Star Beast (original 1954; edition 1987)

I'm one of those who feels that--with a few exceptions such as The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress--that Heinlein's "juveniles" written for teen boys are if not better novels, then better "reads" than his post-Stranger in a Strange Land books. And this is among the strongest--and funniest--of his juveniles. Lummox, the "Star Beast" of the title is the Stuart family pet--he's not... er small, but he does talk. John Thomas, the requisite boy teen and his pet get into a serious scrape, then an even more serious one of interstellar proportions. This one is a classic--I saw an allusion to it recently in a short story by Vernor Vinge. Very entertaining and a fast read. ( )

One of my favorite Heinlein stories.

The first Heinlein I read, many years ago. I don't recall much except I did like it.

I subscribe to the school of thought that writing for teenagers forced Heinlein to suppress his worst impulses and let his storytelling skills take center stage. This is a fun read (though I got the feeling during the last 40 pages that the author was padding a novella into a novel).

No plot summary here; no one who has read much '50s sci-fi will be surprised by anything that happens.

The book is set several centuries into the future, so there are naturally all kinds of technological wonders on display: Faster-than-light interstellar travel, anti-gravity suits, “truth meters” that hover over the heads of court witnesses and emit rude noises on detecting prevarication – and interoffice communication by videophone and pneumatic tube:

"Mr. Kiku checked Greenberg’s name on the radiotype, dropped it in his outgoing basket, waited a few seconds until he saw Greenberg pick it up out of his own incoming basket: 'Read it'."

Of course, you do often have to hand it to Heinlein where race is concerned. Mr. Kiku is the hero of the book, a super-bureaucrat in charge of extra-terrestial relations. He is explicitly stated to be black by race and Kenyan by nationality – a decade before there was such a thing (Kenya became independent in 1963). Moreover, his name is an obvious reference to the Kikuyu people, at that time in active revolt against British rule. Mr Kiku’s subordinates are a careful ethnic cross-section: Greenberg, Singh, Ibanez. But on the Not So Progressive side of the ledger, they are all men. The only visible female employee of the Department of Spatial Affairs is Mr. Kiku’s secretary.

(The juvenile lead is of course a math and science whiz. His test for distinguishing the elite from the unwashed is proficiency with a slipstick. I am quite curious as to whether anybody under 30 knows what a slipstick is.

Author Bob gets all five stars for this delightful, humorous, thoughtful, and philosophically evocative review of political and social workings. His best book right up there with Stranger in a Strange Land. It seems all of humanity didn't "grok" Lummie and things were opposite of what they seemed. The way to read this story is slowly, very slowly, digesting each piece thoroughly. ( )