From Grandmaster Robert A. Heinlein comes a long-lost first novel, written in 1939 and never before published, introducing ideas and themes that wo...
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Feb 15, 2009
Stven
rated it: 
Heinlein's unpublished first novel has been rescued from the dustbin, and we easily see why it was never published. There is almost no action in the story, and instead we get pages and pages of lecturing about politics and economics. Of course, as Heinlein fans, we've enjoyed his unorthodox illuminations on politics and economics for decades, but thank goodness he learned to give us more actual STORY than he does in For Us, the Living.
Bump on the head. Mr. Regular Guy wakes up in More...
Bump on the head. Mr. Regular Guy wakes up in More...
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Jul 27, 2011
Clarica
rated it: 
What I like about this book is the economic theory. I've read a lot of science fiction, and I love it. This has some future speculation that is more or less brilliant, as far as predicting technology goes, though it feels a little antique because most of the stuff he was pie-in-the-sky fantasizing about came off in a slightly different direction. But as science fiction, well, eh. As fantasy, well, eh. I can't wait for my rocket-gyro-car, whatever that is! The author has a maybe-we-can-all-just-g
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Feb 10, 2011
Joe
rated it: 
This title was written in 1939, but found and released in 2003 after the authors death. It presents an alternative future based on the events that took place just prior to the outbreak of World War 2. In classic Robert Anson Heinlein style, the characters are very detailed and you can identify with them easily; however, this book is a "dialog" of all the events that have taken place since the main characters reentry to the world. In this book, most likely his first work, the plot is no
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Jan 15, 2010
Terry
rated it:
Although I did enjoy reading this novel, it was not for the usual reasons. This is one Robert Heinlein first novels and it dates back to 1939. It was never publish during his life. This all shows in the novel, so I would therefore caution casual reader to beware this is not the best example of his work, however after say that there is allot in here to be interested about. Heinlein die hards and people who enjoy Utopia stores would probably really enjoy this.
"For us the livin More...
"For us the livin More...
Feb 11, 2009
John
rated it:
This is a book that every politician should be required to read. The story is very simple, a man from 1939 (when the book was published) wakes up in 2086. Little explanation is given to how this happened, instead the man starts to look at reasons this future Utopia is superior to his own time. What results is a series of discussions withe experts of 2086 about how the country has turned itself around since 1939, in areas like politics, religion, commerce, sexuality, etc. The story does date
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Mar 30, 2009
Mary JL
rated it:
I would recommend this only for the Henilein completist or diehard Heinlein fan. It was an early effort and never published and it is easy to see why!
When I first heard about it I said "Wow! A new Heinlein I've never read!" After I read it I was disssappointed. The only reason this got published was it had Heinlein's name on it so the publishers porbably felt many Heinlein fans would grab it, as I indeed did.
I did give it 2 stars because I found a few idea
When I first heard about it I said "Wow! A new Heinlein I've never read!" After I read it I was disssappointed. The only reason this got published was it had Heinlein's name on it so the publishers porbably felt many Heinlein fans would grab it, as I indeed did.
I did give it 2 stars because I found a few idea
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Nov 21, 2011
Steve
rated it:
Robert A Heinlein book written in 1938, buried in a garage and first published in 2003. Over the years Heinlein wrote a number of future history books. In some he was quite cogent (Man goes to the moon, then essentially gives up human space travel). This one is in the same vein but not particularly accurate. For one thing it has the United States sitting out WW II. It also reveals many of his sociological prejudices that we see in later works.
Heinlein wrote a variety of works, the mos More...
Heinlein wrote a variety of works, the mos More...
Apr 28, 2009
Brian
rated it:
As much as Heinlein is a champion of liberty and reason (opposing faith/religion) in this what would have been his first book, he is a product of his times. Originally written in the late 30's Heinlein was concerned with the effects of the Great Depression and so sought to describe a system which would allow everyone to live without needing to work. This meant state subsidization of mere life, and thus a completely unworkable system. He is to be heralded for his optimism, but as I am sure he lea
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Dec 16, 2011
pjreads ♫
rated it: 
Not a great story, great writing or great characters, but I enjoyed the ideas and the mental stimulation of comparing 70+ years of historical events and mind sets to Heinlein's 1939 inventions.
Definitely will re-read this one.
Quotes:
Definitely will re-read this one.
Quotes:
"... the so-called fractional reserve was a dodge whereby a banker could loan money he didn't have and never had. It actually permitted him to create new money, based not on gold, nor on his own credit, but on the credit of his customers.More...
Jan 03, 2012
Oleg
rated it:
For Us, the Living is one of Heinlein's early works which I have typically enjoyed. That is not say that this book was a throw-away, indeed as a description of the author's dream future it worked quite well. As a story however, where qualities such as plot and character figure in, For Us, the Living is lacking.
To be specific, the plot is a variation on the "sleeper awakens" theme, where a Navy man from 1939 gets into a car accident and mysteriously wakes up in 2086. The me More...
To be specific, the plot is a variation on the "sleeper awakens" theme, where a Navy man from 1939 gets into a car accident and mysteriously wakes up in 2086. The me More...
May 05, 2009
Abraham
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This was Heinlein’s first novel, but it was rejected and went unpublished until 2003, many years after his death. I understand completely why the publishers rejected it. For one, it isn’t really a novel at all, but a collection of lectures jammed together and covered with a thin plot. I would explain the plot but I believe Wikipedia does a better job: “Perry Nelson, a normal 1939 engineer, is driving his automobile when he has a blowout, skids over a cliff, and wakes up after the car accident in
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Oct 24, 2010
Jason
rated it:
From what I can gather from various sources (the jacket of this book, reviews of SF writers), Heinlein was one of the foremost science fiction writers of the 20th century. However, this book does little to bolster those claims.
What at first seems to be a time-warp tale with endless possibilities morphs into a series of soliloquies, lectures and endless drivel. Some of the ideas and concepts are amazing (national credit, the emergence of television and e-mail) considering the time in More...
What at first seems to be a time-warp tale with endless possibilities morphs into a series of soliloquies, lectures and endless drivel. Some of the ideas and concepts are amazing (national credit, the emergence of television and e-mail) considering the time in More...
Apr 12, 2009
Shibbie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 21, 2008
Shivesh
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This is really a lecture on a future Utopia hidden in the narrative of a science fiction. Not much happens by way of story, where we find our protagonist woken in 2086 after being in a coma since 1939. A lot of the details are cursory at best, so it is a bit like a sketch for a novel rather than a complete novel in itself.
First, the good: Heinlein first fleshes out his interesting, madcap view on human society (which reaches its spiritual and literary peak in 'Stranger in a Strange More...
First, the good: Heinlein first fleshes out his interesting, madcap view on human society (which reaches its spiritual and literary peak in 'Stranger in a Strange More...
Oct 01, 2011
Lyn
rated it:
Enjoyed this, but I may need to say that it is best for Heinlein fans, not one of his great works, but appreciable for true followers. Begun in 1938, (though not published until 2003) this could be one of, if not actually, his earliest work. The discerning reader can find glimpses of his later vision and brilliance amid a fairly minimalistic setting and storyline. At times I had to remind myself that this visionary narrative was writtem in 1938, other times it was painfully obvious that this
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Nov 11, 2009
Jolyon
rated it:
It's perhaps easy to see why this was not published when first written. As a novel it doesn't really work, having only a tenuous narrative drive, existing primarily to connect a series of monologues and conversations in which various ideas are explored and examined. But, many of those ideas are worth exploring and examining, especially those derived from the theory of Social Credit. I find it particularly interesting that in the future history portrayed in this book, global capitalism has ess
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Aug 23, 2011
This is Robert Heinlein's first novel. It was written in 1939, but only published in 2004 after his biographer tracked down the manuscript. Heinlein used many of the themes in this book in other stories, so he felt that he had already published it. I'm glad it was published in its entirety.
The book is about a man, Perry, who has an automobile crash in 1939 and when he awakens, a few minutes later, is in 2086. Perry meets Diana who nurses him back to health and tries to help him understand th More...
The book is about a man, Perry, who has an automobile crash in 1939 and when he awakens, a few minutes later, is in 2086. Perry meets Diana who nurses him back to health and tries to help him understand th More...
Feb 12, 2011
Pat
rated it:
As a novel, not very good: minimal plot, whole chapters devoted to rather tedious lectures on government, finance, etc., etc., blah blah blah.
As the unpublished first novel by Robert A. Heinlein, somewhat more interesting: For Us, the Living is full of scenes, characters and ideas that appear (greatly expanded) in Heinlein's later fiction, so it was amusing to play spot-the-story: The Roads Must Roll, "If This Goes On--", even Lazarus Long's discussion of currency in Time E More...
As the unpublished first novel by Robert A. Heinlein, somewhat more interesting: For Us, the Living is full of scenes, characters and ideas that appear (greatly expanded) in Heinlein's later fiction, so it was amusing to play spot-the-story: The Roads Must Roll, "If This Goes On--", even Lazarus Long's discussion of currency in Time E More...
Apr 20, 2011
Jim
rated it:
On the whole, I enjoyed it.
I think one important thing to keep in mind while reading it is that this isn't a novel in the normal sense. In a normal novel, you have characters and a plot. The plot and the characters both push each other in particular directions, and themes and messages develop in the process.
In this book, the message drives the plot and characters. In that sense, it's much like Edward Bellamy's novel "Looking Backward" and various other utopian n More...
I think one important thing to keep in mind while reading it is that this isn't a novel in the normal sense. In a normal novel, you have characters and a plot. The plot and the characters both push each other in particular directions, and themes and messages develop in the process.
In this book, the message drives the plot and characters. In that sense, it's much like Edward Bellamy's novel "Looking Backward" and various other utopian n More...
Feb 14, 2011
Revcmeyer
rated it:
There is a reason that this book was rejected for publication in 1939 and has not seen the light of day till now---it's boring! The only intriguing thing about the book is where Heinlein thought the world would be in 2080 and where it is even now. Particularly with the latest economic crisis his thoughts after the last big economic crisis are interesting--not as interesting as the number of pages he spends on them but mildly interesting. There are three extensive lectures in the book that cou
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Jul 02, 2009
Joshua
rated it:
My third Heinlein book of the year and my least favorite of the three. This was his first novel from 1938 and you can tell. The first half of the book I actually liked as it has a young guy shot through time from 1938 to 2086 and kind of going on an adventure. The second have is seriously bogged down in recreating what has happened socially, historically over that span of time and it pretty much ruins the book. That sort of thing isn't what I've enjoyed in the Heinlein books I've read this year.
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Oct 28, 2009
blueoccult
rated it:
Fairly decent read, if you can forgive the author for preaching and lecturing throughout most of it. While Heinlein does present some pretty interesting ideas, he really didn't implement them well into the story. This can be forgiven, however, since it was his first novel, and was published after his death. In fact, Heinlein never wanted the book to be published, and burned what he thought to be the last copy. Knowing this, you can easily forgive this book for what it got wrong, and enjoy it
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Dec 27, 2007
Mike
rated it: 
Talk, talk, talk...
Blah, blah, blah...
Nudity...
More Talk
Blah, blah, blah...
Nudity...
More Talk
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Sep 18, 2009
Denise
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 26, 2011
Jane
rated it:
Interesting find--a posthumous Heinlein written in the 1930's. Great set-up with a man from that time period being transported to 2086--a set-up for a political/economic/social reinvention of the future. Once you grasp that the book is more about government policy and a different vision of incentives and societal values and wealth and...it's quite fascinating, especially since we know what's happened in the decades since it was written. However, the story disappears in the midst of economic mode
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Jan 03, 2010
Rob
rated it:
I'll start off by saying this may not be a 'five' for everyone. The style is stilted at times compared to Heinlein's later efforts. There's a reason for this: For Us, the Living is not so much a novel as a Dialogue or series of Dialogues in the Platonic mode (in fact, to me, a veteran of Timaeus & Critias, it reads similarly). So those looking for a 'full' fictional experience will be disappointed. But what is here are two things: Heinlein's penchant for anticipating future events, which is
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Oct 13, 2009
Andres
rated it:
Heinlein's first, unpublished novel. Contains the seed ideas he would use for many of the most spectacular books and stories in his future catalog. It is an embryonic Heinlein, and the style is lacking, but is nonetheless a fascinating read. It clearly shows how far back (1938) some of the ideas that would characterize Heinlein's fiction go.
While I would never recommend this book to someone just discovering Heinlein, I would consider it a must read for someone, like me, who has read More...
While I would never recommend this book to someone just discovering Heinlein, I would consider it a must read for someone, like me, who has read More...
Nov 03, 2009
Miss Clark
rated it:
I did not particularly care for this book, but that was in great part due to the fact that I was expecting a story and instead found myself with a thinly veiled series of Utopian lectures under the guise of a work of fiction. You might admire his ideas or disagree with his opinions and theories vehemently, but regardless, this type of writing does not a good story make. And I wanted a story.
He is extremely anti-organized religion. His views on sexual relations, monogamy, marriage and More...
He is extremely anti-organized religion. His views on sexual relations, monogamy, marriage and More...
Aug 11, 2008
John
rated it:
I loved this book - but basically because I love Bob Heinlein. I grew up with his writing and so loved it before I knew there was anything better available.
Serious Heinlein fans should read this book, I think, for the insight it gives us into the origins of his career. All of his major themes and even some of his major characters appear in this first novel - invalidating the standard account of his development as a writer from an accidental short story writer to a best selling novel More...
Serious Heinlein fans should read this book, I think, for the insight it gives us into the origins of his career. All of his major themes and even some of his major characters appear in this first novel - invalidating the standard account of his development as a writer from an accidental short story writer to a best selling novel More...
May 14, 2011
David
rated it:
This was only for the devoted of Heinlein's fans.It wasn't so much brilliantly woven sci-fi storytelling as was it was libertarian manifesto. The overall theme of the book was that the reader was a backwards savage and this story was akin to the book of genesis unraveling the secrets of existence before.I got it for free, enjoyed the author's body of work before and was intrigued seeing something this radical being published in 1938, but besides that I had to really power through a portion of it
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