This 1956 novel tells of a down-and-out actor who takes on a rather special job not without reservations.
Dated: Sunday, January 20, 2008.
Heinlein's one of those authors who's instantly associated with science fiction. Double Star doesn't break this trend much, although there's no leaning on science to make the story any stronger.
The story is that of Actor Lorenzo Smythe, who grabs us from the outset as a witty yet perhaps a trifle arrogant gentlemen dedicated to his profession. He seems to have fallen on hard times, so when he's offered a job without much explanation he's naturally interested.
The story unrolls: A leading politician has been kidnapped and his associates need Lorenzo to do a double-up job until they can get him back. Of course things are never that simple and the job goes on longer than anticipated...
I won't spoil the ending, or even the middle. I've read this book several times over the years, but this was the first time I heard it in audio. When I started it, my initial impression was "oh, gods - not a narrator who speaks slowly!" But Lloyd James seems to be one who delights in accents rather than pace. True enough, I found myself hooked in a way the text had done when I first read it (and we're going back a while). It must have presented something of a technical challenge, reading the novel from the actors point of view, who has a voice of his own but also of the character he is portraying. Still - its a gripping narration, if you take the time to get into it.
The novel itself isn't too sci-fi heavy. OK it's set in space, on Mars and the Moon. but the very nature of the protagonist precludes too much in the way of jargon - he himself isn't interested in "that sort of thing". The politics are interesting - I've rarely seen constitutional monarchies represented in literature. But more than that, the novel shows the change in Lorenzo. he starts off a conceited, biased actor but through the role he is forced to play becomes someone else... someone better.
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