9th Annual Competition
 
Tony Fitzpatrick
For Us The Living:
The Legacy for Heinlein’s Children

Tony Fitzpatrick and his collection

The Dean of Science Fiction; The Grand Master; the titles given to Robert Heinlein reflect his creativity and skill. I was enthralled by the unique The Puppet Masters when I read it in early high school. But at that point, I didn’t have the sense to seek out more of Heinlein’s works. A few years ago, when I came across The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, I was hooked. Slowly but surely, more of his works found their way into my collection. When I had a dozen or so, I realized I was a Heinlein addict.

Having only read those that I owned and a handful from the library, I was still only a quarter of the way through Heinlein’s catalog of works. I sought out more at yard sales, eBay, and local bookstores, trading for other books when I was short on cash. After reading many of Heinlein’s works, I became interested in the man himself.

I found a few books and essays about Heinlein’s life and works in various libraries, but the most interesting find was on the web. I found numerous pages mentioning “Heinlein’s Children”. This may be puzzling at first, as Heinlein had no children of his own. It seems that a generation that grew up reading Heinlein’s works regarded him as a father figure. He fueled the imaginations of many, with descriptions phones that one can carry with them, rocket planes, and starships. And his stories showed an open-minded, forward-thinking, reachable future.

Granted, some of his works have ideas that are, to this day risqué, and many must have been outlandish when published originally. Through his works, Heinlein advocated racial, cultural, and sexual equality and freedom. Even though there is conflict in many of his works, and he had been in the military, he covertly, in some of his novels, and overtly, in his essays, opposed the destructiveness of war. All in all, he was a positive role model for his young readers.

Through the years, Heinlein saw some of his visions of the future come true. He was in awe at the first man to walk on the moon. Sadly, he was not able to see the first private space flight and the first rocket plane flight, both within the last two years. The fact that the US has a spaceport in California would have made him proud, and he would probably be stunned by the proposed $480 million spaceport in the United Arab Emirates.

We, “Heinlein’s Children,” who are lucky enough to witness these events are luckier still, because of the posthumous publication of For Us The Living. Although clumsy in some aspects, Heinlein’s first novel, rejected for publication in 1939, gives devout readers a glimpse at his future history. We get a hint of who his characters will evolve into, his famous technology is prevalent, and there are ideas here that will grow into his later novels. Best of all, we finally have something the he has left for us, the living.

 

 
Bibliography
Boucher, Anthony, ed. A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume 1. New York: Doubleday, 1959.
  This book of “future fiction” includes Heinlein’s “Waldo,” which steps beyond science fiction and into fantasy.
   
Bova, Ben, ed. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Vol IIA. New York: Avon, 1974.
  Subtitled as The Best Science Fiction Novellas of all time, this volume includes Universe, by Heinlein, and The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Back cover notes that these are written by “the most honored authors of science fiction.”
   
Heinlein, Robert A. Between Planets. New York: Ace, 1951.
  A man born on a space ship in between planets must deal with the fact that his mother’s home planet is rebelling.
   
_______________ Beyond This Horizon. New York: Baen, 2002.
  In a future utopia, revolutionaries recruit a bored genetic superman. The hero gains interest and the revolutionaries find they have made a mistake.
   
_______________ The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. New York: Berkley, 1986.
  An ex-military man is a victim of mistaken identity, and is drawn into a plot to travel through time and rescue a sentient computer.
   
_______________ Citizen of the Galaxy. New York: Del Rey, 1957.
  A young man is sold as a slave to a beggar who turns out to be an abolitionist spy.
   
_______________ The Day After Tomorrow. New York: Signet, 1949.
  The United States is invaded from Asia, and only six men are able to overcome the enemy forces.
   
_______________ The Door Into Summer. New York: Signet, 1957.
  A man is tricked out of the rewards of his genius by friends who put him into a cold sleep for many years. He comes out of the cold sleep intent on revenge.
   
_______________ Expanded Universe. New York: Ace, 1980.
  A collection of short stories and essays from 1939-1980, this book shows some of Heinlein’s thoughts on things such as war and science.
   
_______________ Farmer in the Sky. New York: Ballantine, 1975.
  This is the story of a young man who discovers the dangers of homesteading on the moon Ganymede.
   
_______________ Farnham's Freehold. New York: Berkley, 1964.
  When the United States is attacked in a nuclear war, the Farnham family find themselves launched thousands of years into the future.
   
_______________ For Us, The Living. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.
  A naval officer is involved in a car crash in 1939 and wakes to find his consciousness in another body over 150 years in the future.
   
_______________ Friday. New York: Ballantine, 1984.
  The story of a test-tube born woman who was trained to be a super-warrior.
   
_______________ Glory Road. New York: Baen, 1991.
  An ordinary man is drawn into a fantasy world where is the hero to an interstellar empire.
   
_______________ The Green Hills of Earth. New York: Signet, 1952.
  Short stories of people who live on the moon and neighboring planets.
   
_______________ I Will Fear No Evil. New York: Berkley, 1985.
  A dying rich man has his brain transplanted in his recently murdered assistant’s female body. The transplant works, but his children believe that they are being scammed by the assistant.
   
_______________ Job: A Comedy of Justice. New York: Ballantine, 1984.
  A man believes that the disasters that are occurring are a sign of the Day of Judgment, and he tries to bring his heathen love to enlightenment.
   
_______________ The Man Who Sold the Moon. New York: Signet, 1951.
  A collection of short stories about the moon or getting there.
   
_______________ The Menace from Earth. New York: Signet, 1959.
  Various short stories, some related to the Future History series.
   
_______________ Methuselah's Children. New York: Baen, 1986.
  The story of the long lived “family’s” escape from Earth after their secret of longevity is revealed.
   
_______________ The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. New York: Berkley, 1966.
  This is the story of the revolution of the people of the lunar colony, and the sentient computer which lead them to victory.
   
_______________ The Number of the Beast. New York: Ballantine, 1980.
  Four geniuses find themselves being chased by an alien intelligence and flee the universe, only to end up in the Land of Oz, amongst other amazing locations.
   
_______________ Orphans of the Sky. New York: Berkley, 1963.
  After thousands of years, some men discover that the universe is larger than they thought, and that there is more than just The Ship.
   
_______________ The Puppet Masters. New York: Signet, 1952.
  Aliens invade the earth, using people’s bodies as hosts. This calls for unique strategies in combating the enemy.
   
_______________ Podkayne of Mars. New York: Berkley, 1963.
  A youth novel about two youngsters who live on Mars, Heinlein’s original ending was changed in the first printing, to be “happier.”
   
_______________ Revolt in 2100. New York: Signet, 1954.
  Short stories about the future of the United States, including a future where the country is ruled by a dangerous religious group.
   
_______________ Rocket Ship Galileo. New York: Del Ray, 1977.
  Four high school students travel to the moon in a home-built rocket, only to discover Nazis that have escaped after the war.
   
_______________ The Rolling Stones. New York: Ballantine, 1977.
  This is the story of the Stone families travels and troubles in space.
   
_______________ Starship Troopers. New York: Berkley, 1968.
  Heinlein’s famous novel about a young man’s entrance into the interplanetary military forces.
   
_______________ Starman Jones. New York: Ballantine, 1975.
  This is the story of a young man from the country who becomes a heroic space captain.
   
_______________ Stranger in a Strange Land. New York: Berkley, 1971.
  Heinlein’s most famous work. A man raised by Martians comes to earth from the first time, and becomes a religious figure.
   
 
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May 1, 2006