I have never read Heinlein. I don’t care for sci fi, but I have always wanted to check him out. What do you recommend for a first, and possibly only read, of his?
Pure leftist garbage. There was a reason it became a hippy icon.
If you want to read a short book, Starship Troopers.
He wrote a lot of great “juvenile” fiction that punches way over its weight. ‘Troopers started as one of those but was rejected by his publisher, so he had printed as an adult novel by another publisher.
If you want to read what I think is his opus, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.
The Moon’ will throw you some curves about relationships. Don’t let them distract you or put you off. Please stay with it for the sake of the overall message.
I found both to be fascinating reads and hard to put down. ‘Troopers I read three different times over three different decades and found something new to take away each time.
Some might suggest Stranger In A Strange Land. It was huge in the 60’s, but I don’t suggest it as the first thing from him to read. It might be more enjoyable after reading The Moon’, if you enjoy that.
Try Starship Troopers. Unlike the movie, it is a utopian novel about a civilization in which the only path to citizenship is through military service. Since political power is held solely by those who have proven their willingness to risk all for the common good, the government is rational and responsible. Also, it’s a great story about the fight to save humanity from an implacable alien race.
I've read most everything Heinlein wrote. Like all good sci-fi, his books are not about the sci or the fi. They're about human nature, sometimes tested in unnatural circumstances.
My Mom, who was not a big sci-fi fan liked "The Door into Summer". Nominally a time-travel book with several twists and a lot of Heinlein's humor, and also his love for cats.
"The Puppet Masters" is probably one of the best of the conspiratorial, trust-no-one stories, exciting, but lighter on the character development.
"The Star Beast" is one of Heinlein's juvenile books, although as with all his juveniles like "Have Space Suit Will Travel" or "Podkayne of Mars", the themes are adult, and the dangers are real. In "Podkayne", the main character dies heroically, which is unusual for a juvenile. "The Star Beast" is one of the funnier Heinlein juveniles involving a small alien pet. Think of it as somewhat analogous to the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles".
I personally think one of Heinlein's best of the more hard-core sci-fi books is "Starship Troopers". He really explores a multitude of ideas here including why governments collapse and possibly how to prevent such a collapse, duty, honor, family bonds. He also posits some interesting sci-fi gear for his space marines including aero-pods allowing the marines to parachute onto a planet from orbit as well as muscle enhancing armor (think "Aliens" Power Loader Exo-skeleton).
I read all of Heinlein’s works growing up.
I highly recommend “Time Enough for Love” and “I will Fear No Evil.”
Time Enough for Love is a story about a secret society of people who genetically have unusually long lives and intermarry to increase the years of their offspring. The story of Lazarus Long.
I Will Fear No Evil is the story of an old billionaire who’s health is failing, and he arranges to find a “body donor” (innocent, from an accidental death) into which his brain will be transplanted. The donor turns out to be an attractive young woman.
Both are very good reads (if memory serves - it’s been a while).
The first of his books that I read was Podkayne of Mars. Strong female protagonist, interesting story, adventure, and the librarian recommended it. I was in the 5th grade. I've worn out at least 10 copies in the 54 years since then.
For that matter, any of his “Juvenile” novels, but particularly Have Space Suit Will Travel, Rocket Ship Galileo, Tunnel in the Sky, and Space Cadet.
His adult novels Glory Road, The Door into Summer, and Starship Troopers are also favorites. When I say “adult” I simply mean not aimed at children or teens.
About half-way through The Number of the Beast he suffered a blockage of the carotid artery, and had an operation to restore circulation to his brain. After that, he turned in to a dirty old man. Actually, he was always a dirty old man, I suspect, but he hid it until then. I still like most of his books written after that, but I have to skim the porn.I prefer mine in Braille.
I've got everything of his I can find as ebooks on my phone and tablet, and in hard copy. When one wears out, I replace it. YMMV, of course.
You will, perhaps, note my tagline. One of the things he wrote, spread across much of what he called his Future History, was the decline and fall of the United States. That is part of his book Revolt in 2100,also a good read, among other stories.
His later novels have quite a lot of blatant sex. A couple of his early (rejected) novels have been published since his death. I've got them, won't tell you they're worth reading because he hadn't learned to tell a story yet when they were written.
If you can lay hands on a book called Off the Main Sequence, it is a bunch of his stories that do not fit the in the Future History. Some good stuff there, too. He first describe the water bed in his Stranger in a Strange Land. Described and named the Waldo (robotic arm) in a novella that is paired with another of his shorter stories in a book called Waldo & Magic, Inc. Both are decent stories, too.
He inspired a lot of people to become astronauts, engineers, scientists, and technologists. I'm still waiting on the robotic housekeepers he described in The Door into Summer. The Roomba just doesn't make it. ;)