Double Star

[Connavar]

I didnt see a thread for this so i wonder how people feel about this book.

How did you guys like it when you read it ?

 

[biodroid]

Never read a Heinlein book but would like to attempt one sometime.

 

[Connavar]

You shouldnt start with this one. Its not written like his other famous books of the same period.

Look after books that you find most interesting synopsis wise. Not how famous the book is.

 

[Taltos]

Read it, it was fun at that moment, don't remember most of it ... Heinlein has a lot of more memorable books.

 

[j d worthington]

This is one of those instances of not immediately liking a book but later coming to a position where it a favorite among a writer's work. Ideologically, I am at almost polar opposites of the message of this book, so I found the eventual decision of the protagonist frankly appalling and horrific... a worse prison than any set of bars could ever be.

However, over time I have come to have a different opinion on the matter; such an action is certainly not for me (I'm much too selfish, I'm afraid), but there is a nobility to it, and it also carries the idea that even as foolish, shallow, and self-centered a being as "The Great Lorenzo" can redeem him(or her)self and grow... a theme one sees in a fair amount of Heinlein, vide "Coventry" and "Waldo". It is also one of those books which actually says a great deal in very small compass, and offers a lot on rereadings. Besides, it has one of the simplest yet most touching endings in all of Heinlein's work.

So... yes, I'd say it's a very good book. The voice Heinlein uses is rather different, but the themes and ideas are much the same, and I find it, too, is one which makes more of an impact on repeated readings....

 

[Connavar]

I thought it was a different,fun Heinlein read.

I liked reading the story from the POV of Lorenzo Smythe.

Lorenzo himself made the story enjoyable. Politicial,characters,story wise in general its not one of RAH best books.

I thought the eventual decision was really unfair,they forced it on him. They fooled him in to becoming who he became that in the end he couldnt say no.

I didnt like the ending, it wasnt a bold one like i usually expect from RAH.

 

[j d worthington]

Actually, Connavar, I think that is where it is most intensely Heinlein... though not in the usual, obvious way. I disliked that ending intensely on first reading, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Heinlein was taking a different approach to a message he has expressed quite frequently in his work, and that changed my attitude toward it considerably.

Originally, yes, he was nearly "shanghaied" into it... but the point is that Lorenzo was a selfish little twerp who, by inhabiting the skin (as it were) of a man genuinely dedicated to such a humane and forward-looking cause, himself grows until he realizes the importance of this for all people (human and otherwise) dwarfs all his petty concerns to nothing. He grows up and becomes an adult, taking perhaps the hardest road possible: denying his own identity in order to serve what is genuinely the greater good. In that sense, he is sort of a blending of two characters from "Coventry": the protagonist David MacKinnon and Fader McGee...

 

[Connavar]

Actually, Connavar, I think that is where it is most intensely Heinlein... though not in the usual, obvious way. I disliked that ending intensely on first reading, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Heinlein was taking a different approach to a message he has expressed quite frequently in his work, and that changed my attitude toward it considerably.

Originally, yes, he was nearly "shanghaied" into it... but the point is that Lorenzo was a selfish little twerp who, by inhabiting the skin (as it were) of a man genuinely dedicated to such a humane and forward-looking cause, himself grows until he realizes the importance of this for all people (human and otherwise) dwarfs all his petty concerns to nothing. He grows up and becomes an adult, taking perhaps the hardest road possible: denying his own identity in order to serve what is genuinely the greater good. In that sense, he is sort of a blending of two characters from "Coventry": the protagonist David MacKinnon and Fader McGee...

Nothing wrong with the message, i thought the end,the choice of Lorenzo was too obvious. I expected better from RAH storytelling wise.

Lorenzo himself and the portrayal of the martians,their way of life saved the book from a disappointment for me.

I liked Lorenzo's growth,his choice was easy to understand since it was for the greater good.

Far from my fav novel of his though.

 

[TTBRAHWTMG]

I'm not sure if you guys would remember me...it's been almost three years since I've visited. Nice to see that you are still at it!

 

[j d worthington]

TT!!! I've been wondering if we'd see you again -- glad to see your post; you have studied (as opposed to simply read, or even read deeply) Heinlein more than anyone I know, and your input on some of these things would prove very interesting.

Hope all is well with you, and we'll be seeing you around again....

 

[TTBRAHWTMG]

Not much to add to the previous comments on this one, but keep in mind the time this was written in. Fairly early in his own career (his first Hugo) and just as SF was becoming more mainstream (only the 3rd Hugo given out), he was still being pretty cautious with his intended themes. At this time he was probably more concerned about a pay cheque than in preaching, and did not have enough clout to avoid being affected by overzealous editors. In later works his Libertarianism and communicating his other core philosophies became more important to him and he would often go on for chapters...but at this point they were usually very subtle.

The Astronomical Definition of a Double Star: "Two stars that appear to be one when seen with the naked eye, either because they orbit one another or happen to be in the same line of sight even though they are separated by a great distance." Just with the title alone, Heinlein makes overt and obvious his intent to have you think about PERSONAL IDENTITY and PSYCHOLOGY while reading this book.

In my opinion he pulls a bit of a bait and switch as well, as he makes that theme explicit while also quietly planting other themes. When reading Double Star, did he not also subtly provoke you to think about SEXISM through the one dimensional protrayal of Penny; about RACISM and PREJUDICE by his descriptions of Martian culture, and by demonstrating that Lorenzo's distaste of Martians was based on his early influences and not based in fact or real experience; about CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY, by introducing Willem and his interaction with heads of state and government; about MODERN POLITICAL SYSTEMS through his depiction of the importance of the team that surrounds a leader balanced or even having greater importance than the personal character of the leader themself; and ofcourse his ever present theme of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? He couches these and other themes in a light and fun 1st person narrative that is intended to keep you moving along before you really realize they are planted.

In case you don't think there are more themes couched in such a short and easy read, I'll leave you with a few examples from Double Star of my favourite thing about Heinlein...his aphorisms. (Do you remember teaching me that word J.D.? I have incorporated it into my vocab now. That, along with "ailurophile", I will remember forever...thank you!)

-------------------
FROM DOUBLE STAR

"Aside from a cold appreciation of my own genius I felt that I was a modest man"

"I was no fool; I was aware that when another man is too anxious to force money on one, it is time to examine the cards, for there is almost certainly something illegal, or dangerous, or both, involved in the matter."

"I have never been impressed by the formal schools of ethics. I had sampled them...but I had found them as poor in vitamins as a mother-in-law’s kiss."

"Take sides! Always take sides! You will sometimes be wrong-but the man who refuses to take sides must always be wrong"

"A slave cannot be freed, save he do it himself. Nor can you enslave a free man; the very most you can do is kill him!"

"If Satan should ever replace God he would find it necessary to assume the attributes of Divinity."

"The people will take a certain amount of reform, then they want a rest. But the reforms stay."

"There is solemn satisfaction in doing the best you can for eight billion people. Perhaps their lives have no cosmic significance, but they have feelings. They can hurt."

----------------------

Damn, Heinlein always sucks me in. Okay, enough out of me!

 

[j d worthington]

Somehow missed this reply earlier...

I like your points about the definition of "double star" and its application here; but I'd also add the classic literary theme of "doubling" and/or "doppelgänger", with the various implications inherent in such a theme. Really, for such a short book, it is actually quite complex.

And as for the terms: you are more than welcome....