Customer Reviews (5)

Outward Bound
This is an omnibus edition, containing three of Heinlein's best juveniles, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel;Starship Troopers; and Podkayne of Mars. They are excellent stories and it would have been nice to include the information that this is an omnibus version, since I already have nice hardcover copies of all three. But the condition was as described and it arrived in good time.

Heinlein's Arc of Triumph
This volume collects the last of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile novels in the Science Fiction Omnibus format. I was fortunate to have read Starship Troopers when I was still a teenager, but I hadn't read the other two novels here, Have Space Suit-Will Travel and Podkayne of Mars, until now. This grouping of stories does not reach the heights of Tunnel in the Sky, Time for the Stars, and Citizen of the Galaxy, which were collected in the third Omnibus volume of the series, Infinite Possibilites. Nonetheless these are enjoyable stories, well written in the Heinlein style, with only minor weaknesses. As with Heinlein's other juvenile novels, these are written on several levels, and can be enjoyed by adults as well as young people. Have Space Suit-Will Travel is the most dated novel of the three, with its 1950s references, but Starship Troopers holds up well, and with a little bit of suspension of disbelief, Podkayne of Mars is plausible. If you've seen the movie Starship Troopers, the book is significantly different, but many of the underlying sociological and philosophical themes are the same. The point is that Heinlein gets you thinking, whether you agree with him or not, which is why Starship Troopers won the Hugo award for best science fiction novel in 1960. In many ways Heinlein's vision of a military based society is similar to Plato's Republic-it's intended to make the reader think about what the rights and duties of citizenship are, and to ask the question, What is Justice? (Probably a good college thesis for someone there). These last three "juveniles" are like the beginning of the space age, the era when the X-15 rocket ship penetarted the edge of space, forming a long and lovely arc, but eventually returning to earth. These books fired the imagination of a generation with their freshness and novelty, but ultimately they had to give way to Heinlein's more mature fiction. Whether you are new to Heinlein's novels, or you are reading to bring back memories, this Omnibus is an excellent addition to your library and a great value.

Adventures On Other Planets
Outward Bound (2006) is an SF omnibus edition of the Juvenile series, including Have Space Suit - Will Travel, Starship Troopers, and Podkayne of Mars.Only the first of these novels was part of the original series.The other two were published elsewhere.

Have Space Suit - Will Travel (1958) is the twelfth SF novel in this series.It is set in the near future when the Federation has a base on the Moon and Luna City is growing rapidly.Commercial travel to the Moon has just become available.

In this story, Kip wants to go to the Moon.He asks his father for advice and is told to investigate the possibilities.He figures that the chances are not good, but his best bet is to become an engineer.Then Skyway Soap has a contest with the first prize being an all expenses paid trip to the Moon.

At first, Kip is discouraged since he never wins any type of contest.He has even given up matching pennies.But his father tells him that the best prepared person is most likely to win.So he starts sending in slogans on Skyway soap wrappers.

After mailing 5782 entries, Kip and his parents sit watching their antiquated television set, waiting for the announcement of the final winner.After a short interruption of service, the winning slogan is revealed.Kip has won!

Yet somebody else is declared the winner.Kip learns that he is one of eleven who submitted the same slogan.The grand winner had an earlier postmark than his own entry.Instead of a trip to the Moon, Kip has won an spacesuit that had been used to build the second spacestation.

Despite his disappointment, Kip becomes intrigued by the spacesuit and soon starts putting it into working order.The soap company has offered to buy back the suit for $500, so he will probably send it back to the manufacturer to get college tuition money.Still, he has restored the suit as best he can and wears it one more time before shipping it back.

While out in the back pasture, someone interrupts his radio tests and asks for landing instructions.He answers the call and is soon almost squashed by a flying saucer landing where he had been.Some creature jumps out of the ship and somebody else in a spacesuit follows.Then another flying saucer lands and the creature is shot.

Kip lumbers over and discovers that the creature is a BEM.Later he learns that she is the Mother Thing. Then something hits him between his shoulder blades and he blacks out.

Upon awakening, he meets Peewee and learns about her family.He also hears about her kidnapping on the Moon and finds out a little about the Mother Thing.Then they are temporarily paralyzed and Peewee tries to tell him about HIM, but cannot finish her warning.

He is taken out of the room by two men and taken to the control room.There he is interrogated by Wormface, a very ugly and fearful alien.Wormface has a very intimidating look and Kip finds himself unable to protest or hold back any information.

Starship Troopers (1959) is the thirteenth SF novel in this series.This story takes place in a future time after an unspecified disaster.The previous government was gone, so veterans of the various conflicts that occurred during this time formed their own government.Only veterans need apply for citizenship;the meek and unblooded who had not risked their lives for their fellows were not allowed to vote or serve in public office.

In this story, Carl decides to join the military to earn his citizenship.Naturally, Johnny immediately declares that he has the same intentions.Yet Carl doesn't think that Johnny's father will let him join.

Legally, his father cannot prevent him from joining up.When Johnny brings up the subject, his father disparages the whole idea and then offers a trip to Mars after graduation.Johnny is very happy until he tries to tell Carl that he has other plans.

On the way to the recruiting office, Johnny and Carl meet Carmencita.She tells them that she is applying for pilot training.The boys think that she would be a great pilot with all her talents and skills.

Then Johnny joins the military, but all his choices for branch assignment are eliminated by his test scores and interviews.He is assigned to the Mobile Infantry, the default branch.Although he is disappointed, he unhesitatingly defends the branch after his temporary roommate belittles it.

Podkayne of Mars (1963) is the fourteenth SF novels in this series.It is set in a future after the Moon, Mars and Venus have been settled.Mars was an autonomous planet, but Venus was still run by the Company.The outer moons were settled, but had little political influence.

Earth had eight billion humans living on it.It was the economic and political powerhouse of the Solar System, but its huge gravity well made trade less profitable with the other planets.Even Luna had less trade with Earth than with other interplanetary ports of call.

In this story, the Fries family has plans to travel to Earth.But then the Marsopolis Creche makes a mistake and suddenly the Fries family has three more children, who are only a month old.Their plans have to be postponed in this family emergency.

Poddy takes her problem to Uncle Tom and he arranges a conference with the director of the creche.The creche agrees to fund a trip to Earth for Poddy, Clark and Uncle Tom.Best of all, the Tricorn is going to Earth via Venus, so Poddy gets a tour of the Triple Planets.

During outprocessing on Deimos, Clark makes a smart remark about two kilos of happy dust just as the inspector is opening Poddy's bag.Clark gets a full body search while Poddy and Uncle Tom are finishing their outprocessing and boarding the ship.For some reasons, Poddy's total mass is three kilos over the limit, but the ship is enough under mass that the clerk clears them to board.

On the Tricorn, Poddy meets some interesting people, including Girdie and Mrs. Grew.Before Poddy came onboard, Girdie had been the center of male attraction, but she befriends Poddy and even gives her some advice that her mother never mentioned.Mrs. Grew seem to be a very jolly person and Poddy enjoys her company.

On Venus, Uncle Tom is courted by the Chairman of the Venus Company, which essentially owns the planet.He invites the Fries party to stay at his official residence -- the "cottage" -- but Uncle Tom chooses to take rooms at the rather smaller Tannhauser hotel.Then Poddy is detained within the hotel while she finishes the course of treatments required to wander outside.

Have Space Suit - Will Travel is the last story in the original Juvenile series published by Charles Scribner's Sons. Although the series was highly popular during the late forty's and the fifty's, Heinlein had problems with Scribner's editors.When they rejected Starship Troopers, the author took it to Putnam for publication.Later he submitted Podkayne of Mars to Putnam.

These novels are classics of science fiction.Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of space adventures, alien cultures and aspiring young folk.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Excellent stories, but ...
"Outward Bound" contains three excellent stories by Robert Heinlein.Vanya has written a very good review.

I am only adding my two cents worth because I have doubts about putting three Heinlein novels into one book.My own choice would be to savor these stories, one by one.

read or re-read: the best of an era
"Outward Bound" is a new title by Robert A. Heinlein, composed of three of his novels from 1958, 1959 and 1963, a period when his Juveniles were maturing and merging with his adult stories. Heinlein wrote 13 Juvenile Novels between 1947 and 1963, plus "Starship Troopers", which is listed as one of his adult novels, probably because it is the only one in the set in which the young protagonist becomes a man while fighting a war.

As I write this I am simultaneously rereading "The Rolling Stones", "Citizen of the Galaxy", and "Have Space Suit---Will Travel".

"The Rolling Stones" is about a family surnamed "Stone" who decide to leave their settled life on Luna and travel to Mars and the asteroids in their own spaceship. This is possibly the most humorous and sheer pleasure reading of all his novels.

"Citizen of the Galaxy" is arguably his best Juvenile. It is certainly the most inspiring. A young boy rises from slavery to a very influential and responsible position in a society of the far future.

"Have Space Suit---Will Travel" starts on an almost trivial note and expands by leaps and bounds. The author has a knack for suspending the reader's disbelief by knocking it unconscious.

Heinlein's Juvenile Novels and one on the borderline with his adult fiction have been republished in four volumes of three or four stories. Any of these volumes should make an excellent introduction to Science Fiction for young readers, and all of them make a convenient selection for older SF Fans to immerse themselves in some of the best and most readable stories of the period. If you are not yet a Heinlein Fan try one of these volumes. You are very likely to become a Fan and you might also become an addict. If you are already a Heinlein Fan but have not read some of these stories recently, now is the time.

Juvenile Novel collections by Robert A. Heinlein:
"Four Frontiers"
---"Rocket Ship Galileo" (1947)
---"Space Cadet" (1948)
---"Red Planet" (1949)
---"Farmer in the Sky" (1950)
"To the Stars"
---"Between Planets" (1951)
---"The Rolling Stones" (1952)
---"Starman Jones" (1953)
---"The Star Beast" (1954)
"Infinite Possibilities"
---"Tunnel in the Sky" (1955)
---"Time for the Stars" (1956)
---"Citizen of the Galaxy" (1957)
"Outward Bound"
---"Have Spacesuit---Will Travel" (1958)
---"Starship Troopers" (1959---not quite a Juvenile)
---"Podkayne of Mars" (1963)
++++++++++++++++
... Read more

Product Description
Here in one monumental volume are all 21 of the stories, novella, and novels which make up Heinlein's famous Future History-the rich, imaginative architecture of Man's probable destiny. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Literary genius
What an incredible series of short stories from a brilliant sci-fi author. I loved every one, but my favorites included: "Life-Line", "The Roads Must Roll", "The Long Watch", "Gentlemen, Be Seated", "Requiem", "It's Great to be Back",
"Searchlight", "Logic of Empire", and "The Menace from Earth".

FIRST "FUTURE HISTORY" COLLECTION
Robert Heinlein is not as popular as he once was; certainly, most of his "future history" story collections are not readily available.But if you're curious to see what all the buzz was about Mr. Heinlein, and more particularly what a great influence he had on the science fiction field, you should seek out this massive collection of all of these stories, THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW.

This book is mainly important as a "primary sourcer", to see how Heinlein developed his later non-nonsense, brusque (and very often, later, highly-opinionated) writing style - as evidenced in such stories as
the delightfully timely - and cynical - "The Man Who Sold the Moon" and the stirring "The Green Hills of Earth."All of his "Future History" stories are included, including the novel METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN.

This book is a must for any "serious" sci fi collector.

Essential Heinlein
"The Past through Tomorrow" is a collection of short stories, novellas and shot novels written by Robert A. Heinlein.They all have a common context, Heinlein's Future History as conceived by the author during the 1930s and 40s.It was during this period, the author created a timeline of mankind's progress into space.

To the best of this reviewer's knowledge, this was the first attempt of anything like this on this scale.Several of these tales are considered to be classics of their genre.

We start with "Lifeline" the first published short story written by Heinlein.Hugo Pineiro has created a machine that can tell you exactly when you are going to die.Of course the insurance industry and various other interests are not amused.

Another is the classic "The Man Who Sold the Moon".Delos David Harriman was a reluctant businessman.He couldn't go to the University of Chicago to study astronomy because he had to support his family.He started in real estate then prefabricated housing on to ballistic hypersonic transport.Now he thinks the time is ripe to make possible his true ambition - a trip to the moon.Harriman has only ever wanted to go to the moon but he winds up created an interplanetary business empire and a victim of his own success.

There is "the Green Hills of Earth" where we are introduced to "Noisy" Rhysling, the blind singer of the space lanes.Blinded in an engineering room accident, he is forced to change professions and becomes a traveling musician ultimately writing the songs that defined this era in human expansion.

In "Logic of Empire" two wealthy drunken dilettantes sell themselves into indentured servitude on Venus.In "The Roads Must Road" (voted one of the greatest science fiction stories of all time) a civil servant must head off a labor strike that will cripple the U.S. economy."The Menace from Earth" deals with young romance while indulging in a distinctly lunar past time, flying with strap-on wings.

There other stories in this volume but the reviewer will mention just one more, "Methuselah's Children".This is where we are first introduced to the Howard Families, a secret group bred for longevity.They approximately 2.5 times as long as their more ephemeral brethren.This is where RAH first introduces Woodrow Wilson Smith better known as Lazarus Long, the oldest man alive.The Howards make the mistake of revealing their existence to the world at large.Humanity drops its veneer of civilization and arrests the members of the Howards in order to torture their secret of longevity out of them.

Theproblem is there is no `secret'.

If you enjoy science fiction and/or Robert Heinlein, this collection is required reading.It doesn't get any better than this in any genre.

A Master Shining Bright!
Though I greatly enjoy Heinlen's writing, I didn't think I'd read very many of his short stories. Surprisingly, I had read "Life-Line", which is the first story in this book. But I didn't mind re-reading it one bit! One thing I had not realized before was that it was the first short story Heinlen had ever submitted for publication. I think the book is worth getting for it alone.

Now, not only is this book just an incredible collection of plain good 'ole fashioned story-telling at it's best, but the stories actually proceed in chronological order in the same timeline, which creates an incredible fluidity between stories. You find yourself trying to figure out how far in the future from the last story you read you are in the one you've just started.

I think of the stories in the book, "Life-Line", "The Green Hills of Earth", and "Methuselah's Children" are my favorites, though I think I enjoyed every one of them.And you have characters that flow from one story to the next, so every now and then you get to spend more time with a character that you found you enjoyed.

Do I recommend this book?!Absolutely!And despite it's thickness, it's actually great for people who aren't much into big books - because it's a collection of short stories. You can sit down and read for a half an hour or an hour and then put it down without regret.Awesome book!

Classic Heinlein Stories
The Past Through Tomorrow (1967) is an omnibus collection of the relatively short SF stories in the Future History series.These stories were originally published between 1939 and 1962.Many were first published in Astounding Science Fiction, but others first saw print in a variety of other venues.This edition includes an introduction by Damon Knight.

Life-Line (1939) tells of the man who could predict the time of death of an individual;this was Heinlein's first sale.The Roads Must Roll (1940) is about an illegal work stoppage on the mechanical roads.Blowups Happen (1940) depicts the tensions among the workers in an atomic breeder plant.The Man Who Sold the Moon (1949) relates the story of D. D Harriman and his efforts to establish a base on the Moon.Delilah and the Space-Rigger (1949) recounts the tale of the men who constructed Space Station One and the woman who came among them.

Space Jockey (1947) describes the perils of piloting a passenger ship in space.Requiem (1939) reveals the story of how D.D. Harriman finally got to the Moon.The Long Watch (1948) is a tale of duty, honor and death.Gentlemen, Be Seated (1948) tells of three men in a tunnel on the Moon that starts leaking air.The Black Pits of Luna (1947) concerns a lost child on the Moon.

"It's Great to be Back!" (1946) is a tale of homecoming for two Luna City residents."--We Also Walk Dogs" (1941) discloses how General Services performed an unusual task for the government.Searchlight (1962) concerns another lost child on the Moon.Ordeal in Space (1947) is about a man who is afraid of falling.The Green Hills of Earth (1947) depicts the last voyage of Rhysling, the blind poet of the spaceways.

Logic of Empire (1941) exposes the reasons for slave labor in the colonies.The Menace from Earth (1947) relates the story of Holly Jones of Luna City and the beautiful tourist."If This Goes On--" (1940) describes one man's role in the Second American Revolution against Nehemiah Scudder, the Prophet Incarnate.Coventry (1940) tells the story of a rebellious young man who defies the Covenant.Misfit (1939) portrays a young man with an unusual talent.

Methuselah's Children (1941) concerns the troubles of a group with greatly extended lifespans.This tale introduces Lazarus Long, one of Heinlein's most popular characters.This version of the story is much longer that the original and has been further extended into a series of novels.

The book also includes a chart of Heinlein's Future History upon pages 622 and 623.The chart includes the stories Universe and Common Sense, which are not contained in this omnibus.However, this chart also omits several full-length novels in this series.

Although Heinlein wrote many other stories and novels, the stories in this omnibus are probably the reason for his initial popularity within the science fiction community.Stranger in a Strange Land led to his fame within the general population, but was not treated as a cult book by SF fans.We understood a lot more about this novel than did the general public and accepted it as just another of his major works.

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and for anyone else who enjoys classic tales of high technology, highly competent people and human values.

-Arthur W. Jordin ... Read more

Product Description
Two of the Grand Master's finest:

The saga of the opening of the space frontier as courageous men and women risked their lives to build the first space station and colonize the Moon and Venus, while praying for one last landing on the globe that gave them birth, to return to The Green Hills of Earth.

      From a mysterious region on Earth, where a more advanced lifeform may be studying the interesting creatures called "humans", to the first moon colony, where a young girl's relationship with her boyfriend is endangered by the beautiful Menace from Earth.

      Classic Heinlein, in a new Omni-trade format package. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

He is the father of modern Sci-Fi.
All I can say to be helpful is this, If you are interested in Sci-Fi then Heinlein is the master of the form and the one to read, enjoy.

Tales of the Future
The Green Hills of Earth & The Menace from Earth (2009) is an omnibus edition of two short story collections by Heinlein.It contains eighteen short stories, an introduction and an afterword.

Futures, Histories (2010) by William H. Patterson is an introduction to the concept of future history as created by Heinlein.It includes the Heinlein Timeline chart (first published in 1941).

The Green Hills of Earth (1951) is the second SF collection in the Future History series.It contains ten short stories published in magazines between 1941 and 1949.

- Delilah and the Space-Rigger (Blue Book, 1949) tells about the building of Space Station One.

- Space Jockey (SEPost, 1947) describes a routine flight from Earth orbit to Luna, until a passenger visits the control room.

- The Long Watch (American Legion, 1949) recounts the deeds of Lieutenant John Ezra Dahlquist, junior bomb officer of Moon Base.

- Gentleman, Be Seated (Argosy, 1948) reveals the hazards of moonquakes.

- The Black Pits of Luna (SEPost, 1948) explains the rescue of a tourist on the moon.

- It's Great to Be Back (SEPost, 1947) exposes the irritations and hazards of Earth.

- "--We Also Walk Dogs" (Astounding, 1941) divulges the methods of General Services.

- Ordeal in Space (Town & Country, 1948) depicts a man who spends too much time outside a spaceship.

- The Green Hills of Earth (SEPost, 1947) discloses the origins of the final song composed by Rhysling, Blind Singer of the Spaceways.

- Logic of Empire (Astounding, 1941) examines the work contract system on Venus.

The Menace From Earth (1959) is a collection of short stories unrelated to the Future History series.It contains eight tales published in various magazines between 1941 and 1957.

- The Year of the Jackpot (Galaxy, 1952) concerns cyclic patterns in human beings and stars.

- By His Bootstraps (Astounding, 1941) is the classic time travel story nonpareil.

- Columbus Was a Dope (Starling Stories, 1947) shows the attitudes of those who go to the stars and those who disparage the whole idea, with a zinger for an ending.

- The Menace From Earth (F&SF, 1957) depicts a young couple on the Moon and a tourist who drops in for a visit.

- Sky Light (Imagination, 1963) tells of the costs of spaceflight and human perseverance.

- Goldfish Bowl (Astounding, 1942) is about the reactions of a Naval Captain upon encountering an advanced race.

- Project Nightmare (Amazing, 1953) portrays the difficulties of defending the country using paranormal talents.

- Water Is for Washing (Argosy, 1947) accounts the trials of a hydrophobe when the sea reclaims the Imperial Valley.

Afterword (2010) by Robert Buettner is about the author's character and techniques.

These stories are about people in unusual situations and places.Most show human responses to trying conditions.They demonstrate the differences between Golden Age Science Fiction and its predecessors.And they are also quite entertaining.

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and for anyone else who enjoys classical tales from the Golden Age.

-Arthur W. Jordin ... Read more

Product Description
First MMPB edition issued under the Signet imprint by New American Library. 128 pp. "A jobless actor in 2100 cadges a drink from a space pilot and finds himself shanghaied to Mars for the most important and dangerous performance of his whole career". [back cover] ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

The Role of a Lifetime
World famous actor (at least according to his press releases) Lorenzo Smythe is currently 'resting between roles' i.e. out of work and suffering some 'temporary cash flow problems' i.e. he's flat broke.He is sitting in a bar contemplating this sorry state of affairs when he strikes up an acquaintance with a stranger, a recently landed spaceman.Within a few hours Smythe finds himself a) employed b) nearly killed c) an accomplice to murder and d) leaving the planet.Smythe's new role will be a bit of a challenge for him, he has been hired to impersonate a famous politician who has gone missing.Smythe is sure that the role is well within his capabilities, it is just that the job well take place on Mars, and the needed performance is before an exclusively Martian audience, a race that Smythe finds particularly distasteful.Still the show must go on and Smythe is nothing if not a trouper.

This is one of the novels that Heinlein wrote during the 1950's that was aimed primarily toward the young adult audience.As such the more outspoken sexual situations that appear in his later works (STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, TO SAIL BEYOND THE SUNSET etc) do not appear here.The story is on the surface that of an adventure, will Smythe get away with his impersonation or not, but, as with all of Heinlein's work there is a deeper layer.Smythe undergoes a great change in the course of the story as Heinlein once again addresses his familiar themes of the complexities of government and an individual's duty to his society.

Fans of Heinlein will not want to miss this charming adventure which is a great read in itself as well as foreshadowing themes that will return in CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY and THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS.Those new to Heinlein's work could happily begin with this one even though it is not RAH at his peak.It is unusual for Heinlein's work in that the reader will probably wish the story was longer rather than wonder why editor had not trimmed it.

A Fun Romp -- but, average for Heinlein
Winner of the 1956 Hugo Award for Best Novel, Double Star is a passable, light-hearted, political adventure story albeit with a pretty interesting main character -- Lawrence Smith ("The Great Lorenzo").

The Plot (some Spoilers!)

The actor Lawrence Smith is drinking his last money away in bar when a spaceman enters and attempts to hire him for a suspicious job.Smith initially refuses but is cajoled into assisting -- eventually they viciously kill some Martians who try to stop them (an aspect of the story which is never fully explained since all the other Martians are really nice).

Slowly the extent of the job is revealed to Smith -- impersonate the prominent expansionist politician John Joseph Bonforte whose been kidnapped by his political enemies!Smith doesn't agree with Bonforte's politics and hates Martians -- Bonforte on the other hand is palls with the strange fission creatures and their stinky smells and half-brained children.This doesn't jive with the job he must perform as Bonforte -- a speech to the Martians so he can join their hive and eventually make them full citizens of the Earth Empire!Some hypnosis so Martians smell suddenly like perfume and before long Smith's internalized all the mannerism and traits of Bonforte.The plot thickens and Smith slowly is forced to win Bonforte's elections since the real politician's been temporarily mind-wiped...A visit to the Earth Emperor (A Constitutional Monarch) and his toy trains on the Moon spells potential disaster!Will he be caught?Will the real Bonforte recover?

My Thoughts

Since Heinlein has "The Great Lorenzo" tell his tale in first-person, the transformation from an irrationally racist egotistical actor into Bonforte himself is well done and we get some fascinating insights into his mind.However, since the novel abruptly stops when Smith has to actually become Bonforte at all times the 'who actually am I' is never explored in much detail.However, this is a fun adventure with unbelievably silly aliens, dumb emperors with no power playing with trains....

I think Heinlein realized that describing Martians is a futile endeavor -- hence they are but a back story here and even more of a back story in Stranger in a Strange Land.Also, what starts out as an adventure story quickly turns into a turgid political 'let's win the election story.'If only Heinlein buckled down and decided to be serious -- the Smith/Bonforte character deserves a better backdrop (especially since all the the other characters in the novel are interchangeable and dull).I remain unimpressed.If you like Heinlein, pick it up -- it in no way belongs in the ranks of Heinlein's best despite its awards...

Quintuple star
If there was a definition for a page turner, it should include the words Double Star. Start this book. Your fingers will start turning the pages faster and faster (regardless of slide rulers and native Martians) until without even realizing it you will reach Double Star's moving finale.
But until then:

You will have enjoyed one of the best first person narratives ever in science fiction.

You will have read a fantastic case of somebody's personal singularity, witnessing his personal Gethsemane Gardens, but also his apotheosis.

You will have extremely liked the excellent cast of supporting characters, the petty politicians, the sarcastic nobles, the unexpected villains and the hive extraterrestrials.

Easily among Heinlein's best. Quintuple star for double star.

Enjoyable old-school Heinlein
For a book that was written over 50 years ago, it's a fine read. It's cool to read sci fi from back then since it wasn't as accepted a genre as it is now. I rather like Lorenzo's character and his thoughts. There's a bit of acting advice here that real-life actors could actually use. Some people might decry the implausibility of the plot, but we need to remember the time and content that this story was written in. While I LOVE the Lazarus Long books, I have found Heinlein's older works to be a treat as well. If you're a Heinlein fan, read this. If not, you might still enjoy it. Just keep in mind that this was written in the 50's, so much of our technology (current) outpaces what is in the book. It's interesting to see Lorenzo do his best to be a double, and starting to enjoy it and care about the role rather than just seeing it as a job.

Good, But Not Great
I like the book, I did. However, I can't see how it deserved to win the Hugo Award in 1956. I've begun to read all of the nominees and winners of the Hugo and Nebula awards since their inception.While this book is the best I have read so far, I remain continually amazed at the quality and content of the books from that era (1948-1956).It clearly was a different time and mindset.

I did enjoy this book, I can not deny that. While it did not enrapt me, I was very curious to turn the page. But, when all was said and done, this book did not move me in any meaningful way, nor leave me with any new thoughts.I wouldn't quite call the book forgettable.In fact, as I was reading it I had some deja vu, and wondered if I had not read this once sometime in my past. But, it's not a story that makes me want to come back and read it again in the future. Your mileage may vary.:-) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not outdated by far
This work, far from whatmany of the reviewers have claimed, is far from outdated.

The people (as well as the footnotes by Jerry Pournelle), who insist it isn't applicable in today's political world have overlooked a key point.

This ISN'T a book on how to win a mainstream election as the selected candidate of one of the two major parties.As Heinlein describes "Machines", it is patently obvious to the person who steps back and looks anew, that the mainstream of BOTH major political parties qualify as "machines".

This book describes what would be classified by political operatives as a "grassroots" campaign, even though it tries to distinguish it from what "grassroots" meant in 1946.

The techniques are valid, if in need for technological updates.Yes, internet, cell phones, scanners, word processors, etc -- ALL have affects that were not fully considered in 1946.Consider, however, the simple word processor:Even the cheapest and most basic is capable of replacing two very expensive tools Heinlein feels are critical -- by allowing "Mail merge" to create "personalized" correspondance without requiring a specialized machine that in 1946 wasn't even available in most small towns and allowing one who is not an expert typist to create them.Likewise desktop creation of much of the hand out literature than in 1946 would have been essentially hired out to professionals. Can you get copies of teh voter's rolls, perhaps even who has voted in which primaries, electronically?Run it through a quick sort in any spreadsheet program, and dump the results to a list of teh very people Heinlein advocated concentrating your efforts on.Instead of spending weeks and moths to do so, one amateur could have it done within MINUTES of receiving the data file.The technological advances have made it EASIER to apply these techniques.

But the basic philosophies of integrity (even when you've made a mistake in promising something), determination to adhere to the principles of basic democratic procedures, and most improtantly -- GETTING THE VOTE OUT are just as valid today as ever.

One of his most important points -- personal contact with as many likely voters (i.e., "ringing doorbells") matters.One of the biggest blocks (especially in local elections and primaries) of untapped votes is quite simply people who aren't going to the polls to vote on YOUR issue, but rather are going to vote for another issue or office.If these voters step into the booth still undecided about the race you are interested in, there's a very good chance they'll simply vote for the guy they can put a pleasant face to from personal contact -- even if that face belongs to an 18 year old volunteer doorbell ringer.If you've had your people out there ringing doorbells, while the other guy is relying on flashy signs and email spam, guess who that pleasant face is associated with?That's right. . . YOUR candidate or issue.

As for his observations on females and the political process.Unpalatable as it is, his observations were accurate for the time -- and to a certain extent, remain so today.His observation that women will often vote as their husbands plan to is still somewhat accurate among non-political junkies.And when married women vote differently than their husbands, they tend to vote based on feelings of security (this is what Heinlein means when saying the tend to vote more conservatively -- remember this was in 1946, before Limbaugh, before Mondale, before Reagan, before even Goldwater).

Is this a book on how to run a presidential campaign?Nope -- and it doesn't pretend to be.Can these techniques be used to affect the outcome of a presidential election?YES -- by bringing your influence to bear on the process, by influencing the party of your choice at the regional or state level.

A sound guide of "How to" influence government
"Take Back Your Government" is a sound guide of 'How To ..." influence government. If you are fed up and refuse to take any more garbage from any politician or from your government or if you want to run for offrice, this book will help you get started.

The truely odd thing is that I have yet to come across another book on the subject!Amazing!There must be something else out there...

Fair warning: the book is dated.There is no mention of using computers or the internet or any of the many technological possibilities that have been developed over the last fifty years.Still, this is a very good investment for anyone interested in influencing politics.

Excellent, not as outdated as they'd have you believe
This is an excellent book. Don't believe the people who say it's outdated.

First, most elections are local. County commissioners, mayors, state legislators, some sheriffs, and many more. The techniques outlined in this book *will* get you elected. If you're running for state-wide or national office, of course, these techniques are less applicable, but Heinlein points this out himself. This book works out-of-the-box, no adaptations required.

Second, the way most political races are funded, campaign consultants have a definite financial interest in funneling their candidate's budget into less productive, scatter-shot techniques, relying heavily on mass media. Heinlein's reliance on person-to-person selling and volunteer work is the antithesis of this approach. So the consultants always recommend the media-heavy approach and Heinlein's techniques are labeled "naive" or outmoded.

Shortly after first reading this book, I decided to follow its instructions about how to get involved. Thing happened pretty much *exactly* as described. Since then, another political professional far more successful than I was told me that he, too, had gotten his start from reading this book.

A few points in the book *are* very dated. For example, his comments on women were probably accurate when he wrote them, but that was when women had tightly restricted roles in our culture. Political clubs and salons no longer exist as they did in his day. Those anachronisms are easy to spot and don't detract from his core message.

I'm a big fan of Jerry Pournelle, but his liner notes subtract value. As other reviews point out, they're rushed, sloppy, and show little appreciation of the craft of politics, despite a PhD in political science. Most of his footnotes promote the Ross Perot candidacy, argue that Heinlein's approach is no longer applicable, and stop midway through the book. A gifted man like Pournelle can only be forgiven for botching this because he got the book reprinted in the first place.

If you're trying to be elected to a local office, even if you could care less about science fiction, this is the book for you.

A parody of politics, even for those times...
Heinlein actually ran for state office back in the forties.He was also involved with Upton Sinclair's run for governer. Later he was heavily involved with the Barry Goldwater campaign. All these campaigns failed, so it is no surprise that the advice offered in this book is trite and trivial, even for those times.Today it serves only as an historical relic, primarily for die-hard Heinlein fans. An example?Assemble a campaign committee which includes a person with an obviously Catholic name, a Protestent name, a Jewish name, etc.The Jew should be the treasurer.The Protestent should be the chairman.For those that catch on slowly, he even supplies sample names and titles.He writes this thing as a how-to book for a campaign manager.He paints the campaign manager as the real driver of the campaign even having him decide who to select as candidate.This really had me scratching my head.One would expect that even in those days the candidate selected the campaign manager.He also has the candidate taking orders from the manager as if the candidate is merely a stuffed shirt.
Another thing I thought was rather silly;early in the book, he says that he will not disclose his political leanings, as if to say he is writing the book without bias.What purpose does this serve?I mean we all know that he has a political preference.Why the mystery?I have read all of Heinlein's published material and consider him the greatest writer of science fiction for adolescent boys.Everything else he has written has suffered by comparison. If you see this in a bargain bin, go for it.Give the out of print 50 dollars a copy version a definite miss.

'How-To' for the Average Joe
Many have noted Heinlein's strong political statements that suffuse many of his books, from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to Starship Troopers. Few, however, seem to note the knowledge of the political process that he displays in many of these works, or worse, think his portrayal of such processes is incorrect or not founded in reality. Here in this book of practical advice we can see from what point Heinlein got this knowledge, without much in the way of Heinlein's own political philosophy, though with some very strong opinions about various `types' of people who help shape the political process.

Heinlein was, at one point, associated with Sinclair Lewis and his EPIC (End Poverty in California) program, and ran for the California legislature in 1938 on the Democratic (!) ticket. He didn't win, but his experience from that time is the base material from which this book is derived. Written in 1946, just after the close of WWII, this book was part of several items he wrote at that time both as a method for breaking out of the `pulp' markets and because he felt that he could offer advice and warnings to America that were (in his mind) desperately needed. Most of the material from this period did not find a publishing market, and this work wasn't published until 1992, not because they were poorly written, but because there was little interest in such material then.

Heinlein looks at (American) politics from the most basic level, that of the individual voter. Grabbing this voter's attention and vote is the prime focus of this work. Chapters are spent on how to do door-to-door canvassing, setting up local meetings, organizing the associated office work, recruiting workers, funding, and most especially the reasons why you, as an individual, should not only get involved in this process, but what impact a single person can make. Some may object that this model of how to run an election campaign has been outmoded by today's technological communication methods, PACs, and national organizations directing even the smallest local elections, but a close look at the actions Heinlein is advocating will show that almost all of them are still applicable today, or would need only small modification to take advantage of today's technology.Viewed this way, the advice this book offers can be invaluable.

For the reader who has no intention of becoming politically active in the fashion of this book, though, this book still has something that makes it a worthwhile read: Heinlein's comments about various types of people (from senior citizens to the `reform' politician), the value of participation in the process in terms of maintaining a healthy government, the relative merits of different types of governments, `reactionary' groups (such as the American Communist Party), and the role women should play. This last item is definitely colored by the cultural attitude of the time this was written, that women are mainly only good as homemakers (though he does present at least one case of a woman working successfully at a high level in a political campaign).

The forward and various notes to this book by Jerry Pournelle need to taken with a grain of salt, as Jerry was definitely promoting his own agenda with these, but they do provide a more modern perspective from which to view this.

The language of this book is typical Heinlein, somewhat folksy, American colloquial, certainly a long way from all too many other books that deal with this area that have a somewhat strained academic approach and language. Overall, this is an easy read that will probably bring forth a few grins, perhaps a few violent disagreements with some of the expressed opinions, and a greater knowledge of just how the political process works.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat) ... Read more

Product Description
Don Harvey was attending school on Earth when his parents suddenly and urgently called him home to Mars. He had been skeptical about the talk of interplanetary war breaking out if Mars and Venus followed through on their threats to declare independence from Earth, but he was wrong. War broke out, and he was stuck on Venus, with no way of getting home.

            Then there was the ring that an old family friend had given him just before he had left Earth. Shortly afterward, the friend had been questioned by Earth’s secret police and had died—from “heart failure,” they claimed. When Earth troops landed on Venus and started looking for Don and that mysterious ring, he realized that he was trapped in the center of a war between worlds that could change the fate of the Solar System forever!

... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Enjoyable tale
I've read some of Heinlein's other short stories - Puppet Masters, Double Star, etc - and enjoyed them, but I can;t say that I enjoyed this one as much. It's not a bad story, mind you, but for me, it just didn't make me feel or think as his other stories. It's about a teenage boy who's of mixed descent (Earth and Venus) and doesn't really explore much into the past or explore weighty matters. It was more of a 'light' reading, not as deep or thought-provoking as most other his other work. If you're a Heinlein fan, it won;'t hurt to check this story out, but if you're new, I recommend 'The Past through Tomorrow', 'The Moon is a Harsh mistress', or 'Stranger in a Strange Land'.

Between Planets
But few outside of Robert Heinlein's devotees know that many of his works were aimed at, and market to, children before they became popular among adults too. //Between Planets// is one such novel .At one time serialized in altered format in the magazine //Boy's Life//, the tale is bursting with crisp prose, action-adventure, and a dash of romance. The storyline explores what would happen should a young man be caught in the middle of a war not of his making and on which he has no opinion. Would that boy declare for one side or the other? Would he wither away into nothing? Or would he become that rare kind of man, a hero?

The plotting is a bit simplistic in its progress, and the romantic element is underdeveloped, but the story is nonetheless engrossing. Fans of classic science fiction, middle school students, or readers that prefer optimistic endings will enjoy //Between Planets//.

Reviewed by John Ottinger

A good read.
I enjoyed reading this story. It is one of Heinlein's juveniles so it's a fairly standard 'coming of age' story. It's not as good as 'Citizen of the Galaxy,' but I found it a good read. I particularly enjoyed the contrast between RH's successful technological predictions (space stations, sat phones) and his unsuccessful predictions (his characters are still using slide rules!). When he wrote, integrated circuits and the computer revolution of the 1980s were still decades in the future. Who knows if a faster-than-light space ship is possible? We'll just have to wait and see.

RH understood economics and history even better than technology. His portrait of the struggles between colonies and an Imperialistic (if ironically claimed to be democratic) power rings as true today as it did in the 18th century.

Modern readers will feel comfortable with Heinlein's non-white characters. RH was ahead of the times with his sympathetic and realistic treatment of Chinese and Native people.

Heinlein still entertains
Robert A. Heinlein continues to entertain readers, young and old alike.This work of futuristic fiction is as pleasing to read today as it was when published over 50 years ago.Though much of society's technology and scientific understanding has advanced, his story is a good read filled with drama and entertainment.

This story is about a boy who suddenly finds himself without a home; a child of two worlds caught between them both in an interplanetary struggle for independance.His only goal is to reach his "home," to return to his parents' side.On his journey he finds good friends (earthman and alien alike), excitement and adventure, but, most of all, himself.

This book was a quick read, and though it contains glaringly outdated scientific ideas about space travel and aliens, it is extremely entertaining.The pieces that capture the reader are the believability and consistancy of the characters, and the clear and easy to follow plot.There are no startling sub-sub-sub-plots, no masked agendas, and no inconsistent storylines.

Overall, this is one of the outstanding classics that should be enjoyed by sci-fi fans of all ages!

The First Book I Ever Read
This book was sitting on a library shelf when I, having been sentenced to work in the junior-high library, made the life-changing decision to read a book for pleasure. It was a good decision.

This is an interplanetary adventure set in a solar system different enough from our own that the book cannot be considered "hard" SF anymore. That is too bad. It would be nice sharing our sun with the Venerian "Dragons," a learned people but not without a sense of humor. The Martians are cool also and the non-sentient "Move-Overs" are very appealing.

The main character comes of age in a war-torn solar system but we don't see much of the fighting. There are a number of memorable human characters as well. The cause the young man winds up serving is liberty and there is a lot of talk going around today that it is over-rated. Heinlein and I would both disagree.

The book ends with the advent of vast and sudden technological change. The author never takes up the story again, so that technological change is never explored. Some people were unhappy with the ending but I don't think Heinlein needed to tell us what would happen next if we have enough imagination to enjoy the book in the first place. ... Read more

Product Description
2001 Hugo Nominee!

This complete guide to the works of science fiction grand masterRobert A. Heinlein is sure to delight fans and scholars. Readers willfind complete details on every known work of Heinlein's, including therare and obscure items along with his well-known short stories andnovels such as "The Green Hills of Earth" and Stranger in a StrangeLand.

A complete set of cross-references and dual indexes help readerslocate specific works and information among the more than 200entries. Subsections cover Heinlein's major works as well as film andtelevision works, book reviews and forewords, and more. There's eveninformation about the known never-completed works.

Based on more than six years of research using Heinlein's own workingpapers and manuscripts, this is the authoritative yet readablereference fans, readers and scholars have been waiting for. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A must-have for the Heinlein collector
Gifford is one of the top experts on Heinlein's works, and his "A Reader's Companion" is an exhaustively researched and well-thought-out compendium of nearly all of Heinlein's work.

I say "nearly" only because the book misses a few Heinlein collections and such that have been published in the few years since Gifford's 2000 printing. [...]

I've been collecting Heinlein works for years, even very obscure ones, and I still learned of new things from Gifford's book.

Very good read, just not an analysis of his work.
I read the book in it's entirety the day I received it.At $24 I thought I'd be getting a comprehensive & possible critical review of each short story or novel RAH ever wrote.Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book.It's a fun read and there is a lot of information there.Just no critical review or analysis of the stories.I started reading RAH back around 1960 (early teen years) and immediately fell in love with them.He introduced me to Science Fiction and I went on to read and enjoy many other great writers.I've lost count as to how many times I have read each of his works. There is no question that RAH is the Bard of the genre. I had hoped that in this book there would have been information and a point of view that I hadn't already read or known about for all these years.

However, if you are a new reader or just have read a few of his works this book can help you find some of his "stronger" works to read.But, I strongly recommend that you find (it's out of print and somewhat difficult to find) an early work entitled "The Past Through Tomorrow" which contains most of his "Future History" stories.This one I've read many times and never get tired of reading it.From very short to novel length each story is a gem.They remind me of a Beatle album in that every track is a 5 star gem.Have fun.

Heavy on process, light on content...
Somewhat disappointing for the Heinlein fan interested in detailed summaries and analysis.More useful for those looking for chronologies, timelines, cross-referencing, etc.Still, this flawed Heinlein reader's companion is better than nothing.

Just essential
This is probably the best reference about Heinlein's works that's ever been written. One of the best thing about it is that it's complete and very well organized, so that you can find whatever you're looking for in a few seconds, very handy.
Since I've bought it I've consulted it hundreds of times, I couldn't do without it.

Essential Must Have For Heinlein Fans
This is an absolute must have for any serious Heinlein fan.Gifford obviously put a lot of work and thought into crafting the Heinlein Opus list, which provides a complete compendium of everything Heinlein has written.There are also tidbits about Heinlein work not published as well.

Gifford's precise, clear, and unbiased commentary on nearly all of Heinlein's works is interesting and concise.It does a great service by providing a clear chronological progression of Heinlein as a writer, which gives the reader a fuller understanding of the works produced at a given time in Heinlein's career.I often felt nostalgic when going through commentary because I could remember the work and the period of my life that I read it, and the enjoyment that it brought me at the time.

This book is indeed a companion for Heinlein fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (111)

Wonderful book, but for only for readers well steeped in prior Heinlein
"The Cat who Walks Through Walls" is a typical Heinlein roller coaster ride. Told in the first person, our hero and his new bride are put on the run relatively immediately, and it doesn't let up for a very long while. You need know nothing about previous Heinlein books for this half of the book. For the second half, if you aren't an expert on earlier efforts, you'll get completely lost, and quickly. Even Heinlein 'experts' will have to pay close attention, as he moves through characters, events, and relationships so quickly that it can be confusing even if you know everything you can about earlier characters and plots.

To fully appreciate this book you should have read (and probably in this order):
1. Methuselah's Children
2. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
3. The Rolling Stones
4. Time Enough for Love

Also mentioned and included are characters from:
1. Glory Road
2. Stranger in a Strange Land
3. The Man Who Sold the Moon
4. Starship Troopers (not exactly a character from ST, but a Sky Marshall makes a brief appearance here)

Reading these seven books first is no onerous burden. They are all exciting and delightful books. You'll be highly entertained as you read them.

Then you should read "The Number of the Beast" before this one, as it introduces the "multiverse" concept that will come to dominate this book eventually.

For life long Heinlein fans, this book constitutes a delightful "old home week", as characters from any and everywhere in his writing history make appearances or get mentioned. "Cat" is followed up by "To Sail Beyond the Sunset", which was, sadly, his last novel. Just as a warning, "Cat" ends on a cliff hanger about which you will learn little more until the last half of "Sunset". This is similar to "The Number of the Beast", which ends with some questions that won't be tied up until the last half of "Cat". LOL

The very first science fiction book I read was Heinlein. I was in the fourth grade, so I was ten years old, and the book was "The Star Beast". I had been reading complete children's level novels since the second grade, but I would have to say that "The Star Beast" started me on a course of avid reading that has been with me for 43 years since. I have a lot to thank Robert Heinlein for ... not only the hours of enjoyable reading (and the desire to do so), but the wisdom and bent for open mindedness that are included in his writing. His passing makes me hope that indeed reincarnation is real, and that in a few more years we might once again be treated to his quality of writing by some exciting new young author! ;-)

Starts off with a rollicking bang, then fizzles. Still..it's Heinlein
I still love Robert Heinlein's sci-fi; along with Frank Herbert and Robert Silverberg, they are my triumvirate of sci-fi greats. Re-reading "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", "Time Enough for Love" and "Citizen of the Galaxy" reminded me recently of how much I still enjoy RAH. Strangely enough, I never read "The Cat who Walks Through Walls." I think I was disheartened by some of the RAH novels of the mid-eighties, when he was battling some very severe health problems and his writing became muddled and tired. This book is an example of "muddled and tired."

The novel starts out in an excellent fashion, with a startling event and a mystery, plus a beautiful woman who is as resourceful as she is sexy. The adventures of Captain Ames and Gwen take plenty of twists and turns as they run from the law in "Golden Rule", an artificial space station habitat and Luna, the Luna of the earlier "Moon is a Harsh Mistress", now Luna Free State. The events are not always a total surprise; the savvy reader will be one step ahead of the story as Richard and Gwen dodge various officials and other enemies. They are accompanied by "Bill", a sort of ne'er do well, and a very inconvenient bonsai tree.

Later, we find out that Gwen is also Hazel Stone Davis (Hazel from "Moon is a Harsh Mistress", the little redhead that saved Wyoming Knott and Manny at the massacre of Stilyagi Hall) and that she is tied into the Lazarus Long clan on Tertius. Here, the book falters, dare I say it? Trips and takes a long stumble. We are treated to much more of daily life at Maison Long than we'd ever really want and the story takes on too much narration as exposition rather than action. (By this, I mean that characters like Uncle Jock TELL you what happened and might happen rather than letting the action play out.) We are tantalized by the idea of Mike-Adam-Selene being rescued (Manny's long-lost friend, the animate computer from Luna that helped win the revolution) but this rescue is deeply disappointing, mostly off-stage and you can see that Heinlein had an idea possibly to spin off this part of the tale in another book perhaps, but the whole thread gets muddled. Manny shows up, changes his arm a few times and does some scutwork but that is about it. (what? When they are grafting in new limbs right and left in this tale, Manny still has a prosthesis?)

The end gave me the reaction "What? That's IT?" and I wondered why I waded through the whole thing. Still, Heinlein on a bad day is better than other authors on their best days, but really, this is not the master at his best. And the multiverse, with the Galactic Overlord, is a dumb idea and he should have edited it out. Oh well.

Science fiction
This was the first of Robert Heinlein's books I've read. It was well written but I had trouble following it all the time. I much preferred his "Door to Summer." But all in all a good read.

Puhhlease
I've been a big Heinlein fan for over 30 years so what a huge disappointment.The writing was so smug and self-serving, at times I almost choked.Not everyone can be Nelson DeMille.This train wreck makes me appreciate his writing style all the more.

As good a place to start as any.
Reading several of the other reviews of this book, one would conclude that if you haven't read several other Heinleins, then you won't understand this book and will be unable to enjoy it. I haven't even heard of most of the other books the other reviews suggest you read before you read this one.

I read one or two other Heinleins before reading this one, but thirty years ago. Anything you need to know in order to understand and enjoy this book is explained in this book. No doubt, you'll have a greater depth of understanding if you first read all of those other books suggested by the other reviews, but this book easily stands alone.

It's a great story with lots of depth, but it doesn't drowned in the details. Politics, love, adventure -- it's all in there. ... Read more

Product Description
The Wit and Wisdom of Robert A. Heinlein, author of multiple New York Times best sellers, on subjects ranging form Crime and Punishment to the Love life of the American Teenager; from Nuclear Power to the Pragmatics of Patriotism; from Prophecy to Destiny; from Geopolitic to Post-Holocaust America; fro the Nature of Courage to the Nature of Reality; it's all here and it's all great-straight from the mind of the finest science fiction writer of them all. But beware: after reading it, you too will occupy an Expanded Universe! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Primarily for hard core Heinlein fans
"Expanded Universe" is a collection of fiction and non-fiction by Robert Heinlein.Some of the other reviewers have told you enough of the subject matter.

If you are not a hard core fan of Robert Heinlein, you will have some hard going in getting this thing read.I almost rated it lower, but there are some stories here that give unique insights into who Heinlein was and some fiction that is very, very, good.But, this book is not for a casual reader.

Also, it presents a very truthful look inside Russia during the Cold War.I spent more than 40 years of my life living through the Cold War.It was an aptly named period of time.Reading Heinlein's version of his trip reminds me, all too vividly, of those times.

Fair warning: Heinlein had some dark times in his head.This book does show Heinlein during one or two of such times.

However, if you want to read some Heinlein stories that are not available anywhere else or want to know more about this man, read this book.Personally, I enjoyed the book and was grateful for the insights on the man behind so many great novels.

Not Free SF Reader
Here's a pretty amusing quote from one of his story forewords:

"I had always planned to quit the writing business as soon as that mortgage was paid off. I had never had any literary ambitions, no training for it, no interest in it- backed into it by accident and stuck with it to pay off debt, I being always firmly resolved to quit the silly bus iness once I had my chart squared away."

One pretty awful quitter, apparently. :)

So, given he failed to quit, we finally end up with this book.It takes The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein and adds more, so actually Expanded Worlds, if you want to be techincal.

It reprints some stories, and some of the non-fiction from there, and adds several more of each.

The non-fiction contents ranges from Foreword type anecdotes as found in other books, and he isn't taking himself particularly seriously in these.

More serious are things like essays on atomic war, how to survive such a thing, editorials, articles and lectures on American-Soviet relations, and even the odd related rant.

Some of this obviously informed some of the story content - and he does explicitly point this out afterwards, particularly some of the stories about veterans.

If you were going to pick just one Heinlein book, this would be a good choice.

Expanded Universe : Life-Line - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Successful Operation - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Blowups Happen - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Solution Unsatisfactory - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : They Do It with Mirrors - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Free Men - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : No Bands Playing No Flags Flying - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : A Bathroom of Her Own - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : On the Slopes of Vesuvius - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Cliff and the Calories - Robert A. Heinlein
Expanded Universe : Searchlight - Robert A. Heinlein


"I can tell you when the Black Camel will kneel at your door."

3.5 out of 5


Leader theatre conditions.

3 out of 5


Rocket scientist atomic observational pressure.

3.5 out of 5


Dead as dust by dust democracy defense.

3 out of 5


"I was there to see beautiful naked women. So was everybody else. It's a common failing."

Killer.

4 out of 5


Irradiating the Resistance resistance.

3.5 out of 5


Veteran treatment lacking.

3.5 out of 5


Veteran housing problem.

3.5 out of 5


Bomb guys.

3 out of 5


Lunar scouting.

2.5 out of 5


Puddin' uni diet.

2.5 out of 5


Find Blind Betsy.

3 out of 5

For serious RAH fans only
This is a collection of Heinlein works, selected by RAH himself, including some fiction but mostly non-fiction works.For a serious RAH fan this gives an insight into his philosophies, character, life, pet peeves, and prejudicies.For someone not already familiar with, and a fan of, RAH this is definitely not for you.

Some of the pieces have been published elsewhere, others are only available in this volume.EXPANDED UNIVERSE is an updated (1980) version of THE WORLDS OF ROBERT A. HEINLEIN (1966) plus additions making this work about three times as long as the earlier volume.

The fiction pieces include: RAH's first published work LIFELINE;
BLOWUPS HAPPEN; SEARCHLIGHT which have been published elsewhere and SUCCESSFUL OPERATION; THEY DO IT WITH MIRROS; FREE MEN;NO BANDS PLAYING, NO FLAGS FLYING; SOLUTION UNSATISFACTORY; CLIFF AND THE CALORIES; A BATHROOM OF HER OWN; and NOTHING EVER HAPPENS ON THE MOON which are more difficult to find.The fact that RAH chose to include these works is as significant to the serious fanas the works themselves.He also includes either a foreward or afterward, sometimes both highlighting what his motivation was for writing the piece, where it fell in his career and what he now thought about it's merits.

Even more telling that the fiction pieces are the non-fiction articles included.In these works Heinlein discusses his views on patriotism, the current state of American education, the likelihood (or desirablity) of surviving a nuclear war and various other topics.As always with Heinlein's work whether the you agree or disagree with his opinions Heinlein will force you to think.

Some people dont get it...
Its been a few years since I picked up a Heinlein but a few days ago I was going through some of the few thousand books that use more of my home than I do and found my old copy of Expanded Universe.
I got my start on Heinlein when I was about ten years old, and sometime between ten and fourteen I picked up EU and then shelved it because the essays were not the action adventure and daring-do of Glory Road, or Tunnel in the Sky. The politics, philosophy etc. were lost on me at the time. This time around things are different.
I've read some of the previous reviews of this work, and am frankly disappointed that people who claim to be Heinlein fans, to appreciate Heinlein, would be turned off by this collection. Heinlein was always more than the stories. He often made very little attempt to veil the personal philosophy and politics he put into his works, so it strikes me that any "Heinlein fan" who is turned off by this collection isn't, actually, a Heinlein fan as much as a fan of a good story (not that there is anything wrong with that... it just sells the old man a bit short).
Not to say that RAH's politics are entirely my own. In this day and age I disagree with his ideas on nuclear policy greatly, however I understand where he was coming from. In a time when the threat of nuclear attack was a constant fact of life, and when one of the few reliable measures to prevent it was, simply, a matched set of H-Bombs on both sides that quietly said "No one will win, lets not do this at all", RAH was right.
He is still right today about patriotism and serving ones country in some capacity. The nation, the tribe, needs the service and support of its members to continue, there is no way around this no matter how many rationalizations can be offered up by the self-serving and the selfish.

Expanded Universe is a fantastic collection of fiction and non-fiction that gives the reader not only an insight into the writer, but a lot to think about. It gives the intelligent reader a window into the past, the reality, fears and hopes of a different time, and yet a handle on the unchanging facts and realities of the human condition. I have not enjoyed anything in my life as much as I enjoyed a quiet late afternoon sitting on my front porch smoking a cigar and reading from Expanded Universe.
Give the poltroons their due consideration and then buy a copy anyway - If you are an intelligent human you should be able to find something in the works that will delight, surprise, intrigue and perhaps even educate you.

Alternate Views of Heinlein
For those readers of Heinlein who have limited themselves to his Future History stories, his Lazarus Long saga, or perhaps his early Juveniles, Expanded Universe presents an interesting alternate view of Heinlein's writing including many stories not featured in other anthologies and a number of his nonfiction pieces as well.

"Solution Unsatisfactory" tells of an alternate ending to World War II where the US develops an intensely radioactive dust with selective half-life rather than the atomic bomb; its use on Germany and its parallel discovery by the Soviet Union bring the world into a Cold War many times worse than what the world truly experienced.In short, the balance of terror doctrine was and will always be a "solution unsatisfactory."

"PRAVDA Means TRUTH" is a short nonfiction piece on the dangers of a state-run media and its influence on the lives of citizens, based on true-life experiences Heinlein and his wife had while traveling to Russia at the same time Francis Gary Powers' U2 was brought down.Similarly, "Inside Intourist" tells of the Heinlein's experiences with the Soviet tourism agency (through which all travel had to be arranged).Contrary to some reviewers' comments, Heinlein never condescends upon the people of Russia and its former republics; he merely explains the dangers the people face from their oppressive government.He in fact often discusses how nicely the actual people of Russia treated him and his wife on their trip.

Many other stories and nonfiction pieces (some dated by their survivalist Cold War era themes) are included; another of interest is "No Bands Playing, No Flags Flying," which tells the slightly fictionalized tale of courage and TB treatments (which Heinlein himself underwent) in the pre-WW2 Navy.His survivalist pieces may seem dated or extremist today, yet for the cold war climate (and today's constant threat of terrorism), the message is still clear: those who are ready will survive catastrophes, and those who aren't may very well not.

Give this Heinlein anthology a chance; for those already versed in Heinlein's other works, Expanded Universe will offer a fresh look into the mind of one of science fiction's Grand Masters. ... Read more

Product Description
Lummox had been the Stuart family pet for years. Though far from cuddly and rather large, it had always been obedient and docile. Except, that is, for the time it had eaten the secondhand Buick . . .
But now, all of a sudden and without explanation, Lummox had begun chomping down on a variety of things -- not least, a very mean dog and a cage of virtually indestructible steel. Incredible!
John Thomas and Lummox were soon in awfully hot water, and they didn't know how to get out. And neither one really understood just how bad things were -- or how bad the situation could get -- until some space voyagers appeared and turned a far-from-ordinary family problem into an extraordinary confrontation.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

What storytelling should be!
I think I've read everything Heinlein ever wrote, but this is my all time favorite. It was the first full novel ever read to my own two sons, and they are now reading it to their children.

Several Levels
This book can be read and enjoyed on several levels. First of all, it is the story of a boy or young man in danger of losing his beloved pet. That is a compelling story in itself and also allows for a great deal of action and humor. And that story is there, even though it is clear to any reader by the time the book ends that there is more to the story. John Thomas, the boy, Lummox, his pet and their friend Betty have a whale of a time and keep our interest.

Then there is the story of Mr. Kiku, a high-ranking civil servant who has to deal with the issue of John Thomas and his alien pet. Mr. Kiku solves a personal problem, involving his own irrational prejudice, while he's at it. He turns out to be one of the most interesting characters Heinlein ever created.

Then there is the story of Lummox, the interstellar princess. She has problems also.

The unsympathetic characters, John Thomas's mother, the police chief and some others, are not as well-drawn and more typical of antagonists in a young adult novel. But that's a minor flaw.

Highly entertaining!
When I first read "The Star Beast" I was delighted.I consider this the most fun and most entertaining of all the Heinlein stories.

I will admit that adults might wonder why I am raving, but this book showed that many critics were wrong-headed about who Heinlein was.This is one of Heinlein's very best 'juveniles'.

Read it.Buy it.Highly recommended!I wish there had been more stories based on this story as a start.

Old Themes Are the Best
The Star Beast (1954) is the eighth SF novel in the Juvenile series.It is a story of a boy and his dog.Granted, the dog looks a little peculiar with its eight legs, thick hide and huge size -- not to mention its baby voice -- but the creature is definitely the boy's pet.Of course, the beast thinks otherwise.

In this novel, Lummox and great grandfather Stuart found each other on a planet far, far away from Earth.In their mutual admiration, the creature endured many hours hidden away from other crew members until the ship returned to Earth.Now Lummox has been the pet of several generations of the Stuart family.

Lummox had started out small, but rapidly gained mass after eating metals.The last growth spurt came from the ingestion of a neighbor's old car and had resulted in a massive increase in body size.The backyard has been fenced to keep Lummox inside, but John Thomas Stuart XI has doubts about the efficacy of the concrete walls and massive timbers over the gully.He has strictly forbade Lummox to break or eat the fence.Of course, Lummox has dug a few holes here and there.

Then Lummox is declared a menace to the public and John Thomas runs away to save his pet.His girlfriend Betty finds him and they prepare a legal defense against putting Lummox to sleep.Then the Feds find them.

In this story, the author is writing a tale as old as the relationship between humans and canines.In more conventional tales, boys and dogs have been associating with each other for millennia.So this story converts the old familiar theme into a relationship between a human boy and an extraterrestrial creature.

Remember ET?This story came first.But SF (and Sci-Fi) still has such tales pop up now and then.It is a classic because it says a lot about human nature.

And if you think this story only applies to boys, you obviously haven't met the girls in my family.My former wife couldn't be taken to the pound without adopting a dog (or cat).My horse trainer daughter also has a pack of dog in her care.Of course, I have been a dog lover since childhood.

One critic has called this story "Heinlein's silliest juvenile".Maybe such statements tell more about the speaker than the author.I suspect that every hero -- and heroine -- in Heinlein's works had a dog (or other pet) in their formative years.

This tale is a bridge between fairytales and young adult SF stories.In one sense, this is the Great American Novel of Science Fiction, with a common theme that reaches everyone beyond the toddler stage.

Naturally, the language is too complex for younger children, but I bet that most kids understand the basic concepts.Only the parts about human -- and extraterrestrial -- society are beyond the comprehension of most elementary age children.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Heinlein fans and their children.If you have not read a Heinlein Juvenile, the first such is Rocket Ship Galileo, but this book is an even better introduction to his works.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Things Aren'tWhat They Seem
"The Star Beast"is one of the series of juveniles written by Robert A. Heinlein for Scribners. Over 50 years later, the books are not marketed as "juveniles" and they have never gone out of print.The entire series has always been available in either hard cover or paperback since they were written in the late 1940s and the 1950s.

In this book we are introduced to John Thomas Stuart XI.He's the latest in a long line of `John Thomas Stuarts' who for better or worse have always lead adventurous lives.Occasionally they found themselves in the history books.In this future,humans have settled throughout the solar system and the stars.

John Thomas Stuart VIII had served on the second voyage of the Trailblazer, Earth's first successful interstellar vessel.In his travels he made a pet of one of the local fauna and smuggled "Cuddlepup" back to Earth.Generations later "Cuddlepup" is a whole lot bigger and still in the custody of the Stuarts now known as `Lummox'.

Lummox takes a walk outside the garden one day and becomes a public nuisance.Since Lummox is an extraterrestrial and not classified, the case comes under the jurisdiction of the Department of Spatial Affairs.Now we meet the Right Honorable Henry Gladstone Kiku, Permanent Undersecretary of Spatial Affairs- Earth.

Mr. Kiku is a career beaurocrat, an uncommonly gifted political in-fighter. His department handles Earth's complicated affairs beyond the stratosphere.Laboring in obscurity, Mr. Kiku is effectively the most powerful man on the planet.

Where the story proceeds from here you will have to read for yourself.Heinlein isunusually subtle here. Things are not what they seem.

The book is fun to read and comes to a satisfying conclusion.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Another Best by Heinlein
Telepathic twins, Tom and Pat, were identical. One would live on earth and age gracefully, while the other would stay forever young and roam the galaxy, but each is equally important to the other.

Another great book from the best, Robert Heinlein. His portrayal of the future is almost real. Hard to put down once you start.

One of Heinlein's Very Best
In this story of telepathic twins, Heinlein does better than usual at balancing characters, logic, sentiment, science, and suspense. Each aspect of the novel is fascinating, from the revelation of the twins' telepathy to their ultimate separation by 63 light years of space and some 80 years time. Heinlein carefully makes future society and star travel seem real, all while making his characters live.If you like good old fashioned space exploration adventure with some profound insight thrown in, this is your best bet. I've read this book twice, and again found I could not put it down.

Exciting and a bit disturbing.
It's a juvenile novel, yet it has many rather sophisticated themes.

Telepathic twins are used to keep exploration ships in contact with Earth.The fact that telepathy (in this story) is faster than light affects the physics community.Pat and his brother Tom are complex and have deep-seated emotional issues about being split up and going on a mission where the odds of the traveler returning are quite slim.

One ages, one doesn't, due to time dilation effects, and upon returning their meeting is far from simple.

In the meantime, habitable planets are discovered, Pat has to deal with teen and adult social issues aboard a crowded ship on a years long mission, most of the sister ships are lost in accidents, much of the crew of his ship die from disease or hostile aliens.He's hardly a young man himself upon return, even if his years aren't great.

And how should he feel when the faster than light aspects of telepathy lead to faster than light spaceships, leaving him a relic of a forgotten past when he does return?

Time for the Stars is action packed and scientifically consistent, with realistic and deep characters.The shipboard content is real in a way only a Naval officer like Heinlein could make it.This book and the others in his juvenile bibliography are what sucked me into science fiction, and a major contribution to me being the writer I am today.Take that as advice or as a cautionary tale, but this book is excellent even 50 years later, even after I've matured 25 years since first reading it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Unless you are Heinlein-obsessive, you can skip these two stories
These two early Heinlein tales have been sold as a package almost forever. And while they're not really awful, they are showing their age badly. There's nothing quite as tedious as lengthy descriptions of "future" technologies that never materialized! If you are a Heinlein completist, and feel you must read everything the man ever wrote, then go for it. Otherwise, you can easily skip this dated duo of stories and not worry that you've missed much.

VERY early stories for the determined fan only
This volume contains two very early (1940, 1942) stories that originally appeared in pulp magazines.They are interesting to fans of RAH only because they foreshadow some situations/characters/themes that will appear in later works in particular the origins of 'waldos' ie mechanical devices either remote controlled or independent, that take over various mundane or dangerous tasks for mankind.These appear repeatedly in RAH's later works and, like other of Heinlein's ideas, also have been adopted as a concept and term in the 'real' world.

The first story centers on Waldo, a genius born with a debilitating disease, who has managed to make his life bearable by his inventions.RAH outlines some of his philosophies on big business, life in low gravity, societal conventions and human adaptability here.He also deleves into the other dimensions/magic that resurface in his much later works.

The second work, Magic, Inc. uses the realm of magic as a means to expound on the mundane areas of business practices and politics, areas that RAH will revisit in later works.The basic premise is that magicians are employed by various businesses and are being formed into a union or a mafia depending on your point of view.This idea of 'magik in the mundane world' has also taken route and now, 50 plus years later, has several authors using this premise.

This is definitely NOT the place to begin reading RAH's works.It is significant that this book is currently out of print and that RAH wrote one of the stories under a pen name.

Then & Now
Heinlein was in many ways ahead of his time. This book, actually two novels have finally come into their own in the first part of the 21st century. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at some of the reader's comments as to the tepid nature of the Waldo story, and the "Fantasy" aspect of the latter Magic, Inc.

To begin it must be pointed out that one thing nobody mentioned is the term "Waldo", used to refer to those mechanical arms so prevalent in 50/60's science fiction. Today we see endless mechanical devices used in games, in television & movies, especially the Japanese Manga. On a serious note congress recently authorized millions in appropriations to fund development of remote manipulator robots for the modern battlefield... and lets not forget those little robots busily wandering the surface of mars, if they do find Life, you can bet that the entire effort at exploration will remain out of possible harms way, with the 21st century version of a Waldo.
Now as to magic? Two words, Nano & Femto technology.
These areas are currently cutting edge, and both will provide just such a "magical" backdrop for the commerce conducted in the 21st century. Doors that talk, devices that morph into other things, spoken commands, and the NECESSITY of a well trained group of "wizards" to control them, (when was the last time you really knew how that talking watch worked, did you really care? NO! It just worked) and to repair them when they stop working.
Heinlein was correct when he penned stories with people (or Person with Disability, in Waldo's case) confronting, and overcoming difficulties. Real life is now catching up to him... and the situations, and personalities of the people involved are very much true to life. (The founder of the Independent Living Movement, Ed Roberts, was very much like Waldo)
Good books... worth a read in these modern times.

Heinlein takes an early detour into fantasy
Here's something a little different from Heinlein, two extended stories from the early 1940s which incorporate significant helpings of fantasy."Waldo" is by far the better of the two selections.Waldo F. Jones is a brilliant engineer and all-around genius, but he doesn't get along well with people.Born with essentially no muscle control, he began inventing gadgets to help him perform common tasks as a child, and his inventions soon translated into commercial products.He considers his fellow men to be rather ignorant "apes" who rely on him to continue living out their frivolous existences; only one man, Grimes, the doctor who delivered him, has direct contact with him in his free-floating home in space.Away from the curse of gravity, Waldo is able to move around comfortably and make use of all sorts of gizmos of his own design to help him carry out his work.He is a problem-solver of last resort; he always gets results, but his cold manner and contemptible attitude make him a hard man to deal with.Power plant engineer James Stevens has little choice but to come to Waldo--the whole power supply of the country could fail at any time, and no one can figure out why the infallible power sources are failing.Grimes talks him into working on another problem in conjunction with the project-getting rid of radiated energy that he deems harmful to mankind.With a little help from a mysterious old man, Waldo discovers not only a solution to both problems but an entirely new way to understand reality.

"Magic, Inc." is pure fantasy.Virtually all businesses rely on magic to some degree, but there is a mysterious effort afoot to form a magic regulatory council, one capable of monopolizing magic, running out of businesses any magicians who refuse to join and inflating the prices of magical services rendered.Archie finds his hardware store threatened and then trashed when he refuses to sign up for magical protection.Just as the citizens begin examining the danger posed by such regulation of magic, the government seeks to ratify the plan and make it the law of the land.Archie and his magically-inclined friend Jenson team up with an ancient, benign witch and an African witch doctor to put an end to the danger by exposing the reality behind its conception, even if it means going to hell to confront the very demon responsible for the trouble.

Both stories fall below Heinlein's normal standards, but "Waldo" proves fairly fascinating up until the closing pages when magic is turned loose in the world."Magic, Inc." is just rather uninspired.Still, it is interesting to see another side of Heinlein's work.Since both stories fall short of wowing the reader, I would recommend reading this book only after becoming acquainted with Heinlein's more famous, visionary, and enjoyable science fiction.This is fairly atypical, unimpressive storytelling from science fiction's greatest writer.

3 and 1/2 Stars
Both of the stories in this book are a departure from Heinlein's usual work, and neither are entirely successful. Heinlein was never one for truly "hard" science fiction, but the two stories here are distinctly fantasy. The first, Waldo, is the better and far more imaginative of the two. The plot and premise is highly original, and the character of Waldo is an interesting one. However, this is one of Heinlein's earliest stories and the writing style present in it pales in comparison to later efforts, and may be disappointing to those who have read a significant portion of his later work. The same goes also for Magic Inc., although here the premise is less interesting. Not a bad book by any means, but Heinlein has better. Only hard-core fans need apply here, for the newcomer to RAH he has much better to offer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

4 years after Nagasaki, more hate for the "Japs"
Four years after we burned a quarter million Japanese alive at Hiroshima and Nagasaki Heinlein exploits Americans' hate for the "Japs, slants and little yellow men" to make a quick buck with this poorly crafted racist hack job of a story pretending to be a novel.

Yup, just five years after a war that killed 100 million souls, with our fellow Japanese American citizens returning home to pick up the pieces of their lives after being freed from America's very own concentration camps that's just what Americans needed---yet another jingoistic pulp novel about the "Japs" murdering and raping Americans.

Pulled out of the dustbin and republished in 1970 by Signet (sadly, still in business) with a psychedelic cover and a new title, it was still the same racist, moronic bore. Had blacks been the villains, they never would have dared, but it was still open season on "Japs," it seems.

Heinlein peaked early with Puppetmasters and went downhill from there. With his annoying folksy slang, endless pontificating and later, sex drugs and rock and roll shtick, he was never a great writer, but this makes me think much less of him... as a writer... and a man.

If its good golden age sci fi you seek, skip this drivel and try Campbell, Simak and Leinster.

Asian invaders are thrown back by home grown Religion
PanAsians have conquered the American continent; invaded the US and swept away all resistance. There are six men left who are attached to a super-secret scientific installation under the research facility hidden in the Colorado mountains. They are all that remains of the US army in any organised fashion. How to fight back? Miracles of scientific breakthroughs are developed; wonders. Superstition is applied through rise of majestic Mote temple to bring word of new God to the new rules and to fellow countrymen who are kept as numbered slaves. Moral of the invaders must be shattered first and new religion provides the cover.

This is tightly written story which was prophetically written 1941 just before Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The struggle between the remnants of the US installation and the methodical conquerors is played out in an almost third person view, adding to the horror of the situation as we imagine ourselves in the story and attempt to gauge our reactions.

Two (2) stars. Action, action and yet more action is the trademark of early Heinlein. The faster, the better. Scientific wonders are developed in weeks. Breaking beyond Einstein physics happens by two super people. The calculations succeed with paper and pencil. There are few cheerful remarks made of the mentality of the Asians; their code of honor cause suicide effects and breaks in the command chain. Their moral collapses if they can't look up to their superiors. The man in command is ordinary honor-and-glory army man, who plays by the ear as the resistance against millions of invaders is planned. Fascinating read, but light and unbelievable on content.

The Day after tomorrow
A great book. all of the things a sci fi book should be.

great book
This is a must read for lovers of classic sifi

Also known as "Sixth Column"
This novel is now in print with it's original title of "Sixth Column", but I don't think the text has changed.What I remember from my readings over the years is that RAH cleaned up the story, and reduced much of the racism present in the original concept developed by Campbell.

Overall, an excellent novel with good characterizations, and a (then) plausible presentation of an implausible invention to save the nation's bacon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Max was just a hillbilly...until he became STARMAN JONES
While browsing through a used book store in Charlottesville, Virginia, I stumbled onto this gem of a science fiction novel intended for teens, but just as applicable to and enjoyable for adults.I must admit that I was expecting this book to be much less than it turned out to be, based on the hilarious mock Logan's Run cover depicting Max, Eldreth, and comic relief mascot Mr. Chips posing next to a control console.That cover, and the truly unforgettable blurb mentioned in the title to this review, were what swayed me to hand over my hard earned $2.50.

This is only the second Heinlein novel I've ever read (I enjoyed another juvenile work, Glory Road, back in the 80's, but had only recently begun to be interested in looking into his work again).If his adult fiction is anything like the quality of Starman Jones, I will definitely be reading a lot more Heinlein in the years to come.

What's so great about Starman Jones, you might ask?For one thing, it is very straightforward, with an extremely simple plot that emphasizes character development over elaborate storytelling.It states its facts concisely with minimal exposition, and it ends when it needs to end (after a brisk 250 pages or so).Yet as one would expect from a novel written for juveniles, it takes its time to instruct readers in various hard science concepts such as astronomy, astrophysics, navigation, and even (surprisingly) husbandry and other fields.Even the more advanced concepts are dealt with in a masterly way that makes them appealing to both adults and (one would presume) juveniles.

The next quality that I greatly admire in this book is that it is very well grounded in reality.Max's life struggles are highly realistic and the choices he and others make are believable.The main characters and most of the minor ones are drawn from life, not stereotypes or sci-fi cliches.This aspect of the novel leads to some surprising developments down the line; in fact, at several points in the book I was pleasantly surprised to see characters making choices that I did not at all expect them to make.

The last two points that cause me to rate this work so highly are its prescience and its educational value.By prescience I mean that this novel, which was written in 1952, anticipates much of what was to follow in space travel and colonization narratives that were written later on.But what I came to realize toward the end of the book is that it also anticipates (in an abbreviated way) the socio-cultural science fiction of the 60's, especially Pierre Boulle's Planet of the Apes, published over a decade after Starman Jones.In fact, if one considers the ratio of space narrative / slave narrative in Planet of the Apes, one might say that Starman Jones contains the inverse, as it dwells for the first 7/8 or so on space matters, then briefly explores the idea of humans being held captive by a primitive anthropomorphic race (another unexpected twist in SJ).

Perhaps the most significant achievement of SJ is its educational value.It might have been enough that Heinlein was able to instill hard science into a format easily digestible to 50's (mostly male?) teens, but SJ expands its scope to include topics such as friendship, responsibility, ambition, ethics, politics, diplomacy, trust, patience, subtlety, handling stress, and soooo many other areas.It's just a shame that books like this aren't required reading in high schools today, although the way things are, I don't know if today's teen readers would "get it."

Check this book out.You won't be disappointed.

One of Heinlein's Best
Starman Jones is one of Heinlein's best, along with Space Cadet, Tunnel in the Sky, Time For The Stars...well it's one of his top ten best. The enthralling account of an orphan escaping abusive step parents by stowing away on a starship kept me reading and thinking and dreaming which continued the second and third time through. It's a well-written coming of age story and precursor to Star Trek combined, and I've never seen it done better than by Heinlein. Recommended for young readers along with any other Heinlein novel written in the 1950s. Rocketship Galileo, Citizen of the Galaxy, Between Planets...

If Max could cut it, so could I...
This is one of the few books that I read as a boy that stuck with me all the rest of my life. While I never studied to be an "astrogator", this book did inspire me to study astronomy, navigation, physics, and calculus. It gave me a dream to build on. You see, the hero, Max, is a poor, rural kid from a highly dysfunctional and abusive family (actually, white trash is more accurate.) Being lower class, Max has no realistic chance of going to college or entering a profession ( a "guild".) Yet Max not only escapes, he goes on to Captain a starship. He succeeds entirely on his own against incredible odds. Instead of accepting a life of rural idiocy and poverty he literally remakes himself and his destiny from the ground up.

Whenever I was up against it in my own life I inevitably remembered Max. How many modern books provide an example like this for lower class kids? My only regret is that there wasn't an Astrogator's Guild that I could have joined. If Max could cut it, so could I....
... Read more

Customer Reviews (63)

Unusual for a Heinlein story
This quirky and interesting novel by Heinlein doesn't seem to fit easily in his oeuvre although there are certainly echos of several recurring and important Heinlein themes.

One is the idea of the competent man which we see in Hugh, a self made man who has the foresight to build the bomb shelter that saves his family from nuclear holocaust. Ever since the early short story "By His Bootstraps," Heinlein was a pioneer in writing about time travel. Heinlein was one of the first sci-fi writers to discuss in detail time travel paradoxes. And the idea that the future will be dramatically different from the presentin various unsavory ways--especially in the development of corrupt, oppressive, right wing societies--can certainly be seen here. This story adds a few more unpleasant ideas in that slavery and cannibalism are common. The dark side of human nature and society often takes front and center in Heinlein novels although this is another aspect that can be off-putting to some readers.

Heinlein also loves throwing political and social curveballs which we see here in the fact that the ethnic class structure of American society gets turned upside down, with blacks now being the rulers and whites the underclass.In fact, the whites are slaves and food animals, truly a very dark future dystopia even for Heinlein.

Another odd feature of this novel is that none of the main characters are very likable, as other writers here have observed. Heinlein could write some of the best villains in science fiction, but his main characters were usually at least somewhat appealing even if a bit unconventional, hard boiled and stubborn. Not to mention allergic to authority figures. But Heinlein's vision of the future got darker as he got toward the end of his career (such as in his novel, Friday, in which I discuss this idea at length in my review, incidentally).

Overall, though, this is a worthwhile Heinlein story despite some ideas and situations that might be off-putting to some people not familiar with Heinlein's work and his ability to imagine very trenchant, dystopian futures.

Not Heinlein's best, but good ending
Hugh Farnham has built a bomb shelter, and stocked it with the kind of things he thinks his family will need after the reds drop the big one. He takes a lot of criticism for this from his highly educated lawyer son, who even blames Hugh for the fact that his mother is an alcoholic. But when the bomb hits, everyone becomes a believer and quiet Hugh becomes the leader. Some odd twist carries his bomb shelter into another world, or another time, with no human life it seems.

I love the early science fiction novels by Heinlein, I have read some 4 or 5 times over my lifetime. This book was written in the later Heinlein period, and his writing began to get weird for me. Some people probably love it and prefer the later stuff, just my own tastes. I liked the beginning and end of this book, but a huge chunk of the middle turned me off. The book has some weird sexual relationship issues, tons of racial tension, family disputes, alcohol dependency and other issues that took away some of the excitement and danger of a survivalist story. The post-apocalypse world he envisions has a race with technology far beyond ours, yet most of their society is uneducated and not devoted to progress. So you wonder where they got this technology. The characters in the story have little depth and realism, outside of Hugh and his former employee Joe. Or else their personality changes so fast you can't keep up with it. I reread it this year, after having read it last about 20 years ago and still feel the same. i have to say that near the end of the book, it kind of goes back on track and after several chapters of painful reading, the book blossoms again and makes you wish he had spent more time in that part of the story. In fact, the last chapter would be the a great introduction to a sequel. having said all of this, Heinleins's worst books are better than most of his contemporaries books, so don't get me wrong. If you like his later books, you will enjoy this.

After the bomb . . .

Hugh Farnum just wanted to keep his family safe . . . so when his adult son and daughter come home for a visit, bringing a friend, there is the scare of atomic war, and so Hugh wears a radio.When the bomb comes, despite his lawyer son's scoffing, he is ready, and they all go into his bomb shelter.It is the big one . . . and knocks them into the future.A future is revealed that, at first, appears lonely, people appear to have vanished from the earth.Then they find out the awful truth.A must read if you believe that power corrupts.This time, it isn't what you would expect.The new rulers of the world were once the downtrodden . . .

Tim Keene

its a Satire people. You just dont get it.
Frankly I am SHOCKED at the poor reviews this book recieves.

There are two MINOR complaints I have about this book, one that the son's acceptance of his castration is a little too easy, could have had 2 or 3 sentences that would have made this more believable, either to set him up as a yes man (where he would do anything to get ahead) wich he did not seem to be; or to have him willing to do anything to be with mommy and make her happy (wich he was not when it came to talking about her drug problem etc).

The second minor complaint that I have is that I think the sign at the end of the book could have had more impact and shown the moral of the story or what the characters learned through their experiences more. Such as: books for barter was good but it should have listed other things wich would have underlined the story such as labor/work (underlying theme is that labor is virtue and sloth is evil), Training (self improvement is stressed, the value of knowledge), Durable goods (items saved from pre apocolipse = forthought and planning, Items manufactured post apocolipse = labor and skills) etc. Keep the bridge lessons as a insider joke but they could have had something about Be nice or leave- no intolorance will be tolorated etc to underline the anti racism message. I just feel like he diddnt wrap it all up in a nice polished way and that it was a missed oppertunity.

Ok now onto the positives.

This book is not racist. If you think it is you are completely missing the whole point and I kind of wonder if you really read the whole book. Im going to refute things in list form since there are so many points and they overlap.

people have claimed Racism because-
1. The Dark skinned overlords are Cannibals.
Cannibalism was practiced worldwide in history, and often by caucasians. Look it up in Wikipedia. Not to mention that Cannibalism is sprinkled throughout european mythology. So Yes cannibalism is a metaphor for barbarianism (no pun intended barbary pirates) but that is not nessicarily African or dark skinned barbarism and to assume that they are cannibals BECAUSE they are black is the readers being racist and missing the authors non racist point. He is showing how the Slaves are being treated as livestock. Eating them only drives this point home. Yes its shock value, but frankly its a shock the story needs so that people dont think to themselves "hey, true they arent free men (and women) but is it really so bad? The protagonist starts out (when he is captured) thinking "Ill just play allong for now..." and as things progressively get worse he thinks "ok this is bad but I should bide my time" untill he see's the furthest extreme wich is the cannibalism that shows how he is not just viewed as chattel but as cattle; thats when he finally thinks "I gotta get outta here no matter what happens... death is better than this!" We can accept castration as a outrageous but believable cultural norm for this society, why is everyone so outraged that the author chose cannibalism as a plot device? Plain and simple, people have a view of the stereotypical black boogieman cannibal (robinson crusoe, king kong etc) with bone through nose standing around a boiling cauldron of human soup or chasing the poor innocent white explorer with spears or dart guns to eat them. Keep in mind that this could instead be a aligory for a aristocracy that consumes the lower caste using them up completely with no regard for freedom or human life. Think Vlad the impaler or The Bloody countess, instead of the Cannibal bushman and the racist outcry becomes meaningless. PS people read a Modest Proposal by Swift Im sure you will hate it.

2. The black people are all Muslim, the book is anti Islam!
You need to put this into historical context. This book was published in 1964 the year Malcom x was assasinated. Islam was at that time viewed by many as the religion of the radicalized black extremists. As opposed the ML King message of love the sinner hate the sin of racism, Malcom X had a message of segregation and that White people were inherently oppressive, racist, and evil. The black panthers were predominantly muslim, and much of Africa southern Asia and
the middle east is muslim. It is only natural that the black culture in the story would have a muslim bent. But if you notice the protagonist says repeatedly that they are NOT true muslims, they belong to a bastardization of muslim beliefs and that he himself had read the koran and knew more true phillosophy of Mohhamed than they did and did not think that true muslims would approve of this warped Islam. Also if you read Stranger in a strange land you will see that the Author actually is fond of many religions including Islam and speaks well of it in terms of a idea but that he thinks the people who practice it dont often follow the idea as with all religions. Personally I disagree with the Author, I think all religion is a bad Idea.

3.The book uses the N word it must be racist!

So did Huckleberry Finn wich was why it was burned. The problem is that where the characters use the N word the author is showing that the character in question is either racist, or its the black character talking about how racist people treated him. So in fact by using the N word the author is in fact pointing out racism, and condemning it. Yes the N word makes me wince, part of me never wants to hear it or read it, but I dont believe in rewriting history to only keep the nice shiny happy bits, if I believed that I would be a holocaust denier. As a white person I especially should understand and condemn racism, and without confronting it how would I understand why it was bad?The (black) character Joseph uses the N word in a sentence where he is saying you (white man protagonist) dont understand what its like to be a black man. Nore will we ever if we dont view the horrific effects of racism. The fact that it makes us wince shows us the bitter medicine is working.

4. The black men all rape the white women in the book, showing how the author thinks that Black men are all sex crazed and that white women are more desirable than black women etc. Its perpetuating the stereo type!

WRONG! How could you miss that this is DIRECT mirroring of how slaves were treated in the American South? Decreed to be sub-human but raped by their masters and the idea of a mixed child being abhorrant? This doesnt have to do with black men desiring white women, but as slave women being used for sex and treated as sub human. How could you not get that? Also the castration and the studding and eugenics breeding programs were also a part of American slavery. Its all in your history why dont you see it?

The same arguement can be applied for the lazy arguement, Slave masters are lazy, slaves were always running around trying to be productive. Drugs being a means of control etc. Its all a satire of history.

5. There is no good black character, Joseph character is a uncle tom etc.

No he proves that it is power that corrupts not upbringing. Joseph is a important character as he is the one who transforms the most. In the beginning he is a servant in the truest sense of the word, a free man but Bowing scraping and trying not to give offense. At the end he is the wealthy and powerful man who is willing to use people he called friends as cattle, and takes pleasure at retribution to his former "oppressors" when he gets the upper hand. Heinlein is saying that no one should weild that much power over another man, that even a good man will become a despot given too much control. He also says it when he says that no white man would have been any better if in the same position that the black leader was in.

At any rate this is getting long, I appologise, I can understand those who said it did not have a lot of character development or description, thats Heinleins style and some people dont like it. I can even understand people (kids) who found it boring, some people arent really readers when it comes to more challenging material. But please, please please... stop saying its racist.

Distinctive Heinlein style and he uses several themes that raise the eyebrows, to use the polite phrase
Heinlein is all over the map of plotlines in this novel, including some that are in the area that will raise the eyebrows. The main theme is a nuclear holocaust that sends a small group of people thousands of years into the future where they are forced to struggle for survival in a wilderness. In the course of this theme there are the secondary themes that a nuclear war is good for humanity because it will kill off most of the dullards that don't prepare, incest and humans being bred as cattle, including being butchered and eaten as quality food.
Hugh Farnham was a very practical man that paid close attention to the political tensions of the Cold War. In preparation, he built a secure shelter and stocked it with the necessities for survival. One night when his two children, another woman and his black houseboy are there with him and his wife, the alert is sounded of an immediate nuclear attack. They enter the shelter and feel the concussion of the nuclear weapons striking a key facility nearby. However, the last strike feels completely different from the first. After a time they dig themselves out of the shelter to discover they have been transported forward in time and the area is now uninhabited wilderness.
This begins their efforts at survival and trying to rebuild a civilization with only six people. Things go well at first, although Hugh has forgotten some things he has stocked enough key items to give them a reasonable chance. Furthermore, Hugh's daughter is pregnant with the child of another man, which will expand their gene pool considerably. After a time, they are discovered by the ruling society of Earth, which had its' origins in the generally undamaged southern hemisphere. It is an unusual society of gilded slavery with a ritualized caste structure. Hugh is not a man meant to be a slave, so while he does very well in his new surroundings, he yearns to chew his way out of his comfortable cage.
If you are familiar with Heinlein's other work, you could open this book to almost any position, read a few pages and recognize that it is by Heinlein. His dialog is very distinctive and the positions taken by Hugh are politically clear. There are times when the book meanders and the arguments that occur between Hugh and his son Duke often stretch the limits of believability. It seems clear that Heinlein included this antagonism so that he could express his opinions about the Cold War through them. It is a good book but I found myself reading it in stages, approximately 20-30 pages each sitting.
... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Slusser charts the course of Heinlein's development as a writer, from his days as a pulp hack to his enshrinement as a hero of the counter-culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stinker
If you are a Heinlein fan, save your money. This book is a real loser. ... Read more

Product Description
Robert A. Heinlein, the celebrated author of Stranger in a Strange Land, interrupts the lives of two ordinary people for a terrifying night-ride alo ng the interface between reality and . . . our world. "One of the grand masters of science fiction."--Wall Street Journal. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

a very unexpected Heinlein story
I have read just about everything Heinlein wrote. I love this guy. He is an author, like Vonnegut, best suited for young adults (15-25). I like to break his stories into two separate categories. First, his early work (Starship Troopers or Citizen of the Galaxy), these were intended for youngsters. They are great even as an adult, but you can see through the whimsical writing style as an older person. Then you have what I think of his post first encounter with mind altering drugs and his work like (Stranger in a Strange Land and The Cat who Walks Through Walls). Man these are dynamite stories. Lastly, he wrote just one or two books that dont fall into his usual writing styles. The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag is much more akin to a Philip K Dick novel than Heinlein.

The story is out there. Its a melding of early noir private eye (think of the movies Maltese Falcon or the Thin Man) & if you have read him Philip K Dicks' unusual Twilight Zone style early stories. This sounds like it would be just about perfect, at least to my ears, but its dragged down quite a bit by Heinlein's overly dry prose. By dry, I mean a style of writing that lacks depth of character.

The plot is pretty complicated and continues to get more complicated as it goes along. It starts off with a guy who hires a husband/wife private eye team to tell him what he does during the daytime. He can only remember what he does at night. The guy has two separate personalities.

Pretty soon the private eyes are confronted with creatures living in alternate universes that travel through mirrors, other characters frightened by something so badly that they wont talk about anything dealing with the split personality guy, and more.

For myself, its so odd to read this story, think that "wow, this was written only 70 years ago" and to see how much different society was then. Women had their place. Men acted a certain way. The writing conveys a totally different social norm than what we have today.

I would suggest this story if you are a person who likes Heinlein, Twilight Zone, or Philip K Dick. This will be a fun read. Otherwise, if you have not read anything by either of the authors, I would suggest instead trying 'The Cat Who Walks Through Walls' or 'Now Wait For Yesterday'.

Not Free SF Reader
This is also called 6xH, which isn't an exciting title, and the full explanation looks like Johnny Quick's magic superspeed formula :-

"6xH is considerably greater than other collections by "Brand X" authors (often squares).

Or, for the mathematically-inclined: 6xH=(f+sf)'nh
6xH>X2"

A group of stories headed in the fantasy direction, with Zombies the best.


Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag : The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag [SS] - Robert A. Heinlein
Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag : The Man Who Traveled in Elephants - Robert A. Heinlein
Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag : All You Zombies - Robert A. Heinlein
Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag : They - Robert A. Heinlein
Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag : Our Fair City - Robert A. Heinlein
Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag : And He Built a Crooked House - Robert A. Heinlein


Memory job is for the Birds, critically speaking.

2.5 out of 5


Show animals.

2.5 out of 5


Self-seduction time.

4 out of 5


Protest destiny.

3 out of 5


Whirlwind collection.

3 out of 5


Tesseract dwelling dodgy in earthquakes.

4 out of 5




2.5 out of 5

And he built a crooked tale ... !
Heinlein's 6xH is a collection of (would you believe it?) six of Heinlein's short stories ranging in tone from warmly optimistic and almost religious through paranormal mysticism all the way to hard core multi-dimensional (both space and time) sci-fi. Just as the tone and nature of the stories represent a wildly eclectic blend of plots and characters, the quality and credibility of the stories is all over the literary map as well! But, rest assured, it's all vintage Heinlein and will certainly appeal to Heinlein fans!

The centre piece of the collection, The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag (***), is a 125 page novella that, in a fashion vaguely reminiscent of Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, tells us of Hoag's total inability to recall what he does during the day. When he hires a very earthy and yet very warm and loving husband and wife team of detectives to follow him, we are treated to a sparkling story filled with superb dialogue, terrific suspense and first-rate characterization. Sadly, like a poorly written episode of The Twilight Zone, the story ultimately dissolves into a conclusion of meaningless metaphysical bafflegab that left me completely deflated as a reader and asking what happened.

The Man Who Traveled in Elephants (*****), in a remarkably small number of words, not only describes a positively astonishing cross section of 1940s American cultural snippets but also clearly delivers the message that happiness both here on earth and ultimately in a heavenly after-life is in the eye of the beholder. Warm, uplifting, charming, believable and well-delivered without a trace of religious or preachy overtones. Wonderful, indeed!

In "---All You Zombies---" (**), Heinlein has prepared a racy, adult-rated time travel tale that opens with a bartender, clearly a time traveler and recruiter for other potential time travelers, listening to a customer's tales of woe over his beer. Once again, Heinlein's dialogue is crisp and realistic as is the characterization but (and how ironic is this?) the story has not stood the test of time. Heinlein completely ignores the issue of time travel paradoxes and, as a result, the story ends up unresolved in a most unsatisfactory fashion.

They (***) presents a morbid, dark and probably realistic vision of serious mental illness, or at least debilitating paranoia from the point of view of the suffering patient. The twist at the conclusion of the tale, while entertaining, is perhaps just a little too predictable and, frankly, is not sufficiently resolved to be completely satisfying.

A whimsical flight of fancy, indeed, Our Fair City (*) tells the story of an animated whirlwind that seems to know its own mind and makes friends with Pete Perkins, an elderly all night parking attendant. While treating us to some truly inspired slapstick comedic moments, ultimately this childish whirlwind dwindles to a limpid zephyr and then just hits the doldrums.

On the other hand, "And He Built a Crooked House" (****), also clearly intended as a lighthearted fantasy with a bent towards comedy succeeds in a walk. Heinlein gives us an out on the edge California (where else?) architect with an extraordinarily imaginative idea for his clients - a new age house designed as eight cubes stacked in the shape of a tesseract. Imagine the confusion when, in the middle of the guided tour, they are jostled by an earthquake tremor and their brand new home somehow collapses into the fourth dimension and folds back up into a hypercube. At once, funny, mind-bending, tantalizing, novel and provocative.

An interesting, collection of stories that must be read by and I dare say will even appeal to diehard Heinlein fans in order for them to say they've read it all. But, for my money, I'll call it a very average rating overall as science fiction goes and a disappointment coming from the pen of a master such as Heinlein.

Heinlein visits the Twilight Zone
This collection of Heinlein stories includes stories that originally appeared in various pulp magazines during the '40's and
50's.These are not RAH's usual type of story, there are no resourceful adolescents, exotic aliens, or mischievious multicentarions to be found here.Instead these tales are darker, more macabre that RAH's more well known style.

The first, and longest selection, THE UNPLEASANT PROFESSION OF JONATHAN HOAG, concerns a man, Hoag, who cannot remember what he does during the day.He hires a private detective team to follow him to discover what he fears is his shameful secret.What they discover is something far different that any of them ever could have imagined.

THE MAN WHO TRAVELED IN ELEPHANTS involves a traveling salesman and his wife who have happily traveled across the country for years until death separates them, at least briefly.

"ALL YOU ZOMBIES" is the most 'typical' Heinlein in the book and concerns time travel and paradoxes, rather reminiscent to THE DOOR INTO SUMMER.

THEY is the most disturbing tale of the group.The hero is insane or perhaps not.

OUR FAIR CITY is a charming bit of urban fantasy, in keeping withTHE STAR BEAST.

"AND HE BUILT A CROOKED HOUSE" the final selection, is a chilling story about other dimension and is perhaps a forerunner to THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST.

For serious RAH fans this is a very interesting book, showing facets of his writing that are not often seen.Fans of specific parts of his work, say the juveniles or the Future History stories would probably be disappointed.Those new to RAH's work should be aware that these are not very representative of the rest of his work.Fans of the TWILIGHT ZONE, or THE OUTER LIMITS will be right at home.

Heinlein's Far Side
Much of Heinlein's early writing was tied to his envisioned Future History, but he had a few stories that didn't fit into that mold, stories that frequently showed a different side of Heinlein, a more mystical, musing, fantastical side than what appeared in his standard science fiction fare. The stories here are part of this very different group.

"The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathon Hoag" first appeared in the Oct 1942 edition of Unknown magazine, as by "John Riverside" (one of about six of Heinlein's pseudonyms). Mr. Hoag has a problem: in the evenings he finds a curious reddish residue under his fingernails, and no memory of what he was doing during the day to get that residue. So he hires a husband and wife team of detectives to follow him around and find out what is really going on. The trail leads to non-existent 13th floors, some very shadowy characters who are part of the Order of the Bird, and a conclusion that reality really isn't what we think it is. Some good suspense, reasonable characterization, but the final answer that Heinlein presents may leave you feeling a little let down, and I had difficulty believing in the scenario.

"They", first printed in the April 1941 issue of Unknown, is a minor classic. Here is paranoia run rampant; the main character just knows that everything around him is just a setup meant to keep him ignorant of the true state of the world. Of course, it's only paranoia if such a belief is incorrect... One of his better early stories.

"Our Fair City" first appeared in the Jan 1949 issue of Weird Tales, and is an out-and-out fantasy, with an intelligent whirlwind used as an instrument to bring down a corrupt city government. Mildly amusing but a pretty slight effort.

"The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" was apparently written in 1948, but didn't get published till Oct 1957 in Saturn magazine. When I first read this, I thought it was a totally unremarkable, very quiet story, detailing a man and his wife who travel to all the various county/state fairs; the sights, sounds, and exhibits of such affairs. By the end of the story it is clear that this is the man's version of heaven. Reading this again, I begin to wonder if this story is actually a key to Heinlein's personal beliefs about both the hereafter and the reasons for living, and the story is actually quite charming and heart-warming.

"...And He Built a Crooked House" first appeared in Feb 1941 issue of Astounding; as such it's the earliest work in this collection. It's all about an architect who designs and builds an 'exploded' three-dimensional version of a four-dimensional tesseract, then has it collapse into a real four-dimensional house when one of California's innumerable earthquakes strikes. A minor piece, though it will warp your mind a bit, and has some historical interest as the street where this house was supposedly built is the one Heinlein was living on when this was written.

"...All You Zombies" is the newest story here, first published in the March, 1959 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. It's also, for my money, the best and most inventive story of the bunch, and possibly the ultimate in time-travel stories. Starting from a bartender listening to one of his (male) customers complain about how tough life is in the "True Confession" writing racket, it proceeds to be the complete answer (at least for one person) to the question of the beginning of everything and to the inherent paradoxes of time travel. Warning: this is not a children's story, some of the situations described within it probably make it unsuitable for anyone younger than mid-teens.

As a group, these stories are a mixed bag. They show inventiveness in plot and theme, are all at least reasonably well written, but some cross the line of believability, others make too minor a point to be really good stories. Still, a very different set of stories from what some call the greatest science fiction writer, ever.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Unless you are Heinlein-obsessive, you can skip these two stories
These two early Heinlein tales have been sold as a package almost forever. And while they're not really awful, they are showing their age badly. There's nothing quite as tedious as lengthy descriptions of "future" technologies that never materialized! If you are a Heinlein completist, and feel you must read everything the man ever wrote, then go for it. Otherwise, you can easily skip this dated duo of stories and not worry that you've missed much.

VERY early stories for the determined fan only
This volume contains two very early (1940, 1942) stories that originally appeared in pulp magazines.They are interesting to fans of RAH only because they foreshadow some situations/characters/themes that will appear in later works in particular the origins of 'waldos' ie mechanical devices either remote controlled or independent, that take over various mundane or dangerous tasks for mankind.These appear repeatedly in RAH's later works and, like other of Heinlein's ideas, also have been adopted as a concept and term in the 'real' world.

The first story centers on Waldo, a genius born with a debilitating disease, who has managed to make his life bearable by his inventions.RAH outlines some of his philosophies on big business, life in low gravity, societal conventions and human adaptability here.He also deleves into the other dimensions/magic that resurface in his much later works.

The second work, Magic, Inc. uses the realm of magic as a means to expound on the mundane areas of business practices and politics, areas that RAH will revisit in later works.The basic premise is that magicians are employed by various businesses and are being formed into a union or a mafia depending on your point of view.This idea of 'magik in the mundane world' has also taken route and now, 50 plus years later, has several authors using this premise.

This is definitely NOT the place to begin reading RAH's works.It is significant that this book is currently out of print and that RAH wrote one of the stories under a pen name.

Then & Now
Heinlein was in many ways ahead of his time. This book, actually two novels have finally come into their own in the first part of the 21st century. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at some of the reader's comments as to the tepid nature of the Waldo story, and the "Fantasy" aspect of the latter Magic, Inc.

To begin it must be pointed out that one thing nobody mentioned is the term "Waldo", used to refer to those mechanical arms so prevalent in 50/60's science fiction. Today we see endless mechanical devices used in games, in television & movies, especially the Japanese Manga. On a serious note congress recently authorized millions in appropriations to fund development of remote manipulator robots for the modern battlefield... and lets not forget those little robots busily wandering the surface of mars, if they do find Life, you can bet that the entire effort at exploration will remain out of possible harms way, with the 21st century version of a Waldo.
Now as to magic? Two words, Nano & Femto technology.
These areas are currently cutting edge, and both will provide just such a "magical" backdrop for the commerce conducted in the 21st century. Doors that talk, devices that morph into other things, spoken commands, and the NECESSITY of a well trained group of "wizards" to control them, (when was the last time you really knew how that talking watch worked, did you really care? NO! It just worked) and to repair them when they stop working.
Heinlein was correct when he penned stories with people (or Person with Disability, in Waldo's case) confronting, and overcoming difficulties. Real life is now catching up to him... and the situations, and personalities of the people involved are very much true to life. (The founder of the Independent Living Movement, Ed Roberts, was very much like Waldo)
Good books... worth a read in these modern times.

Heinlein takes an early detour into fantasy
Here's something a little different from Heinlein, two extended stories from the early 1940s which incorporate significant helpings of fantasy."Waldo" is by far the better of the two selections.Waldo F. Jones is a brilliant engineer and all-around genius, but he doesn't get along well with people.Born with essentially no muscle control, he began inventing gadgets to help him perform common tasks as a child, and his inventions soon translated into commercial products.He considers his fellow men to be rather ignorant "apes" who rely on him to continue living out their frivolous existences; only one man, Grimes, the doctor who delivered him, has direct contact with him in his free-floating home in space.Away from the curse of gravity, Waldo is able to move around comfortably and make use of all sorts of gizmos of his own design to help him carry out his work.He is a problem-solver of last resort; he always gets results, but his cold manner and contemptible attitude make him a hard man to deal with.Power plant engineer James Stevens has little choice but to come to Waldo--the whole power supply of the country could fail at any time, and no one can figure out why the infallible power sources are failing.Grimes talks him into working on another problem in conjunction with the project-getting rid of radiated energy that he deems harmful to mankind.With a little help from a mysterious old man, Waldo discovers not only a solution to both problems but an entirely new way to understand reality.

"Magic, Inc." is pure fantasy.Virtually all businesses rely on magic to some degree, but there is a mysterious effort afoot to form a magic regulatory council, one capable of monopolizing magic, running out of businesses any magicians who refuse to join and inflating the prices of magical services rendered.Archie finds his hardware store threatened and then trashed when he refuses to sign up for magical protection.Just as the citizens begin examining the danger posed by such regulation of magic, the government seeks to ratify the plan and make it the law of the land.Archie and his magically-inclined friend Jenson team up with an ancient, benign witch and an African witch doctor to put an end to the danger by exposing the reality behind its conception, even if it means going to hell to confront the very demon responsible for the trouble.

Both stories fall below Heinlein's normal standards, but "Waldo" proves fairly fascinating up until the closing pages when magic is turned loose in the world."Magic, Inc." is just rather uninspired.Still, it is interesting to see another side of Heinlein's work.Since both stories fall short of wowing the reader, I would recommend reading this book only after becoming acquainted with Heinlein's more famous, visionary, and enjoyable science fiction.This is fairly atypical, unimpressive storytelling from science fiction's greatest writer.

3 and 1/2 Stars
Both of the stories in this book are a departure from Heinlein's usual work, and neither are entirely successful. Heinlein was never one for truly "hard" science fiction, but the two stories here are distinctly fantasy. The first, Waldo, is the better and far more imaginative of the two. The plot and premise is highly original, and the character of Waldo is an interesting one. However, this is one of Heinlein's earliest stories and the writing style present in it pales in comparison to later efforts, and may be disappointing to those who have read a significant portion of his later work. The same goes also for Magic Inc., although here the premise is less interesting. Not a bad book by any means, but Heinlein has better. Only hard-core fans need apply here, for the newcomer to RAH he has much better to offer. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a fantastic collection of unusual fiction, written by the outstanding author of stories of the future. Robert A. Heinlein gives free reign to his stimulating imagination in these superb stories about the unexplored realms of the mind and the fascinating possibilities of new worlds ahead. Includes: Gulf, Elsewhen, Lost Legacy, and Jerry Was A Man. ... Read more

Product Description
A reprint of a science fiction tale, by the author of "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls". Set 5000 years in the future, John Rico, a starship trooper and his men, scour the metal-strewn emptiness of space to hunt down the enemy - an insect life form that threatens the future of mankind. ... Read more