The Grand Master (both of them!) at his best. Spider Robinson did a fantastic job fleshing out RAH's outline – Variable Star has the spirit and flavor of the best of Heinlein's work.
I was a little worried at the first couple of chapters; they were good sci-fi, but the contemporary references were a bit jarring. But soon enough I was totally immersed in a true Heinlein universe. The book was quite deftly inserted into Heinlein's Future History timeline, with a chilling reference to current events bringing about the election of Nehemiah Scudder.
If you're a hardcore Heinlein fan, it's a wonderfully rich story that will remind you of the Master throughout. If you just love real sci-fi, it fulfills that desire just as well.
Man oh man, I’m torn.
No, I’m not. Hell yeah, I’ll end up reading it, even if there’s only a hint of RAH in there. I’d read his fucking grocery lists.
I’d disagree with three-quarters of his choices, but I’d read them all the way to the end.
I think it’s definitely worth reading. I don’t think Spider researches the science as much as RAH did. Some of the post-Heinlein “real world” references were a bit jarring, but if RAH was still writing, of course he would have incorporated current events in. By the end of the book, it all smoothed out.