Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein

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Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star.

The Short of It

Plot: An actor puts on his best performance by impersonating a politician.
Page Count: 186
Award: 1956 Hugo
Worth a read: Yes
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Fail
Technobabble: Minimal
Review: A surprisingly funny and engaging book. Excellent narrator; charming and charismatic. Stands the test of time very well.

121580

The Medium of It
Spoiler Free!

Like many good plays, this story is carried on the strength of the leading player. From the start he is funny, charismatic, and has a roguish charm. Lawrence Smith, aka. The Great Lorenzo, is the type of character that you cannot help but like. To pull a couple choice lines from the first five pages:
He read my card and dropped it into a sleeve pocket - which annoyed me; those cards had cost me money - genuine imitation hand engraving.
It was true that I was ready for any profession work - I would gladly have played the balcony in Romeo and Juliet - but it does not do to be eager. "What is the nature of the engagement?" I asked. "My calendar is rather full."
Lorenzo is a living character in a way that many of Heinlein's are not; he has a present and a past, clear motivations, and consistently acts in ways consistent with himself. He is not the perfect protagonist of much science fiction, nor truly the Han Solo-esque rogue; he is an actor, and that is what he cares most about. He is vain and proud, which emerges in comically inopportune moments.

The actual plot is decent, but mostly functions as set pieces for presenting Lorenzo, pushing his acting ability to outlandish extremes. Nonetheless, it is engaging and well paced, and there is a satisfying payoff at the end.

This book is a blast. It's a quick read, you're not going to hurt your head thinking deep thoughts, you're just gonna kick back and have a nice time. Is it a must read? No. But worth it, absolutely.

If you're going to relax with this one, I'd be much obliged if you could use this link! I'll get a bit of change to keep buying more books, at no cost to you.


The Long of It
Spoilers Ahead!

Despite having never head of it, this is now one of my favorite Heinlein works. It is a simple story, ultimately, and the science fiction elements of it are the weakest parts. This book could have just as easily be written without touching SciFi.

The Great Lorenzo is a down and out actor who is hired to be a body double for a politician who has been kidnapped. They need him around to do some kind of Martian initiation ritual - here, of course, we enter science fiction territory. There are some extra twists involving Lorenzo's personal dislike of Martians, but these are dealt with early on.

Once that part is done, however, the real focus is Lorenzo pretending to be the charismatic and beloved John Joseph Bonforte.

In a twist that surprised not a single soul, Lorenzo needs to maintain his act for far longer than planned.  First while they try to get Bonforte back, then as he recovers.  I have read very few books that do a better job of "show don't tell" for a character's transformation.  There's a gradual but noticeable shift as Lorenzo goes from needing others to tell him what to say, to taking their advice, to ultimately writing his own speeches.  We get to experience his change of perspective. The use of flashbacks is near-perfect here; Lorenzo's childhood explains Lorenzo the adult in a way that offers flavor without heavy-handed pop psychology.  

Lorenzo is an excellent narrator. He is funny, self-absorbed, and dreadfully dramatic. There are two or there different Shakespeare quotes in the first ten or so pages of the book.  Excellent characterization.
My single favorite scene in this book is Lorenzo's talk with the Emperor. The back and forth is hilarious, the contrast between the formality of the official audience and the informality of the backroom chat, and ultimately the fact that the Emperor is a fan of Lorenzo the actor - it all comes together for a truly delightful scene.

The final twist is pretty obvious, but it is nonetheless so well delivered that it is a joy to read.

That seems to sum it up.

The world is a stage, Stranger.
And don't forget to read a book!

Comments

  1. DiscoSeptember 10, 2020 at 9:16 PM

    I had also not heard of this one, but it has a familiar Heinlein feel to it. Not my favorite story of his, but it was enjoyable enough. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete

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