thots while reading:Holy cow, but the start of the second chapter is super-negative! Had forgotten that was the case. At the same time, it is almost hilariously funny how morbid it is. Heinlein introduces different scenarios that do not necessarily have anything to do with this story, and in each scenario everybody dies [or is going to die]. It's too funny.So the judge is a Muslim, eh?I like how the kids fly around with mini-copter-backpacks. Kinda cool.Still funny how they have two-way communication, rockets, cell phones, computers, and whatnot but never thought of email communications [or transmitting information over long distances or even faxes]. In the future, they still have pneumatic tubes to send messages between offices in a building! And microfiche files for the storage of information instead of discs.Toward the end:"I do not know. But there are situations in which courage is useless.""Possibly. I have never found one yet.""One finds such a situation but once."Interesting how they allow children to divorce their parents. I have had friends who sought emancipation from their parents and to be seen as legal adults [sometimes for financial aid; other times, to get out of a bad situation]. "Obviously," it takes some time, but the book takes a dim view of 'parental authority' [although it seems to be focused on authority that is implied to be 'out of control' ].Found it funny that in a time of 'censors' who regularly hassled Heinlein over what he put into his novels, they allowed a 'boss' [superior] tell an 'underling' [subordinate] to 'make love' to an important woman to keep her happy [and distracted] while the boss took care of a political emergency to remain in a book for juveniles.---------------------------------------------------------------------I WISH I had the hardcover! hahahahah It's such a cool cover, though, I had to use this one as 'my edition' to review.Well, this was an interesting book. I had forgotten how it started, wandered, changed, and ended. Honestly, it felt like it was two different novels mashed together into one story. The story starts out one way, focused on John and his pet/friend Lummox. Then, after a morbid start in the second chapter, it introduces other characters who will prove to be 'important' before it turns into a 'jailbreak' and 'convicts' fleeing their oppressors. THEN it turns into a political crisis, as a single ship threatens the Federation located on Earth [kinda sounds like Star Trek, doesn't it?]. FINALLY, it shifts gears completely in terms of focus and who the 'main characters' are in the narrative. It kinda reminded me of a tame version of the 'Men in Black' movies, except that the people of Earth are aware of extra-terrestrial races. The key difference is that the people of Earth in the novel are unaware of the threats issued by alien races whereas the people in the MIB movies generally are completely unaware of alien races completely. We have a government organization that monitors and investigates reports of visitors from outer space. This agency also strives to maintain good diplomatic relations with other races. The conversation between Mister Kiku and Betty at the end of the book was humorous. Mr. Kiku is attempting to delicately ask Betty if she intends to marry Johnny and continue the line of 'John Stuarts'; she openly declares her intentions to marry John Stuart. The whole conversation just struck me as funny, where an older gentleman is attempting to be discrete and the young woman is obnoxiously indiscreet. Overall, the story moved at a decent pace. I did kind of reach a point where I wanted it to be over sooner than it ended. There was a lot of talking. A LOT of talking. It was an interesting juxtaposition of two intelligent beings who perceived the other as being a 'pet.' There was also the 'question' of genders. Lummox was introduced as being a 'he' whereas the reader finds out 'he' is actually a 'she.' We also find out that the Hroshii actually have SIX sexes [how does THAT work?], which means humanity will have to develop new tenses when speaking with an Hroshii. I did like the discussion of different races and their cultures in the book; they were not long or tedious. I also found how Mr. Kiku's natural abhorrence of snakes interfering with his ability to function as a diplomat to be hilarious. He had to go to great lengths to be able to function in his job. I think the 'weakest' part of the book is how it changes its focus. It starts off focused on Johnny and Lummox [and Betty, to a lesser extent] and their relationship to each other. Then a government agency becomes involved due to damage incurred by Lummox. After that point, Johnny tries to figure out what to do to save his friend's life. While Johnny is trying to save Lummox, the story suddenly changes as a small interstellar ship approaches the Earth and demands the return of a lost child. At this point, the book beings to turn its focus from Johnny and Lummox to Mr. Kiku and Mr. Greenberg. So what was once a story about a boy and his interstellar pet-friend turns into an interstellar political crisis with the two at the center of it. The last two to three chapters focus on the demands of the Hroshii delegation and how Humanity tries to rise to the occasion to bargain from a 'stronger position' even though Humanity clearly is the weaker of the species. It truly is as if two different, incomplete narratives were blended into one tale.Another humorous 'item' is Betty. After seven novels of either non-existent or weak feminine characters, we finally get a 'strong' female co-lead. She is smart. She is mouthy. She acts as Johnny's counsel in court. Despite being put down by John Stuart, she obviously loves the young man. She attempts to help Johnny and Lummox escape before the government finds them. THEN she bargains with Mr. Kiku to ensure Johnny gets an important position in the team returning to the Hroshii home planet with Lummox and the team searching for her. So here we have what appears to be a strong, smart, decisive, independent female lead, and she comes across as annoying! Actually, she comes across as a common archetype that Heinlein will use in his 'future' novels involving strong female characters. But the way Heinlein writers her, she still comes across as annoying and too disrespectful for her own good. Ah, well. At least she was SO much better than other female characters [other than maybe Meade from 'The Rolling Stones'].John's mom comes out as pretty despicable in the book, in my opinion. Interesting character development on her part. I can only imagine how happy Johnny was to be leaving her behind.The gaps in technology are something else, something on a completely different level. When science fiction authors get things 'right,' it is pretty amazing. By the same token, the things they 'miss' because they cannot comprehend them are equally amazing [such as compact discs, emails, digital streaming, digital files, communications satellites, using lasers to 'read' information, etc.]. Along the same line, I wish they had been correct about using rockets to travel the globe like we do airlines today, trips to the Moon, Mars, Venus, and the 'Outer Colonies', interstellar travel, etc. That would have been awesome!I know he had a lot going on in the book, but it would still have been interesting to read Heinlein's views on how the Earth's religions viewed interstellar races in light of their creeds/tenets/beliefs. We get some smatterings of that throughout the course of this book [and some statements, while 'strong', seem to be more racially motivated than religious], but it is pretty hit-and-miss. To be perfectly honest, I think the Monotheistic religions would have the hardest time if interstellar races were discovered to truly exist. The polytheistic religions would have an easier time of it, in my opinion.Despite the abrupt change halfway through the book, it was still a fun book to read. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Heinlein. What more need be said, really?A side note, if you will, on the subject of women in Heinlein's universe. Someone noted in a review a quote from the male lead ""very nearly as good a head on her as a man, and pretty to boot". This quote, out of the context of the novel, is quite damning...but how the male lead describes the woman, and how the woman is portrayed by Heinlien are two completely different things. This woman who is "nearly as good a head as a man" runs circles around EVERY male in the book. She manipulates, insults, that teasing quote is held up, where the number of times she calls HIM a "lumix" or any number of other words for "idiot" are completely ignored. She states that "all men would look better with makeup", towards the end of the book. Where he complements her looks, and says that she's competent, she insults the intelligence of the man, and calls him ugly. And forces along the way causes just about everything to line up exactly as she wishes it to. Do Heinlien's women need men? Yes, sure. Invariably. And yet just as much, the man needs the women. So many of his novels are about some peon male being led around by some highly qualified, intelligent woman who is far more skilled, capable, and informed. Do they fall in love? Sure..And there's a fair bit less backstabbing and cheating and infidelity and any number of OTHER social evils than in any modern romance I've ever picked up.
What do You think about The Star Beast (1977)?
This has the distiguished honor of the being the first REAL book I read. I remember I was in grade school (fourth grade? I don't remember) and did a book report over it and everything. At the time, I loved it...but re-reading it as an adult, I realize that it's not one of Heinlein's best. It's not even one of his best "young male" novels, but it's still a great way to pass an evening or two. The run-down (non-spoilered): John Thomas has a giant, talking pet alien, named Lummox, who is always getting into trouble. After Lummox gets loose and does some property damage, The local authorities decide that Lummox must be put down, but John decides to run away to save the life of his best friend/pet. The size-up: I always find Heinlein's realistic and logical presentation appealing. He can take an crazy premise and make it seem plausible. I'm not crazy about the zany twist at the end of this story though. It seems a little deus ex machina, but, hey, the book is practically a novella, so I guess a little alacrity in the wrap-up is okay. I probably should only give this book three stars...but I'm adding an extra star for sentimental reasons.
—Josh
In the last few months I've reread a few books and authors that I enjoyed when I was young. Early Heinlein was not on my 'best of' lists then, but I did like a few of those works. I went in more for his later works. The early works were always an fun, quick read that in the end was satisfying.The Star Beast is not one of the novels that I read back and Heinlein delivered, true to form that same solid, well crafted story that doesn't leave a bad aftertaste.And now a few random thoughts:A black African as the most powerful (Earth) man in the Federation of Planets! Wow! Shocking for 1958! And quite an interesting sub-text concerning how Mr. Kiku has to deal with, and eventually overcome his own prejudices. John Thomas XI comes across as a rather sullen, slow-witted teenager. Not nearly as interesting as Betty. I don't know what she sees in him. Mrs. Stuart, JT's mother, is horrible, the antithesis of good motherhood. The 'villains' in this story are only so because of ignorance, but she is a villain because of her small minded love.Yes. They don't get off the planet, there's no action to speak of and most of the story takes place in the conversations between the characters. As I recall many of Heinlein's books are similar, for example Stranger in a Strange Land. If you need explosions and car chases to keep you awake this book will not do it for you. But, if you enjoy a tightly constructed plot line told through the spoken words of the protagonists you have a fair shot at enjoying this nice little book.I gave it only three stars even though I liked it because, although it was a good read I can't see myself rereading it. It doesn't seem to be holding any deeper levels of meaning to be discovered later.(view spoiler)[The handy fact of Lummox being a 'princess' and being able to decide the political future of nine billion of her species after being away from her race for 120 years seems to me to be a little too contrived. If that was the case what was she doing wandering around when The Trail Blazer landed and JT VIII scooped her up? Don't you think that 36,000 years of engineered breeding would at least have a baby monitor set up? Parents like this get reported to Family Services! (hide spoiler)]
—David
-A pesar de que se puedan encontrar cosas en el fondo, pura evasión.-Género. Ciencia-Ficción.Lo que nos cuenta. Lummox es “un animalito muy tímido” para su dueño, el adolescente John Thomas Stuart XI, pero para casi todos los demás es una bestia enorme a medio camino entre un rinoceronte y un triceratops de ocho patas, apetito insaciable y voz de niñita cuya última travesura termina llamando la atención del Departamento de Asuntos Espaciales de la Federación, que manda un delegado a la localidad en la que residen la familia Stuart y Lummie para descubrir que la criatura no solamente es inteligente (y en realidad lo es mucho más de lo que simula ser) sino que efectivamente es parte de una especie extraterrestre no catalogada entre las que ya hay en la Tierra.¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
—Olethros
