[interplanetjanet]

Space Cadet and Podkayne of Mars. Though I haven't read any Heinlein in a while....as a teen I glossed the "women shouldn't work, they should just raise babies" message over, since Heinlein was really old, even older than my dad. Older, it distracts.

I did think it was really interesting that Heinlein, childless, missed on so much of the baby technology in Podkayne. Real, closely spaced pregnancies. Pop the liveborn kid in a freezer. Defrost it with some sort of timed nursery schedule--how about the five monther? They don't recognize who picks them up when they're little, so living in a huge nursery with rotating caregivers is ideal.

His later work he was a bit too proud of being able to take on sacred cows, like Lazarus screwing his hot young mother. As with many types of art, constraints can be a good thing.

Of the books on the list, I think The Puppet Masters has really held up with new relevance for each generation. But I didn't read it over and over like I did Podkayne and Space Cadet.

[time is a river]

I've read Podkayne of Mars and The Cat Who Walked through Walls, and didn't like either. I had the same objections to the casual sexism in Podkayne that Janet mention. The Cat was just too complicated to follow. Now I am reading Stranger in a Strange Land and don't love that either. I love the character of Valentine Smith but hate loudmouth Jubal Harbshaw.

[camelsmoker]

Stranger In A Strange Land is my favorite novel... by Heinlein, or anyone. I've read it at least a dozen times since high school.

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress and The Number Of The Beast are also two favorites of mine.

[klh]

I've only read The Number of the Beast. I read it back in the 80's and liked it, but I was oblivious to the fact that it is loaded with references to other works because I was unfamiliar with any of them except of course Oz. Years later I tried to read it again and I was really disappointed and stopped part way through because I couldn't handle how annoying and self-absorbed the four main characters were, and it also seemed like they were all basically the same character. Maybe if I ever read some of the referenced works I'll have a better appreciation for it.

I know, too much information.

[Vitriol]

Definitely Stranger.

I can live without anything after Number Of The Beast.

[strandediniowa]

Stranger in a Strange Land as well.

[time is a river]

I am now trying to read Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, and bogging down. Learned a lot about spacesuits, though.