Message-ID: <3506@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Jul-83 11:22:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3506
Posted: Wed Jul 27 11:22:42 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 29-Jul-83 06:34:15 EDT
Lines: 44

next comes a lot of mundane chapters
about a bunch of people running around nude in an uninhabited paradise
(these chapters seem strongly influenced by Earth Abides).  So far it's
not too bad, but after about a year in paradise, these people are taken
into custody by a black race that has taken over the world.  These
people use whites for slaves, castrate everyone over the age of 18, and
to top it all off, they're cannibals.  At the end of the book, Heinlein
decides to add yet another element of hokey science fiction, by having
the hero and his adultress return home via a time machine.  Pure art,
eh?
		After reading this book, I figured I must have stumbled onto one of
his poorer works, so I read what I had understood to be one of the few
real SF classics - Stranger in a Strange Land.  When I was halfway
through the book, I forgave Heinlein for Farnham's Freehold.  The story
of a modern-day Martian- human come to earth was extremely fast-paced
and very well thought out.  Heinlein was very consistent and believable
in his portrayal of the Martian's introduction to humanity.  He very
effectively, yet subtly, pointed out most of man's less attractive
idiosynchrosies through the eyes of the naive Valentine Michael Smith.
However, for me, the book ended as soon as Smith's accounts had been
settled by his friend, Jubal.  Everything had been cleared up - the
loose ends had been tied.  There was no room for any more suspense,
mystery, or action.  The Martian was free to fully adapt to human
culture.  It was like one of those books you never want to end; the only
difference was that this one didn't.  For some reason, Heinlein used the
next 200 pages as a guide to his version of interstellar philosophy.
Actually I couldn't figure out if Heinlein believed the same things that
Smith did, or whether he was just writing for lack of anything better to
do. Maybe I missed something, but wasn't it kind of silly for Heinlein
to dedicate several portions of this book to glimpses into heaven, where
we saw God (Foster) and his angels hard at work influencing the ways of
man?  This would have been fine if it had had undertones of irony or
sarcasm, but it didn't.
		I guess what I can't figure out is whether Heinlein is supposed to be
a serious writer or a writer of junk or a cynical, sarcastic writer
using his books as propaganda for his own beliefs.  I would appreciate
it if somebody would tell me, because then I would know in what light to
read his books.  I have been very disappointed by Heinlein so far,
because he always turns the tables one time too often.  He starts off a
book by getting his reader thoroughly involved, and then it's as if he
laughs in the reader's face by making a serious story into something
else.
				Confused and disappointed,
					Jeremy Goodell   (Goodell.es)

Message-ID: <3608@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Jul-83 14:11:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3608
Posted: Fri Jul 29 14:11:56 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 1-Aug-83 08:56:24 EDT
Lines: 29

I think one of the reasons for Heinlein's broad popularity is
his excellent juvenile SF books.  Along with some of Andre Norton's
stuff, they set the high water mark for that particular genre.
Titles I remember fondly include Red Planet, Rolling Stones, Between
Planets, Starman Jones, Citizen of the Galaxy and Star Beast.  These
were well crafted books, and popular with school librarians.  In other
words, a lot of current SF readers grew up with Heinlein.

Whichever of his adult offerings you try, you won't escape at least
of modicum of didacticism, and RAH's world view (in its various
evolutions) doesn't have the broad appeal of, say, Richard Bach's.
Some of the adult works that have least the character of philosophical
tracts include Double Star, Puppet Masters, Podkayne of Mars (which in
my view qualifies both as juvenile and adult fiction due to its unusual
plot vehicle), and Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

It's hard to understand Heinlein's popularity (or his place in the
development of SF literature and the SF audience) without looking at
his short stories, particularly those in the "Future History" Series.
Anthologies of particular interest include Green Hills of Earth, The
Man Who Sold the Moon, The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
(repackaged and republished under the title 6 X H, I believe) and The
Menace From Earth.

Cheers,

Frank Zdybel

P.S. Farnham's Freehold is perhaps my least favorite of Heinlein's books.

Message-ID: <236@auvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Aug-83 20:04:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: auvax.236
Posted: Mon Aug 22 20:04:54 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Aug-83 23:08:28 EDT
References: sri-arpa.3716
Lines: 17



I find I like Heinlein's early stuff but somewhere around Podkayne of Mars
he started to fall down.  He went 180 degrees farther right while becoming
more interested in sex and libertarianism.

I found I no longer liked them.  I tend to be a pervert but his sexual tastes
were too much for me.  I lean to the left - common in Europe, occasionally
seen in Canada and unheard of in the USA - and he just went too far the other
way for me.

Stranger in a Strange Land had its moments however.

Time Enough for Love was a total loss.


Richard Loken

Message-ID: <169@spock.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Feb-85 10:23:01 EST
Article-I.D.: spock.169
Posted: Tue Feb 12 10:23:01 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Feb-85 04:38:02 EST
References: <503@topaz.ARPA>
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT.
Lines: 4

For all of you devoted fans of Robert A Heinlein, I reccomend strongly
his latest book: J.O.B. - A COMEDY OF JUSTICE. It is a parody of the
story of Job in the bible. I think it is one of his best yet. Also, has
anyone read Doug Adams latest? SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH?