BOOKSCAN #9

RITE OF PASSAGE

by Alexei Panshin

Timescape, 1982


I had high expectations of this book but it left me disappointed. The story is a first person account in the voice of a teenage girl living in a spaceship world that was akin to Heinlein's "Universe". 

Things wrong with the book:

- Mia Havero, the main character, is annoying.

- The world-building is inconsistent, illogical in several aspects.

- The book seems padded in spite of it being only 239 pages long.

However, there are 2 passages in the book that are brilliant. These passages are Mia's views on ethics, utilitarianism and stoicism. These short passages are better than whole theses on these philosophies.

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