As a die-hard Heinlein fan, I was braced for "terrible" and pleasantly surprised by "actually pretty good." I really enjoyed the Buddhism passages and was not terribly put-off by the "War on Terror" weave-in (though it was a bit long). One current pop-culture reference put me off a bit (Heinlein's tended to be references to "old" SF - Burroughs, "Doc" Smith, etc) and one technical error. Perfectly entertaining and readable and an up-tick on the rating for a difficult job well-done. I will have to pick up some more works by Spider Robinson and see if I like him when he is NOT channelling the Grand Master. (Not that I wouldn't like to pick up some more RAH as well - unfortunately, I HAVE them all...) ( )

All the reviews gushing about Spider Robinson's uncanny ability to channel Heinlein are true: it reads like vintage R.A.H. in fact, like the some of the best stuff the old master wrote, before such baroque monstrosities as 'Number of the Beast' or 'Time Enough For Love'.Made me very conscious of what makes Heinlein, well, Heinlein, and if I could articulate that clearly I could probably make a living as a professional literary critic. Suffice it to say that I laughed, I cried, I empathized and cared, I went all nerdy on the extensive descriptions of saxophone playing, and I am very, very, very much looking forward to, and dreading, the ending.NB: Ending was a classic, well in tune with Heinlein from that era. ( )

I am so glad to have a read a new Heinlein book. Yes I know that it is not strictly a work by the Grandmaster, however, the characters and the story are his as well as much of the dialogue and ideas. Bless Spider Robinson for picking up the torch. I am interested in more. ( )

My God! It was great to read a NEW Heinlein book. A decidedly Heinlein plot (written from 8 pages of RAH's own notes), with decidedly Heinlein characters, having Heinlein conversations, in which they discuss Heinlein ideals. Were it not for a few decidedly "Post-Heinlein" references (specifically references to September 11 and "googling"), I could have been convinced that it was written by the Grand Master himself.

For any true Heinlein fan, this is a must have addition to their collection. While this book has its shortcomings, the shear joy of being able to read a new, modern Heinlein classic adventure story more than overcomes them all.

I've never read a Spider Robinson book, but he claims ( in the afterword ) that this is the best book he has ever written. If his other books are near what this one is, I will soon be a Robinson fan as well. ( )

Heinlein is my all time favorite author, and I fell in love with him by reading old copies of his books from used book stores - copies that lacked an author biography in a time before the Internet. So when I finally got a new copy of a book I couldn't find used, I turned to the back cover hoping to find a way to write a thank you letter to my beloved R.A.H....and instead discovered he had died before I had even begun reading his books. Heartbroken.

So when I say I'm a Heinlein fan and didn't know how to feel about someone else writing a Heinlein novel long after his death, you know what I mean. I hoped so much for new, living Heinlein, but was afraid I'd find a dead thing.

I was very wrong! Spider Robinson brings the spirit of Heinlein back to life using an outline Heinlein left behind. Reading Variable Star, I felt like the kid I was when I first read all of Heinlein's other novels years ago. If you're a Heinlein fan too, that's all you need to know. Read it! ( )