Time for the Stars

Robert A. Heinlein
Time for the Stars Cover

Time for the Stars - Robert A Heinlein

Thomcat
3/28/2021
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Relativistic exploration story, with the added wrinkle that mental communications between twins is instantaneous, regardless of distance. Later adjustments to this are less scientific, and the ending is a disappointment.

The majority of the novel is a shipboard life story. The main character's twin is manipulative, to the point of manipulating which twin would go on a likely doomed voyage of exploration. The coming-of-age aspects of the book involve him growing to understand this, as additionally demonstrated by an irritating shipmate. In this respect, a good fit with other Heinlein juveniles.

I was willing to accept the ESP FTL connection, but allowing a non-related connection, along with later connections to descendants, was a bit much. The characters were pretty basic, and some of the conflict seemed artificial. I can't complain much about the ending without spoilers, but the marriage? Just no.

I don't think of relativistic travel as any more time travel than my current rate of one day at a time. WWE doesn't have a good category for this, though.

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