Variable Star (Robert Heinlein / Spider Robinson)
Finished this the other day. *chuckle* Moderately predictable, very cheerful.
So this orphan future guy trying to make good as a composer/musician tells his sweetiepie that the only thing in the way of getting married is money. Turns out, contrary to all his beliefs about her so far, that she has some. Piles. Lots. Okay... but then her grandfather steps into the picture with a plan for the fellow's life. Yikes! Plan with girlfriend or no girlfriend and independence? After some reflection and effort (often under some serious influence of controlled an un- substances) the latter wins out, and he hops aboard a colony ship. Fun and mess and psychotherapy of various kinds (including some near-Buddhism, cool!) ensue. And of course, so does the end of the world. Quick thinking, tricks, and getting some folks over the barrel become also necessary.
Some lines made me chuckle out loud, but I forgot to mark them/write them down to share. I haven't read much of SR's work; if I read Callahan's Cross-time Saloon it was in high school and I don't recall it. I'm pretty sure haven't been drawn to other stuff by him yet -- quite possibly a mistake on my part. My impression was that SR added a nicer, sillier aspect to Heinlein's story, without completely removing some of the essential and characteristic (and some annoying if I took them seriously) traits of Heinlein.
Enjoyable. Recommended for beaches, airplanes, bathtubs, and hammocks. Also during breakfast at a diner.
So this orphan future guy trying to make good as a composer/musician tells his sweetiepie that the only thing in the way of getting married is money. Turns out, contrary to all his beliefs about her so far, that she has some. Piles. Lots. Okay... but then her grandfather steps into the picture with a plan for the fellow's life. Yikes! Plan with girlfriend or no girlfriend and independence? After some reflection and effort (often under some serious influence of controlled an un- substances) the latter wins out, and he hops aboard a colony ship. Fun and mess and psychotherapy of various kinds (including some near-Buddhism, cool!) ensue. And of course, so does the end of the world. Quick thinking, tricks, and getting some folks over the barrel become also necessary.
Some lines made me chuckle out loud, but I forgot to mark them/write them down to share. I haven't read much of SR's work; if I read Callahan's Cross-time Saloon it was in high school and I don't recall it. I'm pretty sure haven't been drawn to other stuff by him yet -- quite possibly a mistake on my part. My impression was that SR added a nicer, sillier aspect to Heinlein's story, without completely removing some of the essential and characteristic (and some annoying if I took them seriously) traits of Heinlein.
Enjoyable. Recommended for beaches, airplanes, bathtubs, and hammocks. Also during breakfast at a diner.