Time for the Stars

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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 always been close, so close that it seemed like they could read each other’s minds. When they are recruited by the Long Range Foundation, the twins find out that they can, indeed, peer into each other’s thoughts. Along with other telepathic duos, they are enlisted to be the human transmitters and receivers that will keep the ships in contact with Earth. But there’s a catch: one of the twins has to stay behind—and that one will grow old—while the other explores the depths of space and returns as a young man still.

©1956 ; 1983 by Robert A. Heinlein; 2003 by the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of the superb Heinlein stories that has excitement, urbanity, humanity, rationality, pace, understanding, and is a joy to read.” ( New York Times)

“Rarely has Heinlein pushed his imagination further…A vivid, stirring experience.” ( Chicago Tribune)

“He showed us where the future is.” (Tom Clancy)

Awkward pronunciations

Two key names, Lebensraum and Celestine, were pronounced awkwardly, This was jarring. Both names have multiple correct pronunciations, but the ones chosen were unfamiliar.

Ending was an anticlimax

Seemed like he didn't know how to end the story so he kinda just did!

Like an old friend.

Read the print copy when I was a teenager. I'm 70 now and enjoyed it as much as I did then. Heinlein has always been one of my favorite authors.

While some of his works may seem juvenile and dated now they instill fond memories of discovering science fiction for the first time that has stayed with me until the present.

interesting and enjoyable, but not Heinlein's best

A boy travels on an interstellar spacecraft, and we "learn" something about the theory of relativity and telepathy...

I like the human story in this, and I like the science lesson for young adults regarding relativity. The novel was supposed to have been targeted at young adults. However, the telepathy stuff reads more like "fantasy" than "sci-fi."

The warnings about overpopulation on Earth are important. It is interesting that Heinlein was informed about this problem in 1956 but now in 2012 most humans have no idea that a problem exists.

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"

Too rushed at the end

The reader was great and I love classic science fiction, so I would recommend this to a friend. I was disappointed that all the plot and character development that seemed so important in the middle of the story line seemed to rush to a finish. It may be a style of that time or the genre at that time, but I wished the strength of the tale and the people in it had kept that momentum till the end. Maybe it's the author's comment on all of us and our lives - we just sort of drizzle out and stop?

Unabashed fan

I'm not really a valid reviewer - RAH was my first love in Science Fiction - and in spite of his well known flaws, this is one of his better Juveniles. If you are new to Robert Heinlein, he was one of the first SF writers to really emphasize accuracy in his science - so while the basic driver in this book is fictional, the way it works tends to be accurate to the knowlege of physics when written.

So in this book, the Long Range Foundation [Dedicated to our Decendants] is taking on the exploration for new planets for man to live on. And they have discovered some interesting things about twins. Identical twins, Pat and Tom are encouraged to join the expedition, and this story is the experience of the space-side twin as they experience both space and time travel. And of course, the boy, becomes a man. It's got a decent pace, a good plot line, a good crew on the ship and a satisfying outcome.

Memories!

What made the experience of listening to Time for the Stars the most enjoyable?

I had read this book back when I was in school and the author was a favorite of mine. I went through the school library hunting all of his books and read each one so it brought back great memories for me to sit and listen to this story again as an adult. I was pleased to find that it has held up very well over the years.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Time for the Stars?

There is a moment in the story where the characters believe they are safe from harm and are enjoying what they consider to be a victory of sorts and thinking about a job well done. They are completely caught off guard by what happens next and for me, that is a defining moment in the story.

Which character – as performed by Barrett Whitener – was your favorite?

My favorite character was Tom. The story centers around his life and his adventures and it is through his eyes that you see everyone else in the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There is a moment when you realize that some of what you've thought to be true about the main characters, Tom and Pat, isn't exactly so. For me that is the most emotional part of the story.

Any additional comments?

Great Science Fiction from a master.

Good, but not wonderful

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes

What did you like best about this story?

Character development was good.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Include some emotion in his voice.

Any additional comments?

Story needs a better ending, kind of just.....ends.

Sexist, dated and offensive, but great fun still.

Psychic links across time and space allowing interstellar exploration! What a great idea! I just had to look past Heinlein's wacko views about women and his recurring incest theme, and then the book was actually very enjoyable and memorable.

timeless

I didn't realize that this book was written in 1956 until the end. the story was very enjoyable.