At 128 pages, you may have a hard time believing this is a Heinlein novel. But it is! And a doozy at that! First, let’s grok the title page:
You’re probably wondering, “What does this book smell like?” I’ll let those dates suffice to tell you it smells like Heaven, pure heaven.
It also has almost everything you’d expect out of a Heinlein book: minus the sex. So if you’re hoping for a delightful romp of orgies, cats, and flirty banter, stick to the Lazarus Long novels. If you like your Heinlein preachy (a la Stranger in a Strange Land), this book is going to be a sweet little bonbon of sacrilege for you!
Welcome aboard a ship that offers everything you could need in life…as long as you don’t ask too many questions. For what more could there be to life than waking, working, eating, sleeping, and eventually, dying? Dare to find out? The answer might be more than you can handle.
One typical Heinlein feature that this book employs heavily is The Dean of Science Fiction’s ability to describe a concept foreign to a character in vivid, astonishing detail. For example, we might be awed when we see the stars. But imagine going your whole life never seeing stars, and seeing them for the first time as an adult? Heinlein masterfully laces himself into the shoes of characters experiencing things we have long taken for granted for the very first time. The result is my favourite aspect of this book.
Heresy and politics intertwine as unlikely allies join forces to uncover the meaning of life. A short but satisfying read, suitable for all ages because the only objectionable content is violence but isn’t violence like required now? Strongly recommend, I believe you will enjoy it.
I cannot promise your copy will smell as good, though.
Leave a Reply