Methuselah's Children

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

After the fall of the American Ayatollahs as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land and chronicled in Revolt in 2100, the United States of America at last fulfills the promise inherent in its first Revolution: for the first time in human history there is a nation with Liberty and Justice for All. No one may seize or harm the person or property of another, or invade his privacy, or force him to do his bidding. Americans are fiercely proud of their re-won liberties and the blood it cost them; nothing could make them forswear those truths they hold self-evident. Nothing except the promise of immortality…

©1958 Robert A. Heinlein (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

I'T CAN'T ALWAYS BE TIME FOR TEA

SERVICE
From start to finish this is an ever changing book. We start on Earth, travel interstellar space, visit two planets and come back to Earth. I have read a lot of Heinlein, but this book seems different in his use of words. Since the rest of his books don't sound like this I think he spent a lot of time studying a dictionary. I am not complaining, it seems to add to the story and it is not over anybody's head. Her is a small example: ANY MINORITY DURING THAT PERIOD OF SEMANTIC DISORIENTATION AND MASS HYSTERIA WAS A PROBABLE TARGET FOR PERSECUTION, DISCRIMINATORY LEGISLATION AND EVEN MOB VIOLENCE. Throughout the book he uses words that seem a little heavier than needed. When he starts talking about science it almost sounds like pseudo science. Fans of Alan Greenspan should love this.

I WOULDN'T BE YOUNG AGAIN FOR OVERTIME WAGES
The story is told in different parts and several issues are in play, so to pin down a feeling on the book is difficult. At the beginning Immortality is the main issue and Heinlein's vision of society is an interesting one. Cars are controlled by traffic towers, men wear kilts, privacy is highly valued, etc..., it is a Heinlein envisioned future. Then we get into conspiracies and politics. We then have space travel and lots of talk about the mechanics of it, lots of talk about time and space and other science. Did you know that carp and amoeba's never die? At the first planet I thought Heinlein was going to copy H.G. Wells. The second planet is even more interesting with lots of philosophy on living in paradise.

YOU CAN DEPEND ON A WOMAN TO BLOW HER TOP AT THE WRONG TIME
As far as character development, there is basically Lazarus Long. He is the Archie Bunker of the book and all other characters are their to support him. To be honest I did not care for him. He is a pushy have it his way type of guy and when someone disagrees with him he is put down soundly. He will ask for discussion, let those who agree with him speak and those who disagree with him are made fun of.

SANDWICH
The book has a whole was entertaining and thought provoking. I did not like it enough for five stars, but I am glad I listened.

Excellent story!

I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time I read. it! still a great story.

One of the Grand Master's best....

I've read this book dozens of times but have just now listened to it on Audible. The story is decades ahead of it's time and Heinlein's writing is superb. I enjoyed the narration as well.

Ahead of its time

I’m working on a science-fiction series myself, and although the actual science behind this one is more space magic than actual science, the concepts are still pretty cutting edge and have modern application. Expertly performed as well. Didn’t have too much trouble telling characters apart, despite the wide cast of characters.

A delight to revisit a science fiction classic

I first read Methuselah's Children as a young woman and, although I was already hooked on Robert Heinlein, I fell in love with the characters of the Howard Families. I especially loved the amazing and swashbuckling free spirit, Lazarus Long (Woodrow Wilson Smith.) The story is sheer fun, although the message about the value of life and the importance of knowing it will end and facing that without fear, along with other thought-provoking themes elevated it above just "fluff."

The original story was serialized in a Science Fiction magazine in 1941 (very common in those days.) It was expanded into a novel and published in 1958. It is part of what Heinlein called his "Future History" series. For me, having been alive - albeit very young - in 1958, the anachronisms seem both shocking and hilarious. As wise and "forward thinking" as Heinlein was for his time, there was much he didn't foresee. Two aspects most stand out as products of the time. The first is the ubiquitous smoking everyone was doing, which was hilarious. The second was the role of women, which was less hilarious. Admittedly, they weren't pictured quite as fully second-class citizens as they really were in the first half of the 20th century, but the firm hold of power that the men hold in this story is a stark reminder of what life was like then.

Nevertheless, if you bring your imagination and remember when this was written, you'll enjoy it.

Now I shall begin "Time Enough for Love," the sequel to "Methuselah's Children," and my absolute favorite Heinlein novel (well... along with "Stranger in a Strange Land," my other absolute favorite Heinlein.)

Very hard reading.

Would you consider the audio edition of Methuselah's Children to be better than the print version?

I would have not read the printed version.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert A. Heinlein again?

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Have you listened to any of MacLeod Andrews’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I expected it to have more action, therefore I was not impressed.

a must for Heinlein fans

a great bit of history from the future history realm. Good overall story and good character development.

Iconic Classic

Requires little in the way of accolades. Of particular interest is the prescient insight into social machinations that make life and society function.

Classic SF, nostaligia to my teen years

I read this as a kid, and although some of the tech they imagined didn't quite hold up 55 years later, enough did to still make it not feel hokey.

The societal views are still relevant. #Discrimination #bias #rascism. I really enjoy good classic sci-fi from time to time. It's nostalgic.

Very nice

If this isn’t nice , I don’t know what is
There is a fifteen word minimum on the review How rude.