Double Star

Robert Heinlein’s Double Star is an interesting ride. It would make a good Tom Clancy political conspiracy novel, if it wasn’t for the fact that it takes place almost primarily on Mars and the moon.

A down-and-out but talented actor, Lawrence Smith, aka Lorenzo Smythe, aka “The Great Lorenzo”, has been hired to play an impersonation role. He doesn’t know any of the details before accepting the job, but his arrogance, curiosity, and financial situation get the better of him. It turns out to be an impersonation job for one of the top politicians in the Empire, who has been kidnapped. If this politician does not attend a certain meeting at a specific time, it will have disastrous consequences throughout the solar system.

That’s the plot in a nutshell. Of course, things go from bad to worse for Smythe. Each time that he thinks that he’s made his last public appearance as the Honorable Joseph Bonforte, he learns that the situation has once again changed, and he has a duty to continue the part. The show must go on.

I was reminded of the famous line from The Godfather part III, “Just when I thought I was out--they pull me back in!”

Not everyone in the galaxy is fooled by the performance, including the Emperor himself, but it seems that the well-being of the political machine is vastly more important, and the ruse is continued.

The pacing is excellent, although it never really reaches a level of intense excitement that is found in today’s political thrillers. Rather than leading to an intense action-packed climax, the story instead buries Lorenzo Smythe deeper and deeper into his predicament.

The amazing thing about the story was the gradual change in this main character over the course of the entire narrative. He begins the novel as an arrogant and rude thespian, reminiscent of the funny Jon Lovitz character from Saturday Night Live (“Acting!”). However, the more he studies the role that he is to constantly play, we find that the personality of Lorenzo Smythe is disappearing, being swallowed whole by the personality of his “character” Joseph Bonforte. Near the end, the thoughts and concerns of Smythe are completely different than those near the beginning; it is a complete transformation. It is an interesting idea that one can be such a great actor that they would voluntarily allow their natural identity and personality to be completely replaced by that of another.

There are some interesting sci-fi elements to the story as well, although they are clearly influenced by a 1950’s way of thinking. Take 1950’s politicians and put them on Mars, and you have Double Star. I thought that his ideas about the native Martians were brilliant, in both their physical shape, and the rules of their society. It is a culture where the rules of propriety are followed so strictly that simply being late for an appointment is grounds for the death penalty.

Overall, it is a quick and entertaining read, and leaves a lasting impression upon the reader.