Star Beast

Lummox the star beast is a delightful creature full of charming if distressing whims and caprices and an out-of-this-world intelligence that could teach humans a thing or two. There is a distinct light-heartedness to the near inter-galactic disaster caused by her presence on Earth. Brought back several generations ago from a distant star's planet by an ancestor of young John Thomas Stuart, Lummox has been slowly working her way through childhood in the Stuart's small western hometown- it is about 2500 when the story opens. Lummox cuts up in town one day-in a totally friendly way- but her larger-than-elephant size brings the authorities down on John Thomas' head. Then miles distant in the country's capital, other developments come to bear on her life. The Hroshii, Lummox's people, are hanging off in space ready to "spank" a miscreant Earth for running off with one of their kind, and it remains up to John Thomas, a girl friend, and Lummox's love for them to straighten things out in a heartwarming way. An adventure of some dimensions, this satirizes more than one social foible and provides its refreshing insights into a world where things can be quite, quite different. (Kirkus Reviews)