"Rhythm Rides the Rocket" by Bob Olsen is a science fiction novel published during the mid-20th century. The story revolves around Captain Timothy Verger, who is piloting the spaceship Goddard, tasked with transporting women to their husbands, who are exiled miners on Ganymede. The women are also members of a band, adding an unusual twist to their interplanetary journey. The narrative unfolds as Verger grapples with the absurdity of his mission, juggling
his responsibilities while dealing with unexpected peril when the spaceship is pulled towards the hostile moon Callisto by a mysterious energy beam. As the story progresses, Verger devises a clever plan involving a musical performance to distract the curious alien inhabitants of Callisto, allowing the crew and women to escape. The tale combines elements of humor, adventure, and romance, particularly as Verger's hardened heart softens towards one of the band members, Helen Green, revealing deeper themes of love and companionship amidst the chaos of space travel. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
New York, NY: Columbia Publications, Inc., 1940, reprint 1942.
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive).
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 73.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
