Customer Reviews

The Star Beast (Gollancz)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lummox, The Star Beast, is the star of this book. A three-ton overgrown caterpillar who just loves to munch on the neighbor's prize rose bushes, add a few pieces of tasty metal cars, and raise John Thomases. Of course, John Thomas doesn't quite see things the same way as Lummox. When Lummox goes on a little trip through downtown, with the expectable result of absolute mayhem, John Thomas finds himself in trouble with his mother and the law with only his girlfriend to help him.
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How John's problems are resolved is an exposition in a teenager's maturation along with a very different (for Heinlein) portrayal of a truly competent and efficient government bureaucrat (for a completely opposed view of civil servants see his Friday or Stranger in a Strange Land). Along the way, Heinlein makes points about child rearing, the sometimes ridiculous workings of the law (along with some hilarious courtroom proceedings), prejudice, advertising/political campaigns, the shortcomings of making unfounded assumptions, self-blinded egotists, and the right of self-determination, all buried inside a fun and very good adventure story.
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Heinlein never wrote 'down' to his readers, one of the aspects that make his so-called juveniles so enjoyable for readers of all ages. Some younger readers may have a little trouble with the vocabulary he uses, though the meanings of his word choices are almost always inferable from the context. My 12 year old, who is currently reading this, runs into an unknown word about every two pages. While this is slowing him down a little, it is not detracting from his enjoyment of the story (and whether he knows it or not, he is learning a considerable amount from this book).
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Character development is a little sparse and the story line is comparatively simple. This is not the best of Heinlein's young adult books, but is a very entertaining and enjoyable book.

"The Star Beast" is the first science fiction book I read, when I was twelve years old...I even remember where I was sitting on a bench outside my building in New York while I was reading it. I recently bought it for my twelve-year old daughter, to "get her started," and on my way home from a business trip, I read it again myself. I am amazed to think I was able to read this book when I was a kid, and how much I must have missed. It is sophisticated, gently satirical, often very funny, and often wise; the usual warm characters and ear for speech that one expects from Heinlein, but with a no-nonsense intolerance for racial bigotry, and a feisty, competant teen-age girl who's got wit and courage. All told, to my considerable surprise, it's one of the better books I've read in the last few years! My highest recommendation.

John Thomas Stuart was a young man with alot of on his mind. He would be going off to college in the fall, his best friend Betty would be at a different school, his mother was still insisting that she knew what was best for him - about everything, and he would be forced to leave behind the pet he had had his entire life. 'Lummox', in fact had also been his father's before that, and his father's before....Lummox was an ET that great grandfather had brought home from one of the first deep space explorations a century before. At that time Lummox had been about the size of a puppy but had grown considerably over the years and now was about the size of a car, which added to John Thomas' problems keeping him out of trouble.

Lummox went out for a walk one afternoon and caused enough destruction that he came to the attention of the Department of Spatial Affairs. As John Thomas and Betty attempt to sort out this mess the situation continued to escalate to truly astonishing situations. Everyone involved had a different point of view about the relationship between John Thomas and Lummox and corresponding opinion on what should be done.

This 1954 entry is one of the 'juvenile' novels that RAH was writing at the time. As always with his work it is an exciting and funny novel that could be thoroughly enjoyed on that level alone. Also as always with RAH's work some rather sophisticated ideas are hidden inside that will stay with the reader long after the book has been put down.

This also marks a change in RAH's portrayal of women. In his earlier works women are usually rarely mentioned and when they are it is in a sexist and/or unsympathetic manner. In his later years women are often the main characters of his works and shown as the equals of men in every way. In THE STAR BEAST this change has begun, Betty is every bit as smart as John Thomas. The two of them are equal partners in taking care of Lummox who has more than a few surprises of his own.

This would be a good place for someone to begin reading RAH's works, it is also a 'must read' for any long time fans.

Another juvenile adventure story from the first Grand Master of Science Fiction. As usual, it has a strong appeal for adult readers as well. Heinlein never wrote down to his younger readers or lightened his realistic approach to soceity and politics in his future settings. Sometimes this works against him, and in Star Beast he gets too deep lengthy discussions between bureaucrats sitting in offices talking about intergalactic politics and the workings of the justice system.

The central premise, however, thrills: a teen boy's `pet,' a saurian alien named Lummox, becomes a focal point in negotiations with a powerful alien race, while misguided humans search for a legal loophole to allow them to kill the alien beast. The sequence involving John Thomas's escape with Lummox to avoid an order to destroy the alien is the novel's best.

If you are interested in reading more Heinlein juveniles, _Starman Jones_ and _Have Space Suit-Will Travel_ are even better, with plenty of more action and adventure.

I read this book when I was about 11. I feel in love with Science Fiction because of this book and the writings of Asimov. I also have managed to read every Heinlein book written, because this one was so wonderful. I now give a copy to my kids when they reach about 9 years old. My youngest son who just turned 10 is in the middle of it now and is enjoying it as much as I did. It's a cute story with an interesting story line and surprise ending. I would also recommend it to adults as a fun read. Give it to a child that has begun reading. It would make a great kids movie. Give it to an adult that needs a break from Real Life.

Don't be turned off by this book's "juvenile" tag or it's "cute" cover, this is a great, great read that you will highly enjoy no matter what your age. Unlike in later books, Heinlein doesn't use this book as a pulpit, but rather as sheer entertainment. Thus, this book is a good read for teenagers, and is a great book to start someone on science fiction. However, I suspect adults will actually enjoy this book more... the meat of the plot, in fact, is an intergalactic political conflict, featuring lots of behind-the-scenes manuevering and some highly entertaining courtroom scenes. A lot of this may go over the head of a younger reader. The Star Beast is well written, and reads VERY smoothly... you'll be tempted to read it in one setting, as I very nearly did. It's hard to put down. A highly enjoyable read. This is a very good Heinlein that doesn't get much recognition... pick it up.

It's more than a bit of a misnomer to call the series of novels Heinlein wrote specifically for teenagers from 1947-58 "juveniles"----they are actually just page-turning adventure sf with well-detailed backgrounds that just happen to have protaganists under the age of 21. What I'm saying is that they're just as entertaining for adults as for kids, as long as the adult in question isn't looking for literary experimentation or explicit sex. That fact is that, with one or two exceptions, Heinlein's juveniles are far more solidly entertaining than his later 'adult' novels. (The exceptions? Rocket Ship Galileo and Podkayne of Mars, but hey, no one ever bats .1000.)

The Star Beast was always one of my favorites, mainly because of Lummox. But there's also one of Heinlein's best courtroom scenes, and plenty of other high points. The idea of a bond between a human boy and an alien 'pet' with the alien turning out to be an important member of an advanced civilization had been touched on before, in Red Planet, but it is taken to a fascinating extreme here. While it's true that the Stuart's seem to live in a 1950's small town, there is also a great evocation of a vast galaxy teeming with varied species and spacefaring civilizations, endless possibilities. You can't miss with Heinlein's juveniles, but this is one of the most charming.

Heinlein, at his best, was probably the best pure storyteller of the twentieth century, and he is at his best here. The characters are delightful, especially Lummox, and the story just flows. You want to read it in one sitting, and sometimes I do.

Heinlein, at his worst, was an annoying ideologue, and he avoids that here, simply letting the story tell itself. That is not to say there's no lesson here. Oh, no! You leave this book thoughtful. About pride, pretension, and the folly of underestimating those who aren't "like us", among other things.

But don't be scared off by that. This is "juvenile" Heinlein at his best, which means it's juvenile only insofar as its protagonists are young. People will be reading this (willingly!) When his "adult" fiction is forgotten. My highest recommendation.

Imagine this: your great-grandfather was an astronaut who brought a collie-puppy-sized alien home from one of his missions as a family pet. Lummox, your pet, grows larger with everything he eats. By the time you are a teenager (and Lummox has started feasting on dilapidated cars), Lummox is the size of a small elephant. What do you do when the townspeople start rioting over your pet - and a delegation of Lummox's species comes to Earth to bring him home?

This is the premise of Heinlein's "The Star Beast," a humorous and comforting science fiction book. The cheerful resilience of John Thomas and his pet Lummox provide humor even in the book's darkest moments (which aren't very dark at all).

This is a quick, funny read about a creature from the stars who raises John Thomas's...at least from his perspective it's fairly accurate as he has been passed down over several generations of John Thomas's as a pet named Lummox. All is well and placid, Lummox usually being content to amuse himself in the backyard and enjoy the company of the latest John Thomas...but alas, the time has come at which the current John Thomas is growing up, and so spending less and less time with Lummox to devote to matters which young men are wont to do. So, Lummox is bored and decides to take a walk outside the yard with disastrous results.

Events soon culminate to the point of nearly meeting interstelar war as those of Lummox's species show up wanting thier baby back. Of course, since it's Heinlein, you can still expect some comments tossed in with regards to the role of government, free will and civil rights, politicians and legislature. But, this is far less than many of his books and just tells a good, fun tale of a Lummox and his pet John Thomas.