Information AboutVariable Star |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT VARIABLE STAR | |
| 1955 novels | |
| 2006 novels | |
| novels by robert a. heinlein | |
| science fiction novels | |
For the astronomical object, see Variable Star .
''Variable Star'' is a 2006 novel written by Spider Robinson based on the surviving seven pages of an eight page 1955 novel outline by the late Robert A. Heinlein . It describes the coming of age of a young musician who signs on to the crew of a starship as a way of escaping from a failed romance. FROM HEINLEIN TO ROBINSON Robinson states in an appendix to the book that he was working from an outline that lacked an ending. He was specifically told by his publisher that they wanted him to write in his own style, not Heinlein's, and the abundance of profanity and puns makes it clear that this is not a Heinlein novel. The outline is almost exactly contemporaneous with Heinlein's juvenile novel '' Time For The Stars '', and shares many of its details, such as the use of faster-than-light telepathic communication between twins. Although Heinlein apparently wrote the outline for ''Variable Star'' to be used, like ''Time for the Stars'', as part of his Scribner's juvenile series, Robinson's realization deals with a variety of topics, including drugs and sexuality, that would have been completely unacceptable for a juvenile novel in 1955. SETTING The book is set in a divergent offshoot of Heinlein's Future History ; it contains many passing references to works by Heinlein and other authors. These references and plot elements are noted in parentheses. Mars and Venus are both settled by men and have intelligent natives: Venerian dragons ('' Between Planets '') and three legged Martians ('' Red Planet '', '' Stranger In A Strange Land ''), there are cities "in Luna" ('' The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress '') and on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn ('' Farmer In The Sky ''). The Moon was first reached by Leslie LeCroix, backed by D. D. Harriman ('' The Man Who Sold The Moon ''). The asteroids are also settled. But most of the solar system's forty-three billion are on Earth. In Heinlein's '' Methuselah's Children '', the starship ''New Frontiers'' left Earth with the Howard Families in 2136, returning in 2210. In this universe, the Howard Families either don't exist, or remain in masquerade. The ''New Frontiers'' has not yet returned as the story opens in 2286. It is presumed lost. PLOT Eighteen-year-old aspiring musician and composer Joel Johnston has fallen in love with Jinny Hamilton, a student about his age. Both are orphans, and virtually penniless — though he is the son of a Nobel Prize -winning physicist and a farmer from Ganymede. He then learns his beloved is actually the granddaughter of the galaxy's richest man, Conrad, head of the Conrad family, which controls a sizable fraction of the solar system's commerce. In a meeting at one of Jinny's homes, Joel learns that that the patriarch has already mapped out his future; he is to be groomed for a role in the family business, and to be a 'stud' for the family, to continue the dynasty. Preferring to pursue his own destiny, he leaves the estate with the help of Jinny's cousin, seven-year-old Evelyn Conrad. He promptly goes on a massive bender. When he sobers up and learns that the scholarship he had been counting on to finance his further education has suspiciously fallen through, he signs onto the crew of RSS ''Charles Sheffield'' (presumably named in honor of mathematician, physicist and science fiction author Charles Sheffield ), a starship headed to a distant star on a twenty-year (subjective time) voyage to establish a colony. It keeps in touch with Earth both by laser and by telepathy between close relatives (twins in most cases). Like many others, Joel has to make major emotional adjustments, and ends up seeing a professional healer, who helps him gain some insight into his psyche. As a colonial with rare actual dirt farm experience, Joel works on the two agricultural decks with Zog, a Marsman, and Kathy. Joel is still getting over Jinny, but eventually goes on a date with Kathy, whom everyone seems to regard as the ideal compatible match for him. She, however, has recently gotten engaged to be in a plural marriage. (Like other Heinlein books, multiple forms of marriage exist.) He then proceeds to date a number of women, but with the exception of a brief, non-mutual infatuation with the woman to whom he loses his virginity, none of them are particularly serious. He plays his music, mainly on the saxophone, and proves good enough that he is paid well to play twice a week. He eventually records an album, which become a best seller on Earth. Later, he is advised that a seemingly-worthless inheritance, shares in a lost starship (the ''New Frontier''), has suddenly made him quite wealthy after the ship turns up. He upgrades his shared quarters. Five years into the voyage, one of the ship's six relativists, who are essential to the running of the ship's faster-than-light quantum ramthrust drive, is killed and another mentally incapacitated, leaving only four. Since a relativist can control the engine for at most six hours per day, this loss places a tremendous strain on the ones that remain, since the drive cannot be shut down without risking not being able to restart it. The next year, disaster strikes. The sun has gone nova, contrary to all astrophysical theories, killing everyone in the solar system. (This makes it clear the book does not take place in any of Heinlein's other universes, with the possible exception of the short story " The Year Of The Jackpot ".) The scattered starships and few colonies are all that is left of humanity. The crew is completely devastated. Worse, a wavefront of deadly gamma radiation is following at lightspeed, threatening all the colonies. The crew is only able to warn one in time; the rest are doomed. Unable to endure the catastrophe, one of the relativists commits suicide. The three remaining relativists try valiantly, but the ramthrust drive goes out in less than two weeks. The ship will not be able to stop at its destination; it will coast on by at 97.6% of the speed of light. Later, the ship is overtaken by a faster-than-light vessel. It seems that Jinny married a genius scientist who developed a revolutionary drive. Unfortunately, there was only the one experimental starship; aboard are several Conrads, including the domineering Conrad of Conrad, Jinny, her husband, and Evelyn, who has aged much faster than Joel because of Time Dilation . She is now nineteen, and explains that she bullied her grandfather into coming to get him so that she could marry him. Conrad proposes an evacuation plan, shuttling people to the new colony planet nine people at a time. However, Joel realizes that the ship will never return, that Conrad only contacted them to get vitally needed supplies. The resulting confrontation leaves the plutocrat imprisoned and several people dead. The faster-than-light engine is transferred to the ''Sheffield'', allowing the ship to complete its journey. Joel and Evelyn marry, then proceed to warn each of the other colonies of the coming radiation wave. Joel decides to stay in space with his wife and child, rather than being planet-bound. REFERENCES
... my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of all the western stars, until I die. The last Heinlein novel published in his life was '' To Sail Beyond The Sunset '', which included and drew its title from this quote. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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