author : Robert A. Heinlein

First volume of Heinlein's "Future History" short stories

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Life-Line. 1939

• The Roads Must Roll. 1940

• The Man Who Sold the Moon. 1950

• Blowups Happen. 1940

• Requiem. 1940

Delos D Harriman, "The Man Who Sold the Moon", has never been there himself, now because of ill health and old age. But what's the point of being a multi-millionaire if you can't satisfy your heart's desire?

• 'Let There Be Light'

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Waldo

• Magic, Inc.

Alien mind controlling slugs invade the earth; humanity's main defence is nakedness. [And the film is surprisingly good.]

Second volume of Heinlein's "Future History" short stories

Contents (possible spoilers)

• The Green Hills of Earth. 1947

• The Long Watch. 1949

• 'It's Great To Be Back!'

• Ordeal in Space

• '- We Also Walk Dogs'

• Delilah and the Space-Rigger

• Space Jockey

• Gentlemen, Be Seated

• Logic of Empire

• The Black Pits of Luna

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Gulf

• Elsewhen

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Lost Legacy. 1941

• Jerry Was a Man. 1947

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Coventry

• 'If This Goes On -'

• Misfit

All you need to survive and prosper is courage, hard work, and a photographic memory.

Third-rate actor Lorenzo Smythe gets the part of his life.

An inventor is screwed by his wife, but discovers the perfect revenge.

Kip and Peewee are kidnapped by evil aliens. But their troubles don't really begin until they are rescued by good aliens. [Just read that early description of the space suit -- that's how seamless info-dumping should be done.]

Read the book. Don't see the film.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Project Nightmare. 1953

• By His Bootstraps. 1941

• Columbus Was a Dope. 1947

• Sky Lift. 1953

• Water Is For Washing. 1947

• The Menace from Earth. 1957

• The Year of the Jackpot. 1952

• Goldfish Bowl. 1942

Contents (possible spoilers)

• They. 1941

Delicious paranoid solopsist nightmare

• The Man Who Travelled In Elephants. 1959. = The Elephant Circuit

I always cry when I read this one

• Our Fair City. 1948

Kitten the whirlwind helps with the election

• ' All You Zombies ---'. 1959

The best time travel short story, ever

• '--- And He Built a Crooked House'. 1940

Fun with tesseracts

• The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag. 1942

Does he really want to find out who The Sons of the Bird are?

The book that ushered in the sixties, and added "grok" to the English language

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Common Sense. 1941

• Universe. 1941

The moon is revolting

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Solution Unsatisfactory. 1968

• Free Men. 1966

• Pandora's Box. 1952. = >Where To?

• Searchlight. 1962

• Blowups Happen. 1940

Contents (possible spoilers)

• ' All You Zombies ---'. 1959

The best time travel short story, ever

• Life-Line. 1939

• The Roads Must Roll. 1940

• '--- And He Built a Crooked House'. 1940

Fun with tesseracts

• The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag. 1942

Does he really want to find out who The Sons of the Bird are?

• The Green Hills of Earth. 1947

• The Long Watch. 1949

• The Man Who Sold the Moon. 1950

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Successful Operation

• Solution Unsatisfactory. 1968

• The Last Days of the United States

• How to Be a Survivor

• Pie from the Sky

• They Do It With Mirrors. 1974

• Free Men. 1966

• No Bands Playing, No Flags Flying -. 1973

• A Bathroom of Her Own

• On the Slopes of Vesuvius

• Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon. 1976

• Pandora's Box. 1952. = >Where To?

• Where To?. = (Pandora's Box)

• Cliff and the Calories. 1950

• Ray Guns and Rocket Ships

• The Third Millenium Opens. 1956

• Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?

• "Pravda" Means "Truth". 1960

• Inside Intourist

• Searchlight. 1962

• The Pragmatics of Patriotism. 1973

• Paul Dirac, Antimatter, and You. 1975

• Larger Than Life

• Spinoff

• The Happy Days Ahead

• Life-Line. 1939

• Blowups Happen. 1940

No-one infodumps quite like Heinlein. This was originally written in 1939, before any of Heinlein's published SF, but only discovered and published recently, after Heinlein's death. It is an utterly fascinating work for Heinlein fans and scholars, as it captures many of his ideas espoused in his later works -- free love, rolling roads, general semantics, economics, Nehemiah Scudder, and more -- in a classic "tour of Utopia" style. It's not a novel, it's an essentially plotless 300 page lecture, demonstrating that his later harangues weren't a degeneration, but a reversion to what he was really about. Since that lecture is in true Heinlein voice, it's a worthwhile read, to see the early form of some of his ideas, and to see his already masterly handling of the infodump. But don't bother if you want just a story.

After Robert Heinlein's death, several pages of notes that he wrote in 1955 outlining the idea for a novel were found, and Spider Robinson given the task of turning them into a novel.

It's 2286. Joel Johnstone is a poor but talented musician, who is desperately in love with Jinny Hamilton, and she with him, but they can't afford to marry. However, Joel discovers something that makes him run far far away, so far and so fast that Jinny can never catch up with him. The main story is then his "coming of age" over the next several years in a small community, finished off with a mind-blowing catastrophe, and a hastily wrapped-up ending.

Is this a Heinlein, or a Robinson? Well, it feels a lot like a Heinlein. In fact, it's a very strange experience, reading a novel that feels like an early Heinlein (early enough that it's a jolly good story, not just an interesting lecture), yet clearly, from events and technology, written in the 21st century. It's a world initially consistent with Heinlein's future history, so Neil Armstrong didn't happen, and Prophet Nehemiah Scudder and the Covenant did. But it's also a world in which 9/11 happened. And I don't remember the mind-blowing catastrophe towards the end (you'll know it when you get to it) from Future History, either.

There are clearly Robinson touches, such as the dancing, and, of course, the puns. But the number of people who die, and stay dead, definitely points to Heinlein rather than Robinson. As does the coming of age feel, and the competent-but-naive Heinlein-esque hero. The lack of major female characters is also typical of (early) Heinlein (the female characters are strong, but not major).

A good page-turner, and it's marvellous to have a new Heinlein novel to read. Well done Spider!

Robert Anson Heinlein died in 1988. Those of us who grew up profoundly influenced by his work were greatly saddened by the news. This memorial volume brings together some of his famous moonflight stories, some previously unpublished works, some speeches, and many glowing testimonials from other SF luminaries. Most of the best has already appeared elsewhere, but this volume stands as a fitting tribute to arguably the most influential SF writer of all time.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• Spider Robinson. Rah Rah R.A.H.!. 1980

• Robert A. Heinlein. This I Believe. 1989

RAH's tribute to humanity

• Robert A. Heinlein. A Tenderfoot on Space. 1958

Boy Scouts on Venus

• Robert A. Heinlein. Destination Moon. 1950

The novelette of the film

• Robert A. Heinlein. Shooting 'Destination Moon'. 1950

Anecdotes about making George Pal's 1950 SF film, which won an Oscar for its realistic special effects. Heinlein wrote much of the screenplay, and was technical advisor. (Many members of NASA and the space programme have testified they chose their careers because of the inspiration of this film, and of Heinlein's stories.)

• Robert A. Heinlein. The Witch's Daughters. 1988

A short poem [written August 1946]

• Robert A. Heinlein. The Bulletin Board. 1950

Maureen and her boyfriend Cliff throw a surprise birthday party

• Robert A. Heinlein. Poor Daddy. 1950

Maureen and her family learn to ice-skate

• Robert A. Heinlein. Guest of Honor Speech at the Third World Science Fiction Convention - Denver, 1941

• Robert A. Heinlein. Guest of Honor Speech at the XIXth World Science Fiction Convention - Seattle, 1961

• Robert A. Heinlein. Guest of Honor Speech - Rio de Janeiro Movie Festival, 1969

• Robert A. Heinlein. Guest of Honor Speech at the XXXIVth World Science Fiction Convention - Kansas City, 1976

• Yoji Kondo. National Air and Space Museum Heinlein Retrospective - 6 October 1988

• Poul Anderson. RAH: A Memoir

• Jim Baen. Jim Baen's RAH Story

• Greg Bear. Remembering Robert Heinlein

• J. Hartley Bowen Jr. Recalling Robert Anson Heinlein

• Arthur C. Clarke. Robert Heinlein

• Gordon R. Dickson. Robert Heinlein

• Joe Haldeman. Robert A. Heinlein and Us

• Larry Niven. The Return of William Proxmire

• Spider Robinson. Robert

• Robert Silverberg. Heinlein

• Harry Turtledove. Thank You

• Jack Williamson. Who Was Robert Heinlein?

• Yoji Kondo, Charles Sheffield. Farewell to the Master

• Robert A. Heinlein. Requiem. 1940

Delos D Harriman, "The Man Who Sold the Moon", has never been there himself, now because of ill health and old age. But what's the point of being a multi-millionaire if you can't satisfy your heart's desire?

[written 1946]

[written 1954]