• Stranger in a Strange Land | | | |
• The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress | | | |
• The Cat Who Walks Through Walls | | | |
• To Sail Beyond the Sunset | | | |
• Revolt in 2100 & Methuselah's Children | | | |

• Stranger in a Strange Land

Heinlein's tour-de-force; three novels in one
Review written by: Joanna Daneman From Middletown, DE USA
Not only is "Time Enough for Love" a continuation of Heinlein's Future History, it is a special book in that it contains three novels in a rather thick-ish single book.

The first novel is the story of Lazarus Long, aka Woodrow Wilson Smith, the oldest member of the human race and the "senior" of the Howard Families, a group of people bred for longevity. Lazarus Long shows up in earlier stories about the Howards and their flight to freedom from jealous "short-lifers." (Methuselah's Children.) The second story is that of Dora, a short-lifer and ward of Lazarus, who pioneer a valley on a new planet via Conestoga wagon and not much more than grit, and then the third novel is the tale of Lazarus and his time travel back to his original family in Kansas City. (Which sets up "To Sail the Sunset"--a much inferior novel, in my opinion.)

The thread holding this book together is a sort of reverse Shaherazade device; Lazarus, tired of living, is threatening suicide, the prerogative of the long-lived. He is kept alive by the pleadings of Ira, the chairman pr-tem of the Howard Families. Ira believes Lazarus' wisdom contains help for the stagnation the family is experiencing on Secundus, where the families set up a new Earth after the Diaspora. So long as Lazarus is amused at telling his memoirs, aphorisms, and outright whoppers to Ira, he promises to stay alive and transmit his wisdom. Thus the tales within tales (and there are "short stories" as well as novels in this book.) A clever device.

The story thread also has characters who become Lazarus' new family and are interesting in themselves: Hamadryad (Ira's daughter), Ishtar, Galahad (rejuvenation technicians), Tamara (a "hetaira" or courtesan) and Minerva the computer.

This is a rich novel that bears re-reading, even in sections as these sections stand alone as well as hang together with the entire book. This is one of my favorites. Though not as elegant a novel as "Starship Troopers", "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" or others, it is so rich in stories it has become a real favorite of mine. Like visiting old friends when you re-read it.

Love is not a simple thing
Review written by: Norman Strojny From western desert of Utah
"Time Enough for Love" by Robert Heinlein contains a series of science fiction stories about (surprise!) love. I enjoyed every bit of it. However, this book is not for everyone. I had read a large number of Heinlein books before I got to this one. Heinlein is an author who 'grows on' readers who like to think. He, also, is an entertaining author. This book has a great deal of serious 'hard' science fiction in it. I recommend that you read it.

However, some folks get bored or offended when Heinlein digs deep at the question of "What is important?". Also, each of Heinlein's works contains something that someone finds objectionable. I take such writing as a challenge to try to understand what Heinlein is getting at. There are plenty of reviews here that will tell you some of what Heinlein wrote in these stories. I am trying to tell you to really look behind the surface of the stories and think about what is written. Really think about it! I hope you get hooked on Heinlein.

On the other hand, perhaps you should start reading Heinlein with some of his juveniles. This book is a little more for 'advanced' Heinlein fans.

Time Enough to Waste
Review written by: Ronald C. Payne From
Of all the science fiction novels I've read, this one was the worst by every measure. The plot was slow-moving, predictable and boring. The characters were uninteresting and the `moral of the story' was immoral. This is the first and last book I'll read by this author. If I didn't buy this book, I don't think I would have finished it.

The author of this book is very narrow-minded in his beliefs which make the book rather tedious since he hits you over the head with the same point over and over again. Even if I agreed with the author's social Darwinism, I would have wanted him to stop hammering home the same point. Basically, the core message of the story is that sex is never wrong, except if you create a `defective' child. All the taboos about sex are stupid. People should have as much sexual fun as they can. The main character violates many human taboos concerning sexual relations. Note that I say `human,' not `cultural.' He does things that ought not be done, and which if the author was more complex would illustrate the ill effects of. Religion is perceived as an irrational roadblock to sexual pleasure. Social Darwinism is the only real moral obligation. Creating children with good genes and weeding out those with bad genes are what colonization of other planets is all about. The main character at one point in his life even advocated killing off `defective' people at birth since it would help the clean up the genetic pool in the long run. Eugenics anyone?

I could have gone on about the other perversities in this book which are gross and I will not mention.

genius
Review written by: Rich Lehrer From CA
Back in the infamous 60's Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein was part of the moment for my friends and I......he introduced us to some of our first metaphysical concepts . Time enough for Love is a classic too. I love the philosophy of Lazarus the main character. I find myself in agreement all the time. This book seems equally profound and perfect for me at this point in time. I find myself underlining quotes and emailing them to friends.I love this book.

Epic, Sci-fi romance
Review written by: Angela Earle From Sun Valley, ID USA
Yes, this book has some issues, and could defintley have been whittled down some, HOWEVER, and this is a big however, there are moments in this book where fabulous and creative scifi is seamlessly blended with epic romance on a scale and to a depth that few writer ever achieve, and for Heinlein fans, a level he never achieves again. One thing I would have to say - this is all Heinlein - so yes, if you don't like this, you won't like his other work.