New Destinies Vol. 6: Winter, 1988

New Destinies #6

by Jim Baen (Editor)

A volume dedicated to the memory of Robert Heinlein features several stories by the late science fiction master, as well as tributes and stories from several of Heinlein's friends and associates

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies

Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Jim Baen was Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Baen Books, and renowned in the science fiction field for his taste and ability to select authors with strong storytelling ability and steer them to commercial success. Prior to founding of Baen Books, he was the editor of science fiction magazine Galaxy, science fiction editor of Ace Books, and an editor at Tor Books.

Reviews

[Craig]

Despite the number six in the title, this was the fifth volume in Baen's reboot of Destinies, the magazine in mass market size and format he published at Ace Books before he moved to his eponymous company. For some unknown reason, there was no number five in the series, although that hasn't stopped some Goodreads users from rating it. This one was billed as the "Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Issue," and includes two previously unpublished poems by Heinlein, a pair of excellent Heinlein stories (The Man Who Travelled in Elephants and The Long Watch), and appreciations of him by Spider Robinson, Rick Cook, Yoji Kondo, Charles Sheffield, and Jerry Pournelle. It's topped off by Heinlein's "Excerpts from the Notebooks of Lazarus Long," which every sf fan either loves or hates. It's a great volume for Heinlein fans, and also has unrelated stories by Harry Turtledove, John Moore, Cook, Robinson, and (my favorite non-RAH in the book) Vernor Vinge.

[Jim]

This 1988 anthology from Baen Books rates **** because of the two short stories by Heinlein-"The Long Watch" and "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants." I had read them before and enjoyed reading them again!
Because this was the Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Issue published not long after RAH's death, there are tributes to Heinlein and several stories with themes that "the Master" would've appreciated. The best non-Heinlein story is "Freeze Frame" by John Moore, which shows an interesting way to get the space program going again.
I found myself feeling saddened by an essay on our future in space by Rick Cook. Cook predicted that in 15 years a breakthrough would occur that would lead to a major expansion into space. That should have happened in 2003. Instead, we got a war in Iraq that has cost one trillion dollars. Would the colonization of Mars have cost as much?

[Austin Wright]

This is Heinlein's shortest story. Here it is in it's entirety:

DANCE SESSION

The squeegeed ice in the great dim hall
Was clean and blue and fit for the ball;
So the music sounded and the lights glared out
And the cruel steel blades went swirling about
In flight fantastic and fancy free,
In crisp, clean spins, with gutsy glee—Etching the ice without art,
While the cruel bright blades
sliced sharp in my heart
Out of the leaping rushing spate
A voice sang out for a three-lobed eight;
The Ice fauns paired with their elfin sprites
To start their intricate woven rites.
In complex, structured demonstration
They captured Art in one equation;
In sweet incredible enthymeme
They proved the logic of cold Moon beam.
Outform the pattern of Killian and Blues
Emerged the sprite whom the Ice Gods choose
To show us weary earth-bound creatures
The cool, sweet lines of Beauty’s features.
Rosy her long limbs, snow white were hergants ,
Rime blue washer jerkin,and merry her glance— Hoyden her hairbow,among the gallants.
Icefairy Virginia, First in the Dance!
(Oh, great was the shock of the sudden stop
When the music ceased and the patterns broke
And fairyland melted in cigarette smoke
In the warm dull light of a coffee shop!)

RAH,June 1946

[Jeff Greason]

Interesting to come across this Heinlein memorial edition. I'm an unapologetic Heinlein fan; his stories had as much influence on the course of my life as any other influence I could name, and while the path has hardly been smooth, I wouldn't have missed it. Bittersweet, reading memorials to Heinlein when now, much later, so many of those writing have in turn passed away -- Jim Baen, Jerry Pournelle, Yoji Kondo.

Some new works of greater and lesser merit; I found the least of them enjoyable, and "the Blabber" by Vernor Vinge, excellent -- for some reason I've never gotten in to Vernor's work; some of his novels have lurked on my to-read pile for a long time, and now I might give them another try, as I found his story very enjoyable.

And it led me to my annual read of "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" -- one of two Heinlein stories (the other being "The Tale of the Adopted Daughter"), that reliably turns on the waterworks.

Glad I happened upon in in my to-read pile today; it was what I needed, when I needed it.

[Ari]

Vernor Vinge's The Blabber makes it worth reading.

[Emma]

A very descriptive poem that flows well. I'm upset that I read what it was about before reading this. I found this poem can relate to so many things. Like that about this. But I was really put off about being told what the topic is.

[Brett]

Science Fiction