Notes:Currently on Audible PlusI did not know that this book was a part of a series until I looked it up on GR. It looks like they can be read as standalones? That's a guess. I had fun listening to the story. It's a solid, YA adventure story. I had no problem following the story without reading the other books in the series. The ending is abrupt & I want to know what happens after, but I will never find out because the next book is a different MC & the setting is on Earth.

This is a Jupiter Novel, the fifth one. Reads as a stand alone. Jupiter novels can be read in any order.I simply like reading Pournelle. He tends to mostly stick to hard science. His stories make sense and come to logical resolution. It is an older style of writing, but I enjoy having a story without a lot of loose threads at the end, but still leaving the opening to possible future adventures. This is grouped in the Young Adult books, but it does not play down to an age group, but rather is ver...

A thorough introduction 'how I came to write this' doesn't even mention Charles Sheffield, so I have absolutely no idea how it's considered a "Jupiter" novel. It's YA hard sf, and I'm enjoying the world-building but dreading the intrigue & adventure that's being telegraphed.Oh, and when the youngster meets a girl his own age for the first time, the first thing he thinks about is how he's aware that "men like having sex with girls" and will he be expected to do so with her. In addition to the wei...

After having just listened to several pretty deep books, this was a nice light 60's style sci-fi (but written more recently so it wasn't as misogynistic as, say, Heinlein). However, after a lot of build up, suddenly it comes to an abrupt end. And, as far as I can tell, there is no next book? I was going to give it 4 stars for enjoyment factor, but that end lost it at least one star.

I have re read this book a number of times and every time I enjoy it. I rarely skip pages (as I tend to do on re reads). This book has a coming of age story with mystery, murder, puzzles, politics, and mind opening characters. The are a few cliche characters as well; rare not to have them.

Good story. Relateable characters . An alien world and first contact adventure by Jerry Pournelle, who never disappoints.

Definitely a Heinlein style juvenile. Nice adventure suspense mystery but not hard to stay ahead of the reveals. Kip is befriended by a voice in his head, an orphan raised by his uncle on Paradise aka Purgatory. The planet is interesting but dangerous. More dangerous, however, is the huge corporation that owns the planet and wants to exploit it. Kip and his friends run afoul of the corporate goons and the adventure heats up. Good solid sci fi. Classic.

Very good science fiction with interesting alien creatures, and kids, and political intrigue, and commentary on society, and artificial intelligences... I had a lot of fun reading this book, and it gave me a thing or two to think about as well! Nice visual descriptions, action scenes etc - I bet someone could make a great movie out of it.

A nice surprise, this freebie from audible. Made me realise I like children’s books much more than YA. Much more straightforward.Then ending was perhaps a bit too straightforward. I almost missed it, it was so sudden.

Pournelle admired the same "juvenile" books by Robert Heinlein that I did, and has succeeded in writing one just as satisfying. Other than a slow start and abrupt ending, it's nearly perfect.

Listened to this Audibe on my kindle....appropriate for Middle school.

I totally loved this story. Young boy is orphaned on another planet that has only a few scientists. He lives with his Uncle Mike. Unknown to all, including Uncle Mike, the boy hears a voice who helps him.

Great readJerry's aliens are always believable and often great fun. Good guys win, too. I miss that in most modern sci-fi

Really enjoyed this book, right up until the ending, which felt super abrupt and as if the author just gave up and moved on to another project. Or maybe had to get the book in the mail to the publisher and didn't have time for another word. :(Still, it's a really interesting world with cool alien life forms and interesting characters. The main character is "Kip", an orphan living on a colonized world with his Uncle Mike. The most interesting alien life form on this new world is the starswarm, so...

The story and characters are really good, fully entertaining to read, but the writing is workmen like in some areas.

Starswarm is by Jerry Pournelle. It is the fifth book in the Jupiter Novels. It is a Young Adult Science Fiction novel. In this one, Kip has been living with a secret all of his young life in that he has a voice in his head. The voice known as Gwen has always cautioned him to keep her voice a secret and he always has. As he grows older he begins to question Gwen and also his guardian, Uncle Mike, about what happened to his parents and why he is living at a remote research base on a planet far fr...

Good futuristic sci-fi featuring brave youths, wise adults, protective dogs, artificial intelligence, and interesting species on a distant planet. Fairly predictable as I guessed where it was going. Fairly abrupt conclusion. Yet interesting and entertaining. I liked the two different types of artificial intelligence. And maybe the premise holds water.

I mostly enjoyed this book given its viewpoint is that of a young person and his involvement in an alien world and the corporations that control it. I also liked his relationship with his “voice in his head”. The various components of the story, while set in an alien world that humans have taken control over, did not did not come as much of a surprise. This was either because the revelations were telegraphed well in advance, or the story’s lack of depth did not allow the tension to build nor any...

I enjoyed the journey to the end far more than the end, which wrapped the plot up far too neatly. Great protagonist, though. Great world to be discovered.

Simple story, juvenile. Storytelling is fine but some complexity would have made the book more interesting.