The Number of the Beast by Robert A. Heinlein

Ehab.Ahmed · Jan 19, 2010

I went today and bought a copy of Robert A. Heinlein's The Number Of The Beast. I wanted to know if you have read this book before and what you thought about it. I know I already have my hands in the oven sort to speak, but still it would be interesting to see how many of you actually read the book.

Priene · Jan 19, 2010

It's many years since I attempted to read it, but I do remember absolutely hating it. The characters seemed to spend about three years arguing about who was going to become Captain. Then I fell asleep.

Jamesaritchie · Jan 19, 2010

Thought it started off wonderfully. Then it got weirder and weirder. I did finish it, and I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't put it anywhere near the top of Heinlein's efforts.

Ehab.Ahmed · Jan 19, 2010

I have read the first couple of pages and I'm already wondering if I've made the wrong decision buying the book. It's start is boring and long winded. Also, the characters seem to use such complicated and pretty words that really makes me wonder if that's the author's fault.

Well, you've all heard the wisdom "don't judge a book by its cover". It seems this time the wisdom isn't so wisdomy. I'll keep reading though, because the blurb really excited me.

Thanks for your input.

shawkins · Jan 19, 2010

Big Heinlein fan here. That one's not my favorite, but I've read it two or three times. To me it came across as a bit self indulgent and not especially entertaining. And I know what you mean about the vocabulary words. I still remember the first time I stumbled across the phrase "eschatological pantheistic solipsism"--it's hard to interpret that as anything other than gratuitous obfuscation (ha-ha).

If this is your first foray into Heinlein I think you'd be better off reading one of his juveniles. He did them every year or two for about 15y, and they're all pretty darn good. Citizen of the Galaxy is a nice one to start with. Probably the best of the late-career written-for-adults Heinlein is Job: A Comedy of Justice.

If you find yourself not knowing who many of the characters in the latter third of Number of the Beast are, go out and read everything Heinlein ever wrote and try again. It will probably make more sense then. Alternatively, to save time you could just send Don a P.M.

I'd be curious to know what you finally decide. Swing back bay when you're done with it, one way or the other.

ETA:

Priene said:
It's many years since I attempted to read it, but I do remember absolutely hating it. The characters seemed to spend about three years arguing about who was going to become Captain. Then I fell asleep.

Yeah, that.

Deleted member 42 · Jan 19, 2010

I've read it a few times. I waited, eagerly, for it, and bought Omini magazine issues that serialized it.

It's not his worst, but it's far from his best. I'm a fan of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and "The Green Hills of Earth."

Ehab.Ahmed · Jan 19, 2010

shawkins said:
...
If you find yourself not knowing who many of the characters in the latter third of Number of the Beast are, go out and read everything Heinlein ever wrote and try again. It will probably make more sense then. Alternatively, to save time you could just send Don a P.M.

I'd be curious to know what you finally decide. Swing back bay when you're done with it, one way or the other. ...

Send Don a P.M? Why? Oh, you mean he'd save me time not to read all of Heinlein's books and tell me about the characters?

Curious about what I decide? About what? I'm confused, lol.

Well, it's a comfort to know it's not his worst book, and generally not a bad book. I didn't know who Heinlein was and I just picked up the book based on the blurb. Damn, the cover almost instantly turned me off.

SarahMacManus · Jan 20, 2010

Not my favorite Heinlein (and yes, I'm a big fan).

Number of the Beast was actually pretty awful, only thing worse was probably "To Sail Beyond the Sunset". Of his later novels "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls" was pretty good. I didn't think it was a hard read, but it was definitely not a lot of fun, characters all sound the same, same old drum Heinlein was beating, so, not my favorite. I always got the feeling that "Beast" and "Sunset" were the result of a multi-book contract. God knows they never saw an editor!

If you want to read "adult" Heinlein, stick to "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Time Enough for Love". Both are excellent reads and representative of Heinlein at his best.

Not a big fan of his juveniles, for some reason, though.

shawkins · Jan 20, 2010

Sorry, it made sense in my head.

Ehab.Ahmed said:
Send Don a P.M? Why? Oh, you mean he'd save me time not to read all of Heinlein's books and tell me about the characters?

Right, exactly. Don is a noted Heinlein fanatic.

Ehab.Ahmed said:
Curious about what I decide? About what? I'm confused, lol.

Just what you thought about the book after reading it for the first time. FWIW, if I had to recommend an introduction to the man's work, Number of the Beast would be near the bottom of list. Hope it doesn't sour you on him permanently. I think he's great. Perhaps not the most sterling prose stylist who ever put pen to page, but he can tell the hell out of a story.

Ehab.Ahmed said:
Well, it's a comfort to know it's not his worst book, and generally not a bad book. I didn't know who Heinlein was and I just picked up the book based on the blurb. Damn, the cover almost instantly turned me off.

Heinlein's not for everybody, but those who like him tend to like him a lot. I'd heartily recommend his juveniles, particularly if you are a juvenile.

Pretty much anything he wrote between 1950 and 1967 is a good read. There's lots of good stuff both before and after as well, but that was his best work as far as I'm concerned.

DeleyanLee · Jan 20, 2010

I read it when it first came out. For the most part, I was mildly entertained with the concept, if not the people, and literally screamed in frustration with Lazarus Long took over the book. I seriously hate Lazarus Long and stopped reading. My ex promised me there would be a BIG surprise if I kept going, so I picked it back up and finished it.

If you were into the fan/convention circuit at the time it was published (which I was), the last chapter makes TONS of sense and is great, wonderful fun because virtually everyone who shows up was active in that circuit at the time. It was hilarious. Didn't save the book for me, but I really liked the ending. I don't think the writing quite lived up to the premise he had, though.

IIRC, there was a number of books that came out while Heinlein was in treatment and under heavy narcotics and this was one of them. He was actually astounded, ashamed and pissed off that any of those drugged-out ramblings actually got published. Number was one of those books.

Ehab.Ahmed · Jan 20, 2010

shawkins said:
Sorry, it made sense in my head.

Right, exactly. Don is a noted Heinlein fanatic.

Just what you thought about the book after reading it for the first time. FWIW, if I had to recommend an introduction to the man's work, Number of the Beast would be near the bottom of list. Hope it doesn't sour you on him permanently. I think he's great. Perhaps not the most sterling prose stylist who ever put pen to page, but he can tell the hell out of a story.

Heinlein's not for everybody, but those who like him tend to like him a lot. I'd heartily recommend his juveniles, particularly if you are a juvenile.

Pretty much anything he wrote between 1950 and 1967 is a good read. There's lots of good stuff both before and after as well, but that was his best work as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, I see. Well, so far, I'm only at the end of the third chapter and I already have exceeded my number of dictionary uses of all my life put together. He described a scene where, supposedly, the MC and 3 others ride a car. To my dismay, the car exploded, they rode another car, and the damn thing flew! And I got all that from the dialogue! Either I'm really bad at English, or he's really bad. I'm rooting for the latter.

He also uses some strange words that only a writer would use. For example, in chapter 1 page 12:

Her face remained calm but the light went out - and her nipples went down.

What the hell?
And in chapter 3 page 22:

'... I'm going to marry you as fast as possible, not only because you smell good but to give me a legitimate interest in this fight.'

Now, he's telling us how and why this character is needed in the plot?

I'm just looking up words more than reading itself.
Rant over, lol.

Priene · Jan 20, 2010

DeleyanLee said:
IIRC, there was a number of books that came out while Heinlein was in treatment and under heavy narcotics and this was one of them. He was actually astounded, ashamed and pissed off that any of those drugged-out ramblings actually got published. Number was one of those books.

I wish I'd known that at the time. I had a Heinlein phase phase going on (big fan of Time Enough for Love), but spending several hour's wages on Number of the Beast killed it dead. I don't think I read another.

Ehab.Ahmed · Jan 20, 2010

Priene said:
I wish I'd known that at the time. I had a Heinlein phase phase going on (big fan of Time Enough for Love), but spending several hour's wages on Number of the Beast killed it dead. I don't think I read another.

Wish I had known that, too. I got the book cheap, so I'm not so scorned about the money, but man is it hard to read it!

Are all his books this hard to read and follow?

Kitty Pryde · Jan 21, 2010

I'm sorry, but your woeful attempts at reading Heinlein have caused me to LOL. I think the problem with Heinlein, to put it succinctly, is that he is an amazingly wonderful writer who is also simultaneously a kinda crappy writer and also, most of the time, a tool. (OMG! The ad hominem of the dead!)

I really love "Job: a comedy of justice" which I thought was clever and fast paced. And I love "Stranger In A Strange Land" which I thought was really deep and brilliant (granted, I was 9 years old at the time and still carried a Care Bears lunch box, so make of that what you will). Starship Troopers is exciting and easy to read. Oh! And I just read Orphans of the Sky, which was good other than being the single most sexist novel I have ever read.

Ehab.Ahmed · Jan 22, 2010

Is there anything 'adult' he's written? Something good and meaningful and deep.

CaroGirl · Nov 24, 2010

Robert A. Heinlein

I was cleaning out my basement and came across a box of books. Inside this box, I found the book Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein. I remember reading this as an older teen and very much enjoying it. My son also loves to read and this book, or what I remember about it, would be up his alley (travelling to alternative realities).

Has anyone read this recently and can tell me if it might suitable for a 13 yo boy? I can't remember enough detail to know whether he'd be ready for it at his age.

Kitty Pryde · Nov 24, 2010

I loved that book too! Read it as a kid. Unfortunately there is some weird sex stuff (Heinlein's specialty!), like when the MC has to live in the life of the guy who is all amoral.

CaroGirl · Nov 26, 2010

Thanks, Kitty. Maybe I'll put it away for him to read in another couple of years. Heck, maybe I'll read it again myself!

blacbird · Nov 26, 2010

I'm probably one of the few SF readers here who just doesn't find Heinlein that great. Among Heinlein's contemporaries, I much prefer Dick, Van Vogt, Sturgeon, Bradbury, Simak, Clarke.

benbradley · Nov 26, 2010

That book was notable for me, because when it came out (I was around age 25) I had finally caught up with reading all of Heinlein's previous novels and writings, so I had to resort to buying "Job" as a brand-new hardback.

And yeah, Heinlein often wrote about sex, especially in his later years. It makes me wonder if by that time all he could do was write about it (woops, maybe TMI).

Of course Job also has strong religious overtones, and Heinlein often wrote about that too.

But be sure to get Heinlein's "juveniles" for him to read. They're clean, and interesting enough for me to have (re)read in my '20's (or perhaps I wasn't very mature in my 20's).

RobJ · Nov 27, 2010

CaroGirl said:
I was cleaning out my basement and came across a box of books. Inside this box, I found the book Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein. I remember reading this as an older teen and very much enjoying it. My son also loves to read and this book, or what I remember about it, would be up his alley (travelling to alternative realities).

Has anyone read this recently and can tell me if it might suitable for a 13 yo boy? I can't remember enough detail to know whether he'd be ready for it at his age.

I read it many years ago and loved it. Tried reading it again a couple of years ago and couldn't finish it. Boys of 13 read all kinds of things these days. I don't think I'd be too concerned about them reading Heinlein.

The alternate realities element of this book was interesting, where each universe was slightly different to the previous one and to our own. I read a whole load of Heinlein books at the time and loved them all. A few years later I went looking for Heinlein books in the local bookstores (back in the days when we had a choice of bookstores) and couldn't find any Heinlein anywhere, not for some time. It was as though I'd slipped into an alternate universe where everything was the same except that Heinlein had never existed. I did wonder.

Kate Thornton · Nov 27, 2010

Perfect Heinlein for your kid:

Have Spacesuit, Will Travel

.

Jamesaritchie · Nov 27, 2010

Heinlein has quite a few juvenile novels out, and all are wonderful. I still read them every couple of years.

But Job: A Comedy of Justice is probably not the book to start your son on. It's a very good book, but it's a bit like starting Dickens with Bleak House.

SPMiller · Nov 27, 2010

I'm a New Age guy.

Ingvanye · Feb 16, 2011

More great Heinlein, "Time For The Stars", "The Red Planet" and "Starman Jones"

Love 'em!

The Number of the Beast by Robert A. Heinlein

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