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Orphans Of The Sky

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The mutiny took place many, many years ago on an enormous star ship outfitted for a multi-generational voyage to Far Centaurus. The last remaining member of the original crew, for right or wrong, made a political decision to hide the logs and, in effect, to bury the present crew's real history. As a result, for those alive today, now drifting aimlessly in a deep space of which none of the inhabitants are even aware, the ship constitutes their entire universe. None of them has ever been outside the ship and, indeed, even the existence of "outside" is a concept beyond their ken and imagination. They farm, they eat, they raise their families, they live and die, and they battle mutants that inhabit the upper levels of the ship. Scraps of past knowledge such as a book entitled "Basic Modern Physics" have been re-interpreted as religious artifacts and scientists have become the priesthood of the ship's "religion". Hugh Hoyland, a young man who had hopes of becoming a scientist, is captured by the mutants as he indulges himself in typically reckless young men's high jinx on the upper levels of the ship. Although he has been presumed dead by the ship's crew he left behind, the mutants reveal the true nature of the ship and its place in the universe to Hugh who decides he must somehow return to the lower levels and persuade them to complete the trip to Centaurus.

Like many of his other ground-breaking classics such as "Methuselah's Children" or "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", "Orphans of the Sky" can read on the surface as a short exciting adventure tale that succeeds brilliantly. Indeed, it is so simple and straight forward that one could easily classify it as juvenile fiction that would thrill the young readers in your family and convert them to life long fans of the sci-fi genre.

But the discerning adult reader who cares to dig a little more deeply will appreciate that Heinlein, in the space of an incredibly short 128 pages, has provided us with the fodder for many a thoughtful conversation - science as religion; religion as science; the tendency of established religion to view thinking outside its doctrine as unforgivable heresy; the extreme societal antagonism to sea change and paradigm shifts in philosophical or scientific thought; the difficulties scientists often encounter in the interpretation of their own data when the results run counter to their intuition; and, of course, the prejudice, fear and hatred we are all prone to in dealing with societies or individuals "different" from ourselves. Heinlein no doubt took the light-hearted humorous expression "Don't look at me like I've got two heads!" and turned Joe-Jim Gregory, a mutant with two heads, into a metaphor for the whole bigotry issue. In the closing chapters, Heinlein even deals with the cruel necessity for persecuted individuals to occasionally strike out blindly on their own and establish a new pioneering society norm as an expedient for basic survival.

"Orphans of the Sky" is a classic that can be read at a single sitting but you'll savour it for years to come!

Paul Weiss

This entry in Gollancz's classic reprint series was originally published in two parts in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction back in 1941 and if you bear this in mind while reading it you'll appreciate what an achievement this was. Despite the efforts of H G Wells and others, science fiction was still very much in its infancy, and I would imagine that works of fiction that quoted Newton's inverse square law of gravitation (hilariously misinterpreted near the beginning of this book) or tried to compare the concepts of space travel with knitting a sweater or baking a cake must have been pretty thin on the ground. Read it with this in mind and you'll enjoy this rather brief tale of a starship community which has existed for generations, succeeded in misinterpreting its flight manuals and lost all concept of the fact that it is, in fact, flying through space. Don't worry, I haven't given anything away that isn't mentioned on practically the first page of a story which presumably inspired Brian Aldiss's later 'Non-Stop'- a novel which tells a similar tale though perhaps without quite so many slit throats and two-headed mutants. The attitude to women and to the ship's mutant community is what one would expect for the time in which it was written but doesn't serve to detract too much from Heinlein's rapid pacing. Probably ground breaking for its time and still a pretty good read today.

While it shouldn't be compared to his later genre-busting novels, Orphans of the Sky is an entertaining Robert A. Heinlein book in its own right. The concept is one often mentioned in science fiction, but rarely expanded upon: a giant, self-contained spaceship - it's own Universe - in which humans eat and breathe, sleep and breed. The twist here is that they've been in it for so long that they can't remember life before it - or even imagine it, as they now believe the the Ship IS the Universe. It is an interesting social critique, as it shows how perfectly viable truths (indeed, Common Sense) can be reduced to mere mythology and religious twaddle. The book is well-written. Short, compact - two stories in about 120 pages - it is very tight, and this is one of those rare stories where not a single word is wasted (a complete contrast to some of Heinlein's later novels, one might say.) These are also the last two stories in Heinlein's Future History (never included in The Past Through Tomorrow.) A worthwhile story, I'm glad to see it back in print. Certainly not a heavyweight novel, but Heinlein fans will enjoy it. Reccommended for them, or as a good distraction.

This may not be the first generation starship tale, but it's probably the first where the passengers have forgotten that they're in a ship and that its corridors and rooms are not the universe.

This novel combines the story of Galileo with political intrigue and military conquest, all aboard a starship that has lapsed into feudalism after a mutiny in the crew long ago. After the mutiny, people forgot not only their mission to travel to Far Centaurus but that there was a universe outside the ship's hull. Books are still around, but physics and astronomy are treated like elaborate allegories by the "scientists" and not realities. Barbaric muties roam the upper decks, and cannibalism is not unknown, infantcide a common practice.

Scientist novitiate Hugh Hoyland plays the Galileo role. He is captured by two-headed mutant Joe-Jim and, when he's not playing checkers with either of the twins, has the run of their library and the benefit of their intellects. It's from that unlikely source that Hoyland learns the truth about the ship and the world outside.

And he begins to form a plan to complete the mission.

First published in 1941 as two short stories, "Universe" and "Common Sense", this story still entertains with its heroism, intrigue, and action. They are, chronologically, also the last short stories in Heinlein's Future History.

What would happen if a group of interstellar pioneers going on a multigenerational journey to another star system forgot they were on board a ship? Heinlein explores this possibility in action packed story.

Generations ago, a mutiny took place on the rocket ship (a very large ship - over 5 miles long) which ended with the deaths of all the astrogation officers. As a result, the ship has drifted aimlessly through space with little hope of it ever reaching its destination. The people currently on the ship have forgotten most of this history. And since none of them has ever been outside the ship, to them, the ship is their universe. They exist to farm, raise families and battle mutants that inhabit the upper levels of the ship. Hugh Hoyland, a young man intent on becoming a scientist is captured by mutants and presumed dead. Can Hugh unravel the mysteries of the upper decks of the ship and convince the crew to resume their journey?

Although it is a short novel, Heinlein packs a lot into it. He explores and reviles the prejudice shown towards the mutants in a way that was fairly revolutionary for 1951. He also explores the folly of blind loyalty to ideas and religion, even in the face of incontrovertible evidence that a person can see with his own eyes. The story moves along quickly and comes to a satisfying (if expected) conclusion. I think this is one of Heinlein's finest novels. Some readers may be put off by his portrayal of women in this novel (they are not even second class citizens).

Originally published as two short stories, ("Universe" and "Common Sense"), this short novel showcases Heinlein's penchant for cynical social commentary. "Common Sense" is the sequel to "Universe" so the two stories fit together well to tell a single intriguing tale, based on an unusual, but not-too-unbelievable situation. An enormous, self-sufficient colonial expedition has been sent out towards a distant star. But human weakness interferes with the designers' well-laid plans when a mutiny leads to the death of every officer capable of piloting the ship. Generations later, when the story opens, the ship is still wandering aimlessly through space, the indefatigable engineering systems still running flawlessly; but the "crew" has lost virtually all knowledge of what their mission was, and no longer even realize they are in a moving vessel. The ship is their entire Universe, and when one man discovers otherwise, events unfold that rock their society to its foundations. "Universe" is very entertaining in a cerebral way, as we see how the ship's rules and traditions and history have become distorted into legends, myths, and of course, religion. Heinlein's practical knowledge of ship's organization serves him well here, too, as he paints a portrait of the working (if not exactly ideal) society that developed during the generations following the mutiny. And as usual, he pairs a good-hearted but naïve young protagonist (Hugh Hoyland) with a cynical, world-wise man-who-knows. The fact that Heinlein chose a two-headed mutant (Joe-Jim) for this role seems a bit over the top, but Joe-Jim is certainly an outsider, and the presence of large numbers of physically mutated persons seems reasonable enough under the circumstances. Still, a more believable mutation might have been a good idea - the very notion of a two-headed mutant may seem a little too "pulp-magazine" for adult readers. "Common Sense" is the more action-oriented part of the novel, and doesn't offer as many fresh insights into the unique social order as does "Universe". It does succeed in tying up a lot of loose ends, and provides for a resolution that should satisfy on at least an emotional level. Sadly, from a scientific view, the final outcome of this yarn is just painfully unlikely - a quintillion to one seems like a fair estimate - and even Heinlein (whose addiction to coincidence is well-documented) comes off rather apologetic when talking about the unlikelihood of his conclusion; but if one admits that "human stubbornness in the face of inconvenient fact" is the theme of this book, then how else can it end without putting poor Hugh in a very uncomfortable position? While this book may be not strictly a juvenile, its weaknesses are very glaring indeed, and cannot be recommended for any adult readers who take their science fiction seriously. On the other hand, younger readers should find this a mind-expanding adventure that brings them to see their own Universe in a brand new light.

Though the concept of a multi-generational starship was not original with Heinlein, this story was one of most fleshed-out depictions of this concept to appear at the time of its first publication as two novelettes in 1941, Universe and Commonsense. As usual with Heinlein, he added his own twists and additions to this basic concept, adding mutants, mutiny, and science-as-religion to the mix.

The inhabitants of this starship, due to a long ago mutiny that eliminated all the ship's officers and their knowledge, have forgotten that where they live is a ship, and that it is supposed to go somewhere. For them, the ship's interior is their entire universe, and even the idea that something might exist `Outside' the ship is so foreign a concept that most can't even imagine it, somewhat like trying to imagine what a fourth spatial dimension is really like. Their lives revolve around the simple necessities of eating, reproducing, and feeding the matter converter, as controlled by the high priesthood of `scientists'. In opposition we find the `muties' who live in `high country' (the ship's upper decks), outcasts from the main society who have formed their own society, under the nominal leadership of a two-headed mutant. When the story's protagonist, a young man with ambitions of becoming a scientist, is forcibly thrown into the muties company and has his eyes opened to what the ship truly is, the battle is joined to educate all the inhabitants and put the ship back on track.

Though the concept of this plot is not bad, the actual execution suffers quite a bit from Heinlein's less-than-complete mastery of story-telling skills at this very early point in his career. Other than his protagonist Hugh and the mutant Joe-Jim, characterization is very thin, and his treatment of the few women in the story makes them not only second-class citizens but also effective nonentities (something that plagued much of Heinlein's early writing). The ending is rushed and filled with way too much coincidence (which Heinlein actually acknowledges but lets stand). Description of the ship's interior is very sparse, something that Heinlein was very prone to, and normally it enhanced his stories, but here it is just too sparse, and makes it difficult for the reader to really `see' what the ship is like. The societies he builds here are not as fully fleshed-out as in many of his later books, a pity especially with the `mutie' society, as the glimpses he allows indicated that it might be a very fascinating one.

But despite the flaws, Heinlein's messages come through very well, without some of the preaching that inhabits some of his later novels. Messages against discrimination against others merely because they look or think differently; of the dangers of religion in any guise (even if the religion is `science'); the insidious power of being able to control what can be read, what can be thought; the dangers of complacency, of just letting things drift along; of how some people, even staring opposing facts straight in face, can still insist that their view is correct, and the person who ignores the fact that such people exist will have a very hard time of it.

Universe and Commonsense were listed as being part of Heinlein's Future History on the two-page chart that Campbell published about this time, but they really are only marginally connected to it. The only other mention of this ship (and what finally became of it and its inhabitants) is in Time Enough for Love, written many years after these stories.

An early effort, with good ideas and themes, but certainly not as good as what Heinlein would later write.


--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Orphans of the sky - Robert Heinlein

This has got to be one of Heinlein's best books; a real find if you can get it! The story is set on a giant spaceship, five miles long, one and a half wide, a colony ship on it's way to Alpha Centaurii. The ship is a spinning cylinder with hundreds of decks like the rings in a tree trunk - centrifugal force gives the impression of gravity on outer decks, while the inner ones, near the axis, are weightless, and it is in the axis that command was situated.

Shortly after it set off, centuries ago from the story's perspective, there was a mutiny and the Captain and much of the original crew was lost. Those left of the crew abandoned the central command axis, and settled permanently in the outer decks. What was left of the mutineers, injured, irradiated and mutating, retreated to the axis. And thus it stayed for hundreds of years, the ship drifting on with no-one in control.

Society has degenerated into a kind of medieval feudal structure, with strict class hierarchies, and even a priest caste. The "Captain" is like an emperor, his "scientists" tend the holy machines. Special poets recite the manuals and the rotas as though they were scripture. No-one really knows what all the machines are anymore, or how they work, or even what the manuals mean. All the books have become holy, the ship's routines have become religious acts, and the ship is now considered to be the entire universe. In the beginning, there was the ship.....

Our hero is a teenager, who lives in one of the "villages" along the outer decks. He and some of his friends explore the forbidden upper decks, which are dark and cold, and grow steadily more weightless as they near the axis. Up a hundred decks they go, until they finally meet the "muties". Our hero is captured, and there learns just who and what the muties really are. He reads books that he has never seen before, free of the "interpretation" of the scientists down below, and finally realises the truth. He goes below to try and convince the others, but is taken for a heretic.... What does he do? Does he convince them? What happens the ship?

This is a very impressive story, with a really original and fascinating plot. The characters are well developed, the detail of the setting just right, and the end is surprising! While this is a fairly short book, that just leaves you wanting more! It's a great read, that keeps you interested from the first page to the last. If you can find it, hang on to it for dear life!

Orphans of the Sky speculates an advanced culture's collapse and replacement with a feudal system. Although the story takes place in a spaceship, the occupants are unaware of the reality of their "universe." Because of a mutiny aboard ship generations before, the crew do not know that they are on a spaceship, nor do they believe the books describing space and terrestrial life. These have been re-interpreted or mythologized. Interesting to compare to modern society...do we re-interpret ancient men's perfectly accurate appraisal of their world to fit our world view and to make us comfortable with our choices? This book should be re-realeased.

Like all great works of science fiction, this book is truly timeless. I was fascinated by Heinlein's treatment of true knowledge as "heresy", a recurring theme in man's history. While short, and very easy to read, this book deals with challenging themes: faith, knowledge, and man's unquinchable instinct to survive. I highly recommend it.