Customer Reviews

To The Stars; (4 in 1) Between Planets, The Rolling Stones, Starman Jones, The Star Beast

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This new publication combines four of The Master's juveniles from his early career in an anthology that would make a great any-occasion present for that budding young scientist and/or space pioneer, or for a life long fan as myself. I've read each of these at least a dozen times in my fifty-odd years, and there seems like something new to be discovered with each reading!
1. "Between Planets": the story of the son of interplanetary explorers who is trapped in transit attempting to return to his parents at the onset of the First Interplanetary War and winds up on the wrong planet and how he survives the ensuing chaos.
2."The Rolling Stones": A pair of genius kids are intercepted in their plans to launch their own spaceship to become the first space pirates, and, instead, their parents, along with their (in)famous grandmother, take the entire family on a vacation tour of the Solar System in their own ship.
3."The Star Beast": The trials and tribulations of John Thomas Stuart XXV, dealing with his elephantine pet Lummox, an inheritence passed down to him from one generation to the next, starting from his great-great grandfather, who had brought the Star Beast home from an interstellar expedition to an uncharted area of the galaxy. A great tale with a real surprise ending!
4."Starman Jones": A REAL runaway tale, where the hero doesn't run away to join the circus, he, along with a mysterious companion he meets on the road, finagles his way onto an interstellar passenger liner for a trip to the stars, even though he is a crew member, his voyage leads him into incredible adventure.
Even though this collection is slightly time-worn for the older reader, its' four tales are as current for todays' readers as any books newly published, and, truthfully, still a great read for any fan of the Sci-Fi genre, no matter what age they may be!

To the Stars (2004) is an SF omnibus, containing Between Planets, The Rolling Stones, Starman Jones and The Star Beast. These classic novels are all within the Juvenile series, a subset of the Future History universe. They involve young men who are faced with responsibilities beyond their years. Even Castor and Pollux are required to take on some responsibilities.

These tales are in internal chronological order based on the technology and political status. Between Planets takes place at the end of the stage of interplanetary colonization. The Rolling Stones occurs a few decades later. Starman Jones happens during the age of interstellar colonization. The Star Beast seems to transpire somewhat later.

Between Planets (1951) is the fifth SF novel in this series. It takes place mostly on Venus, which is the home of an alien species and many disgruntled humans. There is talk of war between Earth and the colonial planets.

In this novel, Don Harvey is a boy of several worlds. His father was born on Earth and his mother was a Venusian colonist. His papers declare him a citizen of the Federation.

Don is attending school on a ranch in New Mexico. While out riding his pony Lazy, he gets a mobile call from the headmaster. He has received a radiogram from his mother, so he immediately returns to the ranch.

The message informs him that passage has been booked for his flight to Mars, where his parents are investigating the remains of the First Empire. Don is puzzled, but the headmaster tells him that his parents are probably worried about the threat of war. They don't want him to stay in the warzone.

In this story, Don calls Dr. Dudley Jefferson -- a friend of the family -- after reaching New Chicago and is invited over to the apartment. When he arrives, Dr. Jefferson makes polite talk, but asks him about a package sent to him at the ranch. Don hasn't received it, but the package is mentioned more than once during the evening.

Dr. Jefferson takes him out to an expensive nightclub, which opens Don's eyes in more than one way. But he is puzzled by the presence of someone that he had seen earlier that day. A man sitting in the club looks like a security policeman who had stared at Don when he was conversing with a Venusian dragon.

The security police later confront Don and Dr. Jefferson. Don knows nothing and security lets him catch his flight. Then he is told that Dr. Jefferson had died of heart failure. In a sense, everyone dies of heart failure.

Don encounters the dragon -- Sir Isaac Newton -- once again on his flight up to the space station Circum-Terra. Don has a pleasant talk with the dragon and interprets for him when his voder fails. Then he discovers that Circum-Terra has been captured by Venusian forces, so he now has the choice of returning to Earth, going to Venus, or being blown to atoms.

The Rolling Stones (1952) is the sixth SF novel in the series. Some time in the future, after space travel is commonplace and most of the Solar System has been colonized, a pair of twins named Castor and Pollux decide to buy a spaceship and get even richer hauling freight to the Asteroids. But first they have to convince their father.

In this novel, Cas and Pol are very late for supper. When they broach the subject of buying a spaceship, Roger Stone is very much against the whole idea. His mother Hazel interjects a few choice remarks and the subject becomes a general topic of conversation. By the next morning, Roger has been convinced to look for a spaceship for family excursions.

With a little nudging from Hazel, her son quickly finds a passenger/cargo ship that is affordable and big enough for the whole family. It is love at first sight. Hazel negotiates the sale and Roger signs on the dotted line and affixes his thumbprint. By the time they return home, Edith has notified the leasing office that they will be moving out.

Roger draws up a manning list, with himself as skipper, Castor as first officer & pilot, Meade as second officer & assistant cook, Hazel as chief engineer, Pollux as assistant engineer & relief pilot, Edith as ship's surgeon & cook, and Lowell as supercargo. Roger is certain that, somehow, this list is just not going to work out. Naturally Roger doesn't publish the list since he is not yet ready to admit that the twins are going along.

With two registered engineers in the family, not to mention two budding mechanical geniuses, the ship's refurbishing and overhaul goes apace. Of course, the twins learn the hard way not to argue with the skipper; space law is quite definite about on the rights and responsibilities of the ship captain. Only after that episode are the twins officially allowed to join the ship's company.

The ship's name is typical of decision making in the Stone family. Everybody agrees to drop the current name -- Cherub -- but no two members can agree on the new name. Hazel accidentally comes up with the name when she defines moss as "what rolling stones don't gather" and her son proposes "Rolling Stone" as the new name. The twins object, but are outvoted.

Starman Jones (1959) is the seventh SF novel in this series. Maximilian Jones was born in the Ozarks and raised as a farmer. Still, he has two advantages that most people don't have: he has an eidetic memory and his Uncle Chet was an astrogator.

In this novel, Sam Anderson is a man who lives by his wits. When Max met him, he was living as a hobo, but he had a checkered and sometimes valiant past.

Eldreth Coburn is a colonial girl with an influential father. She wanted to marry a local boy, so her father sent her to Earth.

In this story, Max is surprised one day when his stepmother comes back to the farm early and with a new husband. Biff Montgomery is a burly, but no-account, hillman. Max has never liked him and avoided him like chiggers. Max has been taking care of his Maw because his father -- just before he died -- asked him to do so, but Max figures that she is now the responsibility of her new husband.

Max leaves the farm with minimal supplies, his uncle's astrogation books, and one library book. He will mail the book back as soon as he can, because stealing a library book is a heinous sin. To avoid his new step-step-father, Max heads out cross-country following the Ring Road and through its tunnel.

After awakening, Max realizes that he has just barely avoided getting caught in the tunnel by an unscheduled train. The hypersonic vehicle would have killed him without leaving a mark on his body if it had arrived just a minute earlier. His hearing returns in an hour or so.

Later, Max is attracted to a campfire and meets Sam. After eating some of Sam's mulligan and telling his story, Max rolls up under an overhang and goes to sleep. It had been a long and eventful day. The next morning, he awakes to find Sam gone with his ID card and the astrogation books.

Max hitches a ride on a freighter and reaches Earthport the next day. He goes to the Astrogator's Guild and asks whether his uncle had named him as his successor before his last voyage. The Guild administrators pass him on to the Guild Secretary, who tells him that his uncle had not nominated anyone for membership.

The Secretary tells Max that he is the second man to approach the Guild, but the first willing to give them his fingerprints. Max immediately thinks of Sam. The Secretary does give him a small sum -- but enormous to Max -- of money for return of the books and sends him on his way.

Sam comes back into his life, gets him a fake membership in the Stewardship Guild, and a berth on the starship Asgard. His job on the ship is stableman, which fits his past experiences. Max knows how to get along with animals and to clean their stall and cages.

Among his charges is Mister Chips -- an extraterrestrial six-legged spider puppy -- whose owner is Eldreth. Ellie stays away for the first week -- she was sick when brought aboard -- but she is finally able to sneak down to see Chipsie and finds her with Max. After an initial confusion, Max, Ellie and Chipsie become friends and play 3-D chess together (Chipsie moves the pieces).

The Star Beast (1954) is the eighth SF novel in the Juvenile series. It is a story of a boy and his dog. Granted, the dog looks a little peculiar with its eight legs, thick hide and huge size -- not to mention its baby voice -- but the creature is definitely the boy's pet. Of course, the beast thinks otherwise.

In this novel, Lummox and great grandfather Stuart found each other on a planet far, far away from Earth. In their mutual admiration, the creature endured many hours hidden away from other crew members until the ship returned to Earth. Now Lummox has been the pet of several generations of the Stuart family.

Lummox had started out small, but rapidly gained mass after eating metals. The last growth spurt came from the ingestion of a neighbor's old car and had resulted in a massive increase in body size. The backyard has been fenced to keep Lummox inside, but John Thomas Stuart XI has doubts about the efficacy of the concrete walls and massive timbers over the gully. He has strictly forbade Lummox to break or eat the fence. Of course, Lummox has dug a few holes here and there.

Then Lummox is declared a menace to the public and John Thomas runs away to save his pet. His girlfriend Betty finds him and they prepare a legal defense against putting Lummox to sleep. Then the Feds find them.

In this story, the author is writing a tale as old as the relationship between humans and canines. In more conventional tales, boys and dogs have been associating with each other for millennia. So this story converts the old familiar theme into a relationship between a human boy and an extraterrestrial creature.

Remember ET? This story came first. But SF (and Sci-Fi) still has such tales pop up now and then. It is a classic because it says a lot about human nature.

This tale is a bridge between fairytales and young adult SF stories. In one sense, this is the Great American Novel of Science Fiction, with a common theme that reaches everyone beyond the toddler stage.

These stories were aimed toward young adults. Although they are very linear in plot and involve themes that have long entered American culture, they are still interesting stories for anyone, young or old.

Naturally, the language is too complex for younger children, but I bet that most kids understand the basic concepts. Only the parts about human -- and extraterrestrial -- society are beyond the comprehension of most elementary age children. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and their children. If anyone has not read a Heinlein Juvenile, the first such is Rocket Ship Galileo, but this book is a good introduction to his works.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"To the Stars" (2004) contains four of Robert A. Heinlein's Juveniles. Each of these stories is worth a four star rating.

"Between Planets" (1951): Don Harvey, a teenager going to school in New Mexico, gets a message from his parents, on Mars. They want him to come to Mars. This turns out to be difficult. Don gets to Venus first, in the middle of a war!

"The Rolling Stones" (1952): Castor and Pollux Stone are teenaged twins living on the moon. They want to buy a spaceship and head off to Mars and further. It turns out that their family; father, mother, sister, brother, and grandmother; decide to buy a spaceship and invite the twins to come along. And, things happen.

"Starman Jones" (1953): Max Jones is a fatherless teenager growing up on a farm. He would like to become a spaceman. His mother re-marries and he runs away from home. He meets a rather interesting tramp, who separates Max from some of his belongings. Max continues on and gets to the nearest spaceport, where things get interesting. Max finds himself on a starship and things get even more interesting.

"The Star Beast" (1954): Lummox is a creature from another star system, who was adopted, as a small pup, by John Stuart's grandfather. Now, Lummox is, roughly, the size of two large elephants, end-to-end. Lummox gets into trouble. John Stuart tries to save him. Life gets very, very, interesting and complicated.

All four of these stories are SF adventures. "The Star Beast" is usually cited as Heinlein's most humorous story. All four stories are excellent. All of these stories are suitable for young teen-agers, who should avoid Heinlein's "adult" stories until they are adults.

Because all of these stories were written in the 1950's the stories and the language and the attitudes will seem a little dated. Explorations of our solar system also have out-dated Heinlein's fictional solar system. These should not be large problems, as all the stories are enjoyable and do have correct, decent, "hard", science fiction in them. Heinlein was an excellent story-teller. I would suggest to today's reader that these stories were written before space travel and have some fantasy in them, much like the stories of even earlier science-fiction writers.

If I were you, I would look for reviews of these stories under their own names, as each was released as a separate book.

However, read the book!

I've read all these before and liked them. I got the collection to introduce a young family member to RAH.

The book was in perfect condition and delivered to me in a very short time. I've been trying to get a copy of 'The Star Beast' for a long time. The price asked was also excellent

This book would be a great gift for a youngster who was starting to like science fiction or to an adult who read the books as a youngster and wanted to cherish them. I fall into the latter category and was very happy to get the collection, even though I had copies of three of the books in paperback.

I have written reviews of all four of the books elsewhere but I will give a one-liner about each here.

Between Planets: A coming-of-age novel set in an exciting Solar System that we know today, alas, is impossible. Still, the story says a great deal about responsibility and learning to be an adult.

The Rolling Stones: A whole family comes of age in the same 1940s SF Solar System. However, the family interplay and fun works, even if the science is out of date. I was usually happy when RAH explored new ground instead of doing sequels but I would have loved to see a sequel to this one.

Starman Jones: One of the most compelling stories Heinlein ever told, with some of the more complex characters. RAH really underestimated what computers could do for us but the story is good enough to ignore that factor.

The Star Beast: A multi-layered story that has several of Heinlein's best supporting characters. Mr. Kiku is the prime example and his story is inspiring and heartwarming. Only the unsympathetic characters are a little shallow, in the tradition of adults in Young Adult fiction.