Robert_A_Heinlein – Made by Mikal

Starship Troopers

Post author:mikal
Post published:October 1, 2013
Post category:Book

I saw the movie a few years ago, and so I read this book on a whim. Its very different to the movie. The book is interesting, although it does have a tendency to slide into rants about the moral responsibilities which come with having an electoral franchise. The book is also very pro military in its stance, although that's fair enough (an author without an opinion would be a boring author). Overall, I thought this book was an enjoyable read. Update 2013: I last read this book almost exactly four years ago. Its still a good read, and I didn’t find it as ranty as last time. I do think this is a better story than the movie, as it has more depth. Overall a good read, if not a particularly deep one.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 4, 2010
Post category:Book

This isn't Heinlein's best work. The faux Russian grammar of the narrator is pretty annoying, and the story shallow. Its an ok read as entertainment, but I think it could do with more plot and fewer long rants about the dangers of big government. I'd like to know more about the cyborgs which seem to pilot everything important as well. [isbn: 0425016013]

Beyond This Horizon

Post author:mikal
Post published:March 8, 2010
Post category:Book

This book is only the second book I have failed to finish in the last few years. This is Heinlein's second novel, and that's the problem -- its clumsily written in a style which moves at a lethargic pace. Its also pretty badly dated, and possesses that creepy EE "Doc" Smith eugenics theme that is so disturbing. I made it to page 67 before I stopped caring. [isbn: 0743435613]

Saturn’s Children

Post author:mikal
Post published:December 16, 2009
Post category:Book

I had trouble getting really into this book, although the story was interesting. I guess its mostly the Gibson-esque descriptions of a future world with plenty of assumed knowledge. However, I found the descriptions of the failed Mars missions deeply satisfying, and would love to see those covered in more detail. However, the story gets better as you go along, and I found the second two thirds of the book to be really good. It probably helped that I have an engineering background, because some of the descriptions are quite technical.

Friday

Post author:mikal
Post published:May 4, 2009
Post category:Book

This is the first Heinlein book I have read in a long time -- since High School in fact. I read this one simply on an impulse, as the back cover description made it sound interesting. Heinlein isn't on the list of authors that I am pursuing at the moment, although I might consider changing that. This book covers a more complicated Earth than the one we have right now, although in some ways its more simple. The main character Friday doesn't ever seem to have trouble making friends, and portions of the book are just a series of her romantic entanglements. Most of the complexities are political. The story is mostly about a journey, both physical as well as emotional, and interestingly there isn't a consistent opposing force. I suspect that might be unusual, at least for the stuff I read. This book was good, even if the constant romantic entanglements seemed extraneous. [award: winner nebula 1982; winner hugo 1982; winner locus 1983; winner prometheus 1983] [isbn: 034530988x]

Battlefields Beyond Tomorrow

Post author:mikal
Post published:January 13, 2009
Post category:Book

I read this anthology as a child, but when I found a copy on ebay that was cheap I couldn't resist. This is a collection of short stories focusing on what war might be like in the future. It's a good read, although a couple of the stories are out of place compared with the others. Superiority (Arthur C Clarke) Single Combat (Joe Green) Committee of the Whole (Frank Herbert) Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card): a classic, and in some ways I prefer the short story. I've read the extended series of novels a few years ago, but they're probably worth revisiting at some point. Hero (Joe E. Haldeman), later became The Forever War. The Survivor (Walter F. Moudy): I have strong memories of this story from reading this anthology as a child. This is still a good story. The Last Objective (Paul Carter) What Do You Want Me to Do to Prove Im Human Stop (Fred Saberhagen): a Berserker story, also known as "Inhuman Error". Hangman (David Drake): this one is included in Volume 1 of the Complete Hammers Slammers. The Night of the Trolls (Keith Laumer): this was a really good story about Bolos -- good enough to…