Review of "Revolt on Alpha C," by Robert Silverberg

Review of

Revolt on Alpha C, by Robert Silverberg


Three out of five stars

When there is a revolution, you must pick a side

 Larry Stark is a young cadet in the Space Patrol, the government organization that is the space military. Humans have established colonies and bases all the way out to Pluto in the solar system as well as in the planetary system around Alpha Centauri. Propulsion systems have improved dramatically to the extent that ships can travel between the sun and Alpha Centauri in a matter of weeks.

 Larry is a member of the crew of a ship traveling from the Earth system to Alpha C, the main planet of the Alpha Centauri system that has been colonized. While on that ship, he interacts with some of the crew members that work in maintenance. He discovers that their perspective is different from his, while they are careful, they express some revolutionary feelings. For the people of Alpha C are primed for a revolt against being controlled from Earth. The revolution becomes explicit while Larry in on Alpha C and he must decide whether he is to remain loyal to Earth and fight for the Space Patrol or to join the revolution.

 This is a good but not great book of adolescent science fiction; it presents a choice that many people have unfortunately had to make. For when there is a revolt against the primary government authority, it is necessary for nearly all people that can fight to pick a side.