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Time for the Stars

by Robert A. Heinlein, Barrett Whitener (Narrator)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 3,518 ratings · 87 reviews

Travel to other planets is now a reality, and with overpopulation stretching the resources of Earth, the necessity of finding habitable worlds is growing ever more urgent. There’s a problem though—because the spaceships are slower than light, any communication between the exploring ships and Earth would take years.

Tom and Pat are identical twin teenagers. As twins they’ve...more

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Published February 1st 2011 by Blackstone Audio (first published 1956)

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Mar 29, 2013 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, pooh-dante

- Good afternoon, may I talk with Professor Einstein?

- Speaking.

- Ah, I just wonder if I could have a few minutes of your time sir, this won't take long...

- And who are you, young man?

- Oh, I'm sorry, I should have said. My name's Bob Heinlein. You wouldn't have heard of me...

- On the contrary, I know exactly who you are. I bought a copy of your novel Space Cadet for my godson's eleventh birthday, and he was most complimentary. In fact, he said it was the best thing he'd ever read.

The rest of th...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Valerie added it · review of another edition

The basic reason for writing this book seems to have been to introduce the idea of a 'long range foundation', which ignores the short term, and pumps resources into things that (probably) won't show results for decades or centuries. An interesting idea, but there don't seem to have been any takers.

The premise of the telepathic twins is interesting, but it's basically a McGuffin to allow Heinlein to send a juvenile (several, really) on a starfaring mission, Really, however, the mission is not re...more The basic reason for writing this book seems to have been to introduce the idea of a 'long range foundation', which ignores the short term, and pumps resources into things that (probably) won't show results for decades or centuries. An interesting idea, but there don't seem to have been any takers.

The premise of the telepathic twins is interesting, but it's basically a McGuffin to allow Heinlein to send a juvenile (several, really) on a starfaring mission, Really, however, the mission is not really described. The relations of people on board ship and their homebound partners becomes more important--the planets examined are mostly unmemorable.

One interesting point is the question of whether you must necessarily love those you're related to. You must, of course, at least as long as you're coresident. If you didn't love them, there'd be a lot higher incidence of fratricide--and intrafamilial violence is already at too high a level. But that needn't mean you have to like them. Or keep a relationship with them once you're separated at adulthood. In this case, the telepairs MUST keep a relationship after separation, for the purpose of maintaining communication between their comrades (though exceptions develop later, as the communication network is broadened). This creates a conflict that's not easily resolved. The solution is unpracticed and clumsy--but it would have to be in an unprecendented situation, wouldn't it?

The atemporal aspect of telephathy (as proposed here) is somewhat similar to LeGuin's 'ansible' except that it inheres in people rather than devices. The argument is that since telepathy is virtually instantaneous, this implies that faster-light-travel is possible. It doesn't necessarily follow, but it's not clear whether Heinlein knew enough physics to recognize this. Early in the book, a physicist is quoted as if he did not know that a light-year is a unit of distance, not time.

Heinlein had a tendency to give himself airs, and to mock such pretensions in others. It's an interesting psychological observation that people tend to accuse others of what they believe to be true about themselves. Of course, they may be mistaken about themselves, but it's a form of self-revelation that could cause some people to be reluctant to make accusations, lest they inadvertently reveal rather more about their own fears than they're willing to.
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Feb 26, 2009 Joshua rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009

My second Heinlein this year and another fun adventure that I would have really loved if I'd read this when I was in my teens. More young adults at the center of the story--this time a pair of twins who go on a mission of space exploration and use telepathic skills to communicate since telepathy is faster than the speed of light. At least according to Heinlein.

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May 02, 2013 Clark Hallman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Time for the Stars was written by Robert Heinlein for juvenile readers in the 1956. However, it has continued to remain in print for over 50 years and it is certainly being enjoyed by adults. This reader was totally captivated by its very interesting premise, and by Heinlein’s excellent writing and story-telling skills. The tale takes place in the future when Earthlings had traveled beyond our solar system attempting to find “Sol-type solar systems” with “Earth-type planets” suitable for coloniz...more Time for the Stars was written by Robert Heinlein for juvenile readers in the 1956. However, it has continued to remain in print for over 50 years and it is certainly being enjoyed by adults. This reader was totally captivated by its very interesting premise, and by Heinlein’s excellent writing and story-telling skills. The tale takes place in the future when Earthlings had traveled beyond our solar system attempting to find “Sol-type solar systems” with “Earth-type planets” suitable for colonizing to relieve Earth’s desperate overpopulation problem. Large space ships (torch ships) that accelerate gradually to extreme (but sub-light) velocities carry a large crew on these long journeys. Radio communication between these space ships and Earth is impossible because radio waves travel too slowly. However, a unique program to use telepathic twins, who can communicate with each other instantaneously at any distance, was adopted to solve the communications problem. Several pairs of twins were used by each ship to ensure a continuous communication link with Earth. One twin from each pair would stay on Earth, while the other twin from each pair would serve on the space ship. The telepathic pairs would transmit any and all necessary information between the ships and Earth. Of course space exploration is concomitant with difficulties, consequences and dangers. The journeys last for many years, but due to the relativity effects resulting from the extreme travel velocities of the torch ships members of the crew age more slowly than people age on Earth. Therefore, the twins on board the featured ship in this story age about 4 years during their journey, while their siblings on Earth age about 70 years. Exploring the potentially habitable planets also proves dangerous because of toxic environments or dangerous inhabitants. The book initially focuses on one pair of twins, who have just graduated from high school. Then the story follows the twin that is chosen for the voyage, and the reader is treated to his amazing adventure through space and several solar systems. Eventually, the brother who stays at home grows old and feeble, and maintaining their link becomes difficult. Heinlein gives the reader a feel for life on ship and the environments of the planets that are explored. He also does a nice job with the science of the ship and space travel, without overburdening the reader. Yes, the details sometimes pull the reader back in time, such as the mention of microfilm for records, which certainly would not be used in this future time frame. However, it is should be no surprise that Heinlein presents a very interesting and very satisfying story for the reader. I recommend this novel to anyone who likes science fiction. Hey, we should all read these classic gems. (less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Andreas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

A research institute discovers that some twins are able to communicate with telepathy between each other. It's not limited by the speed of light and offers a great chance for space exploration. One twin stays at home and the other is on board of a spaceship to explore new worlds.

Characterization has never been Heinlein's strongest point and it shows here again but he is extremely good at writing believable adventure stories. I liked that the protagonist is no hero, he is selfish and still has to...more

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Feb 17, 2013 David Ivester rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**SPOILERS**

I have read Time for the Stars probably six times since I was twelve years old. This time I have read it more carefully than I have ever read it before, with a new eye for meanings missed in past readings, and I think I have seen more than I have seen before.

The book is Heinlein’s Time for the Stars, a story in which Einstein’s twin paradox plays a role as a major plot point. One issue that immediately presented itself which I of course recognized but never appreciated to a great dep...more **SPOILERS**

I have read Time for the Stars probably six times since I was twelve years old. This time I have read it more carefully than I have ever read it before, with a new eye for meanings missed in past readings, and I think I have seen more than I have seen before.

The book is Heinlein’s Time for the Stars, a story in which Einstein’s twin paradox plays a role as a major plot point. One issue that immediately presented itself which I of course recognized but never appreciated to a great depth is the fact that the book is a diary book, an account being written by the protagonist at the behest of the ship’s counselor on a star ship seeking habitable worlds beyond the solar system. The psychologist, in trying to help in dealing with the boy’s depression, suggests that he begin a diary of his life from as far back as he cares to go to the present time. As the story proceeds, the diarist relates past events to the point where he actually reaches the present time and begins to relate events from the day or the immediate past. It was this feature of the book in particular that had never impacted me as deeply as it has this time.

Further, the boy relates a romantic interlude, a first kiss with a girl, which goes awry. I did not recall, but obviously recognized in previous readings, that the reason the encounter went wrong was attributable to the girl’s twin sister, with whom she is linked telepathically. The sister does not “like” the protagonist, and therefore spoils the tender moment between the protagonist and the girl.

Later in the story the boy includes just a line or so that seems to indicate a romantic liaison with a woman older than himself, indicating possibly that he is no longer a virgin, even though he came aboard the starship as a teenager, and had no appreciable life experience beyond the interactions with the other members of the crew. This was a plot point that I had missed entirely in previous readings of this book. It occurs thusly: a female member of the crew comments that she could like but never marry a man who could not best her in the utilization of mathematics, which was her field.

This book was one of a series commissioned by Scribners from Heinlein intended for a young adult audience, and is normally termed one of Heinlein’s “juveniles.” In the final count Heinlein wrote a series of twelve novels for this audience, and they are some of my favorite Heinlein novels. And this is my favorite of the group.
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Jul 21, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars

6.5 hours
narrated by Barrett Whitener

Robert A. Heinlein’s Time for the Stars is a true bit of science fiction history and, in a way, embodies all of the “cool” stuff that made me such a fan – a bit of physics, adventure, young people off to explore unseen worlds, and some newfangled technology.

Heinlein (1907-1988) first published Time for the Stars in 1956, during a time period when he had a contract with Scribner’s to produce books that were young people friendly. They were aimed at young adu...more 6.5 hours
narrated by Barrett Whitener

Robert A. Heinlein’s Time for the Stars is a true bit of science fiction history and, in a way, embodies all of the “cool” stuff that made me such a fan – a bit of physics, adventure, young people off to explore unseen worlds, and some newfangled technology.

Heinlein (1907-1988) first published Time for the Stars in 1956, during a time period when he had a contract with Scribner’s to produce books that were young people friendly. They were aimed at young adults, although I enjoyed it as well. It is the memoir of the space travels of Tom Bartlett, who is also one half of a very talented set of twins.

The premise of the book is simple enough. The Earth is too crowded and a research corporation called the Long Range Foundation has invested in several ships to seek out new planets that humans can inhabit. There are already colonies throughout the solar system but they are too expensive and can only hold a limited number of colonists. The Long Range Foundation’s specialty is making investments in things that no corporation or government will invest in because the pay-off will be too long in coming to justify the investment. In this case, these spaceships will explore for decades and may not find anything useful.

The trick with all of these ships will be communication. The ships and their radio waves will travel slower than the speed of light and the process of finding a new planet, describing its location and the requirements to colonize it will take entirely too long. Instead, the Long Range Foundation has found that some very few people, especially twins, are actually telepathic and can be trained to speak to one another with their minds. They have also discovered that this telepathy is instantaneous – it is faster than the speed of light and the communication problem has been solved.

Pat and Tom Bartlett have this telepathic ability and are chosen to participate. One twin gets to go and one has to stay behind to relay the messages to the Long Range Foundation here on Earth...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...(less)

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Jun 24, 2010 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: sci fi fans

Shelves: 20th-century-fiction, books-from-1956, sci-fi

Earth is over-populated, families are only allowed three children and the Long Range Foundation is a non-profit with the goal of finding planets that could support human life so some of Earth's population can be exported. The Bartlett family had decided to pay the tax for having an extra child but the fourth birth produced twins. With the tax and two extra mouths to feed, money was tight.

Pat and Tom, the twins, are smart, inseparable but competitive (they share a girlfriend but she likes Pat b...more

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Jul 01, 2009 Clay rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pop culture is often dismissed as simply low culture – in contrast to the high art of opera or classical music or abstract expressionism. And there’s good reason: As long-ago scifi author Theodore Sturgeon once pointed out, “Ninety percent of everything is trash.”

A simple tour through the cable channels, or spin of the radio dial, will prove Sturgeon right, and in the mass of modern pop culture it’s much harder to filter out the signal from the noise. In classical music, for example, the bad sym...more

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May 09, 2009 Glenn Schmelzle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Plot summary:
Young twins Tom & Pat are called by an institute called the Long Range Foundation (LRF). Testing reveals that, like many twins, they are telepathic and are ths perfect candidates for the space program. One goes on board the ship, communicating their discoveries back to the one on earth in real-time.

When they get to the Tau Ceti system, which had a placid Earth-type planet on it they called Constance. They then went to Beta Hydri, where many dies from a plague. Then they went t...more Plot summary:
Young twins Tom & Pat are called by an institute called the Long Range Foundation (LRF). Testing reveals that, like many twins, they are telepathic and are ths perfect candidates for the space program. One goes on board the ship, communicating their discoveries back to the one on earth in real-time.

When they get to the Tau Ceti system, which had a placid Earth-type planet on it they called Constance. They then went to Beta Hydri, where many dies from a plague. Then they went to a water planet called Elysia outside Beta Ceti, but once their ship 'landed' on the ocean and their crew set out in boats, they were attacked by sea creatures and lost their helicopter and many men. They were helped by a ship from Earth, where Faster-than-light speed technology had been achieved. Soon they were on their way home, where twentysomething Tom re-integrates, not only with his 89 year-old brother, but with his brother's telepathic great-neice who he ends up marrying.

Comments:
There's a lot of Government redundancy here. There are a dozen exploration ships heading to different systems. Their ship is manned with multiple sets of twins. We find out that LRF's purpose is to pick sites for colonies and they don't expect many ships to survive the expedition. This is a little cruel of them, but compared to the relationships they'll lose back on earth and the constant dangers of space travel, I guess they're not that bad. Like the late Hal Clement said when ased why his stories had no villains, "The universe is antagonist enough."

The book's focus is on the crucial need for the twins in space. As the twins replaced all communications equipment, they are used to transmit the morning paper and relay crew messages to loved ones, they also talk with twins on the other exploration ships so even if the twin on earth dies, the ship can relay messages back through a sister ship. But the relativistic effects mean that the one in space hardly ages while decades roll by for the one on earth. Heinlein poses some interesting twin-telepathy situations: we see what happens to one when the other goes under anaesthetic for an operation, waking them up via long-distance, doing it with the aid of hypnosis, discovering its hereditary qualities, etc.

Tom's a nice kid. He has a small love interest on the ship but it's nothing serious. I like how Tom sees adults working together and acting intelligently on board ship. I'd recommend this book to kids over age 10 as it provides a balance between 'buck rogers' action and thoughtful consideration of human issues.
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Mar 30, 2009 Mary JL rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: any science fiction fan

Recommended to Mary JL by: Familiar with author

Shelves: main-sf-fantasy

The review above pretty much says it all. This books has been reprinted time and time again for over fifty years. It is one of Heinlein's better juveniles.

I recommend Heinlein's "juveniles" for every sf reader--I personally feel they represent some of his best work. They can be read and enjoyed by adults; except for the age of the main characters, this books is as good as many adult novels published today.

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Jul 24, 2012 Flannery rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, classics, i-want-to-go-to-there, kcls, liked-listening-prob-hate-reading, read-in-2012, swords-and-lasers, ya-space-quest-o-mine, young-adult-teen

Slowly but surely, my obsession with young adult space stories will knock every Heinlein juvenile book off my to-read list. A month or two ago, I read Podkayne of Mars and while I did enjoy the audio format and the underlying world-building, the characters grated on me. I'd read and heard from several sources that Heinlein's treatment of his female characters can be a huge turnoff and he's two for two on that note for me thus far. I'm not going to go over why I felt the way I did about Podkayne...more Slowly but surely, my obsession with young adult space stories will knock every Heinlein juvenile book off my to-read list. A month or two ago, I read Podkayne of Mars and while I did enjoy the audio format and the underlying world-building, the characters grated on me. I'd read and heard from several sources that Heinlein's treatment of his female characters can be a huge turnoff and he's two for two on that note for me thus far. I'm not going to go over why I felt the way I did about Podkayne but in Time for the Stars, though it was far less frustrating, I was still not satisfied with the female presence in the book. But I'm getting ahead of myself, what's the book actually about? It's a futuristic Earth setting where families are allowed only a certain number of children before they get taxed. Identical twins Tom and Pat are asked to come in for some testing by a huge research organization, one whose mission is to fund the projects that have projected results so far into the future that no one else will fund them. Through the testing, Tom and Pat find out they are telepathically connected. The foundation intends to explore the galaxies to find potential colony planets and uses telepathic pairs to communicate between ships and between ships and Earth when radio transmissions no longer work. I don't want to spoil which twin goes to space and which stays behind because I enjoyed that aspect of the story. I cannot think of another instance of a book where identical twins do not really get along. Heinlein adds in a realistic amount of sibling manipulation that rang true to life. ("Do your chores, Dad will be home soon." "Why? If I don't, I know you'll just do them for me." - Me and my sister)

The science and philosophy are very much present in this novel and some of it went over my head. Faster than light, simultaneity, time, relativism, the science of aging, and various equations and theories are all present and accounted for but never in a severe infodump kind of way. The book is set up as a diary written by the twin in space. I am not sure if it is broken up as such in the traditional book as I listened to the audiobook but the scientific conversations were usually just that--conversations between the twin and someone else on the ship. However, there is very little action to keep the book going. The interest lies in the world Heinlein has created and the scientific offshoots. I was fascinated by the idea that as one twin was aging "regularly" on Earth, the other was aging at a far slower rate, so much so that the twin in space had to do the telepathic work with several generations down the line. What action there is is backloaded. His books, to me, feel like someone is writing about a fantastic futuristic world and then realizing halfway through that there's supposed to also be character building and plot movement.

On to the creep factor. There was just an episode of 30 Rock on television wherein Liz Lemon realizes that she is dating her third cousin. They say, "On the count of three, say how many cousins removed we'd have to be to try to make this work." He says fifth and she says never. I really think my answer is also never. There are several pubescent boy relationships in this book as well as adult relationships but there is one that relates to the 30 Rock episode I just spoke of. I won't ruin it for any potential readers but Heinlein basically glossed right over the relation aspect and it felt cut and dried in the most awkward way possible. I actually said, "Whaaaaaaat? Dude." to my car stereo. You're going to marry your relation, no matter how distant? Ew.

Back to Heinlein's treatment of women. Here's the gist: If you want to read any of his books, just think to yourself, "Am I okay reading a book where no female character will ever be completely rational? One where she will never be seen as anything other than a gender stereotype or achieve life goals beyond society's expectations during the forties and fifties when these books were written?" If the answer is yes, then read away. As I've said, Heinlein creates some interesting scientific worlds and stories. However, if you're answer is no then these books will be a nightmare for you. There are entire conversations about the best way to tell a mother that her son/s are joining a space program but also how to manipulate her irrational emotions. A grown woman wants to join a specific mission and another character tells her to check with her husband. (who also tells her later that they will be moving back to Earth to raise their family and she will not be working anymore) The mission finds a planet and fights in a battle but both times women are excluded from the teams--until one planet is deemed "safe enough that even the women could go!" Being a woman in Heinlein's world just seems like it would be so depressing. Who wants to achieve their dreams of being independent and going into space? Not so fast, vaginas!

I believe this is the first audiobook I've listened to that is narrated by Barrett Whitener, and I enjoyed his narration for the most part. Though they are not coming to me at the moment, there were a few words he pronounced in a weird way (maybe alternate pronunciations?) and several of the characters sounded the same. At one point, I wasn' t sure if the captain had an American, British, or Australian accent. He is a conversational narrator so his voice was/is well-suited to the diary-entry format of Time for the Stars.

As is the story with Podkayne of Mars, there is enough fun world-building present that I wish Heinlein would set more books in this world, perhaps even incorporate some of the same characters. I have a feeling my wish will come true with the rest of his young adult books. I anticipate each one will be a fun sciencey adventures/feminist's nightmare.

Also seen at The Readventurer.
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Nov 05, 2009 Valerie added it · review of another edition

People tend to focus on the twins: natural enough, since the narrator is a twin. But several of the telepaths are NOT twins, and this is critical to the story. The ships stay in touch with each other through triplets, for example, and if not for the discovery that people can transfer to other telepathic partners, the effects of time dilation would have scuttled the trip. And that discovery was made by a pair who were not even closely related.

I have to say that I didn't find the description of th...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love old science fiction. Especially Heinlein's.

"Time for the stars" was published in 1956, five before Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004...

"The basic plot line is derived from a 1911 thought experiment in special relativity, commonly called the twin paradox, proposed by French physicist Paul Langevin." - wikipedia

The twin paradox is where one twin goes on a journey in a fast rocket and then returns home to find the other twin has aged mor...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As usual, Heinlein wins me over with his twist on science (he knows just enough real science to create great sci-fi) by exploring the Einstein theory of relativity and space/time travel. I'm back into sci-fi books ever since I discovered there is an actual manned Mars mission now in the works and will happen within my lifetime. Still, I'm not sure I believe that traveling at the speed of light (or in this case a little slower) makes you age slower. If that were true, why haven't I aged slower? I...more

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May 24, 2012 Sean Meriwether rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, scifi, good-concept-bad-execution

Heinlein’s work typically falls into two age groups: his early fiction is targeted for space-hungry boys and his later work is written for a mature (decidedly male) audience. “Time for the Stars” falls into the first category. The “gee whiz” optimism for space travel will grate on anyone older than 12, but I couldn’t dismiss this book as readily as others he wrote for this age group. Hijacking Einstein’s theory that a person travelling at the speed of light will not age at the same rate of speed...more

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Apr 04, 2009 TQM Doctor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is another fantastic book where Heinlein explores the relativistic effects of traveling near the speed of light. Time for the Stars examines the part of Einstein’s theory of relativity relating to the varying rates of the passage of time. His unique story introduces a third element of irrelevance from the perspective of mind reads whose mind speaking occur outsides Einsteinian physics; mind speaking is faster than light.

Heinlein explores two engaging questions in Time for the Stars. First,...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Telepathic twins Tom & Pat help humans discover & colonize other planets in the galaxy after it is discovered that telepathy occurs instantly & with almost no matter the distance. We get the story, told from the a very psychological perspective, of how one twin ends up on a spaceship while the other remains on Earth as a news contact. The story of how the lots work out is an interesting one but what is more intriguing is how the story develops as the Earth-bound twin ages naturally,...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Jay Michaels rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Another Heinlein juvenile (1956). I was struck at the similarity to The Door into Summer'soverall structure. Plenty of "I don't need a government handout" independence from the main character's father, but the bulk of the story is about a young man trying to get out from under his identical twin brother's overbearing thumb.

Telepathy and time dilation team up for a story spanning 70 years, and protagonist Tom Bartlett manages to come home again, but on his own terms. (As long as he can convince...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Melissa McCauley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Tory Anderson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

My books of choice as a young reader and then a teen reader were science fiction. I'm not talking fantasy here. I'm not talking science fiction/fantasy mix. I am talking about good old pure science fiction where it was all about the science, or should I say the "possible" science. The characters were never very complex and the plots never very deep. But the imagination toward the future burned as bright as the sun. I would go out at night and stare up into the sky and almost bring myself to tear...more My books of choice as a young reader and then a teen reader were science fiction. I'm not talking fantasy here. I'm not talking science fiction/fantasy mix. I am talking about good old pure science fiction where it was all about the science, or should I say the "possible" science. The characters were never very complex and the plots never very deep. But the imagination toward the future burned as bright as the sun. I would go out at night and stare up into the sky and almost bring myself to tears to experience space travel and aliens and the wonders of the universe as I read it in the books. Eventually I read all of the science fiction that the Burley Public Library had on their shelves and I moved on to other genres.

It's been thirty-five years since I have immersed myself in science fiction. Just recently I have looked up a couple of books I read as a child. One of them was "Farmer In the Sky" by Heinlein. I enjoyed reading (listening to) this book perhaps even more than I did as a child. Recently I finished reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" and was looking for something different to read. After checking out various reading lists the science fiction genre came to mind. I looked for "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" for my Kindle, but it was not available. I did come across "Time for the Stars" which was available. I purchased it, downloaded it, and was immediately hooked.

1950's Heinlein isn't for everyone, that is to be sure. Perhaps it is only for old fans like me. I may try reading it to my children and see what they think. Anyway, in the 1950's science represented the unexplored country. It was the hope of mankind. For many it may have replaced God. In this book I feel the unadulterated excitement stemming from science and the good possibilities it brings. From Heinlein I once again felt his intelligent, but happy-go-lucky, charm. The book has us seeing through a young telepathic twin's eyes. He ends up on a starship (one of the first) while his twin stays on the ground. They will be used to communicate between ship and Earth since telepathy is instantaneous and radio waves are useless at those distances. Heinlein explored the twin's relationship a little and it is interesting. But he explorers the effects of traveling at the speed of light even more and that is very interesting as the space twin ages four years to his brother's seventy years. Some may find the 50's mannerisms and culture quaint, but I found it refreshing. Relationships were slower and more vibrant then those represented today. A kiss was special. There were self-appointed chaperones on the ship helping the younger crew members stay out of trouble. A kiss was special and didn't lead immediately to sex. The ennui of today didn't yet exist. The ending has been said to be bittersweet. I found it more sweet than bitter, but it was mildly thought provoking. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and got through it far too quickly.(less)

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Apr 10, 2012 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, ya, science-fiction

Overall, an excellent book that doesn't suffer from Heinlein's usual problems with endings (although some might not be happy with it). While it might be considered a juvenile, it's probably better suited to teenagers given some of the things that happen in the novel.

The book is the journal of a boy who has a telepathic link to his twin brother. He and a number of other telepaths (who can only telepathically talk to specific people, usually their twin) are signed on a spaceship as "special commun...more

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Apr 21, 2010 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult, novels, fiction

This is one of Heinlein's "juveniles"--that is marketed towards teens, and published in 1956. So yes, it's dated in several respects, but still enjoyable. The premise is that the "Long Range Foundation" is trying to expand from an overcrowded earth to the stars, but without Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel, communication is a challenge. Fortunately it's found that some humans, especially twin pairs are telepathic. So while Pat Barlett stays on earth, his twin Tom is on one of the starships traveli...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Jeff Yoak rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-collection, read-in-2010, read-in-2006, read-in-2011

I had forgotten about this Heinlein juvenile completely thinking I was reading it for the first time, but part way in I realized that I had read it before. The human race has finally created a source of propulsion for ships that can offer constant boost and carry its fuel. That means it's "time for the stars." Population pressure and the sort of intrepid adventurousness Heinlein always so brilliantly portrays drives our heroes out in ships pushing the speed of light knowing that relativistic eff...more

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Feb 13, 2010 Neil Fein rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It seems odd I haven't read this one until now. I started this because I needed a book to take on tour, and didn't feel like carrying the heavy hardback I'm in the middle of reading.

The Long Range Foundation funds unlikely ventures, one of which is space travel to distant stars. One issue with this is communication with ships light-years away, and they scramble a project to find telepairs - mostly identical twins - after the discovery that telepathy is instantaneous breaks quietly.

Tom and Pat ar...more

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Dec 16, 2007 Fred D rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young sci-fi fans

Shelves: science-fiction

This was THE book that introduced me when I was young to the concept of Time Dilation, first discovered by Albert Einstein in his Theory of Relativity. That is, as an object accelerates to near-light speeds, time slows down in relation to other objects in the universe. Heinlein explored what the consequences of this would be for human relationships in the future when humanity starts engaging in interstellar travel. Tom & Pat were identical twins, and one stayed behind on Earth while the othe...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Harold rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hadn't read a Heinlein in years, but found this at a library sale and read it. It creaks all over the place, plot developments are started and then abandoned or hastily condensed, and the romance angle is squirmy if you stop to think about it. Still, it has that distinctive Heinlein voice and I enjoyed it flaws and all. Not even close to my first pick among the Heinlein juveniles (Go for "Red Planet" or "Tunnel in the Sky"), but worth reading if you are a Heinlein fan.

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Dec 27, 2011 Yougo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

An interesting story about the nature of relationships, of friendship and intriguing scientific principles. What happens when you can communicate over infinite distances using telapathy, without any delays? Now what happens when you are traveling nearly the speed of light and time's relativity is different between the two communicators? A very interesting and well written book, I quite enjoyed it.

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May 18, 2011 Brian Layman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

Heinlein at his very best! Though Spider Robinson may be "the new Robert A. Heinlein", there is no one like the original. This book is not quite completely in the juvenile Heinlein group and yet not in the adult Heinlein group. As one reviewer (Manny) put it: "an important novel, marking the transition from juvenile-Heinlein to proto-dirty-old-man-Heinlein." It is a quick thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Jul 15, 2009 Sara Elice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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About Robert A. Heinlein

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 SF writer to break into mainstre...more

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