Thinking About Heinlein: 1956-2006

[j d worthington]

This is also, as noted on another thread, the centennial of Heinlein's birth. Perhaps it wouldn't be amiss to have some sort of recognition of that on the Chronicles? Like him (or his work) or not, he helped bring American sf out of the pulp magazine gutter it had fallen into during the 20s and early 30s, and he, along with such as John W. Campbell, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov (among others) began to once more make it a branch of literature worthy of the name.

 

[The Ace]

Yeah, I always liked his work. though the only thing I own of his at the moment is the brilliant "The Past Through Tomorrow, " anthology.

 

[Pyan]

Well, I grok Heinlein! I've just about eveything he wrote, from Lifeline to To Sail Beyond The Sunset, though I've still to read For Us, the Living. He was the first author I read with self-referential, internal timelines, and I can still remember the amazement I felt the first time I noticed a reference to another character in another book to the the one I was reading - I think it was to JSB Smith from I Will Fear No Evil, referred to in Time Enough For Love.

For me, he will always be the greatest hard SF author ever - even realising some of his odder personal beliefs later, the sheer joy of reading Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers, and TEFL( Lazarus Long is surely close to the top of any "Greatest SF Character ever" list!) is still one of my early memories of the genre, and shaped my reading to the present day.



Sláinte mhath, RAH, the Dean of Science Fiction Writers. We will not forget.

 

[j d worthington]

Heinlein remains high on my list; I would imagine he always will. And, darnit, I can't find my copy of For Us, the Living; going to have to go get a replacement! (grumble, grumble) Like you, though, Pyan, I'd not got around to reading that one yet -- I understand it really wobbles badly, being a very early attempt at a novel; but I'm curious about it, nonetheless.

Glad to see that little bit from Woodie, by the way ... I suppose (not being able to program a computer and such) I wouldn't quite make it on that scale, but I most heartily agree with the final line!

 

[Pyan]

Nerdily enough, I used to check off items on it, currently having about three left. Hope I'll never have to do the last one, though!