Thursday, April 30, 2015

On Robert Heinlein

I used to read a lot of science fiction between 12 and 14 (let's just say the stuff was a mind-expanding psychedelic drug). I read some even today, but not much. I do know there is some furor in the science fiction world because it's apparently been taken over by leftists and they've imposed PC on it, which means they're not interested in quality but instead leftist beliefs.

And that brings me to Heinlein.

I was never a fan of his. The first story of his I read was "Waldo," (which is about the occult) which was an early story and which I still think is his best. But when I read Farmham's Freehold I thought he'd lost his mind. It was about incest, castration and cannibalism and some other loony things I've forgotten about.

People have attacked Heinlein as a fascist. Har har! Heinlein was married three times and his last two marriages were open marriages. His second wife was a practicing witch. At first he was a self-proclaimed socialist.

The guy was a hippie before there were hippies! He never ceased being a hippie. All you have to do is read Stranger in a Strange Land, which is so bizarre and so leftist no society could be founded on it. As for The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, it's pretty libertarian.

People think because he wrote Starship Troopers he's some kind of fascist. Really? Being anti-draft is fascist? How so?

People who disparage him know nothing about him. And I suspect if I met him I would not like him, but I'm not going to tell lies the way the ignorant do.

I'll tell you this, though: he'll last a lot longer that the leftist retards of today.

5 comments:

Mindstorm said...

Especially tiring were his female characters. All of them were impossible, psychologically perfect 'unicorns' without one bad trait.

His "Job: A Comedy In Justice", "Friday" and "Cat That Walked Through Walls" took some effort even to finish them, despite some interesting ideas. But their exposition was terrible.

Black Poison Soul said...

Exactly as Mindstorm said. Also avoid his "Number of the Beast". It's weird.

While some of Heinlein's stuff interested me when younger, I ended up put off him. No longer have even a single book of his. Roger Zelazny is more to my taste these days, and I don't even read those much any more.

Unknown said...

I'm sure Heinlein does put off a lot of people. I think I have one book of his somewhere.

Glen Filthie said...

I agree. He was ahead of his time but even so- he was at least original and an individualist.

The genre today is infested with queers, feminists, and Marxists that aren't worth the time of day. They are, however, worth the time of Day - Vox Day! He is kicking the SJW trash to the curb so at least he is contributing something to the industry even though his own writing sucks balls! It is good to see - I got sick and tired of shelling out cash on books only to find that it was about faggots in space, or lesbian dragons, or commie time travellers.
I WAS favourably impressed with the recent movie " Interstellar". Not one liberal deviant to be seen and all based on hard science! It was refreshingly original. haven't seen that for awhile!
Hopefully Vox can do away with the priggery that sillies the genre today.
He and Heinlein probably would have gotten along well...

Mindstorm said...

Also, it reminds me of the cliffhanger ending of "Cat That Walked Through Walls". I prefer some closure to being openly toyed with by the author.