Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not one for beginners
Review: I like Heinlein. I first read Starship Troopers, then tried this from the library. It's not his best, but it is good. Having said that, I wouldn't read it if you don't like long books, and I would not read it as an introduction to Heinlein. Me, I average a novel a day, so this book was no problem to finish. I also wouldn't read it if you are not a big sci-fi fan, as there are some odd references, but try it if you're looking for a new perspective on the Bible! Or, for that matter, on Oz, or any of Heinlein's Lazarus Long books. It is certainly good for those who like good, 'meaty' books, with plenty of plot twists.
Rating: 
Summary: Witty repartee and revolving narrators kill.
Review: Ohh man. I wasn't too hot on some other Heinlein stuff I've read (Farnham's Freehold), but that didn't make me want to get up and throw the book away. I wish I would have thrown this away. The switching back and forth of the narrating character drove me absolutly insane, it was hard to keep straight who had said something, or who was speaking at any given time. Combined with the fact that the "Captain" switched 4 times in the book, it leaves ones recollection of the story splayed out like spaghetti. I've come to expect a good bit of witty repartee in Heinleins novels, but he went waaay overboad with it this time. A person can only take so much of it. The choppiness of these (they didn't even flow well) added even more to the difficulties one has in following the story.
Rating:
Summary: Good start/Appalling ending
Review: This novel starts off with an exciting and thought provoking beginning, unfortunately Heinlein seems to get bored with it halfway to 2/3rds of the way through. He basically tosses off his main characters and their story and takes up with an entirely different (and far less interesting) story as a continuation of a previous series. The antagonist who provided the drive for the first half is also reduced to complete insignifigance. This sort of storytelling is not only bad, it is inexcusable.
Rating:
Summary: Heinlein was in his dotage...
Review: The first sci-fi I ever read was Heinlein's _Have Space Suit Will Travel_, it hooked me as a Heinlein fan for life. When _Number..._ hit the shelves I was delighted--what could be better than another Heinlein? To say I was disappointed would be gross an understatement. The fine sense of alternate reality, the wit and the sarcasm of the Heinlein I loved was all missing from _Number_. What this books seems to show us is an aging writer badly stretching his credibility to write a final cumulative volume wherein all his characters in all his novels get a final chance to meet each other. Sappy, trite and not worth it. The "continuity editors" were sleeping through this one and it, sadly, must have made it into print on the author's name alone. If you love Heinlein, don't sully your memories of him by reading this one.
Rating:
Summary: this one killed the relationship
Review: I too read everything I could get by hienlien until I started this one. It is the only book I never finished. Hienlein was one of the true greats, but this book left such a bad taste, I'll never read his work again. It is sophmoric. If you like "Married With Children," of Jerry Springer, you'll love this book
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous book!
Review: I reread this book every several months. I find the use of multiple viewpoints to be completely captivating, and a good way to introduce each of the characters. The plot is fascinating, and after a while we don't even mind going to Oz. I found Gay Deceiver to be a most interesting "car" - complete with "computerized autopilot." Heinlein's fascination with the concepts of privacy and secrecy are completely refreshing and intriguing.
Definitely a must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Omni knew what it was doing
Review: When Omni printed the first part of this book back in `79, it skimmed the cream from the top. It wisely left off with the words "On to Barsoom!" I ran (not walked) to the bookstore, purchased it, and began voraciously reading. What I discovered was that Heinlein's genius ran out about the time that our foursome headed for Mars. I *was* intrigued with the alternate dimension where "evening" was practiced. The drunk driver who caused the amputation of a victim's leg was forced to have a car run over HIS leg, sit for as long as his victim had to (before help arrived), and then have his own leg removed. Heinlein called this "chilling." I'm not sure that I agree. The concept that alternative universes were mentioned in the book of Revelation was Heinleinishly good, too. However, like much of his later work, this book was just too darned long. Half this size, it might have held up.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best
Review: Once I started reading Heinlein, I read everything I could find. Until I got to "Number of the Beast". Then I stopped, couldn't finish the book. It seems an attempt to fill pages by using familiar characters from past works, with lots of useless dialog. It started well enough but went nowhere fast. In truth I feel Heinlein's best work is found in the many short stories he wrote and are compiled in "The Past Through Tomorrow". I'll re-read those stories instead.
Rating:
Summary: "Number of the Beast" a flop
Review: "Number of the Beast" is a very sci-fi novel, about 4 mathematicians exploring different galaxies in a car. At times it has a tendancy to be interesting, for instance when they are attacked by aliens threatening thier life for what seemed to be no apparant reason. If this book was written by anyone other than Robert Heinlein, I don't think it would have made it into print. Heinlein Puts the story into different point-of-veiws every once in a while, that really makes the book good. This book is typical Heinlein, with ecstasy, adventure, action and a lot of sci-fi. I recommend you be over the age of 14 to read this book, some of the vocabulary is quite big.
Rating:
Summary: Hard-Core Heinlein, alright, but not paced fast enough.
Review: This book is pure Heinlein, simple as that. To suggest that it's any worse than any other of his novels because of senility is both annoying and upsurd. The great thing about Heinlein was that he took such impossible, child-like concepts like visiting the land of Oz and used his vast store of knowledge of the sciences to make it possible. His side-lines describing the intricate process involved in programming the computer of Gay Deceiver were as fascinating as they were confusing as Heinlein once again proved his mastery of understanding complex concepts. True, there is a lot of sexuality in this book, but there's no way I would have believed Heinlein wrote it if there wasn't. Truth be told, I thought there was too little sexuality in this book (two pairs of newly-weds that don't knock each other up every second they can? That seems more far-fetched than going to Oz!). The only gripe I can raise about it, however, is the pacing. To me this seems the most realistic Heinlein novel because everything doesn't happen at once. Any semblance of a plot is lost after the first couple hundred pages, degenerating into pure characterization. This is another hallmark of Heinlein, and one of many that makes this novel a treat to read.
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