Books Read
Apr. 25th, 2020 10:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dsrtao The Pursuit of the Pankera, Robert A. Heinlein & some cast of posthumous reconstructors.
I am surprised.
I know The Number of the Beast all too well, having read it as a teenager and then three or four times more, trying to figure out what was going on -- once after Gharlane of Eddore's explanation of it as a text by counter-example. This book is identical for some number of chapters, perhaps 20 or 25%, and then diverges.
I think this book is better than TNOTB. But it's still late-period Heinlein, and steals elements from other of his books. Very minor spoilers start here.
The mish-mash of every character speaking in the same patterns and vocabulary remains, The endless fights over command are reduced; the tedious debate over formal courtesies are amplified. The middle is much, much better. The ending is completely different -- i.e. it has an ending, rather than an InterWorldCon -- but feels overly copied from The Puppet Masters. There's a huge tonal shift at about 90% through the book. .
I am surprised.
I know The Number of the Beast all too well, having read it as a teenager and then three or four times more, trying to figure out what was going on -- once after Gharlane of Eddore's explanation of it as a text by counter-example. This book is identical for some number of chapters, perhaps 20 or 25%, and then diverges.
I think this book is better than TNOTB. But it's still late-period Heinlein, and steals elements from other of his books. Very minor spoilers start here.
The mish-mash of every character speaking in the same patterns and vocabulary remains, The endless fights over command are reduced; the tedious debate over formal courtesies are amplified. The middle is much, much better. The ending is completely different -- i.e. it has an ending, rather than an InterWorldCon -- but feels overly copied from The Puppet Masters. There's a huge tonal shift at about 90% through the book. .
(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-25 03:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-04-25 05:57 pm (UTC)Overall, it won't make anyone dislike Heinlein more than they already do.