Customer Reviews

ORPHANS OF THE SKY

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the only Heinlen book ive read and it will likely be the last. The story starts out interesting enough - the human race travelling through space in a giant starship that they believe IS the whole universe. Through the course of events, the main character, Hugh, learns the real nature of the ship and futilly attempts to educate the population of his discoveries due to everyone else's religious beliefs about the ship - the universe as they know it. This is another interesting concept, however, the story is marred with dull characters and a weak ending. I would recommend this book for children in grade school, but not for anyone who is looking for "serious" science fiction.

I first read this short novel when I was about 12 years old. Talk about mind-blowing. It never occured to me that people could have two heads, or be the heroes of a book! Or that a gigantic, self-contained spaceship could be so long in space that the inhabitants have forgotten they are _on_ a spaceship, and instead think it's the entire universe. I have no idea what happened to my first paperback copy. I do miss it. Wherever it's at, I hope some other 12-year-old has stumbled upon it.

3.5 stars.
This is a good book, not to be missed by SF fans. My only complaint was that the psychology of people who are not familiar with a concept of anything outside their own ship had enormous potential, but was explored in a fairly casual manner - not very convincing. But the rest of the story is tops.

This was the first Robert Heinlein book that I read. I needed a book to use for a book report project in 8th grade, and I found this book in the school library. At the time I could have cared less about books. I followed the trend and thought books were stupid and boring, but after I read this book I really got into science fiction. This book was great. I dont want to give any of the story away like some people do in reviews, but I will say that it is really good. If you like Heinlein or just sci-fi, then I would recommend this book.

This book introduced me to the greats such as Stranger In A Strange Land, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I really recommend Stranger In a Strange Land. I found that one in my dads book collection and that is Heinleins best work in my opinion.

Anyway, it really is a good book I think so check it out.

Robert A. Heinlein is easily one of the best authors that have published their works, science fiction or not. "Orphans of the Sky" was originally published as two short stories, titled "Universe" and "Common Sense." This novel puts the two works together so that they read like one novel, which the two stories really are once they are combined. This is one of Heinlein's juveniles and I have yet to read any of the books that he wrote during the second part of his career, but I really enjoy these books. Heinlein here doesn't get involved with his beliefs as the book is more plot oriented. This doesn't mean that there aren't lots of good messages to learn by reading this, though.

Many, many years after Earth, there is a huge spaceship that flies throughout space. This space shuttle is made up of different stories and it is like a huge planets, with farms, homes, work areas, etcetera. On this planet are two types of people, the crew of the space shuttle, and people that are called "Muties" are the people that live on the upper parts of the ship and are sterotyped as to being violent and dirty people. The crew part of the ship has no clue that the shuttle is even moving and one man, Hugh, tries to tell the crew part of the ship the truth behind everything. The plot may not sound that it would be lots of fun, but it sure is.

People on the space shuttle are brought up thinking that the shuttle is the only thing in existence and that there is nothing beyond it. Heinlein tries to teach in this novel that you must examine everything and every way possible to prove that something is either correct or incorrect. It took one person of the crew part of the ship to realize the truth, and this is the supreme example that Heinlein shows. This book also shows to fight for what you believe in and to not let anybody get in the way of your goals. These messages in a fiction book are what make Robert A. Heinlein's novels stand out.

This is a very short read that can be quickly read in less than three sittings; for the people that read super fast you can get this done in one. Now that I have read this book I can officially call myself an RAH fan and I definitely rank him up there as one of my favorite science fiction novelists. This is a must read for any fan of science fiction or a fan of Robert A. Heinlein. Books this good shouldn't be passed up.

Happy Reading!

While it shouldn't be compared to his later genre-busting novels, Orphans of the Sky is an entertaining Robert A. Heinlein book in its own right. The concept is one often mentioned in science fiction, but rarely expanded upon: a giant, self-contained spaceship - it's own Universe - in which humans eat and breathe, sleep and breed. The twist here is that they've been in it for so long that they can't remember life before it - or even imagine it, as they now believe the the Ship IS the Universe. It is an interesting social critique, as it shows how perfectly viable truths (indeed, Common Sense) can be reduced to mere mythology and religious twaddle. The book is well-written. Short, compact - two stories in about 120 pages - it is very tight, and this is one of those rare stories where not a single word is wasted (a complete contrast to some of Heinlein's later novels, one might say.) These are also the last two stories in Heinlein's Future History (never included in The Past Through Tomorrow.) A worthwhile story, I'm glad to see it back in print. Certainly not a heavyweight novel, but Heinlein fans will enjoy it. Reccommended for them, or as a good distraction.

Originally published as two short stories, ("Universe" and "Common Sense"), this short novel showcases Heinlein's penchant for cynical social commentary. "Common Sense" is the sequel to "Universe" so the two stories fit together well to tell a single intriguing tale, based on an unusual, but not-too-unbelievable situation. An enormous, self-sufficient colonial expedition has been sent out towards a distant star. But human weakness interferes with the designers' well-laid plans when a mutiny leads to the death of every officer capable of piloting the ship. Generations later, when the story opens, the ship is still wandering aimlessly through space, the indefatigable engineering systems still running flawlessly; but the "crew" has lost virtually all knowledge of what their mission was, and no longer even realize they are in a moving vessel. The ship is their entire Universe, and when one man discovers otherwise, events unfold that rock their society to its foundations. "Universe" is very entertaining in a cerebral way, as we see how the ship's rules and traditions and history have become distorted into legends, myths, and of course, religion. Heinlein's practical knowledge of ship's organization serves him well here, too, as he paints a portrait of the working (if not exactly ideal) society that developed during the generations following the mutiny. And as usual, he pairs a good-hearted but naïve young protagonist (Hugh Hoyland) with a cynical, world-wise man-who-knows. The fact that Heinlein chose a two-headed mutant (Joe-Jim) for this role seems a bit over the top, but Joe-Jim is certainly an outsider, and the presence of large numbers of physically mutated persons seems reasonable enough under the circumstances. Still, a more believable mutation might have been a good idea - the very notion of a two-headed mutant may seem a little too "pulp-magazine" for adult readers. "Common Sense" is the more action-oriented part of the novel, and doesn't offer as many fresh insights into the unique social order as does "Universe". It does succeed in tying up a lot of loose ends, and provides for a resolution that should satisfy on at least an emotional level. Sadly, from a scientific view, the final outcome of this yarn is just painfully unlikely - a quintillion to one seems like a fair estimate - and even Heinlein (whose addiction to coincidence is well-documented) comes off rather apologetic when talking about the unlikelihood of his conclusion; but if one admits that "human stubbornness in the face of inconvenient fact" is the theme of this book, then how else can it end without putting poor Hugh in a very uncomfortable position? While this book may be not strictly a juvenile, its weaknesses are very glaring indeed, and cannot be recommended for any adult readers who take their science fiction seriously. On the other hand, younger readers should find this a mind-expanding adventure that brings them to see their own Universe in a brand new light.

This may not be the first generation starship tale, but it's probably the first where the passengers have forgotten that they're in a ship and that its corridors and rooms are not the universe.

This novel combines the story of Galileo with political intrigue and military conquest, all aboard a starship that has lapsed into feudalism after a mutiny in the crew long ago. After the mutiny, people forgot not only their mission to travel to Far Centaurus but that there was a universe outside the ship's hull. Books are still around, but physics and astronomy are treated like elaborate allegories by the "scientists" and not realities. Barbaric muties roam the upper decks, and cannibalism is not unknown, infantcide a common practice.

Scientist novitiate Hugh Hoyland plays the Galileo role. He is captured by two-headed mutant Joe-Jim and, when he's not playing checkers with either of the twins, has the run of their library and the benefit of their intellects. It's from that unlikely source that Hoyland learns the truth about the ship and the world outside.

And he begins to form a plan to complete the mission.

First published in 1941 as two short stories, "Universe" and "Common Sense", this story still entertains with its heroism, intrigue, and action. They are, chronologically, also the last short stories in Heinlein's Future History.

This is piece of excrement that should interest at all no one over the age of twelve with a modicum of taste and intelligence. On the other hand, it's also a...book (I hate to dignify it with this word) children should be discouraged from reading. Heinlein is a B science-fiction writer (at best--"Stranger in a Stranger Land"), but "Orphans of the Sky" is a Z work. AVOID IT.

Orphans of the sky - Robert Heinlein

This has got to be one of Heinlein's best books; a real find if you can get it! The story is set on a giant spaceship, five miles long, one and a half wide, a colony ship on it's way to Alpha Centaurii. The ship is a spinning cylinder with hundreds of decks like the rings in a tree trunk - centrifugal force gives the impression of gravity on outer decks, while the inner ones, near the axis, are weightless, and it is in the axis that command was situated.

Shortly after it set off, centuries ago from the story's perspective, there was a mutiny and the Captain and much of the original crew was lost. Those left of the crew abandoned the central command axis, and settled permanently in the outer decks. What was left of the mutineers, injured, irradiated and mutating, retreated to the axis. And thus it stayed for hundreds of years, the ship drifting on with no-one in control.

Society has degenerated into a kind of medieval feudal structure, with strict class hierarchies, and even a priest caste. The "Captain" is like an emperor, his "scientists" tend the holy machines. Special poets recite the manuals and the rotas as though they were scripture. No-one really knows what all the machines are anymore, or how they work, or even what the manuals mean. All the books have become holy, the ship's routines have become religious acts, and the ship is now considered to be the entire universe. In the beginning, there was the ship.....

Our hero is a teenager, who lives in one of the "villages" along the outer decks. He and some of his friends explore the forbidden upper decks, which are dark and cold, and grow steadily more weightless as they near the axis. Up a hundred decks they go, until they finally meet the "muties". Our hero is captured, and there learns just who and what the muties really are. He reads books that he has never seen before, free of the "interpretation" of the scientists down below, and finally realises the truth. He goes below to try and convince the others, but is taken for a heretic.... What does he do? Does he convince them? What happens the ship?

This is a very impressive story, with a really original and fascinating plot. The characters are well developed, the detail of the setting just right, and the end is surprising! While this is a fairly short book, that just leaves you wanting more! It's a great read, that keeps you interested from the first page to the last. If you can find it, hang on to it for dear life!