
Orphans of the Sky
The Future History Series
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Narrated by:
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Graham Halstead
Lost in space.
Hugh had been taught that, according to the ancient sacred writings, the Ship was on a voyage to faraway Centaurus. But he also understood this was just allegory for a voyage to spiritual perfection. Indeed, how could the Ship move, since its miles and miles of metal corridors were all there was of creation? Science knew that the Ship was all the universe, and as long as the sacred Converter was fed, the lights would continue to glow, the air would flow, and the Creator's Plan would be fulfilled.
Of course, there were the muties, grotesquely deformed parodies of humans, who lurked in the upper reaches of the Ship, where gravity was weaker. Were they evil incarnate, or merely a divine check on the population, keeping humanity from expanding past the capacity of the Ship to support?
Then Hugh was captured by the muties and met their leader (or leaders) - Joe-Jim, with two heads on one body - and learned the true nature of the Ship and its mission between the stars. But could he make his people believe him before it was too late? Could he make them believe that he must be allowed to fly the Ship?
©1951 Robert A. Heinlein (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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One of the early stories, and good enough.
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80 years old and still great
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Orphans is brilliant in another way, however. Heinlein's exploration of human nature is troubling, emphasizing what people will sink to when their point of view is constrained by their environment. He's prescient in describing the current phenomenon of people rejecting facts, even those "in their face," when the facts don't agree with their preconceived notions and what they want to believe (flat earth society, "stolen" elections, etc.). Despite being one of the older Heinlein works that I've read, it feels the least dated
The narrator is good, voicing actions and different characters in appropriate ways. His job is made easier by the story lacking virtually any spoken female lines.
Recommended
Scary in it's prescience
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The book was very well presented by Graham Halstead.
A self-aware relic of the older space adventures
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Nice easy science fiction from before space flight
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And uh, ahem.. far from feminist at the very end.
Definitive but dated
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Heinlein creates a realistic devolutionary scenario where an apparent accident with the nuclear reactors has led to the current state of affairs. Science texts are reinterpreted in terms of religious metaphors and the human reluctance to evolve perspectives in light of new information abounds. Although a few intrepid explorers make it off the ship to complete their journey, the bulk persist in their beliefs in the finite nature of their world.
The narration is reasonable with acceptable character distinction and brisk pacing.
Deprecated generation ship
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Great story; Weirdly Misogynistic
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As always a master storyteller.
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On one enormous ship, Heinlein masterfully creates 2 types of cultures that evolved over countless generations: workers and "muties." This encapsulated space colony was built to last in perpetuity and could continue seemingly indefinitely with little maintenance. It also contained farmland and animals. The people's lives were deeply impacted by the entropy of fading knowledge and skills.
Some readers might judge this book for it's treatment of women and narrow world views. And yet, after so many generations of seclusion, it seems likely that some very different ways of living would develop.
Any number of odd perspectives could arise in isolation. Heinlein seemed to pick just a few colorful and historical oddities to drop on the reader to catch one off-guard.
This reader would have enjoyed a few more details at the end, but it isn't so book. It was a fun read, and the last section answered many of my 21st century questions. Highly recommended for sci-fi and Heinlein fans!
Hope you find this review helpful!
holds up well over time
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