Rating: 
Summary: One of his best juvies
Review: This is undoubtedly one of Heinlein's finest 'juvenile' novels (and anyone who thinks there were no female characters in it must not have read more than 10% of it).I usually list _Tunnel in the Sky_ as my favorite of Heinlein's young-adult novels of the 1950s, and I still think it belongs at the top of the list. But this one is very close. As I'm sure you know already, it's the tale of a young fellow named Thorby, a slave on the planet Sargon who comes under the protection of one Baslim the Cripple. A sort of outer-space version of Kipling's _Kim_, the novel traces Thorby's life and development through several changes of venue -- and ends on Earth, where Thorby finds out who he really is and takes on some heavy, adult-sized responsibilities. It's a very well handled coming-of-age novel, and it expresses Heinlein's own remarkable take on maturity very nearly as well as _Tunnel_ (in some ways arguably better). And like _Tunnel_, it devotes _just a little_ space, toward the end, to preaching against straw men. (Here, it's a couple of custard-headed pacifists whose sole literary function is to mouth inane slogans that Heinlein wants to show up as irresponsible nonsense. There was _loads_ of such stuff in _Starship Troopers_ but in this one it's kept to a minimum.) It also shares part of its 'skeleton' with _Stranger in a Strange Land_ (on which Heinlein was also working at about the same time, still under its provisional title 'A Martian Named Smith'). Why, there's even a climactic courtroom battle, with Thorby represented by a crusty lawyer not terribly unlike Jubal Harshaw. (In general lawyers don't come off well in Heinlein's novels; in the final analysis the sharklike Garsch is no exception, although Harshaw fares somewhat better.) At any rate, the anthropological insights come fast and furious here (aided in part by a character who may remind you of Margaret Mead). One nice touch is revealed in Thorby's time with the Traders; like every other people in history, they call themselves 'the People' and everybody else subhuman ('fraki'). No s-e-x, though. At this time Heinlein was still publishing under the watchful eye of Alice Dalgliesh and Thorby's interactions with the opposite camp are as chaste as melting snow. I credit Heinlein with three absolutely magisterial works -- _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_, _Double Star_, and _The Door into Summer_. This one belongs to the second tier of near-magisterial material, well worth reading and rereading despite a few warts.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: I first read this book when I was 15, and ever since I have remembered it as one of the best books I had ever read. I recently moved and unpacked my copy. Curious, I reread it and found that the passing time has not dimmed it at all. I still believe it is one of the best books I have ever read. This breaks from the stereotypical pattern of Robert Heinlein and all science fiction. It covers such borad topics as racism, slavery, corporate corruption, and the people who are willing to sacrifice everything they have to change the world. The book opens at a slave auction,in a far away galaxy, where a young boy is up for sale. It doesn't take long for the reader to get caught up in the many twists and turns this story takes. Not one of the characters in this book is who he first appears to be. Thorby (the boy for sale) is bought by an old, crippled beggar man and ends up travelling throughout the universe. His observations on life are truly insightful. This may just change the way you see the world around you.
Rating:
Summary: Citizen of the Galaxy
Review: This was a very fast-moving, exciting book. It is well written, and it makes you think. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who likes science fiction.
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: 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: 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: One of the all time best SF
Review: RAH is grandmaster - no doubt for that. And Citizen of the Galaxy is one of his best (close circle - JOB, Number of the Beast, Strangeer in a Strange Land - hard to position those)...SF, espionage, adventure, sociology essay, thriller - you name it, it's everything.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT read
Review: The first RAH that I read was this book. It introduced me to the Grand Masters style and I have enjoyed RAH ever since. This book remains one of my favourites. The story of an orphan who grows up and finds his family & along the way finds his values in life is a timeless classic that has been given a great treatment by Heinlein.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless lessons
Review: Thorby's beginings are shrouded in mystery, lost somewhere on the long road seared into him by many masters, and many lashes. He knows only that he is about to be brought to yet another problem in a long road of problems, as he is on the slavers selling block once again. An old beggar takes notice of him, and since no one else wants to bid on the beaten and bedraggled youth, the price is [reasonable] enough that even a beggar can purchace him.
This is a change in his fourtune which will take him on a long road of knowledge and a raise in status. His new master adopts him as a son, and does his best to care for him. Thorby learns the trade of a beggar, and runs errands for 'pop' who isn't quite like other beggars.....teaching Thorby to speak and read in several languages, advanced mathmetics, basic history, and what morals can be passed on while living as a poor beggar. Until pop's death, at which time he delivers a message to a ship in port which Baslim the Cripple has instructed him to do in case of his death. He is adopted by this ship's family, and becomes on of them...a tribe of people, proud of thier heritage and elitist freedom. But, once again he must loose all which has become dear to him and move on to another fate, to find his true heritage. Many lessons are contained within Citizen of the Galaxy. Learning to become one with the culture you are in, what 'family' can mean, learning to fight for what is right, and finally, learning that fighting for what is right may not nessicarily be on the front lines in the battle against slavery, but can be far away, buried in legal mazes of businesses who's leaders may not be aware of what evils are burried in the depths of thier empire. Now, in our current age of a battle against terrorism, this lesson is espically apparent. The evils which lurk across the globe can have connections to us at home, through finantial ties, and levels upon hiden levels of business fronts and drug cartels. All levels, from executive office to the streets to forign lands must have those who are vigilant against a threat.
Rating:
Summary: Heinlein's most inspirational juvenile novel
Review: Citizen of the Galaxy is probably Heinlein's most mature juvenile novel and is certainly one of his most inspirational. It contains a sweeping indictment of slavery and provides a stirring message about citizenship and civic responsibility. Thorby is a slave; the only memories he has are a tangled morass of mistreatment spread among faceless men on nameless worlds; all he brings with him to Sargon are a filthy piece of clothing and an ugly assortment of scars and sores. On the block, no one values him enough to even bid on him, all except for the beggar Baslim. He takes him home (a hole beneath the abandoned amphitheatre) and raises him as a son rather than a slave. Thorby learns the art of begging from his new Pop and enjoys the happiest years of his life with him. Then Baslim, whom Thorby eventually learned was much more than a simple beggar, is arrested as a spy. Thorby satisfies his Pop's wishes by evading capture himself and taking a message to a certain ship's captain. Captain Krausa adopts Thorby as his own son and makes him a member of the Free Trader family on the ship Sisu. Here Thorby learns the complexities of Free Trader family life, makes real friends, and assumes a pivotal job protecting the huge spacecraft from raiders. Then Thorby is displaced once again, as Krausa takes him to the first ship of the Hegemonic Empire he comes in contact with. While Thorby hates to leave his new family, he does it to satisfy Baslim's ultimate wish for him to find his true family. Thorby soon learns that wealth does not make you rich as he strives to fight slavery in the galaxy and become the son his birth parents wanted him to be Heinlein gives us three strikingly different looks at family life. While Thorby is happy as a part of the immensely complicated Free Trader family on Sisu, he looks back at his days with the beggar Baslim as the happiest of his life. On the ship, one is barely acknowledged as existing if he/she is not a part of the family. The only person who talks to Thorby at first is an anthropologist, and she gives a poignant explanation of this type of society. The family is free, yet each individual in that family is in some way a slave; Thorby is told what to do and when and where to do it. The ultimate lesson is learned on Terra, where the prescripts of Baslim continue to guide Thorby's actions. He is determined to fight against the slave trade, which is something most Terrans don't even believe exists because it is taking place far, far away. For Thorby, it is personal and he devotes his life to fighting against it. The ultimate responsibility he learns is to fully devote himself to the noble cause, to be willing to give us his own freedom, even to become a beggar as Baslim did, in order to work for the freedom of others. The story is as much fantasy as science fiction, but the message it contains and the moral lessons it teaches make it one of Heinlein's most important and enjoyable novels.
| 
