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The Star Beast Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,424 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A compelling coming-of-age adventure from legendary SF master and multiple New York Times bestseller Robert A. Heinlein
Lummox has been the pet of the Stuart family for generations. With eight legs, a thick hide, and increasingly large size, Lummox is nobody’s idea of man’s best friend. Nevertheless, John Stuart XI, descendant of the starman who originally brought Lummox back to Earth, loves him. But when Lummox eats a neighbor’s car and begins to grow again, the feds decide that enough is enough. John isn’t about to let the authorities take his pet away, and with his best friend, Betty, he determines to save Lummox—even if he must forever leave the life he’s always known.
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"Listened to this book on a full cast audio CD during a long car ride. Full cast audio makes all the difference. The book, while juvenile fiction, was very engaging and humorous. Heinlein did a great job (as usual) of casting a strong female lead. I thought he made the male lead a bit too wimpy though, almost to the point of my wondering what Betty really saw in John Thomas. The starbeast, Lummie, was very sweet and endearing. The book contains politics, human as well as species rights, women's liberation, and moral rights versus wrongs. A very deep book for the juvenile set but full of important messages."
— Jane (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Written with [Heinlein’s] usual deftness and fine sense of humor.”
— New York Times
The Star Beast Listener Reviews
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" This book was really long.There were really small words and a lot of pages.This book was very interesting and had a lot of information.I liked how this book had two stories that were going on at once and they came together at the end.The ending was different than what I had thought it would be like but it was still very good. "
— Troyh, 2/16/2014 -
" Kids read this one! And adults. "
— Ryan, 2/9/2014 -
" Implausible, confusing mix of Heinlein's similar stories. "
— Cees, 1/29/2014 -
" A boy with a pet alien, and they almost cause an interstellar war. Material for at great short story og novella, but unfortunately the author drags the story on and on, with endless discussions between lawyers and politicians. Too much talk, not enough adventure. I wouldn't recommend it to my son. "
— Peter, 1/28/2014 -
" I still remember this book fondly after thirty-five years, that's saying something. "
— Eden, 1/26/2014 -
" Nice read. A little like a children story "
— Golan, 1/12/2014 -
" Just some good old school SciFi. "
— Justin, 11/22/2013 -
" The story of the ugly duckling is once again retold. Star Beast is another fun romp to the future where Earth is part of a planetary community. Heinlein shares a future where we continue to stumble through our relationships with other worlds just as skillfully as we do so today with other countries. "
— TQM, 10/17/2013 -
" Fun book, if a bit dated. It exposes Heinlein's stereotypes of women -- that they are, on the whole, more intelligent and more sensible than the men they care about and live with. "
— Martha, 10/11/2013 -
" Not my absolute favorite of Heinlein's children's novels, but I do remember reading it and liking it. It's a 3 1/2 star book for me. "
— elissa, 10/2/2013 -
" This was an excellent read! "
— Leslie, 9/22/2013 -
" This was a fun read, and it has, no doubt influenced things like MIB. "
— Mark, 7/11/2013 -
" Starts well, doesn't keep it up "
— Jonathan, 4/30/2013 -
" My favorite of the Heinlein "juvenile" stories. "
— Rob, 3/29/2013 -
" i read this ages ago but the main thing i took away from it was that heinlein can be a sexist douche. "
— Noel, 2/2/2013 -
" This is one of the timeless stories Heinlein wrote for teenagers in the fifties. My fiance, dad and I all have a soft spot for the Heinlein stories in this vein. "
— Kate, 3/14/2012 -
" read 06.19.86 "
— colleen, 2/7/2012 -
" This is an extremely pleasant juvenile from Heinlein. Though I like it a lot, I'm finding that it is increasingly poor as a re-read. I expect to give it a longer pause before next time. "
— Jeff, 2/5/2012 -
" Pour enfant, Magifique "
— Pierre-Henri, 1/18/2012 -
" My first experience with a Heinlein book and I loved the premise of humans being the 'pets' of beings from a more advanced civilization. "
— Mary, 11/16/2011 -
" I lost my copy a long time ago, but I've never forgotten the story. This is one of the greats of science fiction. Heinlein all the way, baby! "
— Peregrine, 8/12/2011 -
" A boy with a pet alien, and they almost cause an interstellar war. Material for at great short story og novella, but unfortunately the author drags the story on and on, with endless discussions between lawyers and politicians. Too much talk, not enough adventure. I wouldn't recommend it to my son. "
— Peter, 4/2/2011 -
" This was one of the first science fiction books i read and owned. The copy i have has my name written on the inside cover and the date from my 8th year. It's a classic I look forward to sharing with my goddaughter! "
— Nici, 2/6/2011 -
" This is one of Heinlein's books written for young adult readers. "
— Starla, 1/2/2011 -
" I lost my copy a long time ago, but I've never forgotten the story. This is one of the greats of science fiction. Heinlein all the way, baby! "
— Peregrine, 12/12/2010 -
" some good humor and some good insughts on diplomacy. I Flashread this book :-) "
— Geraud, 12/6/2010 -
" Classic Heinlein boy-and-his-alien story. Kinda like Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, but simpler plot. loved it =) "
— Julie, 3/5/2010 -
" This is an extremely pleasant juvenile from Heinlein. Though I like it a lot, I'm finding that it is increasingly poor as a re-read. I expect to give it a longer pause before next time. "
— Jeff, 2/14/2010 -
" the powers to be are not always on your side....stop think and try to unterstand before you act....A hortin hears a who for adults. <br/>Sometimes a childhood book can be reread as an adult and really speak to you. "
— Boo, 12/30/2009 -
" An all time wonderful Heinlein story. Sure, as we read these books as adults the magic may have dissipated, but who cares. Lummox is awesome! "
— Mark, 12/18/2009 -
" A charming, humorous sci-fi book. Apparently written for the young adult market, I can see how it would appeal to a teenager. It appealed to me too - reminded me of the sort of thing I loved to read as a pre-teen and teen. Lots of fun, and easy reading (devoured it in a couple of days). "
— Mel, 8/25/2009
About Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) is widely recognized as one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time, a status confirmed in 1974 when the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America gave him their first Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. A four-time Hugo Award winner, he is best known for such works as Starship Troopers, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, and the sensational bestseller Stranger in a Strange Land. Several of his books were New York Times bestsellers, and his worldwide bestsellers have been translated into twenty-two languages.
About Richard Powers
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, and Bewilderment was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.