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241st out of 2,946 books
—
12,399 voters
Methuselah's Children
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 priv...more
No one may seize or harm the person or property of another, or invade his priv...more
Mass Market Paperback, 276 pages
Published
November 1st 1986
by Baen
(first published 1941)
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This is an important book if you're in to the Heinlein universe. It is the first good introduction to Lazarus Long who is the central character in many of Heinlein's later books. Unlike his later books, this one is a short, fun read. The basic premise is an oppressed minority fleeing before the public & government can get their greedy hands on them. There are some interesting looks at aliens & human nature along the way.
This book has been included in a couple of his collections as it is...more
This book has been included in a couple of his collections as it is...more
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After freedom in America is won again during the Revolt of 2100, there is a group of humans who live extraordinary long lives while maintaining their youthful experiences. They have achieved this through selective mating and financial help from a foundation started by their ancestor, Howard. In 2125, the world discovers the group’s existence, and they are persecuted, all the world wanting their secrets of youth. Under extreme duress of jealousy arrest, torture, and murder, the group flees earth...more
*** Attenzione: di seguito anticipazioni sulla trama (SPOILER) ***
Questo libro mi è piaciuto a tratti.
Parla di questo gruppo di umani che ha una longevità a dir poco strabiliante grazie alla scoperta di alcuni soggetti con un dna particolare che accoppandosi hanno reso la vita dell'uomo mooolto più lunga, sui 200 anni e forse più. Sono nascosti tra la popolazione, hanno false idenità e ogni tot anni cambiano posto nome, cambiano vita.
Ad un certo punto decideno di venire allo scoperto pensando ch...more
Questo libro mi è piaciuto a tratti.
Parla di questo gruppo di umani che ha una longevità a dir poco strabiliante grazie alla scoperta di alcuni soggetti con un dna particolare che accoppandosi hanno reso la vita dell'uomo mooolto più lunga, sui 200 anni e forse più. Sono nascosti tra la popolazione, hanno false idenità e ogni tot anni cambiano posto nome, cambiano vita.
Ad un certo punto decideno di venire allo scoperto pensando ch...more
Heinlein details the exodus from Earth of the Howard Families, long-lived individuals who suddenly find themselves persecuted for not revealing their non-existent secret of longevity. Lazarus Long gets a lot of action here as the Howard Families hijack the the starship New Frontiers and look for a place to live out there ... they find that the galaxy is going to be a more challenging and ultimately, more rewarding place to live for this new breed of human. Much more will be revealed in Heinlein'...more
1. It’s good, clean, science fiction fun.
In stories like Methuselah’s Children, a reader can read into the book as much as he/she wants to and still walk away from the story feeling good about the whole experience. The book will challenge readers in its ability to make them think critically about a society’s will to accept change, and accept differences. It takes a stab at political authority under mob rule, but it also shows how differences can be reconciled without hella (yes, I said hella) bl...more
In stories like Methuselah’s Children, a reader can read into the book as much as he/she wants to and still walk away from the story feeling good about the whole experience. The book will challenge readers in its ability to make them think critically about a society’s will to accept change, and accept differences. It takes a stab at political authority under mob rule, but it also shows how differences can be reconciled without hella (yes, I said hella) bl...more
Heinlein returns to writing for adults here with the expansion of a story originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1941.
The Howard Families are descended from a man who got rich during the California Gold Rush and left his money to be used for research into the prolongation of life. This goal was realized by his trustees providing financial encouragement to the grandchildren of long-lived persons to marry and have children. By the 22nd century, descendants have a life expectancy of...more
Yes, I do love Heinlein. I know, I know, super-right wing nutcase that he is. But this book seemed a bit of a mess – lurching between a hyper-intelligent and immortal sub-group of seemingly normal humans (almost all Heinlein’s books involve a secret group of super-men destined to become a new species of human, gradually finding each other and then scoffing together at the inferiority of the rest of humanity – it appeals to one’s sense of superiority, but is just soooo elitist), global persecutio...more
Finally a "CLASSIC" that live up to the billing.
I had grown weary of the same old trite - "You HAVE to read"s - that just didnt live up to the billing.
Having read a lot of Larry Niven, and now starting on the Heinlein series', I think it is safe to guess Niven grew up on Heinlein, as I see some pretty serious similarities between Lazarus and Louis Wu, but since I have loved the Niven, it follows I loved the Heinlein.
I may have been aided in this by expecting to be let down after slogging thru th...more
I had grown weary of the same old trite - "You HAVE to read"s - that just didnt live up to the billing.
Having read a lot of Larry Niven, and now starting on the Heinlein series', I think it is safe to guess Niven grew up on Heinlein, as I see some pretty serious similarities between Lazarus and Louis Wu, but since I have loved the Niven, it follows I loved the Heinlein.
I may have been aided in this by expecting to be let down after slogging thru th...more
Leggere “I figli di Matusalemme” dopo aver letto “Lazarus Long, l'immortale” è come mangiare un antipasto dopo aver fatto un'abbuffata della portata principale: buono, certo, ma non quanto lo sarebbe stato mangiandolo per primo.
Purtroppo la situazione delle pubblicazioni in Italia è tale che per leggere “Lazarus Long” ho dovuto dannarmi e procurarmelo su Ebay, mentre “I figli di Matusalemme” è stato appena ripubblicato in Italia da Mondadori.
Se non si fosse capito, questo romanzo è il primo che...more
Purtroppo la situazione delle pubblicazioni in Italia è tale che per leggere “Lazarus Long” ho dovuto dannarmi e procurarmelo su Ebay, mentre “I figli di Matusalemme” è stato appena ripubblicato in Italia da Mondadori.
Se non si fosse capito, questo romanzo è il primo che...more
Long-lived Golgafrinchans B-ark to various improbable locales, guided by Mr. Lazarus Long, here merely two centuries old. (And, yeah, I do believe that Adams was ridiculing this book to a certain extent.)
Alien cultures encountered include pleasant religious fundies, who may or may not have been duped, as well as some Borg-like rabbits, who are also fairly pleasant.
Can definitely see the libertarian politics, with all of the commentary on individual rights and property.
Crux is the possession of e...more
Alien cultures encountered include pleasant religious fundies, who may or may not have been duped, as well as some Borg-like rabbits, who are also fairly pleasant.
Can definitely see the libertarian politics, with all of the commentary on individual rights and property.
Crux is the possession of e...more
Reading old science fiction generally involves a certain disconnect - you've got people hopping back and forth to the Moon, yet still behaving in many ways like your grandparents' generation. Even beyond that, though, this one has problems. The premise: among normal humanity there live, semi-secretly, the Howard Families, who through selective breeding have massively expanded their lifespan, and spend those long lives at an age of their choosing. When the short-lived majority find out, they reac...more
Utopias in fiction are always supposed to fail. They’re either illusionary or they collapse on their own contradictions. Indeed the only successful utopia in fiction I can think of is the one Willy Wonka had going, and we have to face the unpalatable fact there that it was based on slave labour. No, the entire purpose of drama is conflict and so everyone living perfectly in a perfect world wouldn’t do much good. Just as Othello becomes a very dull play if the central character doesn’t exhibit an...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I just loved this book silly. It's early Heinlein packed with adventure and excitement. Two of my favorite characters, Lazarus and Libby are front and foremost in this story, and it provides a lot of color and background for the Howard families. I read this story after others that are chronologically prior in the Future History, and it works either way. This would be a great starter book for new Heinlein exploration.
The Howard families are just like everyone else in every way except one. They live for hundreds of years. Finding themselves the object of government sponsered persecution, they steal a ship designed for space exploration, and escape... Earth. When they do find other inhabitable planets, they get more than they bargained for, and wonder if remaining on their home planet wouldn't have been the better option after all.
The edition I read was printed in 1958, but apparently a shorter version had bee...more
The edition I read was printed in 1958, but apparently a shorter version had bee...more
-Los bellacos encantadores no dejan de ser bellacos, por muy encantadores que sean-.
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. La muerte prematura del magnate Howard provocó hace más de dos siglos la creación de la Fundación que lleva su nombre, que a partir de los fondos y deseos del potentado investigó en el aumento de la esperanza de vida. En la actualidad, los aproximadamente 100.000 descendientes de ese proyecto, y que han ocultado su longevidad al resto de la humanidad durante mucho tiemp...more
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. La muerte prematura del magnate Howard provocó hace más de dos siglos la creación de la Fundación que lleva su nombre, que a partir de los fondos y deseos del potentado investigó en el aumento de la esperanza de vida. En la actualidad, los aproximadamente 100.000 descendientes de ese proyecto, y que han ocultado su longevidad al resto de la humanidad durante mucho tiemp...more
Methuselah's Children is an early sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It originally appeared in three parts in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction, in the July, August, and September issues of 1941.
In 1958 it was published as a full-length novel, expanded somewhat by Heinlein. I don't know what was added or changed, but it can't have been that much, because it's still a very short novel, despite there being enough plot to fill a 1,000-page epic.
The story involves a group of "families" who en...more
In 1958 it was published as a full-length novel, expanded somewhat by Heinlein. I don't know what was added or changed, but it can't have been that much, because it's still a very short novel, despite there being enough plot to fill a 1,000-page epic.
The story involves a group of "families" who en...more
Yet another of my collection of "S-F from long ago." This one is from the mid-50's, and tells the story of a clan (the Howard Families) who tend to live a LOOOOOONNNNNG time), and who garner a LOT of negative attention from those who DON'T live a long time. The main character, Lazarus Long, is the oldest of them all, having lived some 375 or so years. Well, these people are given a choice: Be tortured until they give up their secret(there is none, it's just in the genes) or go off onto another p...more
Aug 21, 2011
Nuno Magalhães
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ficção-científica,
own
Neste livro, Robert A. Heinlein apresenta-nos uma reflexão fascinante sobre a longevidade humana. Partindo da hipótese que existiria uma "família" de seres humanos que possuem características genéticas que lhes permitem atingir idades invulgarmente avançadas, mantendo no entanto a frescura da juventude ao longo de vários séculos de existência, o autor constrói uma história que nos permite vislumbrar o futuro da raça humana, incluindo a sua expansão para outros mundos, o encontro com outras espéc...more
Originally posted at FanLit.
Methuselah’s Children introduces us to Lazarus Long, a popular character in several of Robert A. Heinlein’s books. Lazarus, who wears a kilt (but there’s guns strapped to his thighs!) and can’t remember how old he is, is descended from one of several families who, long ago, were bred for their health and longevity. Lazarus and his extended clan live very long lives — so long that they must eventually fake their own deaths and take new identities so that others don’t g...more
Methuselah’s Children introduces us to Lazarus Long, a popular character in several of Robert A. Heinlein’s books. Lazarus, who wears a kilt (but there’s guns strapped to his thighs!) and can’t remember how old he is, is descended from one of several families who, long ago, were bred for their health and longevity. Lazarus and his extended clan live very long lives — so long that they must eventually fake their own deaths and take new identities so that others don’t g...more
Oct 25, 2012
VAle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantascienza,
narrativa
E' il mio primo "classico della fantascienza dell'epoca d'oro".
Fa impressione pensare che questo libro sia stato pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1941.
Nel complesso la struttura del libro e lo stile della narrazione è molto "moderno", la trama prosegue incalzante e i personaggi principali sono ben caratterizzati, senza appesantimenti.
Ha tutte le caratteristiche che si possono aspettare da una storia di fantascienza: un futuro tecnologicamente "plausibile", viaggi nello spazio, contatto con enti...more
Fa impressione pensare che questo libro sia stato pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1941.
Nel complesso la struttura del libro e lo stile della narrazione è molto "moderno", la trama prosegue incalzante e i personaggi principali sono ben caratterizzati, senza appesantimenti.
Ha tutte le caratteristiche che si possono aspettare da una storia di fantascienza: un futuro tecnologicamente "plausibile", viaggi nello spazio, contatto con enti...more
E' stato scritto nel 1958, e probabilmente allora aveva un senso. Oggi, io l'ho trovato una accozzaglia di idee non sviluppate, argomenti ed episodi accennati e non definiti, e non mi ha coinvolto. Mi ha invece fatto a sentire a disagio questa ossessione, da parte di tutti, di vivere per l'eternit�. Come se tutto fosse "solo" qui, come se non ci fosse nient'altro, nessuna altra esperienza in alcuna altra forma.... e in effetti, gli alieni incontrati nel libro sono tutti essere inferiori. Peccato...more
To read Heinlein's future histories, start here, no questions asked. He was labelled a right-winger, but he was far more radical than that, at least in his writings. He can make today's Survivalists look like wimps, and Libertarians part of a cowardly right, all for appetizers before breakfast on Tuesday, then by Wednesday evening develop a whole new set of rules for the next adventure. Why? Because he was such a master at representing the myriad of human viewpoints, with both their follies and...more
I listened to this as an audiobook and somehow the reader made me feel like this was an Asimov book with very rigid characters, except Lazarus Long who seemed like a bit of a caricature. Even so, I liked it. I haven't read a ton of Heinlein, but I could see elements of this in "Strangers in a Strange Land" when the humans leave earth and start to encounter godlike space beings. The physics around faster than light speed travel seemed very questionable and made me wonder if I had a misunderstandi...more
Lazarus Long is not one of my favorite Heinlein characters, he is a grumpy old coot, and not even that compelling in his reasons for being so. Despite that, this was a compelling novel with a solid premise, and some good old fashioned space action. There was quite a lot of science in this science fiction, which I honestly don't find that interesting, but I appreciate that it was there. What was more interesting to me was the treatment of the nature of humanity and each human's relationship to hu...more
not his greatest work, but fills in part of the future history. besides, i love lazuras long :)
Somewhat of a short novel at 160 pages, It was interesting to see his political leanings and a little philosophy begin to appear. Having read some of his more popular titles (Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress), you can begin to see some of those leanings here. There are some twists and turns that were unanticipated, and several things that one could think about for a while. Overall, a decent read, it feels like there are some characters here that either we should know from other st...more
This is such a classic. By a classic sci-fi author too!
I loved the concept, that human "selective breeding" (It's not supposed to be as disgusting as I made it sound! All participants in it did so by choice!) for longer life spans could lead to "young" yet hundreds-of-years-old people who faced discrimination in a jealous future society. I found both alien planets to be extremely creepy, especially when Ford went completely (temporarily) insane/traumatized after visiting the alien temple, when M...more
I loved the concept, that human "selective breeding" (It's not supposed to be as disgusting as I made it sound! All participants in it did so by choice!) for longer life spans could lead to "young" yet hundreds-of-years-old people who faced discrimination in a jealous future society. I found both alien planets to be extremely creepy, especially when Ford went completely (temporarily) insane/traumatized after visiting the alien temple, when M...more
Sep 12, 2008
Collin
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who wants a quick sci-fi kick.
Recommended to Collin by:
Jesse
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Fun characters, and a thoughtful social examination of how culture would respond to a group attaining extremely long life. Heinlein basically posits that widespread knowledge of this would create massive envy and disillusioned depression among the "shortlived". Drama ensues!
I give this a solid 3 stars. It would get 3 and 1/2, if I could.
Drawbacks are a mildly pulpy tone. Wiki notes this as one of Hienlein's first "serious" novels. An Amazon users complains about a chauvinistic tone in the work....more
I give this a solid 3 stars. It would get 3 and 1/2, if I could.
Drawbacks are a mildly pulpy tone. Wiki notes this as one of Hienlein's first "serious" novels. An Amazon users complains about a chauvinistic tone in the work....more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| What's The Name o...: Solved - Longer life through selective breeding [s] | 3 | 30 | Dec 08, 2012 04:37pm |
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American novelist and science fiction writer. Often called "the dean of science fiction writers", he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard science fiction".
He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first SF writer to break into mainstre...more
More about Robert A. Heinlein...
He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first SF writer to break into mainstre...more
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