Ranking the volumes in the Tom Swift series
by Russ Wolstencroft
E-mail address: tomswift_33@yahoo.com
Editor's note: A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from someone asking if I had ever ranked the volumes in the Tom Swift series. I told him that I had never done so, although I had often thought about it. A few weeks later, I received another e-mail with a ranking of all 33 volumes, and a little while later this person also sent me an explanation of why the volumes were ranked as they were. I had never seen a document like this before, so I asked his permission to post them. He agreed, and so here they are!
Please feel free to let him know what you think! This is a great topic for discussion. If you have your own rankings, feel free to e-mail them to me at scooper1@wv-cis.net or post them on the Tom Swift eGroup. The eGroup is a great place to discuss all things related to Tom Swift, and it's free! The eGroup is located at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tom_Swift
The Ranking
& James Duncan Lawrence
$ Thomas Mulvey
@ Richard Sklar
% John Almquist
# William Dougherty
* Richard McKenna
+ Vincent Buranelli
Details and Comments
1. Tom Swift and His Flying Lab (1954) 208 pages
written by William Dougherty, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in Verano near the Andes in South America. With a trip to Riverton.
Why: To find uranium deposits and rescue the scientists being held by the Verano rebels.
Bad guys: The Verano rebels led by a Eurasian named Vladimir Contes.
My thoughts: The book is way too long and would have been much better-read if it were 30 pages shorter. Has some 50ís references (communication problems) and the situations are too contrived (how many traps can Tom walk into).
Rating: 30
2. Tom Swift and His Jetmarine (1954) 208 pages
written by John Almquist, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in the Caribbean and on Spaniel Island near Cuba. With trips to Manhattan NY and Stillman's Wharf.
Why: To stop attacks on cargo ships and rescue uncle Ned and his father from pirates.
Bad guys: The pirates (Sidney Dansitt, George Jennig, Wessman) led by a renegade scientist named Chilcote.
My thoughts: The book is too 50's (submarines instead of airplanes for cargo hauling). It doesn't hold up to time very well (ships for transatlantic travel instead of airplanes).
Rating: 28
3. Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship (1954) 208 pages
written by John Almquist, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place on Fearing Island and in earth orbit at 1075 miles. With trips to Hankton ME near the Bay of Fundy and the Canadian interior.
Why: To win the $100,000 prize for earth orbit at 1075 miles offered by the International Rocket Society.
Bad guys: International group headed by renegade scientist named Rotzog.
My thoughts: The book is too 50's. The author ran out of story before using up the pages. The last 40 pages are too contrived (how many thing can happen in a single earth orbit) and very inaccurate even for the 50ís (falling out of the end of the spacecraft).
Rating: 29
4. Tom Swift and His Giant Robot (1954) 210 pages
written by Richard Sklar, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place at the Citadel in the southwest United States. With trips to Farmington and Purple Mesa.
Why: To build, operate and maintain an atomic energy plant.
Bad guys: The Briggin gang (ëFlashí Ludens, ëPinsí Zoltan, ëSlickí Steck) led by a mad scientist named Raymond Turnbull who has a twin brother, Robert, working for Swift enterprises.
My thoughts: The first of the better-written books even with the hokey robot. There are some 50ís references (chaperones, the nicknames) and minor technicalities (Budís rescue from Purple Mesa, Phil Radnor a pilot).
Rating: 27
5. Tom Swift and His Atomic Earth Blaster (1954) 210 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place at the South Pole near the Queen Maud Mountains. With trips to Alaska and Washington DC.
Why: To find an unlimited supply of high-grade iron ore.
Bad guys: The Kranjovians led by Ivor Bronich.
My thoughts: A better written but 50ís book with many technicalities (Tomís workshop at home, the money issues, is iron ore really that valuable).
Rating: 25
6. Tom Swift and His Outpost in Space (1955) 210 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in a geosyncronous earth orbit at 22,300 miles and on the island of Loonaui near the equator in the Pacific Ocean. With trips to the Florida Keys and San Francisco CA.
Why: To build a space station to manufacture solar batteries.
Bad guys: A secret society (Eli Rhoderman, Pali) led by Stanis Blatka working with a foreign government. The Quik Battery Company led by president John York.
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book but with writing errors and many technicalities. (why Loonaui when you have Fearing Island, ship the Star Spear from Fearing Island to Loonaui, poor security on island).
Rating: 24
7. Tom Swift and His Diving Seacopter (1956) 214 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place under the sea off the coast of Brazil and on the island of Marajo. With trips Fearing Island, under the sea around the Cape Verde Islands near the Atlantic Ridge and to Thessaly.
Why: To recover a rocket sent by the Swiftís space friends and to find the lost city of Atlantis.
Bad guys: A group of disreputable scientists (Ferdinand Acton, Kelton Price) led by Munson Wickliffe.
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book with some technicalities (one copy of the space dictionary, where are the fat man suits).
Rating: 15
8. Tom Swift in the Caves of Nuclear Fire (1956) 214 pages
written by Thomas Mulvey, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in the Belgian Congo interior in Africa. With a trip to Leopoldville Belgian Congo.
Why: To discover the source of the mysterious green gas, Exploron, with antiproton properties.
Bad guys: A group of diamond smugglers (Harry Hoplin, Eric Cameron, Lloyd Burgess).
My thoughts: A better-written book but the premise of the story is too bland with no major invention. Not as well paced as the two previous books. With some minor technicalities (Tom has a gun, where did the green diamonds come from).
Rating: 26
9. Tom Swift on the Phantom Satellite (1956) 214 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place on the satellite Nestria, in earth orbit at 50,000 miles. With trips to Fearing Island, Washington DC, and Fernwood.
Why: To claim the satellite for the United States, set up a permanent base and discover the secrets left behind by their space friends.
Bad guys: A Brungarian rebel group led by Streffan Mirov.
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book minor technicalities (using the Star Spear for the cargo ship rescue, the phone in Fernwood, no tether line in space).
Rating: 21
10. Tom Swift and His Ultrasonic Cycloplane (1957) 182 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in the New Guinea interior.
Why: To rescue Bud and Hank who crashed landed there and to find the source of the Holmium the statue was made of.
Bad guys: A gang of smugglers (George Hedron, John Aider, Julian Strang, Brad Wilkins, Len Fitch).
My thoughts: A fast paced better-written book even with the contrived plot. There are some minor technicalities (building walkie-talkies that just happen to be on the same frequency as the smugglers, Arv has a gun).
Rating: 12
11. Tom Swift and His Deep-Sea Hydrodome (1958) 184 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place on the ocean floor near the Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean. With a trip to Fearing Island.
Why: To set up an undersea helium production facility.
Bad guys: A subversive group of an unnamed country (Paulus White, Firth Webster alias Dr. Calvin Klevalog, Klaus Sturko) led by Menarsky.
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book even though too little time is spent on the actual building of the undersea facility. There are some 50ís references (helium balloons in place of booster rockets, cargo carrying balloons, is helium really that valuable).
Rating: 18
12. Tom Swift in the Race to the Moon (1958) 180 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in orbit and above the surface of the moon. With trips to Fearing Island and the space wheel.
Why: To retrieve a rocket sent by their space friends and to win the race to the moon against the Brungarians.
Bad guys: The Brungarians (Otto Jantree).
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book with 50ís references (a 20 ton computer, computer only capable of one task) and some technicalities (taking Sandy and Phyl on the first orbital flight, why wait till the Brungarians left earth before going to the moon, did not actually set foot on the moon).
Rating: 20
13. Tom Swift and His Space Solatron (1958) 183 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in outer space and on the moon. With trips to the Citadel, Fearing Island and the space wheel.
Why: To set up a permanent colony on the moon.
Bad guys: A group of renegade scientists (Hampshire, Amberson Lintner) led by a trio of Mongolian descent.
My thoughts: A fast paced better-written book even though the moon base was never built. There are far too many technicalities (Sandy and Phylís previous Challenger flight, solar batteries put out more power than a nuclear reactor, Tom and Budís moon rescue, how many times do you take space solatron apart).
Rating: 23
14. Tom Swift and His Electronic Retroscope (1959) 184 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place around a Mayan village in Yucatan Mexico.
Why: To transport some Mayan people to the United States for research purposes. To date and read ancient inscriptions on artifacts found in the Mayan ruins.
Bad guys: A gambling engineer, Wilson Hutchcraft and a patent pirate, Aaron Felzer.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book with a few minor technicalities (communication problems, the unguarded or locked paraplane). This is by far the best written book to date.
Rating: 10
15. Tom Swift and His Spectromarine Selector (1960) 184 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place under the sea north of the Cape Verde Islands near the Atlantic Ridge. With trips to Fearing Island and Carterton.
Why: To explore, clean and claim the ancient city of gold, Atlantis, for the United States. To find a new alloy to enable his father to complete a government contract.
Bad guys: Agents of mixed nationality (Joe Judson, Longneck Ebber, Quidd) led by a Brungarian (Decko).
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book with many technicalities (waiting so long to claim city of gold, the Spectromarine Selector is that expensive, waiting to analyze the ore in the statues).
Rating: 16
16. Tom Swift and the Cosmic Astronauts (1960) 184 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Takes place in outer space. With trips to Fearing Island, the space wheel, the South Atlantic and the North Sea.
Why: To find an inexpensive alternative to current spacecraft propulsion systems.
Bad guys: Agents of a foreign revolutionary group (Olin Whaley, Captain Yao) led by a renegade Oriental scientist Li Ching.
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book but lacks continuity with the other books. There are many technicalities (Cosmic Sailer cheaper to operate than the Challenger, the navigation problems and rescue of the cargo rocket, why build the cosmic reactor at the space wheel, the space kite flight and rescue).
Rating: 22
17. Tom Swift and the Visitor from Planet X (1961) 184 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Graham Kaye
Where: Trips to the outskirts of Harkness, a government reservation in Colorado and the Island of San Rosario in the Atlantic Ocean.
Why: To construct a receptacle for the energy life form from the space friends and to neutralize the earthquakes caused by the Brungarian rebels.
Bad guys: A faction of the Brungarian rebels (double agent Samson Narko) that tried to take over Nestria.
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book with many technicalities (exploding radios and communication loss with the space station, the capture of the energy life form, using the energy life form for espionage instead of leaning about their space friends, the raid on San Rosario).
Rating: 19
18. Tom Swift and His Electronic Hydrolung (1961) 178 pages*
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Charles Brey
Where: Takes place on and under the sea in the South Atlantic near St. Paul Rocks. With trips to Fearing Island and under the sea in the Florida Keys.
Why: To recover the Jupiter probe capsule.
Bad guys: A group of rebel Brungarians (Dimitri Mirov) with an American agent (Len Unger).
My thoughts: A well paced better-written book that picks up the pace in the second half. There are many major technicalities (the lack of a transmitter on the Jupiter probe, the sub detection problem, not using previous inventions in search procedure).
Rating: 17
19. Tom Swift and His Triphibian Atomicar (1962) 178 pages*
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Charles Brey
Where: Takes place in the interior of Kabulistan. With trips to the Citadel, Taos near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Shirabad the capital of Kabulistan and Teheran Iran.
Why: To industrialize the underdeveloped country of Kabulistan and discover the location of a lost ruby mine called Amirís Mine.
Bad guys: A group of European and Kabulistan decent ("Mr. Goldtooth", Gursk) led by scientific mastermind Simon Wayne. A lone fanatic named Mirza.
My thoughts: A fast paced better-written book with some minor technicalities (why not repelatron donkeys instead of Atomicars). The atomic power capsule is the real major invention.
Rating: 13
20. Tom Swift and His Megascope Space Prober (1962) 176 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Charles Brey
Where: Trips to Washington DC, New York City NY, New Jersey, Fearing Island and in earth orbit.
Why: To build an improved version of a radio telescope and to rescue Bud from the Astro-Meteor which is on a flight to Venus.
Bad guys: A gang (Tappan, Dunstan, Tunbridge Jackson, Bruggin, Howard) led by a disreputable scientist Jules Furster. A vindictive dishonest scientist Jacques Gaspard.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book with a few minor technicalities (the rescue of the Astro-Meteor).
Rating: 1
21. Tom Swift and the Asteroid Pirates (1963) 178 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Charles Brey
Where: Takes place in outer space and on the asteroid Nestria. With trips to Fearing Island, Chinatown in New York NY, Washington DC and Patagonia Argentina.
Why: To penetrate the antimatter field surrounding the asteroid Nestria and rescue the hostages.
Bad guys: A gang (Franz Varad, Fernand Zerbski, Achmet Rahj) with hired help (Nick Springurt, Frieda Springurt) led by a Eurasian known as the Black Cobra.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book with a few technicalities (why didnít space wheel send a rocket to Nestria, the Challenger first to go though barrier instead of unmanned rocket).
Rating: 7
22. Tom Swift and His Repelatron Skyway (1963) 179 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Edward Moritz
Where: Takes place in the jungle of Ngombia, Africa. With trips to Newark NJ, Princetown, Imbolu and Copperville Ngombia.
Why: To build a highway over the rain forest of Africa.
Bad guys: A gang (Darcy Creel, Kroker) with a hired helper, Willie Jarvel, led by Hans Macklin. An eccentric scientist Welkin Eldreth with a servant, Mbonga, who later helped Tom.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book even with the dinosaurs.
Rating: 5
23. Tom Swift and His Aquatomic Tracker (1964) 178 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Edward Moritz
Where: Takes place in the Atlantic Ocean. With trips to Fearing Island, Southampton and London England, Paris France and Monte Carlo Monaco
Why: To find and recover the gold bullion and the statute, Delian Apollo, from the sunken ship, the S. S. Centurion.
Bad guys: An international gang (Krajenko) led by a wealthy criminal mastermind, Petrov Vaxilis. An irrational inventor Tristan Carlow.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book with a few minor technicalities (no long range signaling device on transatlantic crossing).
Rating: 6
24. Tom Swift and His 3-D Telejector (1965) 177 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Edward Moritz
Where: Takes place in orbit and within the Green Orb. With trips to Fearing Island, Washington DC and New York NY.
Why: to discover the secret of the green Orb.
Bad guys: A gang of scientific spies known as Group Q (Klaus Sturko, Fred Flamm, Jeremy Kessler, Joe Mulver) led by the Black Cobra who also previously led the attack on Nestria. A free-lance electronics engineer Horst.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book even with the alien life-force the Green Orb.
Rating: 3
25. Tom Swift and His Polar-Ray Dynasphere (1965) 177 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Edward Moritz
Where: Takes place in Chullagar and around the Lake of Kali in Vishnapur. With trips to the space wheel, Fearing Island, New York NY, Bombay India, earth orbit, Shankaru and the Choyal mountain range in Vishnapur.
Why: To retrieve a probe sent to Mars and to drain the poisonous Lake of Kali in Vishnapur.
Bad guys: Agents (Rakshi, Benny Susak, Chandra) of Prince Gopal who is working with the Peopleís Republic (Colonel Chung) to overthrow the Vishnapur government.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book even with the far out Polar-Ray Dynasphere.
Rating: 9
26. Tom Swift and His Sonic Boom Trap (1965) 178 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Edward Moritz
Where: With trips to Detroit MI, upper New York State, Alice Springs and around the Murchison Range Australia, Washington DC, Manhattan NY, New Jersey, around the Barkly Tableland Australia and New York NY.
Why: To stop the sound attacks on American cities and to rescue John Wyvern.
Bad guys: A kidnap ring (Yunsen) led by Serge and Otto Delperta. A gang of blackmailers (Victor Fronz, Arthur Gammon) led by Dr. Olaf Kimer.
My thoughts: A slightly uneven although fast paced well-written book even with the robot guard dog.
Rating: 11
27. Tom Swift and His Subocean Geotron (1966) 178 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Edward Moritz
Where: With trips under the sea around and to Fearing Island, under the sea and under the seabed 150 miles south of and to Easter Island, under the South Dakota badlands, under the sea in the Peru-Chile Trench.
Why: To retrieve the data cache left by from the Swift space friends long ago in the lost city of Lemuria and to build a deep-sea aquarium.
Bad guys: The Kranjovians (Zofan, Captain Varlov, Grinsky) working with an American engineer Errol Clay and the Space Legion.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book even with the Space Legion.
Rating: 8
28. Tom Swift and the Mystery Comet (1966) 178 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Ray Johnson
Where: With trips to Washington DC, in the air over Greenville, around and to Heidelberg Germany, in the air over Spain, Fearing Island, in outer space and on Comet Swift.
Why: To discover the secret of the UFOís, to send a probe and divert a comet that will endanger the
earth.
Bad guys: Agents (Kursov, Pavlov Riakim) of the Brungarians. An astrophysicist with a grudge against the Swifts, Marc Bolen, who later helps Tom.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book even with the alien light discs.
Rating: 2
29. Tom Swift and the Captive Planetoid (1967) 174 pages
written by James Duncan Lawrence, illustrated by Ray Johnson
Where: With trips to Point Sparta, Fearing Island, in earth orbit, Banbury, Lake Wahatchie Forest Reservation, Carterton, Petronius, Bartonia and the Great Salt Lake Desert UT.
Why: To stop the planetoid Petronius from striking the Earth and to set up a base on the planetoid Bartonia to be used for a trip around the sun.
Bad guys: A gang of raiders (Glinko, Frank Kolp, Hufer) led by an Eastern European scientist Gregor Kharkov. Hired stooges Vern Sholt and Duke Laflin.
My thoughts: A fast paced well-written book with some small technicalities (why didnít the Challenger rescue the Firefly).
Rating: 4
30. Tom Swift and His G-Force Inverter (1968) 175 pages
written by Thomas Mulvey, illustrated by Ray Johnson
Where: With trips to the moon, Fearing Island, space wheel, Crow Foot in the Midwest, the high veldt near Killamanjaro in Africa and the Citadel.
Why: To build a high-speed railroad system, the Monoswift.
Bad guys: A gang (Turley, Martabat, Jake Saunders, Steve Downey) led by Cosmo Kincaid head of Cosmoprises working with the Brungarians led by Dr. Morser.
My thoughts: The last of the fast paced better-written books even with the many technicalities (spacemen equipped with energy pistols, why not use the Private Ear radio on the moon, using Cycloplane instead of Atomicar, taking Sandy, Phyl and Dodie to Africa, extracting Serptilium from the flying pancakes).
Rating: 14
31. Tom Swift and His Dyna-4 Capsule (1969) 175 pages
written by Richard McKenna, illustrated by Ray Johnson
Where: With trips to Manila, Tokyo Japan, Fearing Island, around and in the Mariana Trench in the South Pacific, Crater Island.
Why: To recover the vial with the new explosive for the U. S. Navy and to explore the Mariana Trench.
Bad guys: The Brungarians (Ignance Sandor, Foster alias Professor Dore).
My thoughts: A poorly written book with many major writing errors and major technicalities (dive instead of fly to avoid depth charges, the overlapping panels on the Dyna-4, the recovery of the Dyna-4 with a rope, the release of the bubble creatures, what good are the oil film and Octo-Ink screen against sonar, just how big is the Flying Lab) but nothing is as absurd as Bud saying, "Youíre cool, man, cool!"
Rating: 32
32. Tom Swift and His Cosmotron Express (1970) 180 pages
written by Richard McKenna, illustrated by Ray Johnson
Where: With trips over the Norwegian Sea, Normandy France, in orbit around the earth and moon, Muldeen Scotland under the north Atlantic Ocean and the Greenland Sea near Spitsbergen Island and Norway.
Why: To take a grand tour of the solar system and to solve the mystery of the polar cap disturbances.
Bad guys: A group of criminal scientists VIPER, (Corder, Kasher) led by a disreputable American millionaire Dr. Stang.
My thoughts: A poorly written book with many major writing errors and technicalities (the rescue of Chow with the Crab, what about Fearing Island, Non-Contam for exhaust fumes, Bud has no tether line in space, abandoning the Cosmotron Express, what about the Sea Hound with the Aquatomic Tracker).
Rating: 31
33. Tom Swift and the Galaxy Ghosts (1971) 180 pages
written by Vincent Buranelli, illustrated by Bill Dolwick
Where: Takes place on the outskirts of Santiago Chile. With trips to Fearing Island, the space wheel, Santiago, Valparaiso, Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magellan Chile, around Mars and Pluto.
Why: To prevent an invasion by the galaxy ghosts and to recover the frozen Mastodon.
Bad guys: The Brungarians (Igor Svornin, Tokatyan alias the Tall One, Ivan and Demetri Stasha, Captain Roccula) with help from a rich Australian, Voss.
My thoughts: A badly paced poorly written book with many major writing errors and technicalities (fuel tanks on Cosmotron Express, Transmittatron multiplies objects, dropping mastodon in the ocean). Tom never works on his inventions. The worst book ever written, the situations are too contrived and the regular characters are left out.
Rating: 33
* Story starts on page 10. Actual number of pages listed.
Notes: Book 18 sub is not sonar resistant. I thought Tomasite did this. See book 15 or 11 also Sea Dart in 32. Is space wheel above Loonani 6 and 33