Customer Reviews

Robert A. Heinlein : A Reader's Companion

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, somebody has written a truly useful book about that most important of American science fiction authors, Robert A. Heinlein. In the past, sloppy criticism and the grinding of personal axes have ruined every single attempt to produce a book discussing Heinlein's works (I have the misfortune of having read them all). Gifford has produced what has to be the groundwork for all future studies of Heinlein: a basic categorization and numbering of every single published and unpublished work in the canon, along with the insiders' story on each entry. Readable from cover to cover, or as a reference work, Gifford has also performed the one invaluable goal of every reader's companion: he's sent me back to rereading the original works, but with fresh perspectives and insights. A perfect score, after twenty years of utter failures in Heinlein scholarship. Bravo!

Many of us waited over 5 years for this book to be published. It was well worth the wait. The author is the pre-eminent Heinlein scholar in the known multiverse ; ) and the information presented is both authoritative and fascinating, without being pedantic. Anyone with more than a very casual interest in the work of Robert A. Heinlein would do well to order this book ASAP. We can only hope that we won't have to wait another 5 years for further work in this area from Mr. Gifford. Anyone seriously interested in Heinlein may also want to check out sff.net. Mr. Gifford frequents the Heinlein oriented discussions there. The book has fascinating commentary about all of the major and many of the minor works of RAH, and Mr. Gifford's included New Heinlein Opus List is the definitive list of the Grand Master's work (and is used and cited by other scholars working in the field.)

I fancy myself quite knowledgeable in Heinlein's works yet I learned a tremendous amount in just the first five minutes flipping through this book (with many things making me chuckle--like "Heinlein 3:16"). Each of Heinlein's works is itemized and described, with insights about what went into its creation. There are many fascinating tidbits of information you probably wouldn't otherwise know, with inside information provided by Mrs. Heinlein, among others.

The format is very readable--either straight-through, or to jump around through the book. The writing style is very clear and readable. This is a first-rate piece of Heinlein scholarship that avoids the trap of being ponderous. Well worthwhile for both the casual and serious Heinlein reader.

This is an absolute must have for any serious Heinlein fan. Gifford obviously put a lot of work and thought into crafting the Heinlein Opus list, which provides a complete compendium of everything Heinlein has written. There are also tidbits about Heinlein work not published as well.

Gifford's precise, clear, and unbiased commentary on nearly all of Heinlein's works is interesting and concise. It does a great service by providing a clear chronological progression of Heinlein as a writer, which gives the reader a fuller understanding of the works produced at a given time in Heinlein's career. I often felt nostalgic when going through commentary because I could remember the work and the period of my life that I read it, and the enjoyment that it brought me at the time.

This book is indeed a companion for Heinlein fans.

James Gifford has given us a book immense in its scope, detailing the works of one of Science Fiction's Grand Master, and one of the genre's most prolific authors.

The format is very reader-friendly. The individual entries for each work are fascinating for any Heinlein lover, and the bibliography and opus list will prove invaluable to new readers who wish to delve into Heinlein's universe. Truly a landmark achievement in research and clarity.

Somewhat disappointing for the Heinlein fan interested in detailed summaries and analysis. More useful for those looking for chronologies, timelines, cross-referencing, etc. Still, this flawed Heinlein reader's companion is better than nothing.

This is probably the best reference about Heinlein's works that's ever been written. One of the best thing about it is that it's complete and very well organized, so that you can find whatever you're looking for in a few seconds, very handy.
Since I've bought it I've consulted it hundreds of times, I couldn't do without it.

I read the book in it's entirety the day I received it. At $24 I thought I'd be getting a comprehensive & possible critical review of each short story or novel RAH ever wrote. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book. It's a fun read and there is a lot of information there. Just no critical review or analysis of the stories. I started reading RAH back around 1960 (early teen years) and immediately fell in love with them. He introduced me to Science Fiction and I went on to read and enjoy many other great writers. I've lost count as to how many times I have read each of his works. There is no question that RAH is the Bard of the genre. I had hoped that in this book there would have been information and a point of view that I hadn't already read or known about for all these years.

However, if you are a new reader or just have read a few of his works this book can help you find some of his "stronger" works to read. But, I strongly recommend that you find (it's out of print and somewhat difficult to find) an early work entitled "The Past Through Tomorrow" which contains most of his "Future History" stories. This one I've read many times and never get tired of reading it. From very short to novel length each story is a gem. They remind me of a Beatle album in that every track is a 5 star gem. Have fun.

Many of us waited over 5 years for this book to be published. It was well worth the wait. The author is the pre-eminent Heinlein scholar in the known multiverse ; ) and the information presented is both authoritative and fascinating, without being pedantic. Anyone with more than a very casual interest in the work of Robert A. Heinlein would do well to order this book ASAP. We can only hope that we won't have to wait another 5 years for further work in this area from Mr. Gifford. Anyone seriously interested in Heinlein may also want to check out sff.net. Mr. Gifford frequents the Heinlein oriented discussions there. The book has fascinating commentary about all of the major and many of the minor works of RAH, and Mr. Gifford's included New Heinlein Opus List is the definitive list of the Grand Master's work (and is used and cited by other scholars working in the field.)

I was really looking forward to getting this book, but I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed. It is obviously a labor of love, but I would recommend it only for Heinlein fans who have already read most of the Grand Master's works.

It basically consists of an alphabetical listing with comments on all of the published works of RAH and it appears to be quite comprehensive. Some of the remarks and anecdotes are very interesting, but virtually all of them assume that you are already familiar with the plot of the particular story or novel. This is why I recommend it only for die-hard fans. It is no help at all for the reader who has read only a couple of Heinlein's works. I think there should have been at least a basic plot synopsis for each item so those folks could have been pointed to Heinlein pieces that would have been new to them that they might have found interesting.

No work, not even Starship Troopers or Strangers in A Strange Land, gets more than three or four pages of comments (most are less than a page) and the book is only about 250 pages long. Rather pricey, too.