Heinlein is weird. On the surface he might seem as this hardline right wing nutjob but then you start noticing stuff here and there and it turns out this dude is fucking Uli Jon Roth of very elaborate trolling.
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a deconstructive political thriller wrapped in very thought-through social model. It is basically running an Alpha Centauri campaign but better.
Starship Trooper among other things also presents one hell of a critique of meritocracy as presented in Plato's Republic. It makes it very ugly in the process too. Friday is basically Blade Runner from the replicant's point of view and it seems strange that it never got adapted. Compared to Dick's source novel, Friday also goes extra mile to show artificial human's everyday struggles the kitchen sink way.
I Will Fear No Evil is ghastly tale of batshit insane billionaire running wild high on his cutting edge tech. It's Cronenberg all the way.
The Number of the Beast is Heinlein writing an actual postmodern novel that deconstructs the whole novel writing and storytelling while also iterating the story in cascades of meta reflections. It is also very very awesome.
Job is Heinlein going medieval on organized religion with so much vitriol one might think he doesn't like that religion thing at all. It's like Idiocracy but for 80s commodified religion.
Heinlein's life went through several stages. iirc:
first he was a naval officer. he wasn't writing at the time, but a lot of the values shaped his future writing. not necessarily conservative, more like: the system is screwed up and you might be in danger from your enemy or your surroundings so you have to rely on your buddies, do your best, work hard and you'll succeed etc.
then he wrote some mainstream science fiction. at first it was pretty standard stuff, like his Future History and a fair amount of Young Adult novels (which imho is his best stuff) but by the late 60s things like Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress could be read by hippies as part of the counterculture. Anyway a lot of time he'd take an idea or perspective, and just write an entire novel about it even if he didn't agree with it. More like an academic exercise or a thought experiment. If you look at Starship Trooper and Stranger in a Strange Land and Moon is a Harsh Mistress, they all have very different ideologies but are similar in that they're "thinking things through."
at some point he had a stroke and afterwards most of the stuff he wrote doesn't really resonate with me. like Friday, I Will Fear No Evil, Number of the Beast, and Job... I really tried appreciating them but I just don't get it.
I'm dramatically oversimplifying, ofc. There's actually a community on Lemmy/Piefed: ![email protected] that's occasionally active BTW.
@[email protected] I think you might like Red Planet. It's a decent story, amazing worldbuilding, and you can kinda imagine how it'd be adapted to a graphic novel. The editions from 1980 onwards are better than the 1949 edition but it's all good.
Thanks, that's a good breakdown. Heinlein is a fascinating author because he's boots on the ground type of writer. The societies he describes, the institutions and people, they make sense within that world and he applies this deeply sociological approach to characterization that allows outlining different shades of societal class through specific characters without making generalizations. That's quite a feat.
a lot of time he’d take an idea or perspective, and just write an entire novel about it even if he didn’t agree with it.
I love that. Sort of in-line with the principle of 'an intelligent mind can hold contradictory thoughts,' etc, but really rolling with the premise.
I think you might like Red Planet...
Thanks, mate. I've borrowed an electronic copy. As someone in love with Bradbury's novel, I'm curious to read some other perspectives. Will give it a go via my digital comics reader and see how that works...
Thanks for all that. Much appreciated. I'm bookmarking your comment to my 'fun' folder as a reminder to try to consume more Heinlein media.
With Spring / Summer here I should really get myself an e-reader to enjoy some books in my sun room or outdoors. I used to be at least a respectable book reader, but all I ever do these days is consume articles and media on PC / phone. Really weird... like a part of my life just disappeared.
Personally, I think the motion of walking / riding / etc really helps me absorb audiobooks. It's worked for me in the past, anyway.
With my worsening disability, I spend most of my time now lying on my couch, and audiobooks don't land the same for me. I get antsy, and unable to sit through them very well. But, what helps with that is some kind of simple game I can play, meanwhile. It's like I need to be engaged if I'm going to listen...
I just realized that the track is on Nervous Night, the album prior to One Way Home which I bought. That said, looking at the track listings they are both equally great albums so my recommendation is to just get either (or both) for <$10 each.
Dark-horse song as in lesser known? Hmmm, Graveyard Waltz doesn't seem to get a lot of airplay? I see that Karla with a K is also conspicuously absent from some Best Of albums, so that could be another.
That's cool about No Direction Home. I would venture to say that most people could stand to be better educated on Zimmerman (me included) and the musical impact he had on the times. I'd be tempted to put him 1B / 2 to the Beatles 1A / 1 from that era, but don't think I'm educated enough to quite say at this time.
Yep. I think giving him the Nobel prize for literature was an awesome move by the academy and well deserved. If any musician deserved that, it was definitely him. Okay, and maybe Paul Simon should get one as well.
The movie's called Predestination and it was Sarah Snook of Succession alongside Ethan Hawk. Fucking great movie. I watched it in the cinema and it was one of the greatest experiences ever because this movie gets it and then when it wraps it up you go "MOTHERFUCKER!" because this movie pulls it off for real.
Cool chart! Altho I was never much of a Heinlein reader, for some reason.
Natch, also reminds me of a great 80s song...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LE0KpcP05I
Heinlein is weird. On the surface he might seem as this hardline right wing nutjob but then you start noticing stuff here and there and it turns out this dude is fucking Uli Jon Roth of very elaborate trolling.
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a deconstructive political thriller wrapped in very thought-through social model. It is basically running an Alpha Centauri campaign but better.
Starship Trooper among other things also presents one hell of a critique of meritocracy as presented in Plato's Republic. It makes it very ugly in the process too. Friday is basically Blade Runner from the replicant's point of view and it seems strange that it never got adapted. Compared to Dick's source novel, Friday also goes extra mile to show artificial human's everyday struggles the kitchen sink way.
I Will Fear No Evil is ghastly tale of batshit insane billionaire running wild high on his cutting edge tech. It's Cronenberg all the way.
The Number of the Beast is Heinlein writing an actual postmodern novel that deconstructs the whole novel writing and storytelling while also iterating the story in cascades of meta reflections. It is also very very awesome.
Job is Heinlein going medieval on organized religion with so much vitriol one might think he doesn't like that religion thing at all. It's like Idiocracy but for 80s commodified religion.
Heinlein's life went through several stages. iirc:
I'm dramatically oversimplifying, ofc. There's actually a community on Lemmy/Piefed: ![email protected] that's occasionally active BTW.
@[email protected] I think you might like Red Planet. It's a decent story, amazing worldbuilding, and you can kinda imagine how it'd be adapted to a graphic novel. The editions from 1980 onwards are better than the 1949 edition but it's all good.
Thanks, that's a good breakdown. Heinlein is a fascinating author because he's boots on the ground type of writer. The societies he describes, the institutions and people, they make sense within that world and he applies this deeply sociological approach to characterization that allows outlining different shades of societal class through specific characters without making generalizations. That's quite a feat.
I love that. Sort of in-line with the principle of 'an intelligent mind can hold contradictory thoughts,' etc, but really rolling with the premise.
Thanks, mate. I've borrowed an electronic copy. As someone in love with Bradbury's novel, I'm curious to read some other perspectives. Will give it a go via my digital comics reader and see how that works...
Thanks for all that. Much appreciated. I'm bookmarking your comment to my 'fun' folder as a reminder to try to consume more Heinlein media.
With Spring / Summer here I should really get myself an e-reader to enjoy some books in my sun room or outdoors. I used to be at least a respectable book reader, but all I ever do these days is consume articles and media on PC / phone. Really weird... like a part of my life just disappeared.
Audiobooks help me to read while walking or riding the exercise bike. If it wasn't for them I'd probably not even finish one book per year.
Personally, I think the motion of walking / riding / etc really helps me absorb audiobooks. It's worked for me in the past, anyway.
With my worsening disability, I spend most of my time now lying on my couch, and audiobooks don't land the same for me. I get antsy, and unable to sit through them very well. But, what helps with that is some kind of simple game I can play, meanwhile. It's like I need to be engaged if I'm going to listen...
I get that. I started listening to audiobooks because of eye problems. They do work better in certain circumstances.
Hopefully there will be new treatments to help you with your health problems so you can get your health in better condition.
Upvoted for the Hooters reference. The entire album was amazing. First record I ever bought.
Wow, really?
Me, I'm from a... certain town, and I thought I knew all their best stuff!
Could you give me a dark-horse song of theirs, please?
I just realized that the track is on Nervous Night, the album prior to One Way Home which I bought. That said, looking at the track listings they are both equally great albums so my recommendation is to just get either (or both) for <$10 each.
Dark-horse song as in lesser known? Hmmm, Graveyard Waltz doesn't seem to get a lot of airplay? I see that Karla with a K is also conspicuously absent from some Best Of albums, so that could be another.
Thanks! Pretty good tunes.
I particularly enjoyed the Scots-Irish feel of Karla with a K.
I'll cue up One Direction Home on YT and see what I think...
Oh man, I just realized I got confused on the name again. It's One Way Home. Not Direction. I've edited my posting accordingly.
I had probably mixed it up with the excellent documentary movie named No Direction Home...
Glad you liked Karla. It's one of my all-time favorites, and you just captured why. It really must be the Scots-Irish folk flair.
Thanks! I've corrected by bookmark.
That's cool about No Direction Home. I would venture to say that most people could stand to be better educated on Zimmerman (me included) and the musical impact he had on the times. I'd be tempted to put him 1B / 2 to the Beatles 1A / 1 from that era, but don't think I'm educated enough to quite say at this time.
Yep. I think giving him the Nobel prize for literature was an awesome move by the academy and well deserved. If any musician deserved that, it was definitely him. Okay, and maybe Paul Simon should get one as well.
Was there not a movie about this? With emma stone and ethan hawk?
Predestination, but it was Sarah Snook.
The movie's called Predestination and it was Sarah Snook of Succession alongside Ethan Hawk. Fucking great movie. I watched it in the cinema and it was one of the greatest experiences ever because this movie gets it and then when it wraps it up you go "MOTHERFUCKER!" because this movie pulls it off for real.
Exactly. That one! Amazing movie. Didn't know there was a book. I have to read it now
it goes hard