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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I remember shaking my head at how crazy the billionaire was in Moon for trying to gain ownership of the celestial object. His trickeries and loopholes made for a fun read, although I can't recall much of them anymore.
As for Orphans, I feel like I remember the story but I can't recall anything. I may need to re-read this. I'm sure I liked it as it's Heinlein.
As for Orphans, I feel like I remember the story but I can't recall anything. I may need to re-read this. I'm sure I liked it as it's Heinlein.
funny
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol
Minor: Gaslighting, Colonisation
medium-paced
The stories ranged from decent to good, but I'm not a big short story fan, and in general, I found myself feeling dissatisfied at the end of each story.
I was considering getting rid of the RAH "future history" collections but this made me hesitate. The Roads Must Roll remains one of the best shorts. Characters are a bit thin...they're more bundles of motivations and ideas...but the man puts together such a driving story of just about any length. I think the particular brand of libertarianism that has picked up Heinlein's flag needs to look back at things such as his respect for labor--although his political affiliation did change over time. There's a quote I couldn't dig back up, disparaging businessmen who expect the government to guarantee the continued success of their business model, a real indictment of robber baronism. Another good one: "Functionalism was particularly popular among little people everywhere who could persuade themselves that their jobs were the indispensible ones, and that, therefore, under the 'natural order' they would be top dog. With so many different functions actually indispensible such self-persuasion was easy."
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
short stories.
(the sexism in the short story “let there be light” is especially eggregious, some might have difficulty seeing beyond it. i suggest skipping it entirely, but it’s slightly interesting because heinlein uses a lot of hippie language in the dialogue, very odd.)
“the man who sold the moon” followed by its “requiem” are the best of these 4 stories. requiem is beautiful in places.
(the sexism in the short story “let there be light” is especially eggregious, some might have difficulty seeing beyond it. i suggest skipping it entirely, but it’s slightly interesting because heinlein uses a lot of hippie language in the dialogue, very odd.)
“the man who sold the moon” followed by its “requiem” are the best of these 4 stories. requiem is beautiful in places.
You can tell Heinlein had more of his heart in this one than in some of his other work - it's not hard to see that the title character is one of the heroes he created with whom he identified more closely than most. An exploration that's interesting, without getting too deep, of issues, opportunities, and developments the author anticipated in the commercialization of space, an era of history into which it looks as if we're just now finally beginning to move.
The Man Who Sold the Moon (the novella) felt too long, and the way the narrator* performed some of the characters was a little aggravating. However, it was worth it for Requiem which made me cry like a baby, and the back story.
I've read none of Heinlein's works in order, so I already knew that Harriman didn't get to go to the moon - officially - and that another character (Maureen Johnson in [b:To Sail Beyond the Sunset|354|To Sail Beyond the Sunset|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440996170s/354.jpg|347280]) speculated/hoped that he got there somehow. (I could also be remembering wrong - maybe she heard a rumor?) The story starts out by detailing a makeshift grave marker, and then there's Harriman, old and so pitiful about his deepest wish to go to the moon that of course you knew that was his grave. I was pretty sure he was going to die on the way, but found myself sobbing with relief that his broken body rested on the moon's surface before he died.
Because I read things out of order, this was just fun to meet the people who are mentioned so often, even if it's just by name, referring to something they invented (like the Douglas-Martin sun screen).
*The audio version I listened to is not listed here, so I just picked a random one.
I've read none of Heinlein's works in order, so I already knew that Harriman didn't get to go to the moon - officially - and that another character (Maureen Johnson in [b:To Sail Beyond the Sunset|354|To Sail Beyond the Sunset|Robert A. Heinlein|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440996170s/354.jpg|347280]) speculated/hoped that he got there somehow. (I could also be remembering wrong - maybe she heard a rumor?) The story starts out by detailing a makeshift grave marker, and then there's Harriman, old and so pitiful about his deepest wish to go to the moon that of course you knew that was his grave. I was pretty sure he was going to die on the way, but found myself sobbing with relief that his broken body rested on the moon's surface before he died.
Because I read things out of order, this was just fun to meet the people who are mentioned so often, even if it's just by name, referring to something they invented (like the Douglas-Martin sun screen).
*The audio version I listened to is not listed here, so I just picked a random one.