Title: The Rolling Stones (aka. Space Family Stone)
Author: Robert A Heinlein
Pages: 287
Publisher: Baen Publishing Enterprises (New York), 1952
I was particularly excited to read and review this one because I had never read it before. The sad truth is I write book reviews to justify my book addiction and my 'need' to buy them.
The Rolling Stones was also published as the Space Family Stone and it is Heinlein's fifth published Juvenile book. By all accounts this one was readily received by Heinlein's editor and publisher. The reason is simple; it a great story and a lot of fun to read.
The plot basically centers around a pair of twins: Castor and Pollux Stone and their family: Hazel Stone (Grandma), Robert Stone (Dad), Edith Stone, (Mom) Meade Stone (sister), Lowell Stone (brother) and Buster Stone (baby brother). The Stone Family which lives on Luna (The moon) gets caught up in the idea of the Stone twins of setting out and seeing the solar system. The boys are not saints and they try to scheme there way though a lot of situations. Dad ultimately decides to purchase a spacecraft and set out with the whole family as year long vacation. In a very real way this is a cross between a family trip in a Winnebago, a family of pioneers crossing the old west frontier and a space adventure. The whole lot of them are rugged individualists and that creates some interesting situations in and of it self as the journey from Luna to Mars to the Asteroid Belt. Along the way, they have adventures, sell bicycles and 'flat cats', and the twins grow from being selfish boys to responsible men.
Stylistically, this is a funny book with all the snappy banter of any sitcom but with characters so real to life you almost forget it is a space story. This is classic Heinlein as far as storytelling. Sometimes things go well for the characters, sometimes not and there are some interesting twists and turns.
The Technology issues are great as for the most part Heinlein was trying to show that with some expected advances in technology of his day (1952) such space travel would be possible. In my edition published by Baen in 2010, Steve A. Hughes writes in the end of the book analyzing the technology in the book and basically says that Heinlein did very well with about 80% of his predictions, his big miss being communications, but the rest was very close.
If there is any theme to the book it has to be pushing back the frontier. Hazel Stone at the end of the book sums it up the best: "Why does anyone go anywhere?...To see what he could see...The dull ones stay at home - the bright ones stir around and try to see what trouble they can dig up." In the end freedom and pushing the edge of what we think is possible is the message of The Rolling Stones.
Rating: Four stars. One of Heinlein's best juveniles. I will definitely look forward to reading it again. Very humorous and entertaining.
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