Customer Reviews

Time for the Stars

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Heinlein wrote a series of twelve books for Scribner's that are collectively called Heinlein's Juveniles. Some Heinlein historians include "Podkayne of Mars" as one of the juveniles, but Heinlein himself did not. This 1956 novel was Heinlein's tenth juvenile.

Tom and Pat Bartlett were twins; very close twins. In fact, they were so close that they possessed a special ability shared by very few twins. When the Long Range Foundation contacted the twins for an interview, they milked the Foundation for every penny they could get. However, the Foundation was indulgent with the twins because they needed them for a very special project.

The twins soon find themselves herded along with numerous other twins through a series of tests. At the other end of the series of tests is a contract for the twins that will guarantee that they and their families will be well taken care of for the rest of their lives. The only problem with the contract is that one of the twins will have to leave earth on a torchship, the Lewis and Clark, also called L.C. or Elsie, for distant planets.

Tom Bartlett ends up being the lucky twin to leave crowded Earth for the stars. Heinlein's books tend to be accurate in their engineering, physics and astronomy, and this book certainly is. Heinlein has all his stars in the right places and he appropriately described the relativistic effects of traveling near the speed of light. Heinlein also did an excellent job of envisioning life aboard a ship that would spend years in deep space, including the interplay of personalities and ship politics.

Heinlein also included the mandatory element of every space exploration book, aliens. Heinlein's aliens are inscrutable, but still behave in a way that we can somewhat understand, but we will not forgive. Comparing Heinlein's crew with the crew of the starship Enterprise and other, later explorers, Heinlein's crew was distressingly naïve. I think Heinlein made his crew naïve intentionally to help contrast the relative innocence of his space explorers with veteran space explorers who had won their lessons in the hardest ways possible.

Heinlein does a wonderful job of wrapping up this book with an unpredictable ending, which comes all too soon. The ending is bittersweet and as happens with many Heinlein endings, somehow makes me wonder whether the tragedy and the sacrifice was worth it (define "it" however you like when you reach the end of the book). Heinlein's answer was always "yes."

Heinlein remains one of science fiction's greatest authors. His science is excellent, his stories are generally well-plotted and written, and he nearly always leaves you wanting more. I recommend this book for every person who thinks of themselves as a fan of "hard" science fiction. This book is a winner from an author who won four Hugo awards during his life and the first Nebula Grand Master Award.

Personal Note: I am not very objective about this novel. This book was the very first science fiction book I ever read, and was the reason that I read thousands more after it. I sometimes wonder whether this book and others like it inspired me and many others like me to become engineers and scientists. I hope that others read this book and see the same thing in it that I did and start down the same path.

Enjoy!

This was a classic Heinlein story that had been out of print in book form for quite some time. It follows Heinlein's tradition of superb story telling about a young boys' travel through the stars. Already familiar to most Heinlein fans, Time for the Stars is about the use of telepathic twins to breach the vast emptiness of space in a bid to further explore the galaxy and allow mankind to expand beyond its home planet. Although it lacks the soul-delving depth of Heinlein's masterpieces (Stranger in a Strange Land, the Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Time Enough for love), it's a grand adventure story that will inspire young teens to look up to the stars and always wonder. And that, is what Heinlein's stories are all about.

This was one of the first SF books I ever read, and it's the best starting point for any young person wanting to read the 'Juveniles'. I recently re-read it (out loud) to my 10 year old son. Now granted I needed to explain a bit about Einstein (well, just the time-dilation idea, which a 10 year old can understand). The story is such a rollicking adventure that he would plead for another page every night! As we finished the final page (which is a great and mind expanding twist), the young fellows review was: "that's got to be one of the best books ever, Dad!"

This book has hardly dated, which is amazing for a novel from the 50's, and it explores lots of interesting issues - sibling rivalry, ageing, cultural change (I love RH's joke about girls wearing hats in the final pages). The science is sound. The level and content are appropriate for a 10-14 reader (with the proviso about science). Some of the other Juveniles are a bit more 'mature' in themes.

And yes, to the reviewer above, RH was a large part in my desire to be a geologist. But I never got to Mars...

I read this a teenager, and although by today's standards it rates as more of a pre-teen book it is still an enjoyable read for what is. Dating back to the era when science fiction grew out of science, I got this for my daughter when she got interested in the concept of time travel. After trying to give an understandable, brief summary of tome/space theory I remembered how counter-intuitive it can seem at first and how long it took the concepts to sink in for me. I recalled Heinlein's ability to weave concept and character and let him do the work for me, without the lecture...

One of the first science-fiction novels I ever read, and for a long time it made many others look flimsy in comparison, because of its depth of detail. This "juvenile" is more sophisticated than many "adult" sci-fi novels.

Heinlein took two ideas that seem obvious but which nobody had thought of putting in a novel before. First, dramatize Einstein's twin paradox in which one twin ages on Earth while another stays young via relativity. Secondly, instead of dwelling on the heroic adventures of a starship captain, put the focus on what life is like on a starship, as seen by a sensitive, unspectacular young crewman. The narrator will describe personal affairs on one page and relativity theory on the next, because they are both part of his life.

There's one flaw: the crewman has an elderly African-American man as a mentor, but he addresses the old man as "Uncle". This seems to be an affectionate nickname, but it's cringe-inducing when we remember that "uncle" was once slang for an old male slave (Uncle Tom, Uncle Remus). Not sure what Heinlein thought he was doing here: using a stereotype, or turning it on its head?

When I read all the Heinlein juveniles, in the early Sixties, this one didn't impress me much. So haven't re-read it as often as some of the others, most of the others.

Now I realize that this is a very moving character study of the twin who goes roving. The science speculation in this book is rather far-fetched but the human story is moving and interesting. It still doesn't have the humor of _The Rolling Stones_ and it isn't as profound as _Citizen of the Galaxy_ but it is one of the better juveniles, which makes it one very good book.

In "Time for the Stars" Heinlein has created a charming novel about human life and human relationships that includes many of the SF tropes we all love; exploring alien worlds, long space voyages, that whole Einsteinian time paradox thing, and telepathy. A SF classic.

Once again Heinlein weaves a fine adventure for the imagination here, starting with a special group of youngsters who ultimately help shape a future for humanity. The template is similar to his other juvenile novels, but this one is quite different from some others in noticeable ways. This one is more thoughtful and contemplative in tone, and there are real moments of loss and sadness that creep in at several points. Many of the kids grow up during this story, literally and figuratively, and while they succeed at their mission, there is a painful cost that is sincerely and believably told.

The adventure story is entertaining and excellent, as you would expect. The story construction is second to none. Each passage and chapter maintains a thoughtful adventure, filled with ideas and emotion. As Tom gets closer to his goal of building a future for mankind, his own past life with his twin brother becomes less defined. Their connection and relationship to one another shifts and wobbles, in contrast to the solid future that Tom's adventure creates for humans. It's a fascinating dynamic that unfolds, and I was left to ponder the victories won against the magnitude of the losses endured by Tom and his surviving crew members when it was over. Unlike some of the other Heinlein juveniles, this one strikes close to the real nature of sacrifice and contribution. It is more often suffered through, than happily achieved and recognized. There is a complexity to this story that made the adventure meaningful, as well as entertaining. The adventuring spirit is captured truly in these pages, in all its glory and all its pain.

This book was over way too quickly for me. As I look over my other books waiting to be read, I quickly see two types. Those with Heinlein's name on the cover, and those without. The first are too precious few.

The premise is simple - Given that relativity affects the flow of time, what would happen to one twin placed on a starship going near the speed of light and the other left on Earth? Add in a psychic connection, the first interstellar search for new worlds for mankind to colonize, a dash of xenobiology, a few surprising advances in physics, and a young protagonist questioning his duty and his place in all this and you have the makings of one great read.

Brought to life in a way only Heinlein can, the book is an easy, enjoyable read that covers all aspects of the "what if?" scenario above in a truly speculative way you just don't find as often in modern writing. What if one of the psychic-linked twins were to die? What would relativity do to two linked brains trying to communicate? How would the flow of time affect the underlying cultures on board a ship where five months has passed and the world they left where fifty years have done so? What would the revelation of psychic powers do to our basic understandings of science? How would we explore and colonize a new world?

If you like books that will make you think and stretch the imagination, definitely give this one a go.

This novella was obviously geared toward juvenile readers, and is dated now in so many ways - but it is a fun read nonetheless.

Tom and Pat Bartlett are (illegal) bratty identical twins on an overcrowded Earth of the future. When testing reveals psychic abillities, they are hired for a space exploration program which utilizes their special talent to allow simultaneous communication between space craft and Earth. Tom travels through space at near light speed, having many adventures; meanwhile Pat remains on Earth and grows old as the decades pass.