Starman Jones, Robert A. Heinlein
Starman Jones, Robert A. Heinlein
2 Rating(s)
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
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Starman Jones

Author: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrator: Richard Powers

Unabridged: 8 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/14/2008


Synopsis

The stars were closed to Max Jones. To get into space you either needed connections, a membership in the arcane Guild, or a whole lot more money than Max, the son of a widowed, poor mother, was ever going to have. What Max does have going for him are his uncle’s prized astrogation manuals—books on star navigation that Max literally commits to memory word for word, equation for equation. When Max’s mother decides to remarry a bullying oaf, Max takes to the road, only to discover that his uncle Chet’s manuals, and Max’s near complete memorization of them, is a ticket to the stars. But serving on a spaceship is no easy task. Duty is everything, and a mistake can mean you and all aboard are lost forever. Max loves every minute of his new life, and he steadily grows in the trust of his superior officers. He seems to be on course for a command track position—but then disaster strikes, and it’s going to take every trick Max ever learned from his tough life and his uncle’s manuals to save himself and the ship from a doom beyond extinction itself. From the First Golden Age of Heinlein, this is the so-called juvenile (written, Heinlein always claims, just as much for adults) that started them all and made Heinlein a legend for multiple generations of readers.

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.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mike (the Paladin) on March 05, 2015

I like this dated novel. A human civilization that was pictured or imagined before our present level of computer and electronic technology was even imagined. A young man "inherits" somewhat informally a set of "astrogator's" texts and then sets out to get "sponsored" to get into the Astrogator's gui......more

Goodreads review by Jim on October 21, 2014

Another typical (great!) Heinlein YA novel about a farm boy who makes good. The main characters in this book aren't angels. They break the law - bad ones mostly - for reasons they think are sufficient (I always thought so) & reap the consequences afterward, but still come out ahead. Max is a hillbil......more

Goodreads review by Jason on October 04, 2020

I've read a lot of Heinlein's work, and this remains one of my favorites.......more

Goodreads review by Jim on October 22, 2014

An SF Juvenile originally published 60 years ago, 1953, & it shows its age in a few places, but was still a wonderful yarn with one of my favorite characters in it, Sam. Hardly the perfect hero or role model, he was a lot of fun & showed the main character, Max, the ropes. The age of the story was mo......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on February 24, 2025

I'm upping my rating on this re-read. Why? Because it hit all the right spots. 1951 Heinlein Juvenile. I guess I simply had a great time about an angry farm boy running off to see the sea--um, I mean, the stars. Of course he gets to know scoundrels and pretty girls, but also strange animals and alien......more


Quotes

“Superior science-fiction. . . . carefully plotted, lucidly and beautifully written.” New York Times

“With its bold symbolism, the book makes a universal appeal.” Jack Williamson, science fiction writer

“Paul Michael Garcia perfectly captures the author’s trademark mix of adventure, tension, and frequent shipboard monotony. With a well-tuned dramatic ear, Garcia beautifully unfolds the story of young Max Jones…Extra points go to Garcia for his impressive range…Young listeners will especially enjoy this production.” AudioFile

“Paul Michael Garcia is ably suited to reading Heinlein’s well chosen words, giving the dialogue-heavy prose a banter-like give and take. Garcia’s range, too, is very impressive…It really is the ideal reading.” SFFAudio.com