Starman Jones [Library Binding]

Max Jones dropped out of high school to support his lazy irresponsible stepmother by working on their farm, which has few amenities that would not have been commonplace in 1850. But he dreams of becoming an astrogator aboard a starship like his late Uncle Chet who instructed him in that profession. When his stepmother marries a man who is uneducated and cannot appreciate his ambition, Max leaves. The world being badly mismanaged, he must hitchhike to the city of Earthport to find out whether he has been appointed his uncle's professional heir.

What happens over the ensuing chapters I will not divulge. Heinlein was a graduate of the Naval Academy, where he learned some of the laws in force aboard ships. While Max is serving aboard a ship that has become lost and set down on an unknown planet, with no realistic hope of finding its way home, the First Officer explains to the passengers and crew certain legal rights and obligations that apply in such an emergency. A passenger objects: "There are no laws HERE." The First Officer corrects him, saying the law goes where the ship goes. That sets the context for a climax several chapters later, involving legal, moral, political, and psychological aspects of leadership in an emergency.

The book dramatizes the role of intelligent purposefulness in human life. A scene occupying about the first four pages of the second chapter is a beautiful example: Max is alone facing difficulties and using his head.

The book has various readily identifiable flaws, which it would be easy for me to list. Those don't matter at all.

Being young and nieve, he makes some bad calls in charachters of someone he meets on the way, and finds out the hard way that you can't trust everyone who seems nice. I'd write more, but don't want to give away the storyline. Being one of heinlein's early 'juvies' this book isn't as involved as his later and better known works, and at times I felt it was too predictable. But, Heinlein was a master of portraying people, thier dreams and desires and fears.

This is a fun young adult book about growing up.

The Max who is willing to lie and cheat to get onboard near the start of the book is not the Max of the end of the book, who is not willing to do so to protect himself. He is matured by role models such as Astrogator Hendrix, and, surprisingly, by the rascal Sam. Yet he has effects on those around them. Max's influence changes Sam from rascal to hero.

The dated elements, such as the '50s style computers that can do little more than simple calculations and cannot even store logarithms and the like (the characters must use bound log tables and other references) do not detract. I should note that it's a bit strange that Astrogator Chester Jones (who no doubt inherited his position from a father or other close relative) would have a brother who is a hardscrabble farmer. At least, the question should have been explained.