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ndenitto's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of short stories/novellas by Heinlein between 1941 and 1957 (two years before Starship Troopers and four years before Stranger in a Strange Land).
The Year of the Jackpot - A mathematician studies minor peculiar events around the world and plots them to determine when the world will likely end. A good story.
By His Bootstraps - Published in 1941, this is a mind-boggling account of the realistic paradoxes of time travel. It's a formula that's been done to death now, but I can imagine this really messing with people in '41. Bob Wilson is visited by multiple future Bob Wilson's and we follow him on his journey and see how he himself becomes those future versions of himself. It gets technical.
Columbus Was A Dope - A very brief story regarding a conversation between four men about an upcoming interstellar expedition. The journey will take 60 years and require multiple generations to complete it. One man finds this absurd and doesn't think it's worth exploring, especially at the price of children living entire lives on a space ship. The other men have more of a pioneering spirit and feel chasing the impossible is the only way to make it possible. The final line provides irony contrasting with the single doubters opinion.
The Menace From Earth - A sneakily progressive (for the time) short about a self-described "career woman" living on the Moon dealing with jealousy. Holly is a teen spaceship designer that works in partnership with Jeff. Both make ends meet by acting as guides for "groundhogs", tourists from Earth. Much of the story takes place in Bats' Cave, a massive dome in which people can wear special wings and fly around (much like a skating rink or swimming pool on Earth). Jeff seems to have taken a shine to a pretty "groundhog", and Holly refuses to admit that her jealousy is based in romance. Rather, she puts up the appearance of being upset that their business partnership is now on shaky ground. This is a really well-written story, using the drama of flight as a metaphor for the emotional state of Holly.
Sky Lift - Science-fiction that is heavy on the Science, this is a pretty straightforward story about two astronauts making an interplanetary trip to rescue a settlement from a terrible health crisis. The issue is, in order to get there in time, the pilots will have to pull 3.5 G's for a continuous nine days - which is something close to a suicide mission (By comparison, modern astronauts pull 3 G's only during blast-off and then settle back once in orbit). The story details the effects of the high gravity on the body and the sacrifice of a few to save many. Decent story.
Goldfish Bowl - A definite standout in this collection. Scientists Eisenberg and Graves are sent to investigate two mysterious and massive pillars of water that have appeared near Hawaii. In doing so, the pair find themselves trapped in a room with nothing to interact with except mushy food and balls of water that are completely self-contained. Graves shares his theory with Eisenberg that perhaps they are being kept as pets by a higher form of being, the way we keep goldfish in bowls. This kinda reminds me of Flatland.
Project Nightmare - I really like the premise of this one, but I feel the impact was lost a bit in delivery. Basically, Russia has planted atomic bombs in cities throughout the US and plans to detonate them. The government enlists the help of people with ESP to find and mentally suppress these bombs until they can be disposed of properly. The bulk of the story is the frantic strategizing of the lead scientists as they assign certain individuals to find the bombs in specific cities. In that frenzy, I think the story comes across as a little too confused and unfocused.
Water is for Washing - A man with a fear of water due to past near-drowning undergoes the ride of his life. While in the Imperial Valley of California, an earthquake causes the below sea-level city to quickly flood. As he attempts to flee, he stops and rescues two children and a hitchhiker that stole from him earlier. The four try to outrun the rising waters, and in the process the man shows some development. Another good story.
Overall, this was an excellent collection. I had never heard of any of these before, and if it weren't for the bargain shelf at my local comic book store I would have never discovered it. I'm really happy to have read these stories.
The Year of the Jackpot - A mathematician studies minor peculiar events around the world and plots them to determine when the world will likely end. A good story.
By His Bootstraps - Published in 1941, this is a mind-boggling account of the realistic paradoxes of time travel. It's a formula that's been done to death now, but I can imagine this really messing with people in '41. Bob Wilson is visited by multiple future Bob Wilson's and we follow him on his journey and see how he himself becomes those future versions of himself. It gets technical.
Columbus Was A Dope - A very brief story regarding a conversation between four men about an upcoming interstellar expedition. The journey will take 60 years and require multiple generations to complete it. One man finds this absurd and doesn't think it's worth exploring, especially at the price of children living entire lives on a space ship. The other men have more of a pioneering spirit and feel chasing the impossible is the only way to make it possible. The final line provides irony contrasting with the single doubters opinion.
The Menace From Earth - A sneakily progressive (for the time) short about a self-described "career woman" living on the Moon dealing with jealousy. Holly is a teen spaceship designer that works in partnership with Jeff. Both make ends meet by acting as guides for "groundhogs", tourists from Earth. Much of the story takes place in Bats' Cave, a massive dome in which people can wear special wings and fly around (much like a skating rink or swimming pool on Earth). Jeff seems to have taken a shine to a pretty "groundhog", and Holly refuses to admit that her jealousy is based in romance. Rather, she puts up the appearance of being upset that their business partnership is now on shaky ground. This is a really well-written story, using the drama of flight as a metaphor for the emotional state of Holly.
Sky Lift - Science-fiction that is heavy on the Science, this is a pretty straightforward story about two astronauts making an interplanetary trip to rescue a settlement from a terrible health crisis. The issue is, in order to get there in time, the pilots will have to pull 3.5 G's for a continuous nine days - which is something close to a suicide mission (By comparison, modern astronauts pull 3 G's only during blast-off and then settle back once in orbit). The story details the effects of the high gravity on the body and the sacrifice of a few to save many. Decent story.
Goldfish Bowl - A definite standout in this collection. Scientists Eisenberg and Graves are sent to investigate two mysterious and massive pillars of water that have appeared near Hawaii. In doing so, the pair find themselves trapped in a room with nothing to interact with except mushy food and balls of water that are completely self-contained. Graves shares his theory with Eisenberg that perhaps they are being kept as pets by a higher form of being, the way we keep goldfish in bowls. This kinda reminds me of Flatland.
Project Nightmare - I really like the premise of this one, but I feel the impact was lost a bit in delivery. Basically, Russia has planted atomic bombs in cities throughout the US and plans to detonate them. The government enlists the help of people with ESP to find and mentally suppress these bombs until they can be disposed of properly. The bulk of the story is the frantic strategizing of the lead scientists as they assign certain individuals to find the bombs in specific cities. In that frenzy, I think the story comes across as a little too confused and unfocused.
Water is for Washing - A man with a fear of water due to past near-drowning undergoes the ride of his life. While in the Imperial Valley of California, an earthquake causes the below sea-level city to quickly flood. As he attempts to flee, he stops and rescues two children and a hitchhiker that stole from him earlier. The four try to outrun the rising waters, and in the process the man shows some development. Another good story.
Overall, this was an excellent collection. I had never heard of any of these before, and if it weren't for the bargain shelf at my local comic book store I would have never discovered it. I'm really happy to have read these stories.
dharaiter's review against another edition
3.0
A book well-written but I was not in the mood to read about an obnoxious and conventional (and a bit sexist) teenage love in such a highly unconventional setting. It felt like an awesome world-building wasted.
P.S. It makes me wonder if Andy Weir lifted the idea for Artemis from this book because his setting and protagonist are eerily similar
P.S. It makes me wonder if Andy Weir lifted the idea for Artemis from this book because his setting and protagonist are eerily similar
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