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(More customer reviews)I believe this is the fifth book in the series, As a story, it is one of the best plotted. Some of the Tom Swift books key on an invention, then throw together several miscellaneous episodes to demonstrate the uses of that invention. An example of that sort of plot -- or lack thereof -- is seen in "Tom Swift and his Wizard Camera." Other of the books -- such as this one -- are more story-centered. This particular story finds Tom and several of his friends stranded on an isolated small island in the West Indies.
How they got there is quite a fun part of the novel. Tom has been assisting a Mr. Preston to perfect and fly an electric airplane. During a shakedown flight, the aviators get caught up in a gale. Tom is unable to turn the plane's nose into the wind and buck the gale, so their only recourse is to turn downwind and try to wait out the severe storm. After 24 hours of being carried southward at high speed, mechanical failures force the plane down on the desolate island described earlier, which the castaways dub "Earthquake Island." The story then becomes a contest as to whether the frequent earthquakes will tear the island apart first, or whether Tom can extricate the castaways from their dilemma first. I won't spoil the story for any prospective readers.
There's a good dash of humor included in all the Tom Swift books. In this particular book we have a scientist with a dire and gloomy outlook on life, predicting with great relish a long list of catastrophies. He is a "sad sack," as the saying goes. There's also Mr. Wakefield Damon, an eccentric but wealthy man who accompanies the party, and whose money has at times funded certain of Tom's inventions.
These are books for young readers-- probably targeted ideally for the Middle School kids. They are still fun to read, although nearly a century old. The "Wireless Message" novel is copyright 1911. I actually read this novel in the original format, although it appears that currently some of these old classics are coming back into print.
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Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG-- Tom Swift stepped from the door of the machine shop, where he was at work making some adjustments to the motor of his airship, and glanced down the road. He saw a cloud of dust, which effectually concealed what-ever was causing it. "Some one must be in a hurry this morning," the lad remarked, "Looks like a motor speeding along. MY! but we certainly do need rain," he added, as he looked up toward the sky. "It's very dusty. Well, I may as well get back to work. I'll take the airship out for a flight this afternoon, if the wind dies down a bit."--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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