This book didn't age well. Written in 1951 probably for a teen to 20-something male audience, it maybe reflects how genders behaved towards one anotheThis book didn't age well. Written in 1951 probably for a teen to 20-something male audience, it maybe reflects how genders behaved towards one another but not very appealing 73 years later. And I thought the 70s were gross. I understand books are often a product of when they were written but the sexism in this is over the top compared to other Golden Age science fiction I've read.
Heinlein presents a really neat concept: some extraterrestrial slugs (nicknamed the Masters) first land in Iowa and begin taking over humans by crawling up their backs and taking over their brain functions, and also have access to that person's knowledge. Tricksy! Our three main characters show up to investigate the spacecraft and the plot proceeds with our heroes spearheading a full on battle against the Masters. The group is lead by the Old Man, a super-smart former military guy who always seems to be one step ahead of the other two. Next is his prized agent Sam, a dashing tough guy who also narrates the book and never misses and opportunity to describe the physical attributes of the women he meets. Lastly is Mary, also a top secret agent, who is always packing several weapons and who we are initially lead to believe is physically and mentally tough.
About two-thirds of the way through the plot started getting weirder. For instance, in the US it is determined that everyone must walk around naked so it can be determined whether or not they are wearing a slug. And then Mary finally succumbs to Sam's advances and becomes his puppet as well. She goes from a kick-ass secret agent to a quivering subservient sex object. And look out if Sam gets mad
So to sum it up - cool idea, pretty well told tale, but some of what went on took me out of the story at times.
This was a freebie on Audible and the narration by Bronson Pinchot was pretty good except Mary's voice became a bit too breathy and meek by the end....more
Double Star was a fun surprise. I grabbed this as a freebie on Audible and went in not knowing a thing about it. I'm not a big Heinlein fan but boy, IDouble Star was a fun surprise. I grabbed this as a freebie on Audible and went in not knowing a thing about it. I'm not a big Heinlein fan but boy, I sure liked this. What really brought this to life was the phenomenal narration by Bronson Pinchot, who you've probably seen in a number of popular movies. He did a masterful job portraying the smarmy main character, actor Lorenzo Smythe (The Great Lorenzo) and impressively altered his voice to make the secondary characters all sound unique. I especially enjoyed his speaking style for the serious, all-business, oft-irritated Penny which he seemed to deliver talking through his teeth Clint Eastwood-style. What a performance this whole novel was.
The novel is told first person through the eyes of Lorenzo who is hired by some high ranking spacemen to impersonate an important politician from Earth, John Bonforte, who had been kidnapped by some political enemies. The problem is that Bonforte is running in an important election and the election could be lost if Bonforte were to disappear. They needed a stand in until the real Bonforte was released. The pay is good for the down-and-out actor so he agrees to some feature-altering prosthetics and procedures, and learns the speech and mannerisms of Bonforte until he has it down perfectly.
In the future solar system the novel is set in the Moon, Venus, and some other moons have been colonized by humans (with Martians living on Mars) with the solar system's capital located on the Earth's Moon. The main issue in the election is granting Martians the right to vote. Bonforte is for the Martians having the right to vote but many others in the solar system look down upon the Martians and are against giving them a voice. One of Smythe's first tasks as the double is to travel to Mars and make a speech. Not really having been in space before, it was fun seeing Smythe struggle with the physical difficulties of space travel, attempt to deceive everyone but his small group of aides, and change personally as he saw things through a wider lens than the merely from Earth-centric view he was accustomed to. The ending was a bit of a surprise.
This was written in 1956 and it feels a bit like it. Social norms reflect the period and some of the extrapolated "future" technology is off like in any other science fiction book written around the golden era of science fiction. But the story is really fun and unique. This is probably my favorite Heinlein book so far. ...more
Orphans of the Sky is a story set upon a generation starship called the Vanguard. Much like in previous generation ship novels I've read such as Bova'Orphans of the Sky is a story set upon a generation starship called the Vanguard. Much like in previous generation ship novels I've read such as Bova's The Exiles Trilogy, Bear's Hull Zero Three, and Aldiss's Non-Stop things don't quite go as planned during the long trip and over the years the inhabitants' society regresses. Eventually science knowledge is lost and the the inhabitants become a bit more primitive than their ancestors who first set out on the quest to settle new worlds. The passengers have no idea where they are going or why.
In Heinlein's novel, the ship's inhabitants are divided in to the scientists, who live on the lower decks, and the mutants live on the upper decks under less gravity. The scientists maintain the ship and grow food although they have no idea why or that there is even anything outside the ship. The mutants, or "muties" are lesser in number and rely on savaging, stealing, and cannibalism to get by. When protagonist and scientist apprentice Hugh finds information which reveals the true intention and nature of the Vanguard he tries to convince leadership to investigate areas of the ship in order to solve the secrets which no one has questioned for a long time. The trouble is is that the muties are in the way.
I thought this was entertaining and the science was really well done considering when it was written. It was officially published in 1963 but parts of it were written in the 1950s. The ship was a cool mystery in itself and the ending was satisfying. At times I had questions, like how they fed all the people during the long journey, but like with other science fiction you just have to accept things as they are and immerse yourself in the story. It's fiction after all. 3.5 stars....more
Starman Jones contains too many science fiction tropes to count. I don't know how many years went by in protagonist Max's life during this course of tStarman Jones contains too many science fiction tropes to count. I don't know how many years went by in protagonist Max's life during this course of this novel, but geez, he was wrung through every science fiction crisis there was by the end. This was written in 1953 so it was nostalgic to spend time in Heinlein's future world with luxury tourist spaceships, human astronavigators, and "advanced" computers. Some of the 1950s outdated social norms were on display as well as you would expect.
Overall, this was an OK listen so I give it two stars. It held my attention and the plot moved along at a nice pace, although I think it got too convoluted towards the end. Richard Powers' narration was really good. I would've eaten this up if I had read this in the 1970s. ...more
I read a couple of Heinlein's novels and enjoyed them. I was surprised that I really didn't like his short stories. I read a couple of Heinlein's novels and enjoyed them. I was surprised that I really didn't like his short stories. ...more
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