Tunnel in the Sky
Definitive survival story
Narrative Synopsis
High school student Rod Walker steps through a teleportation gate onto an uncharted wilderness planet for an Advanced Survival exam meant to last forty-eight hours. When a solar flare severs the gate connection back to Earth, dozens of stranded teenagers must band together, elect leaders, repel predators, and build an enduring civilization from scratch.
Civilization is not a set of buildings; it is a way that men choose to live together without slaughtering each other.
Notable Passage
Historical & Editorial Context
Often regarded as Heinlein's direct, constructive answer to William Golding's Lord of the Flies (published the preceding year).