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I own every book he wrote, had the honor of a brief e-mail exchange with Virginia before she died (I had some questions about his archives at the college), and reread his books frequently. I see his influence everywhere.

The best thing anyone ever wrote about him, is along the lines of “He did’nt bother you with paragraphs of how stuff worked, it was just there. Another writer would describe an automatic door in glorious description, RAH would simply write “the door irised behind him.” It may have been Niven who said that, and it’s too true - while I’d kill to get a better idea of what his armored suits in Starship Trooper looked like in his mind, he only teased us with vague descriptions, mostly as they were used.

I agree his later stuff is talky, but there’s some incredible stuff - The Number Of The Beast, Friday, Tha Cat Who Could Walk Through Walls - I dare anyone to pick up Cat, read the first paragraph, and not be hooked on the story.

He did have some stinkers, like I Will Fear No Evil, but when you consider his output, he had nothing to be ashamed of.

And of course, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. I envy those who havent read it, because of the fun you’ll have the first time. The truths he wrote about in that book are so relevant now, and I’d love to start “delivering” some rocks to a few particular people and institutions.

RIP, RAH. I never knew you, but you’ll be remembered in another 100 years, and I’ll never forget you.

Thoughts for the ‘08 election:

“Any man who asks for greater authority
does not deserve to have it”
- Xavier Harkonnen

And of course, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. I envy those who havent read it, because of the fun you’ll have the first time. The truths he wrote about in that book are so relevant now, and I’d love to start “delivering” some rocks to a few particular people and institutions.

I agree 100%. My all time favorite book.

I agree his later stuff is talky, but there’s some incredible stuff...

All the people who say, "I love his juveniles but hate the later stuff," are not exactly covering themselves with glory. The juveniles are very good, straightforward, escapist fiction. The later works (Starship Troopers from on) are where Heinlein really challenges the reader with deeper, interpretive stories and complex themes. Even the books written during his illness, though less carefully edited, offer far more subtlety and depth than the juveniles.

The juveniles are generally "safe" for the religious reader - nothing there to challenge orthodoxy - thus their overweighting in the general esteem of Free Republic readers.