Puppet Masters - Mike the Paladin's Pick

[Megan]

This month, from the great array of books Mike picked for us to select from, we're going with The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein!

It's a Heinlein I actually haven't read, so I'm looking forward to it. Preliminary thoughts? Mike, why did this one grab your attention as a potential read?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I read this back when as they say. I got into the whole "spy-fi" thing when I was young and the idea of a secret organization fighting an invasion of aliens that could take over the consciousness of anyone they touch was great.

There was a movie attempt at this book, didn't go well as often happens. Too bad. This actually works as science fiction, science/urban fantasy and also horror. It's one of my favorites.

[Edwin]

I'm looking forward to this one. Ordered it from Amazon and should have it this week. For me Heinlein is all or nothing: whenever I read one of his books, I either love it or I can't be bothered to read it. Hope this one is of the former type.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I found he ran hot and cold to. This one is just a little "older" than his teen books, but still very much of it's era.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I just "restarted" the book...we're going to hear about the "sexist" language I'm sure. Sorry it's there. Remember when the book was written. Even with the language the co-protagonist is a pretty kick-ass female.

I find all the dated science pictured interesting. It's supposed to be 2007 and they're talking about "tubes" in the electronics and everyone still smokes, TV is still broadcast only. Interesting.

[Guy]

I'm about a quarter of the way into the book. The story is interesting and the character development is good although limited to just a few. I have not reached a point where the story is so compelling that it is hard to put the book down. Hopefully, it will get more enticing in the next 100 pages or so.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

It's probably a matter of taste and also it's also probably that the story is geared to a somewhat younger audiance.

[Edwin]

My copy just arrived in the mail. Immediately dug in. First impression: exciting boyhood stuff, set in 2007 but very much a product of 40s and 50s. That's after only 5 pages, though. Already hooked...

[Megan]

I really love the section where the narrator is under control (I don't consider that a spoiler, it's in the blurb on the back of the book). How neat is it to write about mind control from the inside?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I agree,it's well done. (view spoiler)[ and it plays a bit in the continuing plot. (hide spoiler)]

[E.J.]

I liked it. Heinlein is a strong storyteller. Enjoyed it all the way through. Besides, anyone who likes and understands cats as much as he does is OK with me.

Re: The male-female aspect. He was willing to die for his woman. I'm not complaining. Reminds me of a Country and Western song popular a year ago. "I'd die for her and she lives for me."

[Mike (the Paladin)]

It's mostly just that it's dated. It will bug some I guess. I just finished my "reread". One of the most interesting things to me is/are the way the future was pictured. What was imagined and what wasn't.

Personal computers weren't pictured. TV was assumed to be "stereo-vision" but it was still imagined to bo hooked to line of sight links (back in the 1970s I was film director at a small TV station. We were an NBC affiliate and had to receive the network broadcasts through microwave transmission.) No pads or other electronic media. To buy a newspaper you went to a vending machine and paid for your paper to be printed there. He mentions transistors and even tubes...

I found all that very interesting "atop" the story.

[Guy]

Heinlein was definitely a good storyteller and that comes through in this book. The pace picked up in the later parts of the novel -- making for some good suspense and a nice finish. The story line is fairly linear without layering in one complexity after another. The central theme that the individual matters and eventually overcomes authoritarianism is consistent and well played. I enjoyed reading the book and give it three out of five stars.

[Edwin]

Finished it last week. After the first five pages or so I thought it was going to be the kind of boy's adventure sci-fi that Asimov wrote in his Lucky Starr novels (I recently read Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus and Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury).

Fortunately the story quickly matured and basically became unputdownable. For a long time, you can't tell whether or not the ending is going to be good or bad. Thirty pages from the end, the alien slugs can still win. Heinlein really is a great story teller.

Now here is the funny thing: whenever sci-fi writers look into the future, the tend to expand on the technology of their day in a linear fashion. Heinlein sees ray guns and flying cars and spaceships to Venus (none of which presently exist) and the stereoscope (3D TV). Like many after him, he completely misses all that is digital. He also assumes that the culture of the future would be more or less as it was in 1940. Sam Nivens talks like the hero in a 1950s spy thriller. So does the Old Man. And although Mary starts out rough and tough, she ends up the quintessential babe supporting her man.

Having said that, I loved it and will gladly read it again. Gave it four stars.

My favourite Heinlein will always be Citizen of the Galaxy because it got me hooked on sci-fi.

[E.J.]

Megan wrote: "I really love the section where the narrator is under control (I don't consider that a spoiler, it's in the blurb on the back of the book). How neat is it to write about mind control from the inside?"

I agree. Didn't really think about it until I read your comment. It was interesting when (view spoiler)[ he doesn't recognize the Old Man when under control (hide spoiler)]

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I agree (to both ^ comments).

Edwin, have you ever read Heinlein's Starman Jones? It's a universe of star travel where astrogators do computations manually and you have several to 'check" each other as one error could lose you in deep space with no reference point as to where you are.

The astrogators are a guild and have many volumes of secret books.

Also there's When Wolrds Collide and After Worlds Collide.

When Worlds Collide (this edition has both books in one volume).

In those books (written in the 1930s) there is another planet on a collision course with Earth. An expedition is formed to a different planet (that will fall into earth's orbit).

For details read the book, LOL.

Anyway you get the tech of the time with people trying to save books and so on. You might enjoy both.

[Edwin]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I agree (to both ^ comments).

Edwin, have you ever read Heinlein's Starman Jones? It's a universe of star travel where astrogators do computations manually and you have several to 'chec..."

Thanks! Starman Jones sounds like fun. My earliest Heinlein so far was Space Cadet.

The basic premise of When worlds collide sounds a bit like Asimov's Nemesis. And have you read Neal Stephenson's Seveneves? Similar idea: the moon is struck by an unknown something (the Agent), Earth is doomed but it will take a couple of years, so humanity has time to save some part of itself.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Thanks, I'll take a look.

[Earl]

This was a great book (and was actually made into a decent movie). A good chunk of Heinlein's work is timeless.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I kind of like the movie, it's a good solid "not bad". I think it could nave been a lot better but it's not a disappointment.