What is your favorite book? (Robert A Heinlein)

[Perpetual Man]

I'm going to agree with Cloud, I loved (ho ho) Time Enough For Love, particularly the character of Lazarus Long. Closely followed by The Man Who Sold The Moon (Short stories if I recall) and Methusalah's Children (That Long fellow appears again)

[Snowdog]

When I was younger, it was Starship Troopers, with Glory Road just behind. Having re-read most of them recently, I see Starship Troopers with a different eye and it has been relegated behind The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. Glory Road still comes second.

[The Technophobe]

The Moon is Harsh Mistress is by far his best - it's the only one I still have -but, to be objective, I had better read them agian and report back-

[The Ace]

"The past through tomorrow," visionary, entertaining and thought-provoking, and as for, "The green, green hills of Earth," Sheer class!

[OldBrownShoe08]

First post here, seems life a good forum and I'm glad to find others who like Heinlein as well.

I've got to go with, "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" as his best. Heinlein's amazing inventiveness in creating the creole language is very refreshing. When I first picked up the book I had to reread a page a couple of times to figure out what was being said, but, by the end I found myself thinking in the choppy sentences in which the characters speak. It is also a very good example of Heinlein's overall message of freedom and, of course, TANSTAAFL.

On a slightly different track I have to say that, "The Number of the Beast" is my least favorite of Heinlein's stories. It seems like he is constantly preaching about his concept of the total authority of a captain in space and, while the idea seems correct, it often feels like he is beating a dead horse. The character of Hilda in particular seems very whiny until she goes over to the extraordinary authority way of thought, at which point everyone is convinced of the captain's authority, but there are even more speeches about it.

Does anybody have any differing opinions on "Moon" or "Number of the Beats" anything that could help me to enjoy "Beat" more?

[j. d. worthington]

On Number of the Beast -- I'd say it's among Heinlein's weakest works; though some of his early work (such as Sixth Column which, I understand, was written more to John W. Campbell's specifications than Heinlein's own preferences) are a bit further down. Nonetheless, I find there are things I like about Beast; the often self-parodic humor in it (reflected in part by the fact that quite a few character names are actually Heinleinian pseudonyms or anagrams of such, as well as various portions of the novel where he sends himself up no little), some of the concepts and the way they are handled I enjoyed, etc. (On the names aspect mentioned above, see Leon Stover's Robert A. Heinlein; one of the few very positive critical reviews of Heinlein; unfortunately given to serious flaws. But there is an appendix in there, as I recall, which goes into this aspect of Number of the Beast.)

It's been quite a long time since I read the book (going on 20 years now), so perhaps I should revisit it before giving an opinion; but while I agree that it has its tedious aspects, I enjoyed the book overall. Still, I'd agree that it's one of his lesser works....

[Krusty]

have space suit will travel. I love his dad in this book.

[engelbach]

The Puppet Masters has always been my favorite. It's the best work of its kind about pods taking over humanity. Unfortunately, the Donald Sutherland film of it completely missed its ironic tone and the sense of horror that was done so well in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers films.

Adventure stories such as Starship Troopers and Have Spaceship, Will Travel were written for a juvenile audience, primarily to make money. But even as a juvenile I found them thin on the wit that made his adult early work so compelling.

His time travel stuff is especially engaging. The Door Into Summer is a wonderful novel replete with clever paradoxes. And the best time travel paradox tale of all time is his short story All You Zombies, in which by means of time travel and changing identities every character in the story is the same person.

In later life Heinlein grew soft and lost his edge. Stranger in a Strange Land fit in with the social movements of its time, became very popular, and made him a lot of money, but in my opinion it's mush.

[Moebius Tripper]

Other than the sci-fi novel I just wrote, I would say my favorite sci-fi novel would have to be: "TIME AND AND AGAIN," by Jack Finney...He also wrote the great sci-fi novel: "INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS."

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Moebius Tripper

Other than the sci-fi novel I just wrote, I would say my favorite sci-fi novel would have to be: "TIME AND AND AGAIN," by Jack Finney...He also wrote the great sci-fi novel: "INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS."

Query, though: What is your favorite Heinlein book (assuming you have one, of course)...

[pyan]

Starship Troopers.

And for those that have heard it dismissed as fascist warmongering, I suggest you read this.

[Liz Pf]

Add me to the list of Moon is a Harsh Mistress fans ... it was the first Heinlein I read (sneaking into my parent's bedroom to read my dad's copy while he was at work), and still my favorite.

I also like Job and Friday, as plot-driven novels.

I also lie to read some of RAH's less well written books -- not because they are good reads, because they aren't, but for the ideas and concepts RAH talks about in them. I place Number of the Beast... and To Sail Beyond the Sunset here. As entertainment, they stink, but as a collection of short essays on human nature, politics, and philosophy, they are interesting.

I am not a fan of Stranger ... but I did find the unedited version a better read. The restored material helped me understand the motivations of the characters -- without it, I found they often acted in irrational ways.

--Liz
professional polymath and errant Heinlein quote t-shirt designer

[j. d. worthington]

You know, I think that's the thing about Heinlein. In some ways, he's like David Lindsay; very uneven even within the same book. He can be alternately brilliant and atrocious within the same work... yet there's enough of genuine artistic worth there to make even his failures worth reading because you do come away a little richer even from those than if you'd never read them. And for me, I find that the "richer" can actually be quite a bit... often because he and I are almost diametrically opposed on our views on many (but by no means all) things, so he sometimes frustrates and irritates me into thinking my position through more stringently... and this, to me, is always a good thing....

[Urlik]

difficult choice
I enjoy rereading all of them (even NOTB although it is weaker towards the end)
I suppose it would have to be Time Enough for Love, Glory Road, Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress in no particular order and rereading based on current mood and how long ago I last read them

although there is one book that I read a long time ago and lost
they were all living on a colony ship that had been in space for several generations.
I really enjoyed it but I have no clue as to its title.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Urlik

... there is one book that I read a long time ago and lost
they were all living on a colony ship that had been in space for several generations.
I really enjoyed it but I have no clue as to its title.

Orphans of the Sky, comprised of "Universe" and "Common Sense"....