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Citizen of the Galaxy
In a distant galaxy, the atrocity of slavery was alive and well, and young Thorby was just another orphaned boy sold at auction. But his new owner, Baslim, is not the disabled beggar he appears to be: adopting Thorby as his son, he fights relentlessly as an abolitionist spy. When the authorities close in on Baslim, Thorby must ride with the Free Traders — a league of merch...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 17th 2005
by Pocket
(first published 1957)
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Some of my all-time favorite sci-fi novels were written by Robert Heinlein. Some of the worst, stupidest, most incoherent, hipper-than-thou sci-fi novels were also written by Robert Heinlein. So every time I check out a Heinlein from the library, it is with great trepidation.
I am happy to say that Citizen of the Galaxy is one of the first category – a good Heinlein. It is creative, likeable, possibly even inspiring. The hero, Thorby, is one of his better characters. A lot of things ...more
I am happy to say that Citizen of the Galaxy is one of the first category – a good Heinlein. It is creative, likeable, possibly even inspiring. The hero, Thorby, is one of his better characters. A lot of things ...more
The story of a slave boy who becomes free and grows up, making his way through the Galaxy.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable science fiction book.
There isn't much character development, which is a little lame, because it is a story of a young man growing up.
However, the Heinlein's galaxy provides an interesting allegory for many human institutions such as government, free trade, education, and slavery.
The anti-slavery argument presented in this novel i...more
This is a thoroughly enjoyable science fiction book.
There isn't much character development, which is a little lame, because it is a story of a young man growing up.
However, the Heinlein's galaxy provides an interesting allegory for many human institutions such as government, free trade, education, and slavery.
The anti-slavery argument presented in this novel i...more
I've read a LOT of Heinlein, and this book doesn't read as much like a "typical" Heinlein book as others I've read. The main character is very serious --yes, he was a slave, but usually Heinlein books involve a certain witty dialogue that this character lacked.
That said, it was still an amazing book. We meet Thorby as he's being unloaded from a slave ship, and follow him through his life from there on. He's adopted by a begger/slave trade fighter in disguise, Baslim, who...more
That said, it was still an amazing book. We meet Thorby as he's being unloaded from a slave ship, and follow him through his life from there on. He's adopted by a begger/slave trade fighter in disguise, Baslim, who...more
I've read this any number of times, but since I began competitive reading at Goodreads, I haven't done much re-reading. I like Heinlein's later juvenile novels very much--the ones like this and Starman Jones, not the way-juveniles like The Star Beast. Yes, they all have the same tone, except Podkayne of Mars where Heinlein first develops the annoying faux-female narrator voice so jarring in Farnham's Freehold. Yes, you could pick up most of the secondary characters and plunk them into a differe...more
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I am a big Heinlein fan, but at the same time I will be the first to admit that not all of his novels are inspired ground-breaking science fiction. Citizen of the Galaxy, however, falls only just shy of that distinction. It's a sometimes slow-paced other times speedy story of slavery, family (both in the literal and unofficial sense), and the meaning of the word home. The title is well chosen to describe the feeling proposed in the novel of not belonging to one people, of not being a citizen of ...more
Citizen of the Galaxy is another one of Heinlein's Young Adult novels, though I found it in the Science Fiction section of my local library. Thorby is a young boy who knows neither his parents nor his age and has been a slave for as long as he can remember.
The story opens at a slave auction on the planet Jubbul, central to the Nine Worlds. Thorby is purchased by a beggar named Baslim, who raises the boy as his adopted son, frees him and turns out to be much more than a beggar.
...more
The story opens at a slave auction on the planet Jubbul, central to the Nine Worlds. Thorby is purchased by a beggar named Baslim, who raises the boy as his adopted son, frees him and turns out to be much more than a beggar.
...more
[These notes were made in 1984:]. A juvenile, but only in the sense that its hero is adolescent. This is quite a sophisticated fable about the uses of power; a nicely-structured progression from powerlessness and naiveté (Thorby as slave) through acceptance in a limited and self-sufficient society (the Traders) to awesome financial (and therefore moral) power. As in many Heinlein books, the problem is redefining the self in light of the totally new conditions, and Thorby does this successfully t...more
I have a friend who contends that this is the greatest sci-fi book for young adults ever published. While I certainly agree that this is a fine book for that (and all) ages, particularly as it may be a useful teaching tool for certain history, social studies, and civics classes, I still think "Ender's Game" takes the cake.
The characters are well thought out and the plot is solid. I think there could be more galaxy gallivanting, maybe a few more episodes for young Thorby, ...more
The characters are well thought out and the plot is solid. I think there could be more galaxy gallivanting, maybe a few more episodes for young Thorby, ...more
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Yah! Another Robert Heinlein book.
I don't know why - I just love them. Well most of them. There has been one so far I just couldn't stand (the name escapes me right now) - the only book I've ever thrown away.
Citizen of the Galaxy was great, following along one of the common themes of Heinlein's books. Young boy thrust into a situation outside of his control (in this case, he's a slave bought by a new master), develops new skills, starts on an incredible journey through s...more
I don't know why - I just love them. Well most of them. There has been one so far I just couldn't stand (the name escapes me right now) - the only book I've ever thrown away.
Citizen of the Galaxy was great, following along one of the common themes of Heinlein's books. Young boy thrust into a situation outside of his control (in this case, he's a slave bought by a new master), develops new skills, starts on an incredible journey through s...more
Highly regarded as one of the best of Heinlein’s juvies, Citizen of the Galaxy is indeed, for the most part, worthy of the praise that has been heaped upon it. I do have one qualm with this novel; it seems to lack a nemesis, or antagonist. There is quite a bit that happens – but to what end? There are no “bad guys” so it’s a bit bland at times. The slavers, and slavery, are the closest the novel ever comes to real conflict, but that is handled in such a peripheral fashion that there is never any...more
My review of this book has to be considered in the light that I haven't read it since I was a teenager - although back then I loved it a great deal and read it multiple times.
Growing up, I loved those of Heinlein's books which focused on freedom - what it means, the cost of attaining it, and what consequences and responsibilities it entails. In particular, Citizen of the Galaxy was one of those books with a lot of "cool stuff," and it allowed me to superimpose my own dream...more
Growing up, I loved those of Heinlein's books which focused on freedom - what it means, the cost of attaining it, and what consequences and responsibilities it entails. In particular, Citizen of the Galaxy was one of those books with a lot of "cool stuff," and it allowed me to superimpose my own dream...more
refered to in book of the alaskan detective, being on her bookshelf... sci fi, description sounded interesting.
Written in 1957, it reminds me of Star Wars and Gulliver's travel... set in a future of innumerable planets & galaxies, and slave trade...
the story begins when Thorby, maybe age 7ish, is being sold as a slave and purchased by a beggar, Baslim the Cripple for pittence because no one else wants him... and Baslim, obviously abhors slavery & treats Thorby with kind...more
Written in 1957, it reminds me of Star Wars and Gulliver's travel... set in a future of innumerable planets & galaxies, and slave trade...
the story begins when Thorby, maybe age 7ish, is being sold as a slave and purchased by a beggar, Baslim the Cripple for pittence because no one else wants him... and Baslim, obviously abhors slavery & treats Thorby with kind...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In a distant galaxy, the atrocity of slavery was alive and well, and young Thorby was just another orphaned boy sold at auction. But his new owner, Baslim, is not the disabled beggar he appears to be: adopting Thorby as his son, he fights relentlessly as an abolitionist spy. When the authorities close in on Baslim, Thorby must ride with the Free Traders — a league of merchant princes — throughout the many worlds of a hostile galaxy, finding the courage to live by his wits and fight his way from ...more
I enjoyed this book. I liked it a lot. With that said, I don’t understand why it’s on the best novels list. I wish that this was required reading in school, though. It’s a fun read, while touching on concepts of freedom, technology, and people. The first 200 pages told an endearing story of a slave boy, turn star cruiser, turn galaxy guard. The last 100 pages let me down as far the story went. But I understand the point. He come to his real home, boots his dishonest uncle out of power, b...more
Confutus
added it
One of my favorites. I was fascinated by the description of how Thorby the beaten slave boy was adopted, tamed, and education by Baslim the Cripple, who was much more than he seemed, how he escaped the Sargonese Empire and came to be adopted by the Free Traders and their unique culture, how he outgrew them and rejoined the earth-centered Hegemony, and finally found himself the long-lost heir to the wealthiest and most powerful corporation on Earth. The science is by now far outdated, but the rag...more
Ethernight
rated it
I found this book so engrossing that I listened to it for hours at home on the weekend, rather than just in the car during my commute. As each layer of the story unfolds, you realize that the story that you had just settled into was only the beginning of a much grander plot, a bigger universe. Even so, each era in the progression of the story is full of detail and depth.
I liked the last part of the story the least, and began to find the wide-eyed innocence of the main character t...more
I liked the last part of the story the least, and began to find the wide-eyed innocence of the main character t...more
One of my favorite Heinlein books, Citizen of the Galaxy has an engaging plot layered with the usual Heinlein philosophy and salient insights about how people work. The tale follows a young boy as he begins as a slave on a distant planet, and then becomes a beggar, a free trader traveling the spaceways, a crewman on a military ship, and eventually, the unlikely head of one of the largest corporations in the galaxy. It's a good, quick read, but it has some substance to it that will make you think...more
My initial reaction to this book was disappointment – I found it predictable, with a rather juvenile storyline and climax. There was also a sense that, while the author invested much effort in the first part of the book to a detailed development of setting and characters, his interest or ambition seemed to fade out as the book progressed. Having been very impressed by my recent reading of Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, and still recalling distant sophomoric memories of The Puppet Masters...more
An earlier novel that contains a partial blueprint for Stranger in a Strange Land. Here too, we have an orphan, Thorby, who is brought up as a slave on a distant planet but turns out to be the heir of a vast corporation when he returns to Earth.
The book is a genuine plea against anti-slavery, perfectly fitting Heinlein's liberalistic and anti-authoritarian views. Being sold as a slave in the hegemony of the Nine Planets, Thorby is bought by the beggar Baslim The Cripple, who lu...more
Plot Summary: A slave boy discovers the heroic past of owner/adopted father as he adventures from ship-to-ship, world-to-world, finally finding his real family and forging his true identity.
Appeals: Citizen of the Galaxy is a "coming-of-age story", set in the "sci-fi-esque (read: technology, many worlds, re-imagined politics) future" that "moves relatively fast" (in these ways it is akin to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game). A particular quality of the b...more
Appeals: Citizen of the Galaxy is a "coming-of-age story", set in the "sci-fi-esque (read: technology, many worlds, re-imagined politics) future" that "moves relatively fast" (in these ways it is akin to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game). A particular quality of the b...more
There's a lot of anthropology and Earth history in this book, often so well disguised that you don't realize it's there. How great a distance is a 'li'? If you pay attention, you can find out.
Starting life as a beggar's slave, it would seem that there's noplace to go but up. But Thorby gradually learns that Baslim the Cripple is a very extraordinary beggar: no commonplace 'licensed mendicant under the mercy of the Sargon'.
One might suppose that Baslim's education of t...more
Starting life as a beggar's slave, it would seem that there's noplace to go but up. But Thorby gradually learns that Baslim the Cripple is a very extraordinary beggar: no commonplace 'licensed mendicant under the mercy of the Sargon'.
One might suppose that Baslim's education of t...more
Rudyard Kipling's Maugli meets Jonathan Swift's Gulliver. Little boy is forced to start up living in different close societies throughout the galaxy and eventually conquer them (since the boy turns out to be the most clever, most charming and whatever most you wish (for unknown reason)): military world, bussines world, archaic matriarchy society, eastern despotism
If I understood metaphor right, the book tells you that A person can beat any system if he\she is commited and strong enough. I...more
If I understood metaphor right, the book tells you that A person can beat any system if he\she is commited and strong enough. I...more
If it were possible to give out half stars, I would rate this book as 2.5; I liked this book well enough for the first two thirds, but the ending of the book soured me on it. Heinlein goes a great job with world building; I found the spacefaring culture that he created very interesting and believable. Another thing that I liked about this novel was Heinlein's exploration into what freedom meant, and how culture can confine someone in a prison that they did not realise existed. I found Heinlein's...more
Why I Read This Book: The release of (Volume 1 of) Patterson's (authorized) biography led to much foofaraw and flameage on the internet, and brought Heinlein back into my mind. Of the Big Three (Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein), he's the one I've read the least; I sympathize with the point of view that his later books tended to devolve into hectoring lectures. (I much prefer Expanded Universe, which contains controversial statements, but gives arguments in their favor.) I'd been "saving" ...more
Read this one because I found it in my grandfather's books after he died. It is very simply written(I only found out later that it is technically a young adult book) but the simplicity lulls you into a false sense that this is just a straight forward, shallow narrative, yet at the end you realize Heinlein has been asking us and himself the question "what is freedom?". The amazing thing is he gives probably the best answer I've ever heard.
Good fun story about Thorby, a boy who is sold into slavery, freed into the life of a beggar boy, then goes on a strange and round about journey to find out his origins. Not my favourite Heinlein book ever, but I was surprised by how much I liked it.
I enjoyed how each trader ship had a "secret" language that was really one of the old Terran languages. The ship Thorby ends up on spoke Finnish, having recently been there, it was really cool to see how they used that in the st...more
I enjoyed how each trader ship had a "secret" language that was really one of the old Terran languages. The ship Thorby ends up on spoke Finnish, having recently been there, it was really cool to see how they used that in the st...more
I like a good sci fi book and Heinlein does it well. Not too complicated but kept me going. "In a distant galaxy, the atrocity of slavery was alive and well, and young Thorby was just another orphaned boy sold at auction." Bought by a disabled begger, registered and licensed, he is taught many things that take him through at least three other occupations and places in society. Enjoyed it.
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Robert Anson Heinlein was an American novelist and science fiction writer. Often called "the dean of science fiction writers", he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard science fiction". He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first writer to br...more
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“Once a man gets a reputation as a liar, he might as well be struck dumb, for people do not listen to the wind.”
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“Customs tell a man who he is, where he belongs, what he must do. Better illogical customs than none; men cannot live together without them.”
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