Monday, January 14, 2008

Heinlein: Job

Turns out I have read something by Robert A. Heinlein. Didn’t think I had. Job. I found this back in high school, thought the concept was interesting, read it, enjoyed it mostly, and never gave it or the author a second thought.

When I was in the bookstore last week and picked up the 2 Bear novels and 1 Jo Walton, I was browsing the Heinlein and saw that very same book I read back in high school. Now I’m at the point where I wished I had read more Heinlein and am starting with Starship Troopers (the movie is delightful shlocky violent fun), but I wished I knew of Heinlein at the time and was able to pick up at least his juveniles. I wonder how that would have affected my future reading.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't go into Starship Troopers thinking that it is going to be like the movie. It is a good book, but bears no resemblance to the movie! I burned out on Heinlein eventually but my two favorites(in addition to Job and Starship) are Strangers in Strange Land and Friday, though both have quite a bit of his views on sexuality.

Anonymous said...

Starship Troopers the book is different from the movie, it reads a lot more like (Heinlein's) political tract than story.

Stranger was good, and I also enjoyed Citizen of the Galaxy. I remember liking Job, but don't remember much about it.

To me, it's been a case of there was a stage in my life when I liked Heinlein, and it's passed. Can't get into his books anymore.

~David de Beer

Joe said...

I'll keep that in mind. I think I've heard that there were differences in style and tone, so I'm prepared.

I do like the movie, though.

Greyweather said...

Style, tone, characterisation, plot....

Carl V. Anderson said...

I haven't read any of Heinlein's juvenile fiction but I would really like to this year. I have read and enjoyed Friday and Time Enough For Love despite their more risque parts. Within both are stories that I really enjoyed reading and characters that were interestingly written.