To The Stars

by Robert A. Heinlein

This is a collection of Heinlein classics--originally published for young readers of the 50's, but great fun for us all.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

722 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.

Reviews

[Ashley Thompson]

To The Stars; (4 in 1) Between Planets, The Rolling Stones, Starman Jones, The Star Beast by Robert A. HEINLEIN (2004)

[Michelle]

I am adding my physical copy to Goodreads. I read this so long ago that I don't feel as if I could give a proper rating.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like 50's SciFi, these (there are four separate and distinct stories n the book) are great. I kind of like it, and so only gave it three stars.

The stories are completely improbable - but, for the time, they were what people were writing. And the writing is good, the stories outlandish, but also enjoyable.

[Greg Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an omnibus collecting 4 Heinlein classic juveniles. Nice to have them all in one place in a nice hardcover edition.

[Chris Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great collection of novels.

[John Bruni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another collection of Heinlein's juvenile novels, and much like the last one, I have to marvel at his ability to throw difficult concepts at kids. I don't see many kids today understanding some of the things in these books, and sixty years isn't that long. Maybe kids were smarter back then. Anyway, I had a little bit of trouble with this one because I binge-read it. It's never a good idea to read an author back to back, and I just read four novels in this book, so I got burned out halfway through. I also started noticing a lot of Heinlein's crutches, which took me out of it a bit. However, BETWEEN PLANETS is an interesting galactic espionage tale. THE ROLLING STONES meanders, but it's still an interesting read of a family's adventures in space. STARMAN JONES was a bit bland, but fun; envision a Great Depression-era kid running away from home and getting into all sorts of adventures with a hobo he meets along the way. Now, put their adventures in space, and that's what you get. THE STAR BEAST is the final tale in the book, and I'm surprised no one has made it into a movie for kids. It's very ET-ish. There's a gentle alien creature that society doesn't understand, so they want to kill it. Only a young boy stands in their way. These four books are fun, but I think I like the other omnibus of his juvies better.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is obviously geared toward the teenage reader, especially teenage boys, but that being said, I loved it. And, needless to say, I am not a teenage boy. Even though some of the science is old, the story telling is quite good and I wish I was a member of the Stone family.

[Ewok117 (Who has a cooler username than you) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go see mah reeveiw for the other version of the book

[Silvya Mazerolle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read.

[Austin Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Collection of books 5,6,7,8 of Heinlein's Juveniles.