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{{work}}
{{Infobox book
[[File:TheRollingStones_6745.jpg|frame|]]▼
| title = The Rolling Stones
A well-loved YA novel written by [[Robert A. Heinlein]] and published in 1952, ''The Rolling Stones'' follows the adventures of the Stone family, primarily through the viewpoint of fifteen year old red-headed troublemakers Castor and Pollux. Together they finagle their father, beleaguered script writer Roger Stone, into purchasing a space ship for a family outing through the solar system. [[Hilarity Ensues]].▼
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| author = Robert A. Heinlein
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| publication date = 1952
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▲A well-loved YA novel written by [[Robert A. Heinlein]] and published in 1952, '''''The Rolling Stones''''' follows the adventures of the Stone family, primarily through the viewpoint of fifteen year old red-headed troublemakers Castor and Pollux. Together they finagle their father, beleaguered script writer Roger Stone, into purchasing a space ship for a family outing through the solar system. [[Hilarity Ensues]].
Like most Heinlein novels, it's very much hard science fiction: all of the math checks out.
It takes place in the same universe as ''[[The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress]]'', which is a direct prequel.
Not to be confused with an [[The Rolling Stones|obscure band from Great Britain.]]
{{tropelist}}
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* [[Don't Make Me Take My Belt Off]]: Played with when Roger Stone talks the twins after Hazel and Buster are rescued. He seems to be threatening them with it for their screwup, but then notes that they're too old for it to do any good, and they're going to have to live with the consequences of their actions like adults, instead of just being punished and getting over it.
* [[Expospeak Gag]]: Hazel tries to pull this along with a big helping of [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]] to explain to Captain Vandenberg why they got a flat cat for Buster, trying to satisfy his need to see the intelligent Martian natives. The boy sees right through it.
{{quote|'''Hazel''': The situation has multifarious ramifications not immediately apparent to the unassisted optic. This immature zygote holds it as the ultimate desideratum to consort with the dominate aborigine of the trifurcate variety. Through a judicious use of benign mendacity, [the flat cat] performs as a surrogate in spirit if not in letter.<ref>"It's a trick. The kid wanted to see a native Martian, we got him a Martian pet and hopefully it will distract him."</ref> Do you dig me, boy?
'''Captain Vandenbergh''': I think so. Perhaps it's just as well. They are certainly engaging little pets—though I wouldn't have one in any ship of mine. They—
'''Buster''': -she means that I want to see a Martian with legs. I still do. Do you know one?
'''Hazel''': Coach, I tried, but they were too big for me.}}
* [[Henpecked Husband]]: Roger gets grief not from his wife, but from his ''mother'', who insults him constantly and literally calls him a sissy when he refuses to rise to the bait.
* [[I Take Offense to That Last One]]: Used when Castor plays a trick on Pollux and sends him flying away from the ship, refusing to pull in his line.
{{quote|'''Pol:''' Pull me in, you red-headed moron!
'''Cas:''' Don't call me "red-headed!" }}
* [[Market-Based Title]]: ''Space Family Stone'' in the UK.
* [[The Medic]]: Dr. Edith Stone, M.D. (Roger's wife), is a classic example of this. Easy-going on everything else, she is ''draconian'' on enforcing proper medical procedure and the Hippocratic Oath. At one point she politely but firmly ignores her husband's objections when she volunteers to transfer to a ship {{spoiler|that is suffering from a viral plague that has already killed their ship's surgeon.}}
** When the ''Rolling Stone'' arrives at the asteroid colony, the family's only intent is to sell their cargo, stay long enough to pick up a load of high-grade from the miners, and spend some time taking a rest. That intention lasts exactly five minutes, because the colony has no doctor and has just discovered that the ''Stone'' has a qualified M.D. on board. Edith issues a flat ultimatum -- she ''will'' ensure that every person who asks for her services is given the best medical treatment she can give them. Roger is barely able to negotiate a compromise in which a) Edith's clinic will be set up in the town hall/general store, not the ship and b) she will not be obligated to do house calls save in gravest emergency.
* [[Most Writers Are Writers]]: As is a common theme in Heinlein's work, Hazel and Roger both have careers as fiction writers.
* [[Noodle Incident]]: After Cas and Pol are arrested on Mars for tax evasion, their father notes that at least it wasn't for experimenting with atomics inside city limits.
* [[Redheaded Hero]]: The twins.
* [[Ridiculously Cute Critter]]: Martian flat cats, which
* [[Rocket Ride]]: Rocket-powered rideable craft much like broomsticks are used in asteroid mining.
* [[Setting Update]]: Invoked in universe when Roger Stone accuses his mother of using recycled plots. She cheerfully admits it and states that in the next episode, "I'm going to equip ''Hamlet'' with atomic propulsion."
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{{quote|'''Roger''': For starters, spaceships do ''not'' make 180 degree turns!
'''Hazel''': Mine do. }}
** Also played with in that Hazel is hardly technically ignorant - she's a qualified nuclear engineer and the best astrogator and mathematician on the ship - she just doesn't ''care'' about technical accuracy, because she's writing B-movie grade schlock and knows it.
* [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right]]: Early in their trip to Mars, Buster, the youngest of the Stones, suffers from severe space sickness. Roger makes plans to swing their ship back towards Luna, despite being turned down by traffic control and knowing he'd at minimum be heavily fined, and have his ship master's license revoked.
* [[Shown Their Work]]: In the book ''[[Literature/Expanded Universe|Expanded Universe]]'', Mr Heinlein explain how Mrs Heinlein and he spent many hours calculating the precise orbit of the spaceship when it departs Luna and slingshots around Earth toward Mars. They had to do it with paper and pen, because in the early 1950s there was no other way and he wanted it to be correct.
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* [[Twin Banter]]: Cas and Pol are masters of this.
* [[Twin Switch]]: Pulled by the twins when Pollux attended the same math class in school twice. Castor paid the price later when he had to catch up on his studies.
* [[Yamato Nadeshiko]]: Edith Stone skirts this. Outwardly she's the quiet, solid center of family with seemingly no strong opinions and who seems to have given up on her career as a doctor when she married. On the other hand Cas and Pol note that no family argument is decided until she weighs in, and that she
* [[You Are Grounded]]: Roger Stone confines Cas and Pol to quarters after
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Young Adult Literature]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Literature]]
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