Tom Swift in the Caves of Nuclear Fire (The New Tom Swift, Jr. Adventures, Book 8)

214 pp. Color pictorial boards, blue pictorial endpapers. Includes illustrations by Graham Kaye. "Tom Swift (in some versions Tom Swift, Jr.) is the name of the central character in five series, totaling over 100 volumes, of juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention, and technology. The character was created by Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging firm, and his adventures have been written by a number of different ghostwriters over the years. Most of the books are published under the collective pseudonym Victor Appleton, although the 33 volumes of the second series use the pseudonym Victor Appleton II. The character first appeared in 1910 and has appeared in new titles as recently as 2007. Most of the various series focus on Tom's inventions, a number of which pre-date actual inventions. The character has been presented in different ways over the years, but in general the books portray science and technology as wholly beneficial in their effects, and the role of the inventor in society has been treated as admirable and heroic. The books have been translated into a number of languages and have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Tom Swift has also been the subject of a board game and a television show, and development of a feature film was announced in 2008. A number of prominent figures, including Steve Wozniak and Isaac Asimov, have cited "Tom Swift" as an inspiration. Several inventions, including the taser, have been directly inspired by Tom's fictional inventions."