Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein
"Double Star" is a science fiction novel that follows the story of Lorenzo Smythe, a struggling actor who unexpectedly finds himself impersonating a prominent politician, John Joseph Bonforte, in a time of political crisis. The plot begins when Smythe, hoping to improve his fortunes, becomes involved with spaceship captain Dak Broadbent. After a violent altercation with attackers, Smythe is thrust into a high-stakes situation where he must fill in for Bonforte, who has been kidnapped.
As he prepares for this role, Smythe grapples with his own prejudices against Martians, the nonhuman race at the center of a fragile political balance. Through his experiences, including learning from Bonforte's close associates and undergoing hypnosis to overcome his biases, Smythe starts to embody Bonforte's ideals, particularly those promoting coexistence between humans and Martians.
The narrative escalates when Bonforte's health deteriorates, forcing Smythe to maintain the deception. As he navigates his new responsibilities, he faces challenges from others who seek to uncover the truth, particularly from press liaison Bill Corpsman. Ultimately, the story explores themes of identity, political philosophy, and transformation, culminating in Smythe's internal conflict about whether to continue living as Bonforte after the politician's demise. The novel concludes with Smythe reflecting on his journey and the profound changes he has undergone over the years.
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Double Star
First published: 1956
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—extrapolatory
Time of work: The near future
Locale: Earth, Mars, the Moon, and various spaceships
The Plot
Hoping for a free meal or even a loan, down-on-his-luck actor Lorenzo Smythe buys a drink for Dak Broadbent, a spaceship captain trying to pretend he is something else. Broadbent offers more than Smythe could have hoped for, an acting job at a good salary. Before the final arrangements can be made, however, they are attacked by a human and a Martian, a race Smythe cannot tolerate, partly because of their smell. Smythe finds himself an accomplice in the deaths of the two attackers and the disposal of their bodies.
The acting job is revealed to be the impersonation of John Joseph Bonforte, one of the most important politicians in the empire and leader of the opposition Expansionist coalition, whose political philosophy, based on equality of humans and nonhumans, is at odds with Smythe’s prejudices. It is suspected that terrorists with links to the ruling Humanity Party have kidnapped Bonforte to keep him from taking part in an adoption ceremony at a Martian nest, an act that would further cement human-Martian relations. Because Martian society is based on rigid rules of protocol, should Bonforte not attend for any reason except death, relations between Martians and humans would be so badly ruptured that a massacre of humans—which would result in a human war against the Martians—would likely result, and Bonforte’s policy of coexistence would fall apart.
The plot follows Smythe as he prepares for his role with the help of those closest to Bonforte: personal secretary Penelope Russell, physician Dr. Capek, pilot Dak Broadbent, political operative Roger Clifton, and press liaison Bill Corpsman. As Smythe watches tapes of Bonforte, he begins to understand him. With the help of hypnosis, he is able to conquer his negative emotional reaction to the Martian race. Increasingly, he speaks, acts, and even thinks like Bonforte.
The adoption ceremony goes smoothly, but a new problem develops. Bonforte is found but has been drugged so heavily that he will be unable to appear in public for some time. Smythe agrees to continue the charade while Bonforte recovers. As the days pass, Smythe begins to make decisions as Bonforte. Corpsman resents Smythe’s actions, and tension between the two escalates.
Smythe as Bonforte, gives a passionate speech, beamed throughout the solar system, defending “his” political philosophy. The impact is so strong that the Humanity Party government resigns. Emperor Willem summons the false Bonforte to the capital to form a caretaker government. During the audience, Smythe discovers that Bonforte and the emperor, a constitutional monarch with limited power, are longtime friends. The emperor in turn discovers that Smythe is not the real Bonforte but tells him to carry on with the impersonation until the ailing leader recovers.
As the election campaign gets under way, the conflict between Smythe and Corpsman comes to a head. When Corpsman is struck off the list of candidates for the Grand Assembly at Smythe’s behest, he quits and sets out to expose the ongoing charade. He is defeated, however, when fingerprints taken from Smythe are found to match those on file for Bonforte.
The Expansionists win the election, but Bonforte suddenly dies from the effects of his kidnapping and drugging. Now Smythe must make the choice of his life— will he continue to be Bonforte forever?
In the last chapter, it is revealed that the entire book is a journal written by Smythe twenty-five years earlier while he struggled to retain his sanity while pretending to be Bonforte. Now married to Russell, he muses about the person he was and the person he has become as he lives Bonforte’s political life.
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