A never-before-published masterpiece from science fiction's greatest writer, rediscovered after more than half a century.

When Joel Johnston first met Jinny Hamilton, it seemed like a dream come true. And when she finally agreed to marry him, he felt like the luckiest man in the universe.

There was just one small problem. He was broke. His only goal in life was to become a composer, and he knew it would take years before he was earning enough to support a family.

But Jinny wasn't willing to wait. And when Joel asked her what they were going to do for money, she gave him a most unexpected answer. She told him that her name wasn't really Jinny Hamilton---it was Jinny Conrad, and she was the granddaughter of Richard Conrad, the wealthiest man in the solar system.

And now that she was sure that Joel loved her for herself, not for her wealth, she revealed her family's plans for him---he would be groomed for a place in the vast Conrad empire and sire a dynasty to carry on the family business.

Most men would have jumped at the opportunity. But Joel Johnston wasn't most men. To Jinny's surprise, and even his own, he turned down her generous offer and then set off on the mother of all benders. And woke up on a colony ship heading out into space, torn between regret over his rash decision and his determination to forget Jinny and make a life for himself among the stars.

He was on his way to succeeding when his plans--and the plans of billions of others--were shattered by a cosmic cataclysm so devastating it would take all of humanity's strength and ingenuity just to survive.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.



Praise for this book

“I'd nominate Spider Robinson as the new Robert Heinlein” —The New York Times

“An enjoyable read.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A splendid wondrous lovely Spider Robinson novel that just also happens to be a new Heinlein novel.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune

“Completing a book from notes by a dead author is almost always a mistake. But Robert A. Heinlein apparently isn't really dead. He was obviously standing at the side of Spider Robinson as he wrote this book, guiding his hand.” —John Varley, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of The Persistence of Vision and Steel Beach

“I’ve already laughed hard and wanted to cry….This book is a delight and I love you for doing it. I love you even more for doing it so damned well. Thank you.” —David Crosby, Grammy Award--winning singer/songwriter and member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash




About the Author

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) won four Hugo Awards for Best Novels and three of his novels were given Retrospective Hugos fifty years after publication. He won Science Fiction Writers of America's first Grand Master Award. His many influential novels include Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

Spider Robinson, winner of three Hugos and a Nebula, worked as a folksinger and journalist before publishing his first story in Analog in 1973. Eleven of his 31 books are set in Callahan's Place, a fabulous tavern founded by a time traveler, where puns flow as freely as beer, and smell far worse.


Title: Variable Star
Author(s): Robert A. Heinlein, Spider Robinson
ISBN: 9781429983457
Copyright 2010
Release Date: December 07, 2010
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: ePub,mobi | Learn More about our supported formats
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