Rite of Passage
Ratings10
Average rating3.7
After the destruction of Earth, humanity has established itself precariously among a hundred planets. Between them roam the vast Ships, doling out scientific knowledge in exchange for raw materials. On one of the Ships lives Mia Havero. Belligerent soccer player, intrepid explorer of ventilation shafts, Mia tests all the boundaries of her insulated world. She will soon be tested in turn. At the age of fourteen all Ship children must endure a month unaided in the wilds of a colony world, and although Mia has learned much through formal study, about philosophy, economics, and the business of survival, she will find that her most vital lessons are the ones she must teach herself. Published originally in 1968, Alexei Panshin's Nebula Award-winning classic has lost none of its relevance, with its keen exploration of societal stagnation and the resilience of youth.
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I quite enjoyed this little book. It is a coming of age story, an adventure story, and an exploration of the concepts of morality and justice – all in a nice space opera wrapper. [b:Rite of Passage 229021 Rite of Passage Alexei Panshin https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334659898s/229021.jpg 2160570] won the Nebula Award in 1968 for best novel. I suppose nowadays it would be marketed as young-adult SF. The story is still good and still relevant.
“If I had the opportunity, I would make the proposal that no man should be killed except by somebody who knows him well enough for the act to have impact. No death should be like nose blowing. Death is important enough that it should affect the person who causes it.”
A fine coming-of-age novel that is still relevant today.
This was Panshin's first published novel and my introduction to his work. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1968 and was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best novel in 1969 (losing to Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar; Delany's Nova was nominated this same year too). And now I can see why.
There's something very fascinating for me in the anthropological and psychological aspects of living in spaceships, or any other man-made space structures for that matter (e.g., space stations, merchants). I've read about this before in novels by Heinlein, Silverberg, Delany, Cherryh, just to name a few, and the bottom line is that a new culture will emerge and with it a new set of rules that will favor sustainability. I think Panshin did a great job with the world building and depicting the life of a little girl living under this context, waiting for the Trial to come. They don't just send 14-year-old kids to die in a colony planet, they receive actual training in Survival Class, but despite that, the mortality rate is fairly high. As cruel as it may sound the Trial has a purpose: ensure that those who survive are skilled enough to contribute.
It was really fun and thought-provoking to experience the character's evolution through a series of events and little adventures that end up broadening her world and growing her confidence and moral not only towards her own people but towards the colonists as well. The other major aspect of the book is related to the differences between the ship people and the colonists (derogatorily known as “Mudeaters”). A lot of different subjecs are discussed throughout the book: ethics, philosophy, slavery. Solid story, beautiful book.
