QUINT@RUTGERS.ARPA (07/16/85)
From: Anne Marie Quint {/amqueue} <quint@RUTGERS.ARPA>
I dont remember the copyright date for TEFL, so Im not sure
what all has come out afterwards. There are 3 that I am sure of,
all of which have been debated hotly on this digest; I will append
my reviews, but please be aware that I am a RAH fanatic.
The Number of the Beast:
This was a fun book, with the same tone (to me) as TEFL.
Same friendly bickering, some introspection on the part
of the characters, and an interesting trick of having the
narrator alternate between the 4 major characters. I was
having fun reading this till the last major division of
the book... where I feel RAH copped out. I dont want to
totally spoil it for you, so I wont give any more detail.
The writing style stayed the same, the character's inter-
action continued, but there was a cop out nonetheless.
This book also has one of the most confusing last chapters
I have ever come across... if you are a completist reader,
and have read *everything* he has ever written, in addition
to being a sf fan in general, you will have fun with the
last chapter... but I in my ignorance was confused. It ahs
been said that this book was written deliberately self
indulgently, with little regard for the readers. I personally
think it was an in joke played on the publisher, since this
book was a milestone for writers, in that it was negotiated
for, before beign written, for 6 million dollars. (i think;
an obnoxious amount of money, anyway).
Friday:
This is a book that goes back to his older style of writing:
very crisp, no nonsense, "of course this is the way it happened."
It is reminiscent to me of the short stories in his Future
History Collection. Friday is the name of the lead character,
a girl with a very intriguing background. Many people have
complained about the lack of characterisation in this one, and
of a pat, easy, out of character (for hte character) ending,
but every time I re-read it I get a little insight into a
different type of personality. His views on a Balkanized
America are amusing. Also, this novel uses some characters
and references from a short story in the collection
Assignment In (To?) Eternity. I cant remember the title of the
story, but there are only 4 in the book.
Job: A Comedy of Justice:
This book is different. It is not Science Fiction in any of
its incarnations, and it is not like anything else I have
ever read from Heinlein. It reads almost like a Mainstream
Novel Using Fantasy As A Device. I liked the concepts in
the book, and I liked the general idea, but I cant say I
liked the book (shame, shame, I hang my head in shame). The
entire book is a continuation of his seeming tirade against
organized religion, but the humor and wit (well, I think so!)
that he usually brings to his arguments is either missing
or so well hidden that I cant see it. And this is the one
I bought in hardcover... *sigh*. My only real warning is that
his hero, like all his men, is totally, thoroughly, and
slightly disgustingly besotted with his woman.
I hear there is another book out, mentioned in one of the digests,
called Cats: A Comedy of Manners. I know nothing of this one.
I repeat: I am a Heinlein fanatic. Take all my raves with however
much salt you want. I do not htink he is a male chauvinist, nor that he
believes everything he writes. Sometimes I think his men are too adoring
of the women in their lives, but that just enables the women to take
more complete control :-).
Robert Heinlein, Robert Heinlein,
RAH! RAH! RAH!
/amqueue
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