heinlein

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That warm and fuzzy feeling

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(I’ve very, very, very slowly been re-reading Heinlein. Previous posts are here.)

Heinlein’s The Number of the Beast might just be my all-time favorite of his adult novels. No, it’s not the writing, although it does clip along with that Heinleinian efficiency and knack for phrase. No, it’s not how seamlessly Heinlein creates new worlds and how smoothly he signifies their subtle difference from our own. No, it’s not the ...Read More

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Pack up your hoe, honey. We're going to Ganymede.

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I’ve been slacking on my re-read of Heinlein’s works. Since I’m not going at it in any systematic way, I tend to wait until the mood strikes me and no other titles are more vigorously demanding my attention. I’d expected to get quite a few more titles re-read this summer but the days have been full and I have been lazy. But Farmer in the Sky was a great choice ...Read More

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An itch that had to be scratched

locusmag 6 Comments , , , , , , , , , ,

After my recent reread of Heinlein’s Double Star, I couldn’t resist revisiting John Varley’s The Golden Globe.*

Like Star, Globe is about a down on his luck actor. Kenneth “Sparky” Valentine made his nut on Luna as the kid star of a kid show. Right as Valentine is transitioning into adult roles, he is entangled in a crime and forced to run to the outer planets, where he works under
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Insert “Star” Pun Here

locusmag 5 Comments , , , , , ,

Thanks to yesterday’s northeastern Snowmageddon, I was able to plow through a re-read of Heinlein’s Double Star. In short: More than 50 years past initial publication, this Hugo Award Winner holds up and remains an enjoyable read.*

Most of its endurance can be explained by the book’s focus on one character, the Great Lorenzo Smythe, rather than on the technology around him. Smythe is a down on his luck actor,
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more later…

locusmag 6 Comments , , , ,

Yes, I’m still stuck on Heinlein.

Two small things recently wandered across my field of vision, tunnel-like as it is with the start of classes:
1) io9’s Josh Wimmer talked about the Catcher in the Rye-ness of Stranger in a Strange Land. I mostly agree with him. You?
2) Does anyone know if there are Heinlein universe fan stories that use the same characters/settings? Any Friday/Kettlebelly Baldwin slash? Or is
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Walking the Glory Road

locusmag 14 Comments , , , , , ,

During the long, long break, I re-read Glory Road. And, again, by way of caveat, there is no particular reason – other than sheer whimsy – I chose this particular title off of my Heinlein shelf.

Glory Road, for the uninitiated (or those who need a refresher), concerns the journey of a hero, E.C. “Oscar” Gordon as he reclaims an item of power* for a very important woman, Star, who
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RAH heirs?

locusmag 19 Comments , , , ,

Since Heinlein’s death — actually, well before he died but the situation became more acute post-mortem — the genre has been trying to find the writer who will replace the Grand Master. Various names have been bandied about. Spider Robinson has long been a contender and was tapped to finish, Variable Star, a partial manuscript Heinlein left behind. Charlie Stross’s Saturn’s Children was an homage/pastiche/tribute of Heinlein’s Friday. John Scalzi’s ...Read More

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More RAH rereading

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Since Citizen of the Galaxy held up so well, I reread The Star Beast over the weekend. IMO, the years have been less kind to this tale.

[Warning: spoilers ahead.]
John Thomas — the most recent iteration in a series of John Thomases — was left Lummox, the titular star beast, by his father. Who was left the beast by his father. And so on, back at least a century
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Because it was there

locusmag 40 Comments , , ,

Over the weekend, I re-read Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy.

I use the word “re-read” loosely, however; I am certain that I read it as a teenager but have no memory of the plot, characters or themes. This may be the first post in a series about the RAH books I read during those years – which would be all of the ones published before 1983ish – but can’t remember
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Gateway drugs

locusmag 18 Comments , , , , ,

I remember the moment like it happened yesterday.

Actually, given that I’ve reached that age where I can barely remember yesterday, I remember this pivotal moment like it happened mere seconds ago. In fact, it happened more than 25 years ago.
I was an early almost-teenager. I was also, like many reading this now, a voracious reader who checked a dozen books out of the library every week and devoured
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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

locusmag 3 Comments

I don’t get to reread much anymore. But every once in a while, a reprint crosses my desk that I can’t resist. Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Gollancz) which I read in 1966 when it came out and probably reread in the ’70s when I still had time, was one. Heinlein’s reputation, since his death in 1988, has gone downhill somewhat, with objections to his women characters, his ...Read More

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