SOJALS rating:

Very good (3/5)

I first read this on the 5th February 2002.

A few decades in the future, the world hasn't changed so much: it's still in a mess. The space elevator - the cable to geostationary orbit - although a superb and successful technological achievement, has destabilized the global economy.

The dysfunctional Dingillian family has its share of domestic problems. The parents divorced painfully. The three sons Douglas, Charles 'Chigger' and Robert live with their mother. Once a year their father takes them for their annual holiday. Their mother is hysterical and selfish, their father full of unkept promises.

Still this year the vacation promises to be big one. Maybe their father will actually fulfil one of his promises, maybe they'll be going on the space elevator, on the Beanstalk, up to Geostationary.

This is a great little book! A coming of age adventure written in a style reminiscent of Heinlein and Varley. Our protagonist is the very believable Chigger and we're right there with him as he leaves childhood behind, watching his brother become a man.

What's it got? well, the space elevator is a magnificent centerpiece and the tube homes are worth an honorable mention. And there's John Coltrane.