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apryde6226's review
5.0
One of his best. Duty, honor, courage? All there in a short story. I read this about once a year because it's so good.
imakandiway's review
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
lizabethstucker's review
5.0
Lieutenant Johnny Dahlquist was approached by Colonel Towers regarding the danger of having politicians in control back on Earth, that the Guard should oversee keeping the planet safe. Towers wants Johnny’s expertise as junior bomb officer in his rebellious group. While Johnny saw his point about the instability of politicians in general, he couldn’t agree to use his bombs to make a point, a point that would lead to the deaths of innocent people. He had to make the bombs unusable, then hold watch until a ship from Earth will arrive in approximately four days.
This story … Heinlein literally reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. My notebook still shows the faint marks of tears. There are many types of heroism. John Ezra Dahlquist is a fine example of doing what is right even when others try to dissuade you. (You should also look up Rodger Young on Google. I was unaware of this Medal of Honor recipient until this story.) 5 out of 5.
This story … Heinlein literally reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. My notebook still shows the faint marks of tears. There are many types of heroism. John Ezra Dahlquist is a fine example of doing what is right even when others try to dissuade you. (You should also look up Rodger Young on Google. I was unaware of this Medal of Honor recipient until this story.) 5 out of 5.
gengelcox's review
4.0
Heinlein was very concerned about the potential of an atomic war. Given his understanding of that, he wrote a number of stories that tried to convey the absolute pointlessness of pre-emptive strikes and other crazy ideas that ran through the political mindsets of the 1950s. And, in the end, he believed he failed—that nothing he had written had quite captured the minds or opinions of those in charge of the launch commands. I’m not sure what he attributed our ability not to blow ourselves up, as a human race, but I doubt he would have put it under our intelligence. This is a story of a single man who decided to avert the use of those weapons. It’s dated now, but there’s still a power to it, akin to [a:Kim Stanley Robinson|1858|Kim Stanley Robinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1376955089p2/1858.jpg]’s “The Lucky Strike,” in that the decision has to be made by an individual who realizes that if he doesn’t do this alone, something much worse will occur, even suspecting that making that decision spells doom for the individual even if it saves many more people. That kind of heroism is hard to come by, which may be why it’s often in stories.
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