344 pages
English language
Published Feb. 10, 2014
"On a voyage to New Earth, the starship Rolling Thunder is powered by an energy no one understands except for its eccentric inventor, Jubal Broussard. Like many of the ship's inhabitants, Jubal rests in a state of suspended animation for years at a time, asleep yet never aging. The moments when Jubal emerges from suspended animation are usually a cause for celebration for his family, including his twin daughters--Cassie and Polly--and their uncle who is captain of the Rolling Thunder. But this time, Jubal makes a shocking announcement: The ship must stop, or everyone will die. These words from the mission's founder, the man responsible for the very existence of the Rolling Thunder, will send shock waves throughout the starship--and divide its passengers into those who believe and those who doubt. And it will be up to Cassie and Polly to stop a mutiny, discover the truth, and usher the …
"On a voyage to New Earth, the starship Rolling Thunder is powered by an energy no one understands except for its eccentric inventor, Jubal Broussard. Like many of the ship's inhabitants, Jubal rests in a state of suspended animation for years at a time, asleep yet never aging. The moments when Jubal emerges from suspended animation are usually a cause for celebration for his family, including his twin daughters--Cassie and Polly--and their uncle who is captain of the Rolling Thunder. But this time, Jubal makes a shocking announcement: The ship must stop, or everyone will die. These words from the mission's founder, the man responsible for the very existence of the Rolling Thunder, will send shock waves throughout the starship--and divide its passengers into those who believe and those who doubt. And it will be up to Cassie and Polly to stop a mutiny, discover the truth, and usher the ship into a new age of exploration"--
I'm not sure quite how much the twin motif added to the story, the two being so similar it was oftentimes difficult to recall who was whom. Still, an exciting extrapolation and as sedate a sendoff as we might want for our intrepid ark-crew.
Rounding off the series so far. I felt this one was a bit, lighter, than the other ones. Mostly because it was a pure Heinlein pastiche with no added weight from other story strands. An enjoyable enough romp, to be sure, and still definitely a 4 star.
