What is your Favorite R.A. Heinlein Book?

[AdamH]

I have no mouth and I must scream
Starship troopers

The first was chanced upon while 'doing' Nietzche in my early 20's, the latter thanks to excellent film for boys.

It's really not sci-fi at all. Hrrm, not something to admit in public, ah well.

[jjefferies]

Orphans of the Sky I liked alot.

I prefer his earlier stuff to his later stuff.

You and me both. A shame he and Marrion Zimmer Bradley both seemed to take poorly to aging.

[Mergs]

I have no mouth and I must scream
Starship troopers

The first was chanced upon while 'doing' Nietzche in my early 20's, the latter thanks to excellent film for boys.

It's really not sci-fi at all. Hrrm, not something to admit in public, ah well.

'I have no mouth' is not RAH, it's by Harlan Ellison, who, OBTW, did some writing for the original Star Trek series. 'Subliminal Man' is also a great one by HE, and equally disturbing.

[AdamH]

'I have no mouth' is not RAH, it's by Harlan Ellison, who, OBTW, did some writing for the original Star Trek series. 'Subliminal Man' is also a great one by HE, and equally disturbing.

Ahh, thanks Mergs. Changes the perception somewhat and lightens my image of Heinlein.

Was a fairly stark read, but I didn't read it

Had some computer speaky program do it for me, robot British accent and all. Only story I've ever done it for as it was spur of the moment. Aye, funny that.

[erik_blank]

Do you think the Fencing.net group know that Heinlein actually did know a little about fencing? Fenced with his squad at Annapolis, part of US Navy training? Did okay. Hung with some other scifi writers, all of whom fenced a little, or a lot...

People who knew Heinlein who also fenced include:

Poul Anderson
Fritz Leiber
Alfred Bester
L Sprague de Camp
TH White (wrote Once and Future King)
Roger Zelazny

and quite a few more.

A few Hugo and Nebula Awards amongst that lot...

I wonder if there is any record of these people fencing RAH, and if so, what the outcome was....

[Goldgar]

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Tunnel in the Sky
The Door into Summer
Have Space Suit, Will Travel

I just finished reading Have Space Suit, Will Travel to my 11-year-old daughter. She's hooked.

[erik_blank]

Sorry to bring this back from the dust bin, but I was recently re-reading Stranger in a Strange land, when I came across the following quote, and could not find a reference for it:

In an earlier, simpler day one prime duty of any Terran sovereign was to make himself publicly available on frequent occasions so that even the lowliest might come before him without any intermediary of any sort and demand judgment. Traces of this aspect of primitive sovereignty persisted on Earth long after kings became scarce and impotent. It continued to be the right of an Englishman to "Cry Harold" although few knew it and non did it.

What I cannot seem to find is any reference to the phrase "Cry Harold." Anyone have any clues?

[fencerchica]

LOL... on the one hand Heinlein's books are terrible in so many ways. His conflicts are simplistic, many aspects of his political beliefs are even more so, and he writes about three different male character types (tops) and maaybe two female character types, which are recycled over and over throughout his books.

That being said, his characters overflow with vitality and wit, the dialogue and images are powerful and vivid and real, and the emotions really grip you. The humanity and zest for life breathes out of his books. And I'm just blown away by the fact that for all of his oddly lovable chauvinism, his major characters included powerful feminist warriors, ethnic minorities, and cheerfully bisexual men and women even in the dark ages of the 1950's.

My favorites:

• Starship Troopers
• Friday
• The Puppet Masters
• Red Planet
• The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

[needle]

What I cannot seem to find is any reference to the phrase "Cry Harold." Anyone have any clues?

I found one discussion on this that seemed to conclude it was a misspelled reference (perhaps Heinlein wanted to show that the practice was so old, no one remembered its original name) to "cry Haro" or Clameur de haro

[erik_blank]

Needle: Thank you! While this "Cry Haro" seems possible, I wonder if it really was a misspelling. Heinlein claims that he was a stickler for research, so I tend to (being gullible in many things) take what he writes about much too matter of factly. (ugh... what a sentance...)

[Stormbringer]

Did you ever catch any of the animated Starship Troopers series that came out a little after the (nearly blasphemous) movie? I only caught a few episodes, but it seems to be MUCH more faithful to the original story line presented by RAH in the book.

May I assume you mean this one? I remember it...

As for Heinlein's books... I've only read Starship Troopers...

[erik_blank]

May I assume you mean this one? I remember it...

As for Heinlein's books... I've only read Starship Troopers...

Yes. Thank you! I just spent a good hour watching the Pluto campaign.

[jjefferies]

Orphans of the Sky I liked alot.

I prefer his earlier stuff to his later stuff.

Yeah, he got definitely sexually weird in his latter wribblings. His original stuff was much more fun.

Can't believe I'm responding to a thread that's a year old.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Science Fiction, eh? That explains why I've never heard of this author...

(I've actually read some Douglas Adams and Isaac Asimov. I like SciFi films, but SciFi books -- not so much.)

[Gav]

Science Fiction, eh? That explains why I've never heard of this author...

(I've actually read some Douglas Adams and Isaac Asimov. I like SciFi films, but SciFi books -- not so much.)

You should read some. I blame Star Wars and Star Trek, but the current mainstream appears to be that SF is all ray guns and anthropomorphic aliens. Proper SF isn't like that.

[Lemonaide]

I haven't read him in such a long time, but it's time once again to try to reread. To answer your question: I think it has to be Stranger in a Strange Land, it's the only Heinlein book that I can remember, therefore I must consider it the best.

[erik_blank]

I haven't read him in such a long time, but it's time once again to try to reread. To answer your question: I think it has to be Stranger in a Strange Land, it's the only Heinlein book that I can remember, therefore I must consider it the best.

If you liked Stranger in a Strange Land, then you will probably like Glory Road as well. Much lighter fluff than Stranger, but a lot of fun, and probably the original source for my fascination with all things fencing. I would also definitely recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers both rather political in nature (but in my opinion really good SF has a strong political bent anyway...) Enjoy!