Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Robert Heinlein's  Job: A Comedy of Justice. The Short of It Plot: When Alex comes to, he is not in his own world. Is God testing him?  Page Count:  377 Award:  1985 Locus Fantasy  Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or  Character )  Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal to moderate. Review:  All the fun of parallel worlds with no charm. Irritating characters responding in incomprehensible manners to unfortunate but often uninteresting twists of fate. New candidate for weakest female lead character in a book! Pacing is atrocious - up to and including a massive shift for the final third or so of the book, making it feel like two lackluster novellas. This book felt significantly longer than its 370 pages. Everything about this book feels half-baked and peculiarly self-indulgent. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Except for the premise being a parallel world. I thought I loved Hei...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The Short of It Plot:  The Moon is ready for a revolution, and only a supercomputer with a sense of humor is smart enough to lead it. Page Count:  380 Award:  1967 Hugo Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Moderate Review:  Mike may be a computer, but he is one of Heinlein's most human characters. Snappy dialogue and good characters keep you rooting for Luna every step of the way. Upbeat and fun. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! “Jokes?” he asked. “Let’s hear one.” “Why is a laser beam like a goldfish?” Mike knew about lasers but where would he have seen goldfish? Oh, he had undoubtedly seen flicks of them and, were I foolish enough to ask, could spew forth thousands of words. “I give up.” His lights rippled. “Because neither one can whistle.” Alright, so maybe Mike's sense of humor is not perfect. Le...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. The Short of It Plot:  Michael Smith, the Man From Mars, struggles to understand Earth culture. Page Count:  408 Award:  1962 Hugo Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or Character ) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Minimal Review:  Started out enjoying it, probably to about the halfway mark. Interesting fish-out-of-water tale. And then we went for a BA in religion with a concentration in polyamory, pedophilia, and just a whole bunch of sex - and not a lot more. Grok Count: 487 (1.2/page) The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Valentine Michael Smith straddles the line between Martian and human, and for much of the book this is demonstrated beautifully. His struggles to understand human interaction, his fundamental otherness, his innocence, all come together to create a compelling main character.  There are a number of other characters who are moderately well exe...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers. The Short of It Plot:  Welcome to the Mobile Infantry, the military of the future! Page Count: 263 Award: 1960 Hugo Worth a read:  Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or Character ) Bechdel Test:  Fail Technobabble:  Minimal Review:  Status as classic well earned. A fun space romp even if it heavily glorifies the military. No worrisome grey morality. Compelling protagonist and excellent details keep book moving at remarkable speed.  The Medium of It Spoiler Free! This is a popcorn book; the action is plentiful and well written, pacing is good, and the military technology is all cool as heck. It's enjoyable to read, and Rico is written as a decent protagonist; we want him to win. Rooting for him is the consistent thread here, as we frequently jump from one location for a battle or training and move on without attachment to people or place. Characters are on the whole quite flat. But i...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star. The Short of It Plot:  An actor puts on his best performance by impersonating a politician. Page Count: 186 Award: 1956 Hugo Worth a read:  Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot, World, or Character) Bechdel Test:  Fail Technobabble: Minimal Review: A surprisingly funny and engaging book. Excellent narrator; charming and charismatic. Stands the test of time very well. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Like many good plays, this story is carried on the strength of the leading player. From the start he is funny, charismatic, and has a roguish charm. Lawrence Smith, aka. The Great Lorenzo, is the type of character that you cannot help but like. To pull a couple choice lines from the first five pages: He read my card and dropped it into a sleeve pocket - which annoyed me; those cards had cost me money - genuine imitation hand engraving. It was true that I was ready for any profession work - I would gladly have playe...