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''Double Star'' is a science fiction novel by [[Robert A. Heinlein]] first published in 1956 as a serial. It's ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' [[In Space]]
Lorenzo Smythe is an out of work actor. Brilliant at his trade, egostistical as hell, but completely unemployed. He receives an interesting job offer: impersonate Bonforte, a politician, to hide his kidnapping from the public. To pull the deception off, Smythe must learn to completely become another person in looks, thoughts and actions, and put aside his own.
Although Smythe is reluctant at first, he soon becomes interested in the political opinions he's now forced to advocate, and starts to make an honest effort to get along with the aliens and the political supporters he always tried to avoid in the past. And when he has to make an appearance at the court of Bonforte's long-time friend,
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* [[Author Filibuster]]: It wouldn't be a Heinlein novel without one. Particularly, Smythe's long internal monologue to himself in mid-book as he tries to understand Bonforte's political philosophy and ethics. Justified in that its his job to impersonate Bonforte, and he's trying to better understand the 'character' he is portraying. Especially since he now has to impersonate Bonforte ''to the Senate'', which means being able to convincingly give the man's political speeches.
* [[Becoming the Mask]]: Smythe originally didn't agree with Bonforte's political views. Originally.
* [[Blue and Orange Morality]]: Martians have a highly complex and rigorous system of politeness. The main problem of the book is that a politician {{spoiler|may be late
* [[Bluff the Impostor]]: The Emperor figures out Smythe is not Bonforte when he agrees to play with his toy trains. Bonforte and the Emperor had a friendly in
* [[Lost in Character]]: Smythe is hired to impersonate a kidnapped politician. He becomes so immersed in being this man that {{spoiler|after the original is killed, he takes over and actually becomes him. By the end of the book, he's happily abandoned his old life. What's more, his secretary has convinced herself that she never loved anyone but Smythe, and Smythe doesn't really mind the fact that she's obviously lying to herself}}.
* [[Method Acting]]: Smythe used this to get into his characters, and even used the psychotic aspect of one character as a crutch when he had to chop up a body.
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* [[Secret Identity Identity]]: When {{spoiler|Bonforte dies}}, Smythe must choose between his own identity, and the greater good.
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: Smythe, especially early on in the novel. He's entirely convinced that he's one of the finest names in theater, and his lack of recognition is mostly a case of rotten luck. At the end of the novel, when he looks back at how he was before the events of the novel took place, he can't believe the bloated sense of self worth he used to have.
** Zig-zagged in that Smythe ''is'' shown throughout the novel to be an unbelievably talented actor, in addition to being a highly talented make-up artist. Prior references are also that he's a skilled stuntman, comedian, juggler, and sleight-of-hand expert.
* [[Snowball Lie]]: The basis of the entire novel.
* [[Spotting the Thread]]: Smythe spends weeks studying Bonforte's files on everyone around him to make the masquerade work. He notices that the file on the emperor is nearly empty, and assumes that they don't have much contact... until he meets the emperor, and gets found out, because the point of the files is to help Bonforte remember things about people ''less'' politically important than he is. He's caught when he dutifully plays with the emperor's toy trains instead of teasing him about them.
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