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annaswan 's review for:
The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes
by David Weber, Robert A. Heinlein
The first science fiction novel I ever read was Heinlein’s Red Planet; I was 8 and instantly hooked. For a decade at least Heinlein was my favorite author. Though I have other favorites now, I’ll always have a fondness for RAH and his un-put-down-able prose.
It was strange, interesting, and fun to read this “might-have-been” outtake of Number of the Beast, especially as RAH was famously a one-draft author. I hadn’t read NotB in probably 15 years, but I could still spot the exact moments the texts diverged, realigned, then diverged again.
Somewhat different endings, with less fan-service in Pankera (it’s hinted at, though). There were also some characterization differences. I’d say I prefer the Pankera ending, but I was one of the fans being pandered to in NotB, so ...shrug.
PS I should clarify that this will probably only be enjoyable for existing Heinlein fans. Draft or not, it’s one of his late-era books and thus pretty sprawling and self-indulgent. The sexual politics and descriptions are tooth-grinding to a modern reader.
It was strange, interesting, and fun to read this “might-have-been” outtake of Number of the Beast, especially as RAH was famously a one-draft author. I hadn’t read NotB in probably 15 years, but I could still spot the exact moments the texts diverged, realigned, then diverged again.
Somewhat different endings, with less fan-service in Pankera (it’s hinted at, though). There were also some characterization differences. I’d say I prefer the Pankera ending, but I was one of the fans being pandered to in NotB, so ...shrug.
PS I should clarify that this will probably only be enjoyable for existing Heinlein fans. Draft or not, it’s one of his late-era books and thus pretty sprawling and self-indulgent. The sexual politics and descriptions are tooth-grinding to a modern reader.