Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Review Part II: Danger in Deep Space (1953) Book Review

 Hey everyone! I'm back with my review of Danger in Deep Space. I figured giving you a brief primer on the Tom Corbett franchise might be beneficial for this review since it's not something people talk about these days despite the fact that it was pretty popular in the 1950s. So let's get into the review itself.

Danger in Deep Space is the first and only book in the Tom Corbett book series that I've ever owned and read. Unlike The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, Tom Corbett was never available at my school library and my Nana, who went to garage sales every Saturday during my entire childhood, only ever found this book. They weren't being republished as often, if ever, as the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books had been. Not to mention the TV show wasn't exactly airing in reruns when I was a kid. At least, not here in Canada. It might've in the U.S., but not on any American channel we got when I was growing up. So this book was my introduction to Tom, Astro, and Roger.

The story has Tom, Astro, and Roger reassigned to Major Connel, an older Solar Guard officer, who takes them out into deep space to a planet called Tara, in the Alpha Centauri System to test a long range audio transmitter. However, following an accident on the Venus Space Station, Roger is hoodwinked by former Solar Guard officers, Bill Loring and Al Mason, into taking them to Tara on their ship, as they'd discovered a deposit of Copper, which is more valuable as it's in system supply is low, on Tara's moon during their previous mission to Tara under Connel. The boys and Connel stop Loring and Mason, and manage to get the entire Copper deposit back to Earth to help with the Copper shortage.

This book is pretty good for a Science Fiction novel for children that was published in 1953. What fascinates me the most is that the book takes place in the 24th Century, in the year 2353, exactly 400 years in the future from when the book was published. And eleven years before the year that season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation takes place in. 

Because it was published by Grosset & Dunlap, it very much feels like a Hardy Boys book. It even has the illustrations in it like the revised text edition Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books do. Which is probably why I enjoy it so much whenever I read it. Plus with the Star Trek like elements like the Solar Guard and science and exploration nature of the Solar Guard, and it being set in the 24th Century. The characters are likable enough, except for Loring and Mason, but they're the criminals of this story so that's a good thing that they aren't likable. The one problem I have with the characters is that the four boys, Tom, Astro, Roger, and Alfie, are interchangeable so it's difficult to differentiate between them. I do like Connel though.

That's pretty much all I have to say about Danger in Deep Space. It doesn't have much depth to it, so there isn't a whole lot to talk about. That's okay though because I still enjoyed it. I hadn't read it in a few years so I thought I'd give it a re-read and I still enjoyed as much as I did when I was a kid.

That's it for me for today. I'll be back tomorrow for part 3 of my Disney Sing-Along Songs retrospective where I'll be taking a look at the tapes that came out between 1994 and 1999. Until then have a great rest of the day and I will talk to you all later. Take care.