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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2017 17:25:10 GMT
I'm a decades-long fan of Robert A. Heinlen but even though I read most of his classics, it was a long time ago. Only recently I started to patch up some gaps, and I'm currently reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and very much enjoying it. A few days ago I read The Door Into Summer and loved it, as well as Double Star.
From years ago, I loved of course some of his greatest hits, Have Spacesuit Will Travel (maybe the first youth literature sci-fi book I read as a young teenager and entirely loved it; it was probably the reason why I became a sci-fi lover), The Star Beast (so much fun!), Starship Troopers (impressive, although my memory of it is a bit distorted now by the subsequent movie which is good to a certain degree - although goofy, like a guilty pleasure - but very different given that it is only partially based on the book), A Stranger in a Strange Land (what a masterpiece!), Time Enough for Love (another masterpiece) and so on.
Any other fans of the great master here? What are some of your favorite Robert Heinlein books?
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ironjade
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Post by ironjade on Mar 2, 2017 17:45:05 GMT
The Door into Summer
Farnham's Freehold
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Post by OldSamVimes on Mar 2, 2017 17:58:06 GMT
I'm a huge fan too.
I think 'Stranger in a Strange Land' would make a great HBO miniseries. The time is right for more Hugo and Nebula winning novels to be made into movies and series.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2017 18:55:55 GMT
The Door into Summer Farnham's Freehold I never read Farnham's Freehold, seems like it is very controversial - apparently it tries to denounce racism and sexism but ends up being racist and sexist. What is your opinion on it? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2017 18:57:53 GMT
I'm a huge fan too. I think 'Stranger in a Strange Land' would make a great HBO miniseries. The time is right for more Hugo and Nebula winning novels to be made into movies and series. I'd love to see a mini-series too with Stranger in a Strange Land. Talking about another author, Philip K. Dick, Amazon made a fabulous series based (somewhat loosely) on The Man in the High Castle. I simply loved it. |
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Post by OldSamVimes on Mar 2, 2017 19:36:10 GMT
I'm a huge fan too. I think 'Stranger in a Strange Land' would make a great HBO miniseries. The time is right for more Hugo and Nebula winning novels to be made into movies and series. I'd love to see a mini-series too with Stranger in a Strange Land. Talking about another author, Philip K. Dick, Amazon made a fabulous series based (somewhat loosely) on The Man in the High Castle. I simply loved it. I envision Stranger in a Strange land as needing 8-10 hours to be told properly.. So a series of 5 movies, one for each major part in the book, starting with "His Maculate Conception." If I had time (and talent) I'd write the screenplay myself, but I'd probably adapt 'The Carpet Makers' by Andreas Eschbach first since I think it also would make a great mini-series. |
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Post by ironjade on Mar 2, 2017 20:27:34 GMT
The Door into Summer Farnham's Freehold I never read Farnham's Freehold, seems like it is very controversial - apparently it tries to denounce racism and sexism but ends up being racist and sexist. What is your opinion on it? It's so long since I read FF that although I remember being gripped by it, the details are a very hazy. The Door into Summer was the only book I ever remember my father reading. He was very ill and died before he could finish it. I like to think he enjoyed it. I also loved Podkayne of Mars. She is one of the funniest, most engaging characters in the whole of SF. I Will Fear no Evil is one of the worst things ever written by Heinlein (or anyone else for that matter). It's so awful I couldn't finish it. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2017 21:28:19 GMT
I never read Farnham's Freehold, seems like it is very controversial - apparently it tries to denounce racism and sexism but ends up being racist and sexist. What is your opinion on it? It's so long since I read FF that although I remember being gripped by it, the details are a very hazy. The Door into Summer was the only book I ever remember my father reading. He was very ill and died before he could finish it. I like to think he enjoyed it. I also loved Podkayne of Mars. She is one of the funniest, most engaging characters in the whole of SF. I Will Fear no Evil is one of the worst things ever written by Heinlein (or anyone else for that matter). It's so awful I couldn't finish it. I haven't read Podkayne of Mars. I'll get it as my next priority. I don't remember disliking I Will Fear No Evil which I did read. Maybe you found it awful because Heinlein was very ill and it was published before he had a chance to edit it and polish it. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2017 22:37:22 GMT
Loved Have Spacesuit, wonderful book.
Between Planets is another great one of his.
Puppet Masters, one of my favourites.
Citizen of the Galaxy.
But the all time best is probably a toss up between Starship Troopers and Starman Jones.
My favourite thing about him is that he did a very good job of world building without smashing you in the face about it. In Between Planets for instance, a teenager gets an urgent call to New York. He hops down to his local rocket field and gets a "semi ballistic" to New York, total travel time about 45 minutes. There he jumps into an auto cab and heads to his destination. All described without going into huge detail, just mentioned in passing like you might mention catching a train in some other story. The result being that you can read a book he wrote in 1960 today, and still find yourself thinking that it's a plausible view of what the world might be in 75 years time.
That said, he does fall into "zeerust" sometimes. Like depicting all TV shows as still being broadcast live, with announcers to read the sponsorship messages. And post-teen delinquents who hang out in the town milk bar, lol. Or even orbital atom bombs to keep the peace - Heinlein isn't the only one who fell for that nonsense, though.
And I don't always agree with his politics. When you don't agree with his politics, after a while you start to notice that quite a few of his books are trying very hard to make you agree with his politics, whilst carefully looking like they aren't. He was a bit of a sly propagandist.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 3:38:54 GMT
Did spend one fall reading my way back down through Robert A. Heinlein's works,'The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress' still holds up fairly well, think there is 'Double Star' and 'Citizen of the Galaxy' left to read of his major works but we are pushing into the 1950's, I know this is probably not fair but Sci-fi in the 50's tends to bother me quite a bit because the tech is so funky and dated. Asimov stands out, he was filling out his classic 'Foundation' series in the 40's, impressive.
Funny that some of the 30's and 40's science fiction writers were far more imaginative in reaching out even though it is atomic watches and atomic atomizers for dinner.
Heinlein was a great character builder, something that Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke are weakest at. 'Starship Troopers' was my first Science Fiction paperback, still remember seeing it in the 6th grade library sitting on the rotating book rack with that really cool star trooper cover. Suited up and ready to go.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 3:55:54 GMT
I know this is probably not fair but Sci-fi in the 50's tends to bother me quite a bit because the tech is so funky and dated. .... Heinlein was a great character builder, something that Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke are weakest at. Heinlein did have some amazing insights in terms of modern technology in The Door Into Summer. Yes, definitely, great characters. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 1:53:08 GMT
I'm a decades-long fan of Robert A. Heinlen but even though I read most of his classics, it was a long time ago. Only recently I started to patch up some gaps, and I'm currently reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and very much enjoying it. A few days ago I read The Door Into Summer and loved it, as well as Double Star. From years ago, I loved of course some of his greatest hits, Have Spacesuit Will Travel (maybe the first youth literature sci-fi book I read as a young teenager and entirely loved it; it was probably the reason why I became a sci-fi lover), The Star Beast (so much fun!), Starship Troopers (impressive, although my memory of it is a bit distorted now by the subsequent movie which is good to a certain degree - although goofy, like a guilty pleasure - but very different given that it is only partially based on the book), A Stranger in a Strange Land (what a masterpiece!), Time Enough for Love (another masterpiece) and so on. Any other fans of the great master here? What are some of your favorite Robert Heinlein books? I enjoyed his works. I love The Puppet Masters, one of the better alien invasion works but not quite as good as Finney's Body Snatchers. I liked Door Into Summer and Have Space-Suit Will Travel and even Time for the Stars (which has a very interesting premise). The one I was disappointed in reading was Starship Troopers and I think the reason why is that I read it right after reading Haldeman's The Forever War, which is so far the only military/SF novel I have read that feels authentic. Then I watched the movie, which was even worse. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 3:07:08 GMT
I'm a decades-long fan of Robert A. Heinlen but even though I read most of his classics, it was a long time ago. Only recently I started to patch up some gaps, and I'm currently reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and very much enjoying it. A few days ago I read The Door Into Summer and loved it, as well as Double Star. From years ago, I loved of course some of his greatest hits, Have Spacesuit Will Travel (maybe the first youth literature sci-fi book I read as a young teenager and entirely loved it; it was probably the reason why I became a sci-fi lover), The Star Beast (so much fun!), Starship Troopers (impressive, although my memory of it is a bit distorted now by the subsequent movie which is good to a certain degree - although goofy, like a guilty pleasure - but very different given that it is only partially based on the book), A Stranger in a Strange Land (what a masterpiece!), Time Enough for Love (another masterpiece) and so on. Any other fans of the great master here? What are some of your favorite Robert Heinlein books? I enjoyed his works. I love The Puppet Masters, one of the better alien invasion works but not quite as good as Finney's Body Snatchers. I liked Door Into Summer and Have Space-Suit Will Travel and even Time for the Stars (which has a very interesting premise). The one I was disappointed in reading was Starship Troopers and I think the reason why is that I read it right after reading Haldeman's The Forever War, which is so far the only military/SF novel I have read that feels authentic. Then I watched the movie, which was even worse. The movie is based on two sources; Heinlein's Starship Troopers, and an unrelated script called Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine. So it's not pure Robert Heinlein. I do find the book to be very good. It did win the Hugo. The movie is satirical and insists more on the fascism aspect than the book. It is also sadistic and the book is not. Still, I find the movie entertaining, a guilty pleasure (not to forget the two gorgeous actresses who play Dizzy and Carmen). I haven't read The Forever War. Another militaristic SF novel I quite like is Ender's Game. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2017 14:23:30 GMT
I'm a huge fan too. I think 'Stranger in a Strange Land' would make a great HBO miniseries. The time is right for more Hugo and Nebula winning novels to be made into movies and series. I agree. HBO's documentaries and current event shows like Vice are pretty good but their fiction shows are kind of losing steam. An adaptation of Stranger in a Strange Land would be great! |
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Post by transfuged on Mar 8, 2017 15:59:07 GMT
I read everything he wrote before he died... Except for farmers in the sky, I guess. Couldn't get a copy.
First one I began with was Podkayne of Mars.
I suppose it's childhood and bias, I know he was not perfect... But There's no badmouthing Heinlein that comes to my mind.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 17:27:40 GMT
The movie is satirical and insists more on the fascism aspect than the book. It is also sadistic and the book is not. The book doesn't have a fascist element, let alone insist on one. That's the weirdest thing about the movie, that it inserts a fascism parody into a book that contains nothing of that element to parody. Agree with you about Dizzy and Carmen though. Especially Dizzy. Rico was an idiot for not dumping Carmen for Dizzy long ago. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2017 1:49:01 GMT
The movie is satirical and insists more on the fascism aspect than the book. It is also sadistic and the book is not. The book doesn't have a fascist element, let alone insist on one. That's the weirdest thing about the movie, that it inserts a fascism parody into a book that contains nothing of that element to parody. Agree with you about Dizzy and Carmen though. Especially Dizzy. Rico was an idiot for not dumping Carmen for Dizzy long ago. Since the movie is based on two sources, and book and an unrelated script, most likely the fascism part comes from the other source. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2017 2:43:52 GMT
IIRC, Verhoeven has said that he thinks all military institutions are inherently fascist. So he probably just threw it in there himself.
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Post by Bargle on Mar 11, 2017 19:15:16 GMT
Heinlein was one the first SF authors I read. I started with Orphans of the Sky, Waldo and Magic, Inc. I went on to read nearly all of his. I didn't always think they were great, but I always found something interesting about them.
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Post by transfuged on Mar 16, 2017 18:33:51 GMT
IIRC, Verhoeven has said that he thinks all military institutions are inherently fascist. So he probably just threw it in there himself. There might be a way out of this. Instead of ref-er:)ring to 'facism', talk about a timocracy ? Citizenship goes to soldiers only in the book, when I recall my Heinlein right... (I stopped watching Voeroven after some time. Basil Poledouris's music score is the only thing I would not turn down now, from Robocop. I did not want to watch what he did with Heinlein and I did not. I saw what they did with puppet masters, and it was a waste. The book was crazy with paranoia, but atlast, it was pre teen reverie and technophile. The movie was dull, average, uninteresting. Poor Robert Heinlein.) But I'd say some of his writings went into other works. Watching Back to the future, I thougth about heinlein's book... There is a lot more,but I do not recall it just now. Does anyone care ? |
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