Time For The Stars

An fascinating study of sibling rivalry as twin brothers decide who will go on an interstellar trip and who will stay behind. The journey visits four different stars but after the first one the story tends to skim along without much detail in places. The two brothers age at different rates due to the speed of the spaceship and Heinlein uses this point to great effect towards the end but the final page or two didn't really do it for me - much the same as I felt when I first read it more than 40 years ago.

Not quite up to the standard of say, Citizen Of The Galaxy, Farmer In The Sky or Starman Jones, perhaps because the lead characters are slightly closer to stock. Also, the action is less punchy and the ending seems abrubt, even by Heinlein standards. However, it's still a book with a number of passages which have stuck with me since I first read it as a teenager. Great to have the chance to re-read it. Brilliant basic premise (no spoilers) that I'm surprised has not been re-used by Hollywood (to my knowledge).

I first read this nearly 40 years ago and thought that I might get just as much from the book 2nd time around. I was not disappointed in the slightest... Sure some bits of the technology were dated but the core elements that drive the narrative are every bit as fresh and vibrant as my teenage memories, when I first encountered the master that is Robert A Heinlein. Any student of physics or the natural world should read this book to expand their mind beyond the current accepted norms as we contemplate the vastness of the universe we live in... I loved this book then and I still love it now, some 40 years on...

I reread this after a gap of 30 years. To step back into Heinlein's works, flawed though many of them are, is a pleasure. You keep getting caught between admiration for RH's political views and disgust. But this is not one of his heavy political diatribes, its more a simple tale of space exploration at the early stages, full of innovation, interweaving of characters and hope. One of the best as you expect from his pen. Read all his books if you value SF. The central plot is a unique one used by few other authors. Great read.

One of my favorites since it was first published in the 50s. Deals with a high school survival test of students being sent to an unknown planet via a star gate. A super nova makes it impossible to get in touch with the castaways for 4 years. A great tale of how humans can organize to thrive.

Although dated in many respects this is classic from a golden age of sci-fiction and from a grand master at the hight of his powers. Well worth a read.

I enjoyed this book mainly for Heinlien consistency in allowing his characters to grow. I have been reading his books for over 45 years and have always been surprised by how he made his characters move from crisis to crises by resolving a moral dilemma.

Heinlein has an extraordinary way with words and ideas,the difficult subject of telepathy and time dilation was handled brilliantly,at one point the concept that he presented was amazing,and stopped me in my tracks,I had to do a double take!,and the last paragraph was masterful,a perfect ending,a genius ! !