Citizen of the Galaxy

Rating:
Summary: Classic juvenile in tradition of Kipling, Dickens, Stevenson
Review: Between 1947 and 1959 Robert Heinlein wrote a series of outstanding juvenile science fiction novels, including Rocket Ship Galileo (filmed as Destination Moon in 1950), Space Cadet (which spawned the Tom Corbett TV series), Starship Troopers (basis for the 1997 movie), Starman Jones, and several others. They were all written with respect for real science, in a style that appealed to adult readers as much as teens, with reasonably advanced vocabulary and character development.
One of Heinlein's classic "juvenile" novels in the tradition of Kipling, Dickens, and Stevenson, Citizen of the Galaxy traces the adventures of an apparently orphaned earth boy, Thorby, enslaved on an alien world; his upbringing by Baslim the crippled beggar; his young adult life among the space traders in their unique culture.
To some extent the character relationships, and to a lesser extent the plot, parallel Kipling's KIM. When I first saw Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, I was immediately reminded of Thorby and his predicaments.

Rating:
Summary: One of Heinlein's best.
Review: Capsule Description: A young orphan with no memory of his past is sold as a slave, and becomes embroiled in more and more complex situations while travelling from world to world. One of Heinlein's "Juveniles", possibly the best of that category, and a fun read.

Review: Often described as a space-age version of "Kim", Citizen of the Galaxy introduces us to the already world-weary and cynical, animalistically-paranoid Thorby, a boy of maybe ten years of age, who is being put on the auction block and sold. Through an odd sequence of events, the boy ends up being purchased by a beggar... who may be more than he appears. Subsequent events end up propelling him through the Galaxy as a number of things -- refugee, trader, military man -- while searching for the truth behind his unknown past.

Heinlein wrote several "juvenile" books, ones targeted at what today would be called the Young Adult market (mostly teenagers), but despite the label his stories were always written in a mature manner that assumed his readers were as intelligent as he was. This is one of the very best of the juveniles, all of which were good SF reads. An excellent "starter" book for a young person who'd like to try some classic SF but is daunted by the prospect of either larger books or ones so old that the language itself becomes a barrier.

Rating:
Summary: One of Heinlein's best.
Review: Capsule Description: A young orphan with no memory of his past is sold as a slave, and becomes embroiled in more and more complex situations while travelling from world to world. One of Heinlein's "Juveniles", possibly the best of that category, and a fun read.

Review: Often described as a space-age version of "Kim", Citizen of the Galaxy introduces us to the already world-weary and cynical, animalistically-paranoid Thorby, a boy of maybe ten years of age, who is being put on the auction block and sold. Through an odd sequence of events, the boy ends up being purchased by a beggar... who may be more than he appears. Subsequent events end up propelling him through the Galaxy as a number of things -- refugee, trader, military man -- while searching for the truth behind his unknown past.

Heinlein wrote several "juvenile" books, ones targeted at what today would be called the Young Adult market (mostly teenagers), but despite the label his stories were always written in a mature manner that assumed his readers were as intelligent as he was. This is one of the very best of the juveniles, all of which were good SF reads. An excellent "starter" book for a young person who'd like to try some classic SF but is daunted by the prospect of either larger books or ones so old that the language itself becomes a barrier.

Rating:
Summary: Freedom is Choice, Constrained
Review: Citizen explores just what freedom really is as it follows a young man, Thorby, as he matures from boy to man. Starting as a slave sold to a most unusual beggar, Baslim, we see the first aspect that many equate with the absolute opposite of freedom, though we see that in fact 'slaves' sometimes have more freedom of choice than 'free men'. The society he paints here is vivid and believable (though the economics of slavery in a star-travelling culture has always seemed a little dubious to me). Baslim is far more than he appears to be, and puts Thorby through a rigorous education, both academic and practical. How do you become a really good beggar? Here Heinlein falls in with Ayn Rand - whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability, from begging to juggling. Also there are several comments included here about the integrity of the self - lies to others and misleading yourself both come in for some dictums. These are items that may pass over young readers' heads, but perhaps planting seeds that all assumptions should be examined, nothing should be accepted on 'faith', that personal integrity is more important than 'success', that consequences of actions should be examined carefully before committing to that action.

Later, Baslim calls in some favors and sends Thorby to live with the Free Traders, a group of space merchants that keep to themselves with their own unique culture. Here Thorby discovers another aspect of freedom: a person's ability to do as he wishes is severely constrained by the culture in which he lives. The Free Trader society (which owes much to Margaret Mead's seminal ideas, and highlighted by an anthropologist character named Margaret Mader - Heinlein was not usually so obvious with his names) of rigid matriarchal domination and separation into moieties provides security, peace of mind, and the ability through rigid rules of formalism to allow a small group of people to live together for extended periods without breaking any heads, but has as its downside great limitations on freedom of choice. This section of the book may be the best part, as the society is so different from today's American culture that it becomes fascinating in its own right, apart from its effects on Thorby. Thorby himself grows and changes significantly in this part of the book, from first love to determining just how he must balance the demands of duty and personal desires.

The last section deals with Thorby back on Earth, within a society not much different from our own, and shows a third aspect of freedom: the internal courageousness to make your own decisions and act upon them. Freedom is just as constrained by internal timidity and/or defining decisions as by external forces. As this last section offers little in terms of new or different views of society (though it is a good mirror of some of the flaws of a capitalistic/lawyer dominated one), it isn't as engrossing as the first two sections, but is highly important in terms of completing Heinlein's thematic investigation of all aspects of freedom.

Characterization other than Thorby and Baslim is pretty thin, especially for the females that appear in supporting roles. This was fairly typical for his juveniles, as they were basically strong adventure novels with their primary focus on their central character. But the thematic line on slavery/freedom is much stronger here than most of his messages in other books, and as this particular position is also stated in some of those other works (most especially Farnham's Freehold), has to be seen as one of Heinlein's personal beliefs (unlike some other positions he proposes in his books that seem mainly designed to stir up debate).

This book is not Heinlein's absolute best, nor even the best of his so-called 'juveniles' (which are typically better reading than most 'adult' mainstream bestsellers), but still provides an engrossing, fun, and illuminating read. Recommended for all readers willing to look at life styles different from their own.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)


Rating:
Summary: I love the book
Review: How many times have we heard this story? Boy is bought as slave, boy becomes beggar, boy loses mentor, boy honors mentors final wish and seeks out the people who will give him the skills to survive in a harsh uncaring galaxy a rather peculiar and heavily armed bunch called "the people".

From that point on the book gets very interesting basically its about freedom and the choices we have in life, no one can decide your destiny you have to arrive at the conclusion on your own.

While it is not Heinlein's absolute best it is not his absolute worst either. Te only thing that killed the book for me was the last 40 pages totally took away from the sprit of the book.


Rating:
Summary: Heinlein writes his story of freedom...
Review: I've only read a few books by Heinlein, but the more of his stories I read the more I see two trends. First, he likes to take an idea, and then run with it through every possible effect and ramification it could have. Secondly, he seems to (unless I miss my guess) be writing his adventure stories from the dual perspective of himself as a youth, and himself as an older world-weary traveler (in his own eyes anyway). Reading this book I got the same feeling from Starship Troopers and Tunnel in the sky, that our protagonist is struggling to learn the essential life lessons that he will one day be in a position to hand down. But that's just Heinlein...

In this story, our master of sci-fi take the idea of freedom to it's absolute philosophical limits. First, he shows us the world of a person who is an actual slave and has no rights whatsoever. Then, he takes that individual, and shoves them into situation after situation that leave us wondering what exactly freedom is. When Thorby is taught by his adoptive father how to think, he is freed mentally. When he is adopted by space-traders he is almost totally free in a physical sense (the traders travel all of space), but he finds himself enslaved to a way of life, a series of traditions, and many many rules. As part of the intergalactic space police force (or its equivalent), he finds himself fighting for freedom, yet again a slave to the ideals and way of life (and organization) behind it. The real kicker though, is when Thorby finds himself in a position of super-powerful financial might, with literally the world at his fingertips, yet enslaved to that power and all the responsibilities that it implies.

Perhaps the real message of the story though, (to me anyway), is that freedom really is in the mind of the beholder, and helping others to overcome enslavements of a hateful, evil sort (like literal slavery) is a very good thing indeed. And no matter where you go, you will always be enslaved to something. So you'd better learn to survive, to be happy, and to make the most of what you have. And forget about the limits others try to impose upon you. A person with a mind that is free...is a Citizen of the Galaxy.

Besides all the great philosophy and ideas that Heinlein is famous for is of course a great adventure that really captures the imagination. I love every Heinlein story I've read so far, for the characters, the slick dialog (especially for it's time
), and the amazing universes he always manages to have up his sleeve. This book is DEFINITELY an enjoyable read for sci-fi fans.

Rating:
Summary: Raise a Citizen!
Review: If you have Kids or Grandkids, who think about politics & like "SF"; give them this book!

It was One of the many Heinlein Works that helped ME grow up.

It is the BEST & MOST IMPORTANT of his "for KIDS novels".

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Exercise in Cultural Studies
Review: In yet another rags to riches tale, we follow the fortunes of Thorby, a young slave who is purchased by a beneficent beggar who calls himself Baslim, the Cripple. But as longtime Heinlein readers must already suspect, Baslim has capabilities that far outweigh his physical infirmities. While teaching Thorby his own profession, he sets a plan in motion to find Thorby's real family. After a thrilling escape from the slave planet, Thorby finds a new family in a merchant trader ship, where the duties and customs are unlike anything he has ever seen. Next he joins the Guards, where still further efforts are made to find Thorby's origins. When he is finally restored to his nearest relatives, Thorby finds himself facing still more challenges, as things are not what they seem at the Rudbek household. Will Thorby ever find happiness? And is it possible to ever be truly free?

Heinlein's extensive firsthand knowledge of military science and shipboard routine serves him in good stead once again in this fascinating juvenile. He is somewhat less entertaining when trying to discuss big business dealings in the second half of the novel, but there is still a sufficiently subversive element to keep us interested in Thorby's fate. And while Thorby grows up quite a bit during the course of the story, this is still a boys' book. Numerous girls get thrown in Thorby's path at various stages, but he remains wholly oblivious, focused as he is own his own problems. And as is typical of Heinlein, these young women are not just hapless victims - some of them exercise real power within their respective realms. So young women interested in social sci-fi may find this book entertaining as well.

Heinlein's heroes are often super-smart under-achievers who find themselves thrown into new environments where they doesn't understand the rules, and Thorby is no exception. Here the process is repeated several times, and we spend more pages adjusting to the next new social situation than we do studying scientific principles, so devotees of hard science may find this one rather light fare. But for those who love to look at alternate social structures, and try to understand the logic underlying each, this book is an entertaining exercise in cultural relativity, and easily ranks among the best of Heinlein's juveniles.

Rating:
Summary: Favorite Heinlein
Review: This book is my absolute favorite Heinlein novel. It's a great story, and there is not a single female character in it. Heinlein did not seem to understand women, and his female characters always seemed forced. The fact that there were none in this book removes that distraction and focuses on the fabulous story line.

If you want to give the gift of science fiction to a novice reader, I would recommend this book as an introduction to the genre. It's just great and stands the test of time.

Rating:
Summary: This is why Heinlein is THE MASTER!!!
Review: This book is the epitome of Heinlein's adventure novels. It reminds we humans that we are not truly civilized beings. He points out clearly that slavery is one of the most awful things we can entrap our fellow beings in, and also points out that there are more types of slavery than actual enslavement. Humans can be trapped by family, friends, work, and, as Heinlein shows near the end of this novel, by money. Humans do not have never known any true freedom, even though we tend to feel that capitalism or socialism are ways for us to achieve freedom. Heinlein points out that none of these systems will make us free. I also really enjoy the fact that Thorby never really cares about his past; he only wants to live in the now, the way humans should. This is an easy book to read even though its plot is like some sort of roller-coaster. Even though somewhat deep ideas are expressed in this book, I think it would be best suited for teenage readers.