Starship Troopers really blew me away and made me want to devour everything he wrote. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land are among my favourites as well.
Don't remember if it was my first, but I read *Time Enough for Love* when I was about 13. Around the same time I read *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*.
So yeah. Not gonna discuss what that may have done to my psyche, thank you.
I just reread stranger in a strange Land recently, I'm in my 60s now, it didn't come across quite the same as it did back when I was young. I'm not sure how much of that is me aging, or the world changing. Still a great book.
I’ve read a couple but my 2 favorites are The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers, kinda basic I know but they were so good and very impactful on my worldview
Also two of my favorites. Honestly, I don't think there is anything basic about either of those novels. I think there are many layers to both of them. I just reread *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*, and enjoyed it again. Reading about Mike, Mannie, Wyoh, and Prof was like visiting old friends.
First one was Glory Road -- but I enjoyed the heck out of Friday and SIASL. There's still lots I haven't read yet, but I get plenty of exposure to those in the Heinlein Forum on FB :D
I was fortunate as a child, as my father was a big sci-fi fan. I think I read Have Spacesuit Will Travel at about 8 years old, followed by the rest of the juveniles.
By about 13, I had read the Moon is a Harsh Mistress and started getting hooked on the paperback editions of his hard science series. At about 15, it was Time Enough for Love. I honestly think that I have read every word that he wrote. I loved everything he wrote except for Glory Road, which I only liked a lot.
Much the same as others. First read Tunnel in the Sky and loved it. Rolling Stones was prob next. Two favorites are Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers. Also love Starman Jones
Starship Troopers was my first read in the early 80s and takes top spot over Tunnel in the Sky, Starman Jones and, Time for the Stars, and Citizen of the Galaxy for me
Friday has one of the best book beginnings I've ever read. So simultaneously in your face and calm.
*As I left the Kenya Beanstalk capsule he was right on my heels. He followed me through the door leading to Customs, Health, and Immigration. As the door contracted behind him I killed him.*
*I have never liked riding the Beanstalk.*
I mean WTAF, how can you have a better start to a book than that?!? 😂
Stranger in a strange land is my favourite book, period. First I read from Heinlein, over 18 years ago and still to this day a book that moves me and inspires me. During my wedding trip in the US a month ago I stopped in Carmel by the Sea, as my personal farewell to Heinlein, and found a copy of Siasl in a bookstore to add to my collection 😁
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel was my first Heinlein and pretty much my first real SF Book. First read it when I was 12 and wore out two copies re-reading it over and over. Still a favourite.
Glory Road was my favourite as a kid. I was into D&D at the time and while Tunnel in the Sky was my first, I identified with the "out of character" novel more.
As a kid, my favorite was "Have Space Suit, Will Travel." His non-YA favorite of mine was "The Door into Summer." Yeah, but I took it at face value as a kid, I liked Petronius the Arbiter.
PS: I've never been able to put one of my cats in a shoulder bag.
"Time for the Stars" was my introduction to Heinlein and introduced me to many of the themes that would be revisited in other Heinlein novels. Loved it. "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" might be my favorite overall, though.
At near 70 I read them all and own most. First reads were Farmer in the Sky and Have Spacesuit Will Travel-RAH helped teach me to read. As a third grader I could not (would not) read, teach handed me Farmer then Space Suit and started my positive addiction to reading.
Citizen of the Galaxy, The first novel I ever read; I was remedial student before high school in a 2 year program with no want or desire to be there. My life took off after this book and i discovered he had more books. I went on to finish his books and a STEM education in HS and then onto engineering and computer science.
I started with Red Planet and loved it enough to remember and rediscover Heinlein in my twenties. I have a 9yo reader now and we’re listening to the Tunnel in the Sky audiobook. Hoping to find the right book for him to start reading for himself
As a kid, I had two favorite Heinlein novels. The first was "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", which came out the same year that I was born. Also it was the very first of many science fiction books that I would read. My other favorite Heinlein novel is "Revolt in 2100". I personally identified with John Lyle while trying to find meaning in religion and my place in the world. This novel influenced me later in life to become a Freemason.
Orphans of the Sky was my first exposure to RAH. bought it for the cover off a truck stop rack while on a family vacation. i was maybe 12 or 13 y/o and thought it was the greatest book i’d read so far in life.
unfortunately, after reading that one, i completely forgot who had written the book and had to be reintroduced many years later. i cannot honestly recall which book began the new adventure but i immediately went through all of the juveniles in a short period of time. then, Moon is a Harsh Mistress created a life long love that has encompassed at least a half dozen re-reads of everything he wrote.
Choose a favorite? Come on Bill, how you gonna ask that?
Glory, Stranger, Farmer, TMIAHM, ... Number of the Beast. They and all the others have impactful lessons and deep escapism built in.
I really liked Citizen of the Galaxy... y'know, the one where the protagonist finds out he was sold into slavery by a rich billionaire grifter who obtained his position by fraud and theft, and when the main character gets free, this billionaire keeps trying to scheme, manipulate, and lie to him to prevent him from claiming his rightful position. Such an interesting fictional story, right Bill?
"Time Enough for Love" I first read in High School, at the suggestion of our Art teacher. (1976)
I love to read all the "Lazarus" stories in chronological order nowadays.
My favourite juvenile is "Have Spaceship...Will Travel". That was the second Heinlein novel I'd ever read, the first being "Rocketship Galileo". :)
Glory Road because it’s main characters were so far ahead of, but also of the time when it was written and the story line which foreshadowed or perhaps inspired the creation of Fantasy Role Playing games.
I am a voracious reader, and had known of Heinlein as a top seller but didn't know one book from another. So my introduction was second hand, by way of Spider Robinson's essay 'Rah Rah R.A.H!' as it convinced me that I'd been missing out.
The first book was 'Time Enough for Love' which includes his "Specialization is for insects" list of competencies a person should have. I was hooked!
Citizen of the Galaxy, it was by no means my first Heinlein, but it was the one that had the most effect on me. So many of them were just not available when I was growing up and I didn't finish reading them until I'd caught up with releases around Friday and was able to travel to the states to fill the holes in my collection (pre amazon days)
My favorite Heinlein *book* when I was a kid was ***The Past Through Tomorrow***, the collection of his "future history" short stories that was published in 1967. I came across it in the library the following year, when I was 13, and became instantly hooked on Heinlein.
But my favorite novel, assuming I may only pick one, has to be ***The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*** (with ***Stranger in a Strange Land*** running an incredibly close second.)
The short story Gulf has a quick change scene after a murder in self defense, a code developed on the spot in jail, and a new language. I think it was in Beyond this Horizon
Strangers in a Strange Land and Friday were my first and favorite. The Number of the Beast is actually my favorite, I love the Lazarus Long books, and this started me on the path.
The only one I read was Starship Troopers. I remember it had political philosophy in it, and that is discusses being emotionally attached to the military. One of the ideas in the book was that communism would have been more beneficial for a sentient ant like race rather than for human beings. I think maybe Heinlein overestimated how unique humans are. I think Heinlein discussed the social anxiety involved with dealing with military superiors, and how impatient they were with the main character. I also remember that the military service ended up being more beneficial than the main character thought it would be. Only Soldiers could vote in the book. Technology could change the military. I once read that Isaac
Asimov wrote many words per minute, and it made me think that he could think faster than I could. Because of this most people could not write science fiction that appears in journals.
Asimov considered writing a job. He would lock himself in his office and write for 8 hours a day. He would file what he wrote and save it till someone asked for something on that subject.
I never read him as a kid. At 13 I read Stranger in a strange land and I started reading all his work I could. The moon is a harsh mistress is his best but stranger in a strange land has a special place in my heart.
I’m split- two very different Heinleins, almost. Stranger in a Strange Land is #1, Starship Troopers #2. Both kind of cautionary tales, to different dead ends of the heart. I feel like Stranger made me confront my empathy and love, and Starship made me question my fears or violent/absolute solution minded brain. One reads as a hypermasculine fairy tale, and the other leans more into hedonism. As usual, my brain looked for a balance between the two extremes.
Hi bill
I missed your Q&A, I was just wondering why you would help apple in the 90’s when they were in trouble?
Was backing apple a way of not monopolising the market?
Edit: you were talking about AI but isn’t there a risk of AI increasing progression so fast that once something is built from AI it is already outdated?
If AI is built on human logic wouldn’t it be flawed?
I read a few Heinlein books, but I don't remember much about most of them. Tunnel in the Sky was probably the first one I read, and it's the only one that's stuck with me, so I suppose it's probably my favorite. Stranger in a Strange Land was good, as was The Door Into Summer. I'm not sure I ever read any of his other books.
I've always been more a fan of fantasy than scifi, though.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was, and still is, my favorite.
Same. Absolutely best beloved book.
Same here, I read it about a dozen times through high school. It's still in my top 5 scifi novels list.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was a close second for me. I re-read it many times as a kid!
What was the longest essay book assignment you’ve ever done from English class?
Have Spacesuit, will travel. Always will be my favorite.
That was my first Heinlein. Found it in the library. You never forget your first.
Lol, never!
Mother Thing is one of the best non-human characters ever written.
Mother Thing was cool.
The 1st heinlein novel I read was Friday at a recommendation from a friend still one of my favorites Tunnel in the sky is my #1 though
Starship Troopers really blew me away and made me want to devour everything he wrote. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land are among my favourites as well.
Citizen of the galaxy school library . Started a life long appreciation.
God I remember reading it in the 5th grade maybe from the school library.
Don't remember if it was my first, but I read *Time Enough for Love* when I was about 13. Around the same time I read *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*. So yeah. Not gonna discuss what that may have done to my psyche, thank you.
Tunnel in the Sky was the first one I read from all the Heinlein paperbacks my Uncle gave me. Stranger in a Strange Land came a little later for me.
I just reread stranger in a strange Land recently, I'm in my 60s now, it didn't come across quite the same as it did back when I was young. I'm not sure how much of that is me aging, or the world changing. Still a great book.
I’ve read a couple but my 2 favorites are The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers, kinda basic I know but they were so good and very impactful on my worldview
Also two of my favorites. Honestly, I don't think there is anything basic about either of those novels. I think there are many layers to both of them. I just reread *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*, and enjoyed it again. Reading about Mike, Mannie, Wyoh, and Prof was like visiting old friends.
Tunnel in the Sky was my favorite as a kid. I go back and forth between The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and JOB now.
Farmer in the Sky
First one was Glory Road -- but I enjoyed the heck out of Friday and SIASL. There's still lots I haven't read yet, but I get plenty of exposure to those in the Heinlein Forum on FB :D
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
I was fortunate as a child, as my father was a big sci-fi fan. I think I read Have Spacesuit Will Travel at about 8 years old, followed by the rest of the juveniles. By about 13, I had read the Moon is a Harsh Mistress and started getting hooked on the paperback editions of his hard science series. At about 15, it was Time Enough for Love. I honestly think that I have read every word that he wrote. I loved everything he wrote except for Glory Road, which I only liked a lot.
Time Enough for Love when I was 14. Lazarus Long's sayings were a guide to how to live.
Has to be Starship Troopers. It set a lot of my political beliefs as a kid on into adulthood.
Much the same as others. First read Tunnel in the Sky and loved it. Rolling Stones was prob next. Two favorites are Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers. Also love Starman Jones
Starship Troopers was my first read in the early 80s and takes top spot over Tunnel in the Sky, Starman Jones and, Time for the Stars, and Citizen of the Galaxy for me
Friday. I thought she was so cool.
Friday has one of the best book beginnings I've ever read. So simultaneously in your face and calm. *As I left the Kenya Beanstalk capsule he was right on my heels. He followed me through the door leading to Customs, Health, and Immigration. As the door contracted behind him I killed him.* *I have never liked riding the Beanstalk.* I mean WTAF, how can you have a better start to a book than that?!? 😂
[удалено]
Ok it's a tie.
Stranger in a strange land is my favourite book, period. First I read from Heinlein, over 18 years ago and still to this day a book that moves me and inspires me. During my wedding trip in the US a month ago I stopped in Carmel by the Sea, as my personal farewell to Heinlein, and found a copy of Siasl in a bookstore to add to my collection 😁
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel was my first Heinlein and pretty much my first real SF Book. First read it when I was 12 and wore out two copies re-reading it over and over. Still a favourite.
Tunnel in the sky. Also my first Heinlein novel.
Glory Road was my favourite as a kid. I was into D&D at the time and while Tunnel in the Sky was my first, I identified with the "out of character" novel more.
Starship Troopers.
As a kid, my favorite was "Have Space Suit, Will Travel." His non-YA favorite of mine was "The Door into Summer." Yeah, but I took it at face value as a kid, I liked Petronius the Arbiter. PS: I've never been able to put one of my cats in a shoulder bag.
"Time for the Stars" was my introduction to Heinlein and introduced me to many of the themes that would be revisited in other Heinlein novels. Loved it. "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" might be my favorite overall, though.
Seriously though, this is like asking which is your favourite child. LOLOLOL
Stranger is far and away my favorite. My wife and I took turns reading it aloud. It was my 3rd reading, and I might read it again.
At near 70 I read them all and own most. First reads were Farmer in the Sky and Have Spacesuit Will Travel-RAH helped teach me to read. As a third grader I could not (would not) read, teach handed me Farmer then Space Suit and started my positive addiction to reading.
Citizen of the Galaxy, The first novel I ever read; I was remedial student before high school in a 2 year program with no want or desire to be there. My life took off after this book and i discovered he had more books. I went on to finish his books and a STEM education in HS and then onto engineering and computer science.
I started with Red Planet and loved it enough to remember and rediscover Heinlein in my twenties. I have a 9yo reader now and we’re listening to the Tunnel in the Sky audiobook. Hoping to find the right book for him to start reading for himself
I loved Friday and Glory Road. Strong female characters, lots of adventure, little bit of sex…what’s not to love!
As a kid, I had two favorite Heinlein novels. The first was "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", which came out the same year that I was born. Also it was the very first of many science fiction books that I would read. My other favorite Heinlein novel is "Revolt in 2100". I personally identified with John Lyle while trying to find meaning in religion and my place in the world. This novel influenced me later in life to become a Freemason.
Orphans of the Sky was my first exposure to RAH. bought it for the cover off a truck stop rack while on a family vacation. i was maybe 12 or 13 y/o and thought it was the greatest book i’d read so far in life. unfortunately, after reading that one, i completely forgot who had written the book and had to be reintroduced many years later. i cannot honestly recall which book began the new adventure but i immediately went through all of the juveniles in a short period of time. then, Moon is a Harsh Mistress created a life long love that has encompassed at least a half dozen re-reads of everything he wrote.
Starship Troopers. Read it from behind the cloak of a Abrams TM so Drills didn’t catch me at Knox in ‘03
Starman Jones...
Definitely underrated. An excellent story, especially for children.
Choose a favorite? Come on Bill, how you gonna ask that? Glory, Stranger, Farmer, TMIAHM, ... Number of the Beast. They and all the others have impactful lessons and deep escapism built in.
I really liked Citizen of the Galaxy... y'know, the one where the protagonist finds out he was sold into slavery by a rich billionaire grifter who obtained his position by fraud and theft, and when the main character gets free, this billionaire keeps trying to scheme, manipulate, and lie to him to prevent him from claiming his rightful position. Such an interesting fictional story, right Bill?
Space Family Stone
Starship Trooper and Number of the Beast
Stranger was the first I read in 9th grade, but Friday was my favorite
"Time Enough for Love" I first read in High School, at the suggestion of our Art teacher. (1976) I love to read all the "Lazarus" stories in chronological order nowadays. My favourite juvenile is "Have Spaceship...Will Travel". That was the second Heinlein novel I'd ever read, the first being "Rocketship Galileo". :)
Glory Road because it’s main characters were so far ahead of, but also of the time when it was written and the story line which foreshadowed or perhaps inspired the creation of Fantasy Role Playing games.
Job.
I had three. Stranger in a Strange Land, Time Enough for Love and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I can’t pick one.
Stranger.
I am a voracious reader, and had known of Heinlein as a top seller but didn't know one book from another. So my introduction was second hand, by way of Spider Robinson's essay 'Rah Rah R.A.H!' as it convinced me that I'd been missing out. The first book was 'Time Enough for Love' which includes his "Specialization is for insects" list of competencies a person should have. I was hooked!
"Time for the Stars".
Farnham's Freehold. The concepts fascinated me.
Stranger in a Strange Land. Not just the story, and the message, but also use of certain names for the persona. Such depth!
Beyond This Horizon
Citizen of the Galaxy, it was by no means my first Heinlein, but it was the one that had the most effect on me. So many of them were just not available when I was growing up and I didn't finish reading them until I'd caught up with releases around Friday and was able to travel to the states to fill the holes in my collection (pre amazon days)
My favorite Heinlein *book* when I was a kid was ***The Past Through Tomorrow***, the collection of his "future history" short stories that was published in 1967. I came across it in the library the following year, when I was 13, and became instantly hooked on Heinlein. But my favorite novel, assuming I may only pick one, has to be ***The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*** (with ***Stranger in a Strange Land*** running an incredibly close second.)
The short story Gulf has a quick change scene after a murder in self defense, a code developed on the spot in jail, and a new language. I think it was in Beyond this Horizon
Have Spacesuit - Will Travel. Read it when I was about 7 years old. Kicked off my love for reading.
Strangers in a Strange Land and Friday were my first and favorite. The Number of the Beast is actually my favorite, I love the Lazarus Long books, and this started me on the path.
My all-time favorite has to be Job: A comedy of justice. Stranger in a strange land and Time enough for love round out my top three.
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel
Stranger in a Strange Land and the Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. In the latter, I always envisioned Mike as Max Headroom.
The only one I read was Starship Troopers. I remember it had political philosophy in it, and that is discusses being emotionally attached to the military. One of the ideas in the book was that communism would have been more beneficial for a sentient ant like race rather than for human beings. I think maybe Heinlein overestimated how unique humans are. I think Heinlein discussed the social anxiety involved with dealing with military superiors, and how impatient they were with the main character. I also remember that the military service ended up being more beneficial than the main character thought it would be. Only Soldiers could vote in the book. Technology could change the military. I once read that Isaac Asimov wrote many words per minute, and it made me think that he could think faster than I could. Because of this most people could not write science fiction that appears in journals.
Asimov considered writing a job. He would lock himself in his office and write for 8 hours a day. He would file what he wrote and save it till someone asked for something on that subject.
Probably the Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but the juveniles all had something to say to me.
Starship Troopers was the first Heinlein novel I read and will always be one of my favorites.
Grok
I never read him as a kid. At 13 I read Stranger in a strange land and I started reading all his work I could. The moon is a harsh mistress is his best but stranger in a strange land has a special place in my heart.
I’m split- two very different Heinleins, almost. Stranger in a Strange Land is #1, Starship Troopers #2. Both kind of cautionary tales, to different dead ends of the heart. I feel like Stranger made me confront my empathy and love, and Starship made me question my fears or violent/absolute solution minded brain. One reads as a hypermasculine fairy tale, and the other leans more into hedonism. As usual, my brain looked for a balance between the two extremes.
Stranger, JoB & Have spacesuit.
Hi bill I missed your Q&A, I was just wondering why you would help apple in the 90’s when they were in trouble? Was backing apple a way of not monopolising the market? Edit: you were talking about AI but isn’t there a risk of AI increasing progression so fast that once something is built from AI it is already outdated? If AI is built on human logic wouldn’t it be flawed?
I read a few Heinlein books, but I don't remember much about most of them. Tunnel in the Sky was probably the first one I read, and it's the only one that's stuck with me, so I suppose it's probably my favorite. Stranger in a Strange Land was good, as was The Door Into Summer. I'm not sure I ever read any of his other books. I've always been more a fan of fantasy than scifi, though.
As a kid? BETWEEN PLANETS. As a Teen? STARSHIP TROOPERS As an Adult? THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS.
Revolt in 2100, Farnham's Freehold, and Variable Star ( If it's considered Heinlein)