Rating: 
Summary: Should have won a Hugo
Review: This brilliantly realized tale is Heinlein's third-best novel (after THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS and STARSHIP TROOPERS, and ahead of DOUBLE STAR). And it's one of VERY few early Heinlein novels that stands the test of time.It's not hard to see why. The plot itself is ingenious (I won't spoil it; read the other reviews if you want more information) and the characters are well-drawn (including and especially the cat, Petronius the Arbiter). And Heinlein isn't riding any of his hobby-horses; he's simply telling a story - which, Lord knows, he could do when he tried, even if he didn't try often enough. Skip his later novels unless you want to watch a bunch of red-headed geniuses having sex with all their relatives. As of FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD and STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, something very odd and disturbing began to creep into Heinlein's work - something that eventually took over his novels at the expense of what had once been good storytelling. But in DOOR, you'll meet Heinlein at his finest. Or close to it, anyway; read the four books I've listed and you'll have read the best he has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, excellent read
Review: I have never read Heinlein before, and this book was great. I am a big SF fan and the theory of time travel interests me. I first heard of the book when one of my classmates did a book project on it. The book begins in 1970. In the middle, it takes place in 2000-2001, comes back to 1970 and ends in 2001. The book's main character is Daniel Boone Davis. He is an aspiring inventor and is a founder of "Hired Girl, Inc." He owns a cat named Petronius the Arbiter. He is not a good business man, so his partner Miles Gentry is in charge of business. Somewhere along the lines they pick up a beutiful secretary, Belle Darkin, who become Dan's fiance. The betray him and get married, steal his inventions, and kick him out of the company. They drug him silly and trick him into taking "Cold Sleep", where he's cryogenicly frozen and asleep. Little do Belle and Miles know that the people of the year 2000 are capable of time travel I would definetly recommend this book to SF lovers around. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Have a pencil a paper handy
Review: RAH wanted to see if we could follow him through this one!!! You'll be provoked into making sure it works. You'll have fun checking!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: science fiction at its very best...
Review: Actually I would rate this book a 10... I found this book to be one of Heinlein's best... This story uses time travel which is a concept I find personally interesting and intriguing.. This book also had strongly developed characters which you either loved or hated.. Heinlein tells this story so well I was surprised it did not win a Hugo award unlike his story "A moon is a harsh mistress" which I found not as enjoyable as this book.. If you like science fiction then you are going to love this book.. This book is interesting as it was written in 1957 and time travel was not a concept that was thought of much. The story takes place in the 70's where you meet our main character Daniel Boon Davis, Creator of Hired girl Inc. Daniel is a great inventor but a lousy business man who unfortunately partners up with a man named Miles who you think is Daniel's friend.. Little does Daniel know that Miles is teaming up with Daniel's fiance Belle and together they ruin him financially, spiritually and mentally... They also trick him to go into deep sleep where he will be out of their hair.. Little does Miles and Betty know that Daniel is awakened in the distant future of 2001 where time travel is invented and now possible.. So Daniel goes back to the 1970's and fixes the errors that Belle and Miles have caused him... If you like cats I shouldn't forget to mention Daniel's feline companion Petronius... He was Daniel's cat, partner and co-conspirator that had a helping hand with Daniel vindicating the life that his so called friends ruined..
Rating:
Summary: One of Heinlein's Very Best
Review: When you hang on to a book through three decades, three trans-continental moves and various other tidal forces such as marriage and kids you either a) are very possesive about books (guilty) or b) you have a book worth hanging on to - one of those that is lovingly packed for a move well before the last-minute frenzy to shove everything into boxes and one that makes 'home' out of wherever those boxes are unpacked. Heinlein wrote simply a ton of excellent science fiction and his place in the pantheon of that genre is so assured as to be fundamental. So when a lot of people, and check the number of reviews on this well-aged book, say it might be one of his best it's worth at a minimum a second look. In this story you get not just time travel, cryogenic sleep, and robots, you get a quick tour through the meanings of friendship, love, deceit, the sweetness of affection and the bitterness of betrayal and if you don't have a good time along the way then there's really nothing I can think of to recommend for you with any likelihood of better luck. I'm sure there are lots of fine people who despise 'The Door Into Summer', I just don't know any of them. My original copy has survived three decades in my possession; it's original cost was $1.50. Today's version costs a bit more but it'll have acid-free paper and probably better typeface and binding. The contents still outweigh the cost by a wide margin.
Rating:
Summary: Time Travel at Its Best
Review: At the time he was writing, Heinlein's books were so much better than all the others because he was so much smarter than most other writers. He thought things through first (which many others did too), but then he added an element that many other sf writers didn't (and some STILL don't): humanity. Dan Davis, an inventor, narrates the story. He's a brilliant inventor and has come up with some pretty amazing gadgets, including Hired Girl, a robot who cleans, sweeps, vacuums, mops, and generally works all day long without supervision. Dan's problems begin mounting when he learns he's been betrayed by his partner. And to add insult to injury, Dan's fiancée is in on the betrayal as well. As if betrayal alone isn't enough, the two conspirators have Dan placed into a 30-year suspended animation. Dan wakes up 30 years later and is focused on one thing: revenge. Now lots of authors could have taken the above premise and come up with an entertaining story. Heinlein did this and much more. He shows us that change (for individuals and for all humanity) is difficult, but not impossible. The future is full of challenges, but no matter how much technology changes, no matter how much language, currency, and trends change, man's basic instincts and attitudes remain constant. Heinlein also tackles the implications of time travel better than anyone else from this period. (The book first appeared in 1957.) The problem of time travel is well thought out and logical. (Wish you could say that about every time travel story.) If you haven't read Heinlein, or if all you've read is 'Stranger in a Strange Land,' 'Starship Troopers,' or 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' (all great books), treat yourself to a fun, intelligent read from one of the true masters.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, charming SF tale
Review: I rank this among Heinlein's three absolutely magisterial novels (the other two being _Double Star_ and _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_). Such judgments are notoriously subjective and controversial. But I feel safe in saying that any SF reader will find something to enjoy in this marvelous story. It's part SF, part fairy tale, and part just plain good storytelling. Engineer/inventor Daniel Boone Davis and his feline companion Petronius the Arbiter are two of Heinlein's best-realized characters; the plot here is well-conceived and evenly, swiftly paced. In case you haven't read it, I won't spoil it for you. The setup is that Davis has just been rooked by his best friend and his fiancee, and he's out to do something about it. What happens then is the story itself, so I won't tell you; I'll just say that the time-travel aspect is worked out every bit as neatly as in "By His Bootstraps", and the tale is one of Heinlein's most humane ever. I've read it more times than I can count, and there's a bit near the end that _always_ gets me. (You'll know what I mean when you get there.) Heinlein wrote this at the peak of his talent. If you haven't read it yet, don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: Revenge for what they did to his cat!
Review: Dan Davis is an engineer and inventor. He loves his cat. When his fiance and business partner force him out of his own company, he's okay with that. When they steal his latest invention, he's okay with that. When they drug him and throw him into cryogenic sleep for 30 years, well, the "future" is not so bad. However, when they try to harm his cat, Dan Davis must revenge himself on the perpetrators. Fortunately, there is a method available for a suitable revenge.... This book is charming, fun, and a very quick read at 160 pages. I can see why people have such great affection for it (although I doubt man dog-lovers do...). It's remarkably cheerful and optimistic. Although I would not consider it a "juvenile" novel, it has the same upbeat tone as Rocket Ship Galilieo and Between Planets. Some of Heinlein's inventions are eerily prescient: urban sprawl on the west coast, Velcro, CAD, easing of nudity taboos, etc. Let's be realistic, however - there are equal numbers (or more) of busts - automatic vacuums, robots, and nuclear war, to name a few. Heinlein has always been a writer that seems prescient, but it's only because statistically, someone who makes as many predictions as he is bound to get some right. Likewise, the main character is not realistic - resourseful, inventive, likeable, yes, but no one person could invent the things Davis does. Therefore, I recommend the book because of it's sunny disposition, while simultaneously shaking my head at its absurdities.
Rating:
Summary: Grandly Entertaining
Review: Ideally, this book should be read right after Starship Troopers. I cannot imagine two more dissimilar books from the same author. Both are great, but this book is light entertainment on the highest level: wonderful characters, quick clever story, and at the end deliciously sentimental.
Rating:
Summary: The Very Best Heinlein
Review: This, like The Rolling Stones has a special effect on me. I don't understand why with this novel either. This is typical of the very best of Heinlein and he is guilty of several literary sins including breeziness. But these same sins are what makes his novels and short stories work so well; something most modern writers and "literary" writers would do well to explore in greater depth.
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