A review by bickleyhouse
Assignment In Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein
4.0
This is another installment in my quest to read all of the Science Fiction Grand Masters. And it is another Heinlein book that I had not previously read.
Assignment in Eternity has four stories. "Gulf" and "Lost Legacy" are what would probably be considered "novellas," and "Elsewhen" and "Jerry Was a Man" are short stories. Both of the novellas involve a sort of "superman" kind of character. Not the kind from the comic books, but a type of human being that is far more developed than we normal humans. These people have mental superpowers that place them far above the rest.
In my opinion, I see foreshadowing, in these two stories, of the likes of Lazarus Long and his family, which won't show up until a number of years later in his writings.
In "Gulf," our main character is a spy of sorts. It starts out with a bang and continues in that way for a while, as he destroys any evidence of the person he was at the beginning and assumes a whole new identity. There is a lot of action at the beginning, but somewhere around the middle of the story, it becomes very dialogue-heavy. But this is common for Heinlein. And it was fun to be reminded of Heinlein's talent for snarky dialogue. There is quite a bit of humor/sarcasm in the dialogue of his characters. The main character, he of many names, eventually teams up with some other folks, but there is some disagreement on what they are trying to accomplish. The ending is abrupt and not "happy."
"Elsewhen" involves a sort of hypnotism, using vinyl records as catalysts. The thing is, though, when the subjects go "under," they physical transport into another time/place/dimension. This is quite an entertaining tale.
In "Lost Legacy," three friends go on an expedition and discover a group of the same kind of "supermen" introduced in "Gulf," holed up in a cavern in Shasta Mountain. It turns out that the three friends also have these abilities, but not to the extent of the folks in the mountain. In this story, the three believe that anyone could be taught these abilities, given the right circumstances.
Finally, "Jerry Was a Man" involves an ape-like creature who has higher intelligence, and a legal battle to determine his fate.
This are highly entertaining stories, and I enjoyed all four of them. As I said, Heinlein's dialogue-writing has improved and gotten pretty cynical and sarcastic, which I enjoy quite a bit. These remind me why I have always loved Heinlein so much.
Assignment in Eternity has four stories. "Gulf" and "Lost Legacy" are what would probably be considered "novellas," and "Elsewhen" and "Jerry Was a Man" are short stories. Both of the novellas involve a sort of "superman" kind of character. Not the kind from the comic books, but a type of human being that is far more developed than we normal humans. These people have mental superpowers that place them far above the rest.
In my opinion, I see foreshadowing, in these two stories, of the likes of Lazarus Long and his family, which won't show up until a number of years later in his writings.
In "Gulf," our main character is a spy of sorts. It starts out with a bang and continues in that way for a while, as he destroys any evidence of the person he was at the beginning and assumes a whole new identity. There is a lot of action at the beginning, but somewhere around the middle of the story, it becomes very dialogue-heavy. But this is common for Heinlein. And it was fun to be reminded of Heinlein's talent for snarky dialogue. There is quite a bit of humor/sarcasm in the dialogue of his characters. The main character, he of many names, eventually teams up with some other folks, but there is some disagreement on what they are trying to accomplish. The ending is abrupt and not "happy."
"Elsewhen" involves a sort of hypnotism, using vinyl records as catalysts. The thing is, though, when the subjects go "under," they physical transport into another time/place/dimension. This is quite an entertaining tale.
In "Lost Legacy," three friends go on an expedition and discover a group of the same kind of "supermen" introduced in "Gulf," holed up in a cavern in Shasta Mountain. It turns out that the three friends also have these abilities, but not to the extent of the folks in the mountain. In this story, the three believe that anyone could be taught these abilities, given the right circumstances.
Finally, "Jerry Was a Man" involves an ape-like creature who has higher intelligence, and a legal battle to determine his fate.
This are highly entertaining stories, and I enjoyed all four of them. As I said, Heinlein's dialogue-writing has improved and gotten pretty cynical and sarcastic, which I enjoy quite a bit. These remind me why I have always loved Heinlein so much.