Today, Julyl 7, is the birthday of Robert Heinlein (1907-1988). Heinlein when I was growing up was considered one of the top science fiction writers working. As in the top two or three writers, if not holding the number one spot.
In the years since his death, his star has faded a good deal. Some of this is natural after an author dies, especially if there isn’t a perdon or organization that works to keep that author’s works in print.
You can still find his work in bookstores, although there are only a few titles on the shelf. Stragner in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mitsress, Time Enough for Love, and I Will Fear No Evil. That list is based on memory. I don’t live near a bookstore anymore, so it’s been more than a month since I looked.
Part of the reason Heinlein has fallen from favor is that he is an old white guy who has old white guy ideas. Read some of his work, and you’ll see that many of his ideas aren’t in vogue. And some of them are still pretty far out where the average person is concerned.
But Heinlein was a major figure who casts a long shadow over the field of science fiction. I think it would overstating the case to say he casts as long a shadow as Tolkien does over fantasy, but his influence is nonetheless considerable.
I’ve had a couple of Heinlein projects I want to do that I’ve back burnered. One was to review all the juveniles in order. I’d only read about half of them when I was in middle school and high school (thank you Zundelowitz Junoir High library). I’m not sure I’m going to pursue that one. I never got around to wriitng the posts on a couple of them and don’t feel like rereading them. It’s been too long.
The other project was to read some of the novels I hadn’t read yet, as well as reread some of the adult fiction. I got about halfway through Stranger when I got interrupted. I am going to go back and finish it.
What are your thoughts on Heilein? Is he still worth reading? And if so, what titles would you suggest?
No, he is not still worth reading for me. Nothing against him, but my TBR pile is high, and there are many other books I would rather reread if I am in that mood. If I was several decades younger, it would be different.
I’m a huge RAH fan. He’s an influence on my writing. I’m still reading him.
For your reading, I’d say finish Stranger, then read The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers, and Citizen of the Galaxy (there’s a graphic novel version of the last now). If you want more of a fantasy flavor, try Glory Road.
There’s more great books by him, but there’s also not so great ones. Including a couple he trashcanned and later publishers fished out of the trash and published. I read one of them. It convinced me when the Old Man threw away a manuscript, he had good reasons for it.
If reading the ones listed above makes you want more RAH, let me know and I’ll make recommendations for the next batch.
You, an RAH fan? I would never have guessed. 🙂
I’ve read all of the suggested at least once. I’m halfway through the second reading of Stranger. I’ve read Glory Road twice, and Starship Troopers three times, and (although you didn’t mention it) The Puppet Masters twice. I’ve been wanting to give Moon and Citizen a second read. I read Citizen in 7th grade, and I’d like to see how it comes across now that I’m facing my impending geezerdom.
I’ve not read any of what you call the trash can novels because I agree Heinlein’s wishes should be respeocted.
Citizen of the Galaxy and Tunnel in the Sky are the best of his juveniles. Some of his short stories (for adults) are worth looking through; I think there’s a large collection called The Past Through Tomorrow that has many of his earlier ones, and a smaller one called The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag that includes some of the later ones. For longer works, Double Star and Waldo are both quite fun. Starship Troopers and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress I remember liking when I read them, but I’m not sure how well they would come across on a re-read. Most of Heinlein’s longer works have the young hero getting subjected to lectures by an older, wiser, Heinlein stand-in, who explains How the World Works according to whatever RAH believed that year. That gets tiresome. I don’t have a whole lot favorable to say about his other adult novels. A few are okay pulp fiction, others are less pulp and less okay.