/lit/ - Literature

>>14868709
Revolt on Alpha C - Robert Silverberg (1955)
This novella was Silverberg's first published work that wasn't a short story. He was 19 years old. As you can tell from the image it was targeted at young teens. Many of the characters are similarly named after people he knew and was friends with or admired. The books themes and morals are explicitly discussed, though while not quite in a sermonizing manner, it veers dangerously close. A character presents a little book to the protagonist and tells him to read it because it contains all the ideals that he needs to know to understand their cause.
In 2363, a faster-than-light military ship is on a training mission to Alpha Centauri IV, where it discovers that the planet is in revolt and has declared its independence. Our naïve protagonist, Larry Stark, has to decide where his loyalties lie. Does he choose the planet, Earth, and nation, The United States, where has always lived and has pledged his loyalty to, or does he choose a people and land he has never known to fight for ideals and principles he has never before considered, forsaking family, home, and everything he's ever known to live out the rest of his life here, fighting with them for their cause? Ending Spoiler: I think it ought to be obvious, but he chooses the latter.
It somewhat bothered me that there was a mining colony on Jupiter since there isn't any solid ground there, but maybe that wasn't really known in 1955 or he simply didn't know.
I was amused that the American Revolution was studied as part of Medieval History, which is what their own revolt is based on, even going so far as to chant "No taxation without representation!"
The planet is described as a primitive dinosaur planet, and considering Silverberg's later works, I think he must have been rather fascinated by dinosaurs. In this case, they are mostly there as background. A short chase scene from a t-rex being the only notable inclusion.
I don't know why it is, but there's something about works that include dinosaurs that just irritates me, which doesn't mean I necessarily avoid them, though I have avoided works for specifically for their inclusion.

Rating: 2.5/5
Mostly for how basic and hamfisted it was with cardboard cutout characters. However, if I had read this as a child, particularly if I were on at the time it was written, I would probably have given it a 5/5.