Through space, as Tom travels towards Tau Ceti and closer to the speed of light, the time dilation effects become greater and Pat ages much faster than Tom. However, a skiing accident in training means that, in a bizarre twist of fate, Pat is paralysed and has to stay on Earth while Tom travels on the Lewis & Clark torchship. Tom is consumed by jealousy when the twins are accepted to act as long distance communicators across space. Consequently Tom and Pat are chosen to act as one telepathic pair, with the eldest, Pat, travelling on the spaceship whilst our narrator, Tom, is to remain on Earth to receive the transmitted messages. Time and distance do not seem to affect telepathic links, which means that messages between twins can be sent instantaneously to each other and faster than a radio message on a spaceship travelling at light-speed. The usefulness of the twins’ skill becomes apparent when we are told that twelve spaceships are to leave Earth in the hope of discovering new worlds to colonise and so reduce the strain on resources on Earth.

The Foundation discovers that, much to the twin’s surprise, they engage in a form of telepathy between themselves. The set-up of the wider plot is fairly simple: We are told of Tom and his brother Pat, identical twins, who are asked by the Long Range Foundation (a non-profit making organisation that funds projects for the long-term benefit of mankind) to attend some preliminary tests. Whilst the basic story outline is now seen as part of what I’m referring to as Heinlein’s juvenile template, (as in the previous novels we have the high school hero, the situation that puts him in jeopardy and the alien environment to explore, not to mention aliens to meet) there are differences. What surprises me most here is how the book both echoes the books of the past and pre-empts many of his works of the future.

Here’s the latest reread of Heinlein’s works, as Mark goes through the Virginia Edition series.Īnd after the most personal of the re-reads last time ( Tunnel in the Sky, over a year ago), I’m now onto a novel that is one of my least remembered, but one that clearly has connections to much of Heinlein’s past and future work.

Robert heinlein time for the stars