The Star Beast

Robert A. Heinlein

Dec 2015 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by Richard Powers

About this audiobook

A compelling coming-of-age adventure from legendary SF master and multiple New York Times bestseller Robert A. Heinlein

Lummox has been the pet of the Stuart family for generations. With eight legs, a thick hide, and increasingly large size, Lummox is nobody’s idea of man’s best friend. Nevertheless, John Stuart XI, descendant of the starman who originally brought Lummox back to Earth, loves him. But when Lummox eats a neighbor’s car and begins to grow again, the feds decide that enough is enough. John isn’t about to let the authorities take his pet away, and with his best friend, Betty, he determines to save Lummox—even if he must forever leave the life he’s always known.

Ratings and reviews

A fine story, well-developed characters, and not without finer points of wisdom. However, almost demoted for Heinlein's lack of trust in collective wisdom and government transparency which he subtly expresses as one character's opinion.

About the author

Robert Anson Heinlein (1907–1988) took a variety of jobs before beginning to write science fiction in 1939. He became the dominant science fiction writer of the modern era, a writer whose influence on the field was immense. He won science fiction’s Hugo Award for best novel seven times, and several of his books were New York Times bestsellers. In 1975 he received the first Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement.

Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. His book, The Overstory, won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.