Pick Some Heinlein Books for Me !!

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scout26

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Okay, I've heard everyone sing the praises of RAH, so rather then going off half-cocked and picking the wrong book(s), what would the brain trust here at THR recommend as the best books of RAH to start with. Give me, say, your top 3-5 books that you think a 40 year old father of two would enjoy.

I was never really much into Sci-Fi/Mythical stuff in Junior High/High school as I was more concerned with sports and girls. (Yes, I will confess to stuffing Dungeons and Dragons types into the occasional locker. :eek: ) My reading mostly consisted of histories and military history as I knew I wanted to join the Army from an early age. So my literary horizons were not very broad. (However, I did and still enjoy Shakespeare, go figure.) :rolleyes:

I also have a 12 year old daughter, what would you recommend for her ???
 
I wonder if you and your daughter might not both be well served by starting with the so-called Heinlein "juveniles." They include everything about the human condition except sex. I still recall Space Cadet fondly. Get Starship Troopers and see how Hollywierd can screw up a good story.
Your daughter might like Have Spacesuit Will Travel. Peewee Reisfield is about as competent a pre-teen female character as you will find anywhere.

His books and stories were written from the 1940s through the 1980's and are technologically dated. For example, Thorby's love for the "three tons of thinking metal that was the ship's starboard firecontrol computer" in Citizen of the Galaxy. You have to enjoy the story. And Puppet Masters is a fine example of how to run an intelligence agency. (Another novel with a sorry movie.)
 
My favorite Heinlein novel is 'The moon is a harsh mistress', not really firearm related, but still a good read...
 
Time enough for Love
Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Starship Troopers
Puppet Master
Tunnel in the Sky
Farnam's Freehold
The Number of the Beast
Stranger in a Strange Land


Actually, I can't think of a single book he's written that I didn't like. You probably can't go wrong by simply pulling one off the shelf at random. A few of them, if taken out of context, might give you an 'odd' impression of Heinlein. So make sure you read a few of them before you pass judgement.
 
My two favorites are:

"Moon is a Harsh Mistress" (rated G to PG, IIRC)

"Stranger in a Strange Land" (definitely PG 13)

And if you want to branch out to other authors, "The Legend of Hereot" by Niven and Pournelle. Those two also wrote "Lucifer's Hammer", which is generally considered among the best of the SHTF novels, with plenty of practical stuff well woven into the plot (but its also PG-13.)
 
"Podkayne of Mars" might be a good one for your daughter. "Glory Road" is good, but probably NOT for the daughter. And nobody's mentioned "Rocketship Gallileo".
 
I've read darn near all of them, and my advice is to NOT start with Stranger in a Strange land...

If you want to read a good series, I'd suggest.
As a primer to Heinlein, The moon is a harsh mistress, then

Revolt in 2100/Methuselah's children
Time enough for love
Number of the beast
The Cat who walks through walls
To Sail beyond the sunset

Most of these are R rated.

As a stand alone Novel I loved "Job: A comedy of justice"

Also for a fun novel Glory road is pretty good.

And for some controversey Go with Farnham's Freehold...

Also there are many short stories that are VERY good... I think "Elsewhen" is one of my favorites...
 
Another vote for, "Tunnel in the Sky", for adult readers or older teens.

"Between Planets" should be okay for those over about 14, and won't bore adults, either.

Lone Star
 
I liked
1.Starship Troopers
2.Podykane of mars
3.Double Star
4.Tunnel in the sky
5. Farmer in the sky


I really like anything by R. H.
 
starman jones is good,for me
1. Tunnel in the sky
2. Starship Troopers
3. Have spacesuit will travel
4. Red Planet:D
 
scout26 said:
I also have a 12 year old daughter, what would you recommend for her ???
Click to expand...

Make sure YOU read and approve of the content before handing it to the 12 year old. Only you know your daughter well enough to judge what material she is mature enough to handle. Lots of the Heilein stuff is (as others have said) R-rated, and IMHO many of his ideas on sexuality are a bit too "progressive" for puritanical old me... ;)

Having said that, other than the kinky stuff, almost all of his work is brilliant.
 
If you like military history you really need to read Starship Troopers.

There are many reasons this was on the USMC Commandant's reading list.

His early juvenile fiction is enjoyable reading for all ages.

Everything else you will have to evaluate on a case by case basis, by reading them of course.;)
 
If you like pure science fiction then all of RAH's juvenile stuff is good. In addition anything written prior to about 1963 or so is good.

After that Heinlein gets on his high horse and tries to become a great novelist. IMO he never made it. He wrote some damn good stories which were ruined by his political agenda (most of which I tend to agree with).

He gets very, very preachy. Most of what he writes during the period post '63 and for most of the rest of his life is an exploration of free love, counter culture, marriage traditions, and super political libertarian diatribe wrapped around stories that would have been way better sans all the proselytizing. Heinlein repeatedly - in just about every post '68 novel - tries to justify father/daughter incest. The one exception is Time Enough for Love where he delves into mother/son incest. He may have used the incest theme to more pointedly point out what were, in his point of view, irrational sexual taboos - I don't know but I wouldn't have let him around my daughters.

On the bright side he's very pro-gun and CCW is a given as his main characters never, ever go anywhere unarmed unless they have to. Weapons and man are inseperable and survivors use them, food don't.

Heinlein is a big time Darwinist. A main theme in much of his writing is that in the end Darwin always wins. Nature is a cruel mistress that weeds out the weak and stupid ruthlessly. I have no proof but I imagine Heinlein was into eugenics privately.

The one exception is Starship Troopers which needs the political crap in order to develop the main character and explain why he is the way he is.

In summary if you like 700 page books where 500 of 'em are preaching at you then you'll like Heinlein. Otherwise...
 
Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress are, in my opinion, Heilein's best. I think you guys have missed out on one that deserves attention though, The Past Through Tomorrow: A History of the Future. This is a collection of short stories from the 30's and 40's. These stories comprise what Heinlein called his Future History series and were written well before he became too preachy. They first appeared in the pulp magazine Astounding Science Fiction. These stories are all Libertarian in nature and follow the classic Heinlein form. If you haven't read these stories yeat, you owe it to yourself to find a copy of this excellent book. I believe The Past Through Tomorrow is out of print right now, but it is not difficult to find used copies on Ebay or Amazon. I think The Past Through Tomorrow is the best place to start your soon to be Heinlein addiction. Enjoy.

Tech Sgt. Chen
 
I read Rocket Ship Gallileo with my 12 year-old grandson last year. It was a safe story and a great opportunity to talk about things that had changed in America.

I also liked Starman Jones - that would be pretty safe too.
 
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