first female starship pilot and rise through the ranks to command deep-space explorations. So when she is offered a chance to join her diplomatic uncle on an interstellar journey to distant Earth via Venus, it's a dream come true - even if her only experience with diplomacy is handling her brilliant but pesky younger brother, Clark.

But she's about to learn some things about war and peace, because Uncle Tom, the ambassador plenipotentiary from Mars to the Three Planets Conference, is traveling not quite incognito enough - and certain parties will stop at nothing to sabotage negotiations between the three worlds.

©2003 The Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Podkayne of Mars

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Where is the sequel?

I listened to this several years ago and enjoyed it very much. I am 72 years old and still enjoyed this especially with the lady that was the narrator. Her voice and the quality of her reading made this a book worth listening to over and over again. I think I enjoy reading Heinleins books for younger people such as this one, because it lacks the vulgarity and utter violence and sexual aspects of the more "adult" books. Anyway, I hope this review helps others to want to at least investigate Heinlein's books for the younger generation. Another one that I have read over and over again is Starman Jones which I highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A lifetime favorite

Any additional comments?

This was the first SF book I read, when I was 11. I wanted to BE Podkayne. As a young adult, I was embarrassed to like the book. But over the years, especially when I look back unflinchingly at my teenaged years, I can admit that 15-year-old (in Earth years) girls really are like that. Podkayne is intelligent but naive, courageous but reckless, ambitious but unsure of what she really wants. I love her, and I love the "classic SF" in this book: human settlements on Mars and Venus, space travel, the human constants of personalities and politics.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Perfect narrator

This is one of Heinlein’s many Science Fiction juveniles. Some of the ideas are outdated, especially compared to his latter works. But Heinlein has such a way with words! Emily Card is a perfect Podkayne. Her narration and his wordcraft made this audio.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

great story, lackluster ending.

as the title says above, Heinlein kept me interested and engaged, but his ending felt like it should be pretty of a series, and it is not.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Still good after first read over 40 yrs ago

Still a great story after all these years with an excellent performance. While a little dated, though not as much as other Heinlein books, it is a good listen and enjoyable story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

surprised about the ending

Any additional comments?

So, about 5 hours into this book I was wondering if I would ever see Podkayne achieve her ambition of becoming a starship captain (or if she'd give into the weird baby obsession) and I asked google if there were sequels about Captain Podkayne Fries. Sadly there are not but the more interesting thing I learned was that there was a whole hullabaloo about the ending of this book, that Heinlein had disagreed with his editor and thirty years after the original publishing there was a like, "choose your own ending" edition with both versions and some kind of reader vote/essay contest, and that all editions since that vote in the mid-90s had Heinlein's preferred ending. So I was really surprised that this audiobook produced in 2008 had the editor's ending as published in 1963!

I honestly don't think I missed anything or was cheated, the differences are apparently all literally on the last page of the text and amount to three sentences if that. But I also was frustrated with the structure of the last section REGARDLESS of Heisenberg Podkayne, so maybe I'm not the best judge! I saw a Heinlein purist complaining about the "wrong ending" being on here in the reviews but seriously, so little changes and the weird baby obsession wins anyway, what does it even matter? Although the fact that there IS such a controversy about the ending of this novel is interesting and I do recommend reading up on that wankfest!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Written when eugenics was considered science

apparently Heinlein had a lot in common with a certain German dictators version of how to raise super children

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Recommend book

My only complaint is that the story ended sooner than I expected. But enjoyed the storyline and plot.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Flawless

A Heinlein classic that Ms. Card has brought to life beautifully. Highly recommended for fans of classic sci-fi.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The life and trials of a young Lady!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes as it shows the results of the out come of dreams coming partly true!

What other book might you compare Podkayne of Mars to and why?

The Rolling Stones and Have Space will Travel which show Heinline's ability to bring a world to life into the here and now.

Which scene was your favorite?

Where Clark is doing the postscript at the end of the book while taking care of the Fairy for Poddy!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The politics of three worlds and how they can pull in innocents into harms way!

Any additional comments?

Heinline makes fiction so real!

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