Jennifer Carrington Carrington থেকে Naharani Gaon, Assam 785675, India
This is a collection of the core Short Stories & Novellas that are collectively known to make up Robert Heinlein's "Future History" Since these were written in the early days (many in the 1940's and 50's) much of the "future" part is now past tense at least in terms of the year on the calendar. Also, most of these have that feeling to them I would describe as pulpy, which I think most people would consider fair, since they were actually first published (not all but many) in magazines. You hear a TONNE of superlatives bandied about these days - sometimes it is hard to sort through them to the real truth that underlies, and of course it doesnt help that writing is subjective, and something that rings true or is interesting / moving etc... All that said, the words that people use to describe Robert Heinlein do not begin to do him justice. Not every story is perfect, and in most the science is pretty speculative based on the period. Of course we know no one is whipping out a slide rule in the future, but he couldnt possibly have known. The stories really grabbed me, and never let go. Some are poetic and almost high art / drama type, some are just silly little blurbs about next to nothing. They all have people at the core, and the technology / science is largely window dressing for the characters - though there is plenty of the rocket ships to the moon and beyond to keep your attention if that is what you are there for. It is SOOOO easy to read this, then almost pick an author and tell what you guess his favorite Heinlein was. Like Kim Stanley Robinson wrote the Mars trilogy very much in the fashion of The Man Who Sold the Moon... I got the feeling Niven / Pournelle had a soft spot for Jackpot and the one with the guy, the 2 kids and the bum (I forget the title) Easily understandable, this collection is probly home to the most influential set or works you can assemble in this field (including the classic Doc Smith works that Lucas turned into Star Wars) Words do not do it justice. It is classic, it inspired a generation of authors, and it probly gave the US government the idea to fake the moon landings - if you like Sci-fi - read this book. Thank me later