Imagine yourself in a high school senior elective course on wilderness survival. Your final exam sends you to an unknown planet, with unknown hazards and dangers which you have to survive for not less than 48 hours and not more than 10 days. What do you bring with you? What weapons would you want? You could be sent to a desert planet or winter wilderness. You might have to face poison insects or giant alien beasts. Would you attempt it, or would you drop out with no penalty before the final exam? While this book is set in the distant future, I would categorize it as only nominally science fiction. Most of the story takes place on a very earth-like planet where the most sophisticated piece of technology is an air pistol. Although somewhat dated (they're still using slide rules), this is a romantic, captivating story of survival, civilization, and what it means to be human.