Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master [Paperback]

Robert A. Heinlein (Author), Yoji Kondo (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1993

A collection of works--most never before published in book form--by the first Grand Master (Science Fiction Writers of America). Includes major novellas "Tenderfoot in Space" and "Destination Moon," which was made into the famous George Pal film. Tributes from Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Silverberg, and Tom Clancy. "A fine memorial."--Arthur C. Clarke.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The New Collected Works portion of this memorial to Heinlein ( Stranger in a Strange Land ) is a delight. Best of these stories, essays and speeches are "Shooting Destination Moon ," an essay on the movie that follows the story on which the film was based, and the prescient Guest of Honor speeches from the World Science Fiction Conventions of 1941 and 1961. Heinlein's contributions, while not necessarily representing his best work, are always thought-provoking and never boring. In contrast, the tributes by such luminaries as Tom Clancy, L. Sprague and Catherine Crook de Camp, Arthur C. Clarke and Spider Robinson offer tedious variations on adulation. The sole exception is Larry Niven's story "The Return of William Proxmire," in which the senator blocks the space program with a time machine. He keeps Heinlein in the Navy and forestalls the body of writing that would influence many to pursue careers in space. Kondo is director of the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite observatory at Goddard Space Flight Center.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Another of science fiction's weird hybrids, comprising fiction, poems, speeches, reminiscences, and appreciations by and about Robert A. Heinlein (1907-88), one of the most successful and influential science fiction writers of the modern era. Part I features the famous title story, six previously uncollected miscellaneous pieces, and four speeches that Heinlein delivered at sf conventions. Part II reprints the speeches given at the Heinlein retrospective at the National Air and Space Museum in October 1988. Part II consists of tributes to the Grandmaster from, among others, Poul Anderson, Greg Bear, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Larry Niven, Spider Robinson, Robert Silverberg, and Jack Williamson. Among the more interesting entries are ``Destination Moon,'' the story that formed the basis for the innovative 1950 movie, co-scripted by Heinlein; and Heinlein's account of his involvement in making the movie--essential reading for sf-movie buffs. Elsewhere, Spider Robinson's egregious, ranting defense of Heinlein against mostly unspecified detractors will raise a few eyebrows; contrast Robert Silverberg's panegyric, a more reliable summary of Heinlein's substantial and lasting contribution to the field. Sentimental hagiography. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312855230
• ISBN-13: 978-0312855239
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,342,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert A. Heinlein, four-time winner of the Hugo Award and recipient of three Retro Hugos, received the first Grand Master Nebula Award for lifetime achievement. His worldwide bestsellers have been translated into 22 languages and include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His long-lost first novel, For Us, the Living, was recently published by Scribner and Pocket Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Tribute to a Great Writer, March 28, 2000

By 

Sarah M Caughey (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master (Hardcover)

Heinlein has been my favorite author for many years, and his death seemed a personal tradgedy for me, knowing that there wouldn't be any more of his books forthcoming. However, Requiem at least fulfilled some of my need for new Heinlein material, because I hadn't read some of the short stories. I also really enjoyed reading the tributes by other authors who knew him and/or admired him, because it made me feel more like I knew him. I found Spider Robinson's tributes especially moving, and I really felt like he was writing the same sort of things I felt in Rah rah R.A.H, one of his tributes. The selection that Heinlein wrote some years before, and his wife read, that is in this book "This I know" was a very touching and uplifting essay, and it revealed some things about Heinlein I hadn't really known. The short stories by Heinlein, were, as usal, very well-crafted pieces of work. The two short stories he had written for a girl's magazine, Poor Daddy and The Bulletin Board, were especially interesting, because they are so different from his usual work. REQUIEM was an enjoyable book, not quite up to the very high standards of his other books, but this is a collection of his old stories, after all. Still, they are worth reading for any Heinlein fan, and the tributes are a must.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tribute to a Grand Master, September 13, 2005

By 

J. Robert Rule II "Doc Wildman" (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master (Hardcover)

This work is essential reading for the Heinlein fan. It contains such rarities as Heinlein's guest of honor speech at the Third World Science Fiction Convention in Denver in 1941 and panelist speeches from Jerry Pournelle, L. Sprague de Camp, and even Tom Clancy. You'll find contributions from Poul Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke, Gordon R. Dickson, Joe Haldeman, Larry Niven, Robert Silverberg, and Harry Turtledove. The best parts are by those who knew Heinlein the best, as when L. Sprague de Camp humorously comments on how some fans assumed that The Philadelphia Experiment story was true because he, Isaac Asimov, and Heinlein were all stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Air Station during World War II.

3.0 out of 5 stars A must for purists, January 19, 2012

By 

Brad "Darth Gunner" (LOGAN, UT, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master (Paperback)

This was WAY up and down... I liked some of the shorts, though I had already read a number of them.
The convention speeches really gave me insight into the FAR RIGHT MCCARTHY-ISM this guy had going on - at least earlier in his life, and in fairness, it was kind of a sign of the times.
It just caught me by surprise as I have an idea where this author ends up on the left / right scale - IE: dial pointing slightly to the left of the L - think analog dial if that one stumps you...
And though his change is quite dramatic, I cant think it should be too surprising, we all change as we grow, as long as we keep growing as people that is. I hate to meet people in their 30's or 40's who think all the same things they did in their teen's and 20's. If your life experience dont mold you at least SOME you need better life experiences or something...

Anyway, the personal stories were worth the price of admission in my book. I dont think anything really means more in getting a sense of a person - short of actually talking to them - than hearing a bunch of rambling goodbyes from people who loved the decedent.

All in all this is a worthwhile read, and mostly as coherent as this type of collection / tribute can be - I didnt really think much of Larry Niven's alt timeline short story, which in itself is surprising, as I have LOVED most of what he has written without Jerry Pournelle (Footfall & Oath of Fealty just didnt do much for me - Maybe just a letdown after things like The Integral Trees, Smoke Ring, Destiny's Road, & assorted tales of Known Space)
Not that it wasnt well written or thought out - it just felt out of place to me in this otherwise pretty homogeneous amalgam.

All in all this is a must read for fans of RAH - you may just want to save it for last.