Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein is a hilarious, lighthearted read with an unforgettable main character.
Published 1956; won the Hugo award
Brent: 4 stars. A quick, fun read with an incredibly interesting main character, it’s a wonderful entry point for anyone interested in Heinlein or anyone just looking for an entertaining book that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Cody: 4 stars. A fun, silly story with a lot of insight into the distinction between the public and private identities of celebrity politicians.
Here's the setup:
The story is told from the first person perspective of Laurence Smith—the self-styled “The Great Lorenzo”—a down-and-out actor who spends most of his time in bars. He's approached by a space-pilot who offers him a drink and, despite some trepidation about Lorenzo’s high opinion of himself, offers him a dangerous job at a very high pay rate.
One of the solar system's most important politicians has been kidnapped, and they need someone to impersonate him until he's rescued. Lorenzo is quickly pulled deeper and deeper into the conspiracy, and has to keep up the act to avoid his own death and an all-out planetary war.
Hugonauts' Thoughts:
The story's humor comes mostly from the point of view of Lorenzo, who's oblivious self-involvement is the comic through-line for the first half of the novel. Despite his flaws, you can't help but love him, and his narrow view of things helps the audience explore the world slowly, without at any point feeling overwhelmed by exposition or world-building. Writing sci-fi without any overt exposition is one of Heinlein's greatest strengths as a writer, and it's absolutely on display in this book.
Lorenzo isn't just a comic fool though. His character evolves over the course of the novel, and despite his early arrogance, you come to respect Lorenzo for his continued sacrifices to solve problems that he had no part in causing.
That said, the back half of the novel unfortunately isn't quite as good as the first - there's not as clear a crisis to overcome. Things keep happening, and they're animated with Heinlein's usual wit, but it does drag a bit compared to the first half.
The 'big' idea that's explored here is the transactional nature of politics, and how lots of politicians are basically paid actors by another name. That's not a particularly happy thought, which makes it all the more impressive that Heinlein managed to express that idea in such a fun book.
This was the first book that won Heinlein a Hugo award, and was published in 1956 (he went on to win more than anyone else ever has - a total of 6). That said, it holds up incredibly well and by and large doesn't feel dated. There are a few moments of sexism, but it's far less in-your-face than in many other works from the golden age of sci-fi.
Humor in sci-fi is too rare - so this is definitely one to treasure and enjoy!
Related Books
If you loved this one, you might also like:
More Heinlein - Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, etc.
Heinlein is a controversial guy, but he is undeniably one of the early titans of sci-fi. If you liked Double Star, you should absolutely check out some of his other work.
Mirror Dance - Lois McMaster Bujold
A story about clones stepping into each other lives. Part of Bujold's Vorkosigan saga series of episodic novels, all of which feature main characters you can't help but love.
Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut
An off-the-wall, heartbreaking look at the horrors of WWII that is somehow also about aliens, all told with Vonnegut's usual wit and charm.
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