Variable Star

by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson

TOR/Tom Doherty Associates, $24.95, 318 pp.

Variable Star is a novel written by Spider Robinson from a Robert A. Heinlein outline. Spider captures some of the flavor of the 1950s Heinlein novel.

The outline was probably the original genesis of Time for the Stars. The novel as outlined destroyed too much of the universe Heinlein needed for his Future History series so he revised it. The two stories are quite similar. Both have a couple separated by time dilatation who are reunited by faster than light drive. Both are coming of age stories. Both have telepathy between twins. Both have the ship in dire straits with FTL as the deus ex machina.

That being said I must say that Spider produced an excellent and quite readable novel. It does not read quite like Heinlein, but I forgive him because he has given us one more instance of something very close to Heinlein. I even forgive him for mentioning three legged Martians and Venerian Dragons as part of the same universe. (You need the MultiVerse for that!)

The business and political backdrop of super rich families dominating business and politics is believable though it does seem to project an unheinlein-like anti-business bias. Also Spider’s acceptance of the Covenant as a solution to mankind’s conflicts does not reflect Heinlein’s view of that document as reflected by Lazarus Long.

The character of Joel Johnston is well drawn. He is your typical self-centered selfish youngling who in the course of the story matures into a socially conscious person so beloved of Spider. (Heinlein would not have liked him) The surrounding characters are not so well developed. The females fit the Heinlein stereotypes especially Jinny and Evelyn.

Over all I give the book an “A.” Good work Spider. – Gary Swaty