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The Star Beast Robert A Heinlein 9780345350596 Books

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The Star Beast Robert A Heinlein 9780345350596 Books

Heinlein dramatizes two age old questions with this work - What does the individual owe his group, family, friends, nation, etc.? What does the group, family, friends, nation, etc. owe the individual? These contrasting rights/duties create a marvelous story!

For example- the wise old man says;

''Your son is a man; you have no moral right to keep him an infant.”
“What a wicked thing to say! It’s not true; I am merely trying to help him and guide him.”
Mr. Kiku smiled grimly. “Madam, the commonest weakness of our race is our ability to rationalize our most selfish purposes. I repeat, you have no right to force him into your mold.”
“I have more right than you have! I’m his mother.”
“Is ‘parent’ the same as ‘owner’? No matter, we are poles apart; you are trying to thwart him, I am helping him to do what he wants to do.”
“From the basest motives!”

Great!

Then the wise man must wrestle with the need to save earth. Should he explain danger to public? Just use his best judgement? Submit to vote?

“. . . but if the risk is that great, aren’t the people entitled to know?”
“Yes. But we can’t tell them.”
“How’s that again?”
Mr. Kiku frowned. “Sergei,” he said slowly, “this society has been in crisis ever since the first rocket reached our Moon. For three centuries scientists and engineers and explorers have repeatedly broken through to new areas, new dangers, new situations; each time the political managers have had to scramble to hold things together, like a juggler with too much in the air. It’s unavoidable.''
“But we have managed to keep a jury-rigged republican form of government and to maintain democratic customs. We can be proud of that. But it is not now a real democracy and it can’t be. I conceive it to be our duty to hold this society together while it adjusts to a strange and terrifying world. It would be pleasant to discuss each problem, take a vote, then repeal it later if the collective judgment proved faulty. But it’s rarely that easy. We find ourselves oftener like pilots of a ship in a life-and-death emergency. Is it the pilot’s duty to hold powwows with passengers? Or is it his job to use his skill and experience to try to bring them home safely?”
“You make it sound convincing, boss. I wonder if you are right?”
“I wonder also.”

Heinlein presents this decision as the best a man of sincere integrity can find. Heinlein might not present this same view later in life.

( See also ''Propaganda'' by Bernays for a scholar's an analysis of this question)


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The Star Beast Robert A Heinlein 9780345350596 Books Reviews

After just recently reading RAH's "The Rolling Stones" which was a fun adventure and full of craziness. I then picked up this book; "The Star Beast." This is a much more adult themed novel by Heinlein; even though it is a "Juvenile" book, this is not one of his action tales in terms of other juvenile titles. What's so great is the idea and the intrigue of what this story is about behind the story. The human aspect of it all, the emotion and essence of love between two completely opposite species.(Not That Kind Of Love).

Meet John Thomas and his very huge and unique alien pet "Lummox." The Lummox has eight legs and looks like a mid-sized dinosaur, and he likes to eat cars, or anything really. One particular day he decides to travel beyond his boundaries, over the fence and through town. Thus the Lummox treads too heavily, causing a ruckus and making many citizens angry.

When the authorities and the under secretary Mr.Kiku and his second in command Sergei Greenberg hear of this, they find out that this is not any ordinary assignment, this may change many things forever. As the Lummox is caged and awaiting a death sentence, John Thomas and his friend Betty Marsenson do what they can to free him from this injustice.

What Mr.Kiku finds out is that this Lummox, this star beast, is not just any ordinary creature, but a very important figure of an alien species known as the Hroshii and they want him back, no questions, or else there may be trouble.
This book is political and deals with diplomatic matters that concern all life in the known sectors.

And what a boy would do to get back his best friend and at the same time, leave a positive imprint on future society.

"The Star Beast" was published in 1954.
The version of the book (and I assume, the matching paperback) carries an introduction by William H. Patterson. if you have not read the book before, DO NOT read this introduction before you start, as it pretty well spoils the entire book. (It is worth reading afterwards, if you are a student of Heinlein's work; it has a possibly interesting insight into the shifting tone of his work through the fifties.)

Other than that, what can I say? This is one of the Heinlein "juveniles" which I put off reading until I was in my forties, and it was surprisingly good. The story starts simply enough, but winds up places I had never expected going in, and introduces some great characters. I put it up there with "Double Star" in my "under-rated Heinlein" category.

The afterword, by Wen Spencer, is delightful, and I rather wish I had read it when I was twenty - my life might be in a different spot today. Or, maybe not. But then, I never had to take accordion lessons.
This was one of my favorites of Heinlein's juveniles as I was growing up, and I still enjoy re-reading it as an adult. I introduced it to my son, who has told me it is his favorite Heinlein novel. He plans to introduce it to his daughter, who will be ready for it in the next few years. Like almost all of Heinlein's works, the writing is timeless. While some of the ideas of technology are obviously not in line with subsequent advances (such as interoffice mail delivered through pneumatic tubes instead of electronically), Heinlein's ability to breathe life into the people is the focus, and makes all the difference.

Warning to anyone buying this on if you haven't read this before Patterson's preface, which has been added to this edition, contains a richly detailed spoiler of the entire plot. I have no idea why the publishers felt the need to include this at the beginning of the book instead of the end. Many similar books have had this done, but they're normally at the end, where it won't interfere with the reader's enjoyment of the actual story. (The edition of many of Isaac Asimov's early novels have had essays added at the end, for example.)
Heinlein dramatizes two age old questions with this work - What does the individual owe his group, family, friends, nation, etc.? What does the group, family, friends, nation, etc. owe the individual? These contrasting rights/duties create a marvelous story!

For example- the wise old man says;

''Your son is a man; you have no moral right to keep him an infant.”
“What a wicked thing to say! It’s not true; I am merely trying to help him and guide him.”
Mr. Kiku smiled grimly. “Madam, the commonest weakness of our race is our ability to rationalize our most selfish purposes. I repeat, you have no right to force him into your mold.”
“I have more right than you have! I’m his mother.”
“Is ‘parent’ the same as ‘owner’? No matter, we are poles apart; you are trying to thwart him, I am helping him to do what he wants to do.”
“From the basest motives!”

Great!

Then the wise man must wrestle with the need to save earth. Should he explain danger to public? Just use his best judgement? Submit to vote?

“. . . but if the risk is that great, aren’t the people entitled to know?”
“Yes. But we can’t tell them.”
“How’s that again?”
Mr. Kiku frowned. “Sergei,” he said slowly, “this society has been in crisis ever since the first rocket reached our Moon. For three centuries scientists and engineers and explorers have repeatedly broken through to new areas, new dangers, new situations; each time the political managers have had to scramble to hold things together, like a juggler with too much in the air. It’s unavoidable.''
“But we have managed to keep a jury-rigged republican form of government and to maintain democratic customs. We can be proud of that. But it is not now a real democracy and it can’t be. I conceive it to be our duty to hold this society together while it adjusts to a strange and terrifying world. It would be pleasant to discuss each problem, take a vote, then repeal it later if the collective judgment proved faulty. But it’s rarely that easy. We find ourselves oftener like pilots of a ship in a life-and-death emergency. Is it the pilot’s duty to hold powwows with passengers? Or is it his job to use his skill and experience to try to bring them home safely?”
“You make it sound convincing, boss. I wonder if you are right?”
“I wonder also.”

Heinlein presents this decision as the best a man of sincere integrity can find. Heinlein might not present this same view later in life.

( See also ''Propaganda'' by Bernays for a scholar's an analysis of this question)