in space with his wife and child, rather than becoming planet-bound. Reception The book received mixed reviews. SFF World felt it was written as though Heinlein himself were alive today, as it includes modern cultural references such as The Simpsons, but also noted some missteps, such as a section which reads, Sci-Fi Dimensions was more enthusiastic, saying, "Variable Star is both a worthy continuation of the Heinlein legacy and a darn fine Spider Robinson novel to boot." Nicholas Whyte of Strange Horizons says, "This is, frankly, not a great book." He criticizes the opening chapters, a sentiment expressed by other reviewers such as SFF World, calling them atrocious, and SF Reviews calling the plot twists contrived and absurd. Connections To Heinlein's works Robinson includes a number of references to other works in Heinlein's Future History, though he does to attempt to fit with that history. To other works The relativists who power the Sheffield's engine appear in an earlier Robinson story, though not under that title. The main character of the story is a relativist, who also invents time travel. Joel meets his first date on board when he is playing music and she accompanies him without him seeing her. This is similar to how Jake meets his wife in Robinson's Callahan stories. The characters Richie and Jules are references to the TV series Trailer Park Boys, which has as its main characters Ricky and Julian. Jules, like Julian, carries a drink at all times, and when the two are apprehended they give their names as "Corey Trevor and Jay Rock", other Trailer Park Boys characters. Finally their legal counsel is "Lahey", yet another Trailer Park Boys character. Conrad of Conrad's major domo, Alex Rennick, is called "Smithers" by Jinny, a reference to Waylon Smithers of The Simpsons. Survivor Gerald Knave is mentioned during the first town hall. Knave is the main character in a series of books by Laurence Janifer. The last Knave novel Janifer wrote has a plotline where Knave is hired to verify the authenticity of a just-found, never published Heinlein novel, "Stone Pillow", that Heinlein listed in his Future History timeline but never wrote. It would have been the novel that introduced the Prophet, Nehemiah Scudder. One of the last lines of the book is a quote from Tennyson's Ulysses: ... my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of all the western