Robert A. Heinlein

[HansBraggart]

I have read a few of this author's books. I enjoyed some (The Door Into Summer), I struggled to finish some (Starship Troopers) and I gave up on others (I Will Fear No Evil, Stranger in a Strange Land, Have Spacesuit Will Travel). Yet, I am continually drawn back to him because of his depth and compelling themes.

 

I am currently giving Revolt in 2100 a try.

 

What do you other Rebels think of this author?

[MariahSnow]

I read Stranger in a Strange Land a while ago and it was great. I haven't read any others but I should. Which book is your favorite so far?

[HansBraggart]

my favorite is The Door Into Summer. it is a romantic time travel story that is peppered with disdain for corporatism and love for cats!

 

Starship Troopers is, as you may guess, different from the movie. both versions have the same premise, but the book focuses more on the ideology for Heinlein is known. it is very dry and preachy, but it is good.

 

i am downloading an 8-gig torrent full of Heinlein audiobooks, so i foresee my Heinlein cred to increase in the future!

[concretecavewoman]

I've read Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. 

 

Stranger in a Strange Land was great, until the last quarter where I felt like it veered into a bit of Atlas Shrugged-off-the-deep-end territory.

 

The most pleasant surprise was The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which I found engaging from start to finish.  Rebellion, and PR, and ethnic harmony!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

I liked Moon is a Harsh Mistress quite a lot, it had his ideology in there (which I don't mind) but was wrapped in a compelling plot and interesting characters.  I read Have Spacesuit will travel when I was a kid, I seem to remember it being good but didn't realize it was Heinlein till now. I may take another look at it.

[HansBraggart]

it fascinates me how he transitioned from writing pulp sci-fi, that oozed with aspirational virility (Have Spacesuit WIll Travel, Rocket Ship Galileo, etc), to sci-fi that compelled the reader to think deeply (Stranger in a Strange Land, Moon is a Harsh Mistress, I Will Fear No Evil).

[vortexofsleep]

One of my favorite books when I was young was Tunnel in the Sky, although I haven't read it for many years now.  I didn't even realize Heinlein wrote it until a few years ago.  It's considered "young adult" science fiction; the storyline is about students who are transported to a uninhabited planet for a "survival exam" for school and then get stuck there.  I was just thinking I should read it again because survival stories are really shaping my goals for NF.

 

I did like the bulk of Stranger in a Strange Land, but yeah, the end part got a bit out there.

[HansBraggart]

I did like the bulk of Stranger in a Strange Land, but yeah, the end part got a bit out there.

 

that is how i felt about Have Spacesuit Will Travel. I liked it until it got so farfetched and convoluted.

[Oogiem]

One of my favorite books when I was young was Tunnel in the Sky, although I haven't read it for many years now. 

Its still one of my favorite books. and I just re-read it for the umteenth time. Part of planning what goes in my BOB bag ;-)

[Oogiem]

R.A.H. is one of my favorite authors. His books are the ones I turn to for comfort and to make me re-think life. I have

 every thing he ever wrote, sometimes on my 3rd-4th or I think 6th copy depending on the book. I am slowly buying kindle version and taking the DRM off them so I can read them again and again w/o buying a new paperback. 

 

I love his later strong women characters, Friday and Deja Thoris for example. But I also like the way he makes you think. SOme of his non-fiction are also good, his address to the graduating class at the Naval Academy and his article on Rare Blood types are great. His book on how to take back your government, long out of print, is now avail on kindle and is an interesting treatise on how to make your votes count in the political arena. He was very active politically for a number of years and while some of what he proposes is not PC and it is way before computers it is still useful. Since I am being forced to become more involved in politics due to threats to our farm I've found his notes and comments accurate, disturbingly so I might ad. 

[jammon1372]

I've read Starship Troopers, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and enjoyed both of them.  I thought the The Moon dragged a bit in the negotiations but otherwise good books.  

[Laureleye]

Though RAH has demi-god status in the SF world, I've never thought that much of work as a whole.  I consider The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to be his best.  Too many of his books, such as The Number of the Beast and The Cat that walked through Walls  lose focus 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through - sort of petering out rather than ending.  I will say that his characters tend to be very well drawn.  Heresy???

[HansBraggart]

i just started listening to Tunnel in the Sky in audiobook format. it's ok so far, but not keeping my on the edge of my carseat.

[AuntAbby]

I'm a big fan. I read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress about once a year, but I think my favorite (so far) is The Cat Who Walks through Walls. I've also read Stranger in a Strange Land, Time Enough for Love, To Sail Beyond the Sunset and a couple others that I'm drawing a blank on. I've started Have Spacesuit, Will Travel (need to finish) and started and stalled on Starship Troopers.

[sethyang]

Heinlein's weird. "Friday" is hyper-libertarian but "Starship Troopers" seems to advocate fascism. I didn't believe it the first time I heard they were written by the same author.

 

Those works are both incredible science fiction, along with "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress."

 

Mike is one of my favorite fictional computers.

[katkiv]

One of my favorite things about Heinlein is being able to read his life progression in each of his novels. They are (obviously) quite political, and are a really excellent reflection of the state of the world at the time they were written. It also helps that he was a tad off his rocker.

My favorites are The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers. I didn't love Stranger in a Strange Land, although I really wanted to. It was worth reading and I can certainly see how it was so controversial, but I just didn't love it. I do enjoy the fact that it is basically the hippies' handbook, written by a rather hardcore conservative (in the non-hippie sense).

[spaceamber]

I'm listening to Starship Troopers at the moment... It is completely different (and better) than the movie was! Pleasantly surprised!

[Kevin Mack]

Liked Starship Troopers. Stranger was too much of a hedonistic fantasy for me. Tunnel in the Sky was good except for the ending. My favorite is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which is like Atlas Shrugged but 1/144th the length.

[j-squared]

Starship Troopers is great, every middle schooler should read it.

 

I vaguely remember reading Friday, and there is one part in it where Heinlein basically described Google and the internet. Cool stuff.

[Thetemplarreservist]

I read Starship troopers once a year love it wish they would make a faithful adaption of it.

[Oogiem]

Starship Troopers is great, every middle schooler should read it.

 

I vaguely remember reading Friday, and there is one part in it where Heinlein basically described Google and the internet. Cool stuff.

When Friday retired briefly from courier duty and became the person feeding the elephants child aka following any rabbit trail she wanted to when asked questions. I love that part and yes, very google like. 

[Maj. Bloodnok]

I used to be a big fan of Heinlein, but not so much any more.  "Farnham's Freehold" really destroyed any respect I might have had for him as an author.  It's helpful to remember that he suffered a stroke midway through writing "Stranger in a Strange Land", and it affected his writing. Even with his earlier works, his racial and sexual politics are execrable.  Yes, he writes female characters that are intelligent and physically strong, but deep down inside they really want a man to pat them on the head and treat them like 'the little woman' (Star in 'Glory Road', Dora in 'Time Enough for Love', etc.).  Don't even get me started on Johann Smith's butler in 'I Will Fear No Evil' (illiterate shuffling caricature).

 

I much prefer Harry Harrison as a political SF writer.