Variable Star
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.73 (696 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0786158840 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 545 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-04-08 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
. All rights reserved. From Publishers Weekly Like a good Ganymedean farmer in the sky, Robinson (Callahan's Key) plants both feet firmly in Heinlein territory with this mostly credible pastiche of a Heinlein young adult novel circa 1955. Nostalgia for Heinlein's early work may pique interest in this posthumous collaboration, but old Heinlein hands may be disappointed that the book is incomplete, being all journey and no arrival. But the strain of a contemporary author trying to fit his sensibility about the future (in which nonaggression is a way of life, for example) into Heinlein's more notably militaristic mindset leaves its traces on the characters and plot, with some unexplained role reversals. (Sept.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Joel and his companions demonstrate the odd mixture of innocence and sexual experimentation that Heinlein employed, as Robinson captur
"Don't waste your time or money" according to William. It started out like a Heinlein Juvie much as I grew up on. He quickly ran out of the master's plot material and the book dragged on forever on an interminable interstellar flight scheduled for 20 years, truncated to less than half that and retaining the feel of 20 years. I couldn't be bothered to keep the characters straight and was glad for the Deus Ex Machina ending only because thanks heavens it was an ending and I could stop.One positive. From the future history standpoint he had a very succinct 1 page synopsis of the "War on Terror" and it's likely aftermath. It was thoughtful and I fear accurate but not worth reading the entire book for. tiresome I loved heinlein's juvies. This started out seeming like a nice hybrid of a few of them. But the longer I try to read it I feel like that guy in A Clockwork Orange with his head in a vise and his eyes propped open. I so want to look away.Some Spoilers probably belowIssues: 1. Heinlein's main characters in his juvies are often nice, gee whiz guys, not terribly smart but earnest and self effacing. I gather this guy was supposed to be that -- the commonor tapped for greatness,etc, who proves himself. This guy is not that.Rather he's a lackadaisical whiner who drags everything out until you feel like you're on a 20 year spaceship journey with som. "If you like Heinlein's juveniles you may well love this book. However, it is a well crafted novel and Spider Robinson did it!" according to John Thornton. Variable Star, as you probbly know, was originally an unfinished set of papers and notes that Heinlein never completed. The novel was completed by Spider Robinson.The book itself is excellent. It reminds me a lot of "Tunnel in the Sky" and "Time for the Stars" two of Heinlein's well done novels. For me, early Heinlein is far better than his later works.The Heinlein influences are strong and the book has the feel of a Heinlein juvenile, but only to a point. Robinson's contributions are evident throughout and the story, plot, and details are all well crafted. The genesis for the novel came from Heinlein, but the gestation and birth of the novel
The result is vintage Heinlein, faithful in style and spirit to the Grand Master's original vision.. At his death in 1988, Robert A. The detailed outline and notes he created for this project lay forgotten for decades, only to be rediscovered almost a half century later. In 1955, he began work on Variable Star, a powerful and passionate tale of two young lovers driven apart by pride, power, and the vastness of interstellar time and space. Heinlein left a legacy of novels and short stories that almost single-handedly defined modern science fiction. Now the Heinlein estate has authorized award-winning author Spider Robinson to expand that outline into a full-length novel. But one of Heinlein's masterpieces was never finished. Then he set it aside to focus on other novellas