The Number of the Beast

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne, Emily Durante, Malcolm Hillgartner, Sean Runnette, Richard Powers, Tom Weiner

The wickedest, most wonderful science-fiction story ever created in our - or any - time. Anything can begin at a party in California - and everything does in this bold masterwork by a grand master of science fiction.

When four supremely sensual and unspeakably cerebral humans - two male, two female - find themselves under attack from aliens who want their awesome quantum breakthrough, they take to the skies - and zoom into the cosmos on a rocket roller-coaster ride of adventure, danger, ecstasy, and peril.

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) was the dominant science-fiction writer of the modern era, a writer whose influence on the field was immense. He won science fiction's Hugo Award for best novel four times.

©1980 Robert A. Heinlein (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“One of the grand masters of science fiction.” (Wall Street Journal)

“The most influential science fiction writer of all time!” (Locus)

“[A story] about two men and two women in a time-machine safari through this and other universes. But describing The Number of the Beast thus is like saying Moby-Dick is about a one-legged guy trying to catch a fish.” (National Review)

Great story!

What made the experience of listening to The Number of the Beast the most enjoyable?

Remembering the story and how it connects to the bigger story of Laz and his family

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hilda Corners-Burroughs.
She kicked Lazarus' ass

Which scene was your favorite?

The meeting with Dora and her crew

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The devil is in the details

Audio version of an old favorite not disappointing

This has always been one of my favorite Heinlein books. The philosophy and mathematics discussed in it are very interesting and many issues are discussed about human nature and human motivation. I love the different timelines he outlines in the book and often get a chuckle out of the "what if" factor in the differences between the timelines.

The different characters having different readers gave the book a personal feel that just reading the book does not. Each character is filled out by their narrator and the interaction between the characters really comes alive.

Definitely recommend this book to other Heinlein fans.

Glad it’s over

I love Heinlein but this is his worst and it’s so long. I finished it because I paid for it but it was pure torture. The performance was good too bad the story was horrible.

I hated 4 performers reading ...

So, there are 4 performers and I didn't like the performance at all in this format. I would choose a single performer any day. That said, I loved listening to a favored book from my childhood after so many years. A simpler time with simpler messages. No modern politics, outdated references, old fashioned protagonists and idiom. I love it so much all over again with the new perspective of modern me 45 years later. Dated and timeless at the same time. Odd how I missed the story holes and chunkiness of the plot so long ago. The nostalgia makes up for the shortcomings.

Time travel, alternate universes, and more!

What made the experience of listening to The Number of the Beast the most enjoyable?

As is typical of a Heinlein yarn, this one has free-thinking, lusty characters who engage in far-ranging philosophical discussions, occasional battles, and ties to much of his earlier work. I remember reading it when it was new, and while some parts are holdovers from the early 1970s, it aged well and any disparity was swept away by the end.

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

I am not generally a fan of books with multiple narrators, and while the narration was certainly well done and in character with the way the book was written, I believe I would have enjoyed the experience more with a single gifted narrator such as Dick Hill.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was not a book that could be absorbed in one sitting. There were parts that simply induce sleep.

Any additional comments?

Heinlein managed to pay homage to many of his contemporaries and inspirations in this book. By that point, I was tired of listening to it, and simply wanted it to end.

One of my most favorite of Robert's books!

Heinlein is my absolute favorite author and a true Grand Master of the Science Fiction genre.

Overall Good Story

What did you love best about The Number of the Beast?

I read this book years ago and thoroughly enjoyed listening to this excellent production. I had forgotten how confusing the story could be at times but the cast did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed listening to it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am not sure who my favorite character is because they were all portrayed so well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, though I did listen to it over a few days.

Beloved Story, Inconsistent Performance

Where does The Number of the Beast rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I rarely hear REALLY well-done Heinlein titles. I don't think they get their best narrators for it, so I wasn't too disappointed. The one exception is Bernadette Dunne, who did an AMAZING job as Sharpie. Not surprising, as her rendition of Maureen Johnson was one of the best Heinlein audiobooks I've had the pleasure of listening to. She groks how to narrate a Heinlein woman!

What other book might you compare The Number of the Beast to and why?

The story itself was written for Heinlein fans who were also nostalgic about Golden Age science fiction. It's one of my favorites as a "fun" read.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

They got a poor match for Deety. While they needed a "young" voice, the character WAS a strong-willed genius. Also, her rendition of male voices really didn't work out well.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It's a Heinlein novel. Of COURSE we'll screw it up.

Any additional comments?

If you were a fan of the book, you'll probably still enjoy the performance. As a fan of audiobooks in general, I just don't expect much of the performance for the Heinleins. Pity...

The main influence for the multiverse in comics

If you have read three novels by this writer, chances are you have read at least one of the stories by each of the mentioned writers and the world they come from.

positioned to tie the various timelines of all his novels. a must read for any fan.

Misses greatness, but still enjoyed it

First the book: This is a great addition to the set of Heinlein's works for those who loved Lazarus Long and wanted more in that vein. The book is largely character driven, plot is uncomplicated, but enjoyable if you can come to enjoy the people in it.

Next the reading: This could have been stunning. An ensemble cast reading of this book... the idea took my breath away. That is not, precisely, what this is. The book is, with an exception or two, written from the perspective of the four major characters, each one voicing a chapter at a time. One reader takes each chapter, so you have Hilda's voice... and Hilda's reader doing Zeb's voice... anyone familiar with audiobooks is accustomed to that, but it was a strange choice. One voice is a bit grating as other reviewers have indicated. The two main male voices are pleasing, but were mis-cast, they should have been reversed.

I am a great lover of this book, so I still enjoyed this reading, but I couldn't help but reflect regularly as it went on that it could have been so much better than it is. If a flawed choice in reader or readers ruins an audiobook for you, I do not recommend this recording.