Author Topic: Which Heinlein book as a first? (Read 4628 times)

Pebcac · « **on:** January 26, 2007, 11:52:47 AM »

I've seen countless references to the works of Robert Heinlein, yet I've never read any of his books. So I'm taking suggestions - which Heinlein book is the best introduction to his work?

m1911owner · « **Reply #1 on:** January 26, 2007, 11:57:32 AM »

For kids' books, I liked Podkayne of Mars. (And there are many others.) For adult books, Stranger in a Strange Land is classic. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is also a great book.

Sindawe · « **Reply #2 on:** January 26, 2007, 12:01:12 PM »

I recommend The Past Though Tomorrow http://www.amazon.com/Past-Through-Tomorrow-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441653049 which is a collection of his short stories over some of his weightier or more controversial works.

If you want to jump right to the deep end, Starship Troopers or The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress are a good place to start.

wingnutx · « **Reply #3 on:** January 26, 2007, 12:29:46 PM »

"Starship Troopers" would be my suggestion.

It's kind of on the border between his juvenile and adult books, and is an enjoyable, easy read.

I like "Stranger in a Strange Land", but I can see how some poeple would not.

ST is on my list of books everyone should read at some point.

My second suggestion would be "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress".

BryanP · « **Reply #4 on:** January 26, 2007, 12:34:50 PM »

I would group his works into three categories.

Pre-Stranger in Strange Land breaks down into his Juveniles and everything else. Then there's post-Stranger. Somewhere past Stranger he had a stroke and his writing gets a little bit weird. Still good mostly, but weird.

The previously suggested Past Through Tomorrow collection is a great place to start. If I remember correctly that collection puts his original Future History trilogy (three books of short stories titled The Man Who Sold the Moon, The Green Hills of Earth, and Revolt in 2100,) and Methuselah's Children in one big volume

Personally I rank his best work as pre-Stranger non-juveniles, then his juveniles, then the post-Stranger work. The later stuff can be good but uneven.

mgdavis · « **Reply #5 on:** January 26, 2007, 12:45:10 PM »

My introduction to his writing was "To Sail Beyond The Sunset". That seems as good a starting place as any to me. Starship Troopers is also an excellent choice.

280plus · « **Reply #6 on:** January 26, 2007, 01:19:01 PM »

Yea, I was thinking "Starship Troopers" myself.

Preacherman · « **Reply #7 on:** January 26, 2007, 04:01:37 PM »

I think five of Heinlein's books stand out above the rest:

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
Starship Troopers
Time Enough For Love
Glory Road (sci-fi/fantasy)
Stranger In A Strange Land (preferably the recently-published full-length edition).

I'd read them in that order, too.

AJ Dual · « **Reply #8 on:** January 26, 2007, 04:03:27 PM »

Pretty good ideas here.

I'd start with "Starship Troopers", even all his juvenile stuff is readable by adults. (Standards for kids were a bit different in those days)

I would also consider "Stranger in a Strange Land" the midpoint too.

Even though some of it is pretty "straight" I would save everything involvoing "Lazarus Long" until you've read everything else, and you really like Heinlein. When the immortal guy gets way into the future it's rather crazy and incestuous. Although if you've read plenty of other "out there" stuff, and enjoyed it, or took it for what it's worth without being bothered, then I'd not worry about it.

Probably all rather tame by today's standards.

Strings · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2007, 04:07:48 PM »

Somehow, I don't think To Sail Beyond the Sunset would be a good intro: unless I'm thinking of a different book, that ties WAY to much together...

Although I didn't read it as my first, Starship Troopers is a REALLY good piece of sci-fi. I started with the full version of Stranger..., and am now working on having everything currently in print...

AJ: regarding the incestousness of Lazarus Long. I have to admit that I find Heinlein's arguements (within the storys) to be fairly convincing: so long as there's absolutely no possible genetic repercussions (and assuming functional, consenting adults), what IS the basis of the stigma attached to incest?

Not to say I'd be willing to sleep with a family member, it's just a bit of a sociological question...

m1911owner · « **Reply #10 on:** January 26, 2007, 04:12:22 PM »

Ah! Glory Road! How could I forget Glory Road! The ultimate male fantasy! Highly recommended!

(BTW, it's about PG-13 rated--it's not that kind of fantasy!)

gunsmith · « **Reply #11 on:** January 26, 2007, 04:50:08 PM »

Puppet Masters!
Robert A. Heinlein Centennial
http://www.heinleincentennial.com/

brimic · « **Reply #12 on:** January 26, 2007, 04:56:33 PM »

I'm not a big Heinlein fan or even a big sci-fi fan, but Starship Troopers was a good read.

mgdavis · « **Reply #13 on:** January 26, 2007, 08:46:34 PM »

Quote from: Hunter Rose on January 26, 2007, 03:07:48 PM

Somehow, I don't think To Sail Beyond the Sunset would be a good intro: unless I'm thinking of a different book, that ties WAY to much together...

It does do quite a bit of that. What was the first in the Lazarus Long series? I'm not entirely sure there was a first, the way those books all interacted.
Lets see, some other goodies... "Job: A Comedy of Justice" (lots of religious commentary in here) and "Stranger in a Strange Land" (my current read). "Podykayne(sp?) of Mars", "Starman Jones", and all the rest of his juvenile novels are great reads also. How about "Farnam's Freehold"?

CatsDieNow · « **Reply #14 on:** January 27, 2007, 04:11:59 AM »

I like giving people Starship Troopers, Citizen of the Galaxy, The Door into Summer, or Double Star before I let them borrow the more "interesting" stuff.

danny · « **Reply #15 on:** January 27, 2007, 04:20:48 AM »

"Beyond This Horizon" was always one of my favorites.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 27, 2007, 05:25:00 AM »

The Moon is Harsh Mistress - excellent read.
Friday - a good read.
Number of the Beast - been a long time since I read it. It was interesting in high school.
Job: A Trajedy of Justice was a bit weird, but still entertaining.
Starship Troopers - A very good read.
Orphans of the Sky - a little bit different approach to your average SciFi book.
Tunnel in the Sky - A pretty good survival book.
Stranger in a Strange Land - An interesting story, a long read, and a lot of pseudoChristian crap. Not sure I would bother unless you really like Heinlein.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Tunnel in the Sky are shorter books that are easy to start with. Friday a more recent book I think.

I like Heinlein and will have to look up some of the other books mentioned above.

InfidelSerf · « **Reply #17 on:** January 27, 2007, 06:00:05 AM »

I have to put my .02 in for Friday
great read, and any adolescent boy is going to LOVE her grin

and women can admire her.

I have always wanted a large spa or pool with an escape hatch like that

Ron · « **Reply #18 on:** January 27, 2007, 06:52:30 AM »

I am hitting a bookstore this weekend and picking up The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Tunnel in the Sky and Starship Troopers.

I read Stranger in a strange land years ago and really enjoyed it so I will probably really enjoy these books.

wingnutx · « **Reply #19 on:** January 27, 2007, 07:33:55 AM »

FRIDAY was really very good.

Old Fud · « **Reply #20 on:** January 27, 2007, 08:33:57 AM »

Heinlein was different person at different times in his life.
I enjoyed some of the very early works -- before he became a political activist, and WAY before he became a dirty old man.

For stories you wouldn't mind your kids reading, check out "Puppet Master", & "The Door into Summer". "Have spacesuit, will travel" was nice too.

To begin to get into his later "lazarus long" years, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistriss" is the best way to start. Only after you've read that will you be willing to get into the highly sexed line including "Friday" (Love that one), "the Cat who walks through walls" and others.

"Starship trooper" is very similar to "Gulliver's travels".
Both are adult political commentary, and both got trivialized by public attention. It's a good solid work on how a civilization should be run.
It's also a book you wouldn't mind exposing your pre-teen and teenage kids to.

Fud

RocketMan · « **Reply #21 on:** January 27, 2007, 01:29:39 PM »

To be able to go back and read Heinlein again for the first time...sigh...

m1911owner · « **Reply #22 on:** January 27, 2007, 03:06:56 PM »

In googling Heinlein, I made the interesting discovery that Rocket Ship Galileo, which was about a flight to the moon, which was published in 1947, was initially rejected for publication because it was "too far out."

22 years later, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

That was 38 years ago...

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #23 on:** January 27, 2007, 03:08:39 PM »

Time Enough for Love

lee n. field · « **Reply #24 on:** January 27, 2007, 04:44:11 PM »

I think the question might be better, "Which Heinleins to avoid|leave for last."

Read first: Any of his novels (juvenile or adult) from the 1950s and 1960s. Time Enough For Love from 1973 is another good one, though some people have a hard time with it.

Read next: Past Through Tomorrow (his "Future History" stories from the 1940's), his other short story collections, Methuselah's Children and Beyond This Horizon (early novels, quite episodic). The stuff written after 1980.

Leave for last: I Will Fear No Evil, and Sixth Column. You'll know why when you read them. Farnham's Freehold might be a good one to leave for last too.

I have not read and have no opinion on the (complete! unexpurgated!) re-release of Stranger in a Strange Land, or anything published posthumously.

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Author Topic: Which Heinlein book as a first? (Read 4628 times)

Strings

Ron