#space-suit

I have long been a fan of Robert Heinlein's science-fiction. I first discovered them as a student in my first year at university when I found for in a book, 'Time for the Stars'. After eagerly devouring it, my father suggested I read one which he had, 'The Day after Tomorrow' (which has nothing to do with the film). Shortly thereafter I discovered tat the university library's English literature section had a shelf full of Robert Heinlein's books. My Robert Heinlein addiction was born.

Earlier this year I discovered an Oxfam second-hand bookshop in Reading, which is my personal gold-mine for sci-fi and fantasy novels. One of my visits recently meant my acquiring two new Robert Heinlein's for my collection, 'Between Planets' and 'Starman Jones' further feeding my Robert Heinlein adoration.

When you read a lot of novels by the same author, you notice some of their patterns and recurring elements and themes. Robert Heinlein's novels are full of adventures, strange new vicious and unwelcoming species, such as the centaur-like creatures in 'Starman Jones' and the aliens in 'Have Space-suit, Will Travel' who have decided to judge the people of earth for their millenniums of crimes.

Another feature of Robert Heinlein novels is the need to expand, creating new colonies on other planets as we have exhausted the Earth's resources, or due to population pressure, or both, though the protagonists are usually earth-born themselves. People on Earth are usually also tightly controlled in Heinlein novels in one manner or another, such as the tight control of who may travel to and from Earth, who may join the colonies, who are forced to join the colonies, who has specific jobs, careers, etc. Colonies in contrast are usually much less regulated, especially newly established colonies.

Many of Robert Heinlein's novels are about boys, poor, interested in space and space-flight, and desperately eager to explore space. However everything is against them, and it seems near impossible for them to ever go into space, except that they then lie, cheat, or under some odd circumstances go off into space anyway despite tight and unfair regulations which were holding them back. They are usually young, honest, modest men and intelligent. Just the kind of guy you want to read about! They often rise to become leaders of colonies, space-ships, space-fleets etc, though they are reluctant, modest leaders (the best kind you know) doing it out of duty or honour, rather then for the power and greed that other characters, their enemies, crave.

Despite these common themes, they all differ, and are all separate experiences. Personally I would recommend reading 'The Day after Tomorrow' which is in fact one of his novels which does not follow some of the above outlined trends, but is a brilliantly written novel, and what I would consider one of his more well-thought-out and developed plots. I would also firmly recommend 'Citizen of the Galaxy' which is my personal favourite Heinlein (why don't I own it yet?!) as I believe the main character is more well-developed in this novel then in some of his others. For someone who wants to try a slightly different sci-fi, you could try 'Have Space-suit, Will Travel'. I particularly like the title, its rather catchy, but compared to some of his other novels, this one makes less logical sense, where normally Heinlein spends ages explaining the logic and science behind ships, systems, organizations, but it is a fun read nonetheless.

Probably their biggest weakness is that they are not long novels. It works well with his style, and his plots, and they are well written, but there isn't the level of character and plot development which I normally crave from the novels I read. Heinlein is probably more something you read for fun, to pass time, on the bus, that kind of thing. He has however written some longer novels, notably 'Time Enough for Love' which I am currently reading, which does (up till now) demonstrate more of the character and plot development which I would love to have more often from him.