Posted by Joshua Tyler | Published
Robert A. Heinlein's most famous Sci-fi book, A Stranger in a Strange Land, he is now over fifty years old. It's so influential that it inspired Elon Musk's AI, Grok, named after Heinlein's book. However, despite the reputation and high quality, A Stranger in a Strange Land it is not his best book, and it is not easy to read.
Unfortunately, because A Stranger in a Strange Land had such an effect on culture, now anyone who wants to explore Heinlein's work usually starts by reading it. After they finish, those same students often never take anything else they did.
A Stranger in a Strange Land it's a great book, but it's also an absurd narrative, full of wild ideas that might scare people, and less story than most readers are used to. For people new to Heinlein, start by reading A Stranger in a Strange Land it's a great way to make sure they never read anything else he's written.
I have been reading Heinlein books since I was too young to read Heinlein, and he is, without a doubt, my favorite author. I will remedy this problem by recommending some Heinlein books that are not only completely different but even better as a way for new readers to gain entry into Heinlein's world. Most of these appear early in his writing career, before he wrote Unknown. After Heinlein went on to write many books such as, well, Unknown.
If you really want to read, enjoy, and understand the man who was once called The Dean of Science Fiction, start reading Robert A. Heinlein with these 5 books instead.
Star Beast | written by Heinlein in 1954
Best Star It was written by Heinlein as a novel for adults, but it works so well that adults can enjoy it too. This was my first introduction to Robert A. Heinlein at a young age, and if you're looking for a simple window into his worlds, this might be the book for you.
Star Beast is the story of a boy named John Thomas who has a pet, brought to his family by a spacefaring grandfather. The pet, on the other hand, thinks that it is the one that keeps people. As he grows older (and reaches incredible size), John learns his pet is not just some puppy but an intelligent creature from a powerful race of space-faring aliens, who are looking for him.
Tunnel in the sky | written by Heinlein in 1955
Tunnel in the sky very similar to Heinlein's Lord of the Flies. A group of students are sent to another planet to train their survival skills. They are supposed to be there for ten days, but no one ever comes to pick them up.
They come together to form a community, and this book follows one student who ends up being their leader, helping them all survive in a harsh and dangerous environment. Years go by as things take a turn for the worse when they discover a dangerous alien species that threatens to wipe them all out.
Starship Troopers | written by Heinlein in 1959
This 1959 Hugo Award winner is the book that Paul Verhoeven's 1990 movie is based on, in theory. Actually, Starship Troopersthis book, has very little in common with the movie they made it from, it's almost completely different.
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction story about a young soldier named Johnny Rico, caught in the middle of a war with a race of bugs. He is a member of the infantry, the infantry fighting with power weapons.
In addition to telling a great war story, Starship Troopers it contains many relevant political and military themes. Using Rico, Heinlein explores various social ills while still telling science fiction.
The Door to Summer | written by Heinlein in 1957
The Door to Summer it's the story of an independent-minded engineer and inventor (Heinlein's favorite kind of character) named Dan Boone, who builds a robotics company, but is betrayed by his colleagues and stuck in a cold sleep. He wakes up decades later and tries to rebuild his life in an unfamiliar future. Along the way, Dan gets up and falls again, ending up in a nudist area, before finally giving up and falling back into a cold sleep.
A complex story about innovation, invention, and business intrigue. The Door to Summer tackles some of Heinlein's favorite topics, dealing with issues of sexual freedom over time. It does all that while still telling a great story. To me, this is Heinlein at his best, but you may not want to tackle this one until you've familiarized yourself with some of his lighter works first.
Places to stay in Farnham | written by Heinlein in 1965
Farnham is a Cold War era story of a family hiding in a bomb shelter when nuclear war breaks out. It's great, especially at the beginning, as Heinlein describes his small group of people, huddled in their shelter while the world shakes around them.
Finally, they leave the bomb shelter only to find that they have somehow been transported to another location. Alone in a hostile environment without the technology they are used to, this group tries to build a community to survive, until they find a place where white people are slaves, and the country they knew is buried and gone.
Some groups view the book as controversial, saying they see racist themes hidden within it. Regardless, I'll leave it up to you to judge. Just keep that in mind, while reading Places to stay in Farnhamthe time it was written. Context is king.
The Great Robert A. Heinlein Books You Should Read Next
- Have a Space Suit to go
- Nyanga is an excellent host
- The Red Planet
- Animation Masters
- Starman Jones
