I Will Fear No Evil

Rating:
Summary: Daring book that's a great read!
Review: I've been a big Heinlein fan since my first encounter with "Job: A Comedy of Justice," but this book surpasses even his usual excellence to produce a truly stellar reading experience! I liked the provocative discussions of gender and sexuality throughout that I feel are becoming ever more reflective of today's diverse society. I also like that these discussions fit right in with the plot without feeling like people are breaking character to preach to the reader. His futuristic society is realistic without being as grim as 1984 or other dystopian fiction. His characters become people you know well and care about by tale's end.

This book is the epitome of speculative fiction and will hold you until the last breathtaking page!

Rating:
Summary: My first Heinlein book
Review: I'm not going to talk about the book itself, but more the impact it had me.

This book was given to me by a friend when I was 15 years old. It was my first true "sci-fi" book, and I am very fond if this novel as it opened my eyes to a whole new genre of novels (I discoverd Asimov shortly after) and stories. From the very beginning of the book I was hooked, and found it absolutely amazing. From the moment that I finished it I endevoured to get hold of a copy of every RAH book available. I am very surprised at some of negative feedback that this book has had, as I found it extremely thought provoking. I was so incredibly dissapointed when, on a bright Saturday morning, I turned the final page and had got to the end of the book that I sat in my room stunned, not knowing what to do with the rest of the day. I can still remember the long walk I had on that day... I somehow felt very alone, as if I had seem a glimpse of another reality that I had no chance of explaining to my friends, my imagination had truly been kicked up a gear. For a long time I held this book as "The best book I had ever read", not so much for it's "literary" content, but for the emotions that I had felt while reading it, the likes of which I had never before experienced from a book. By comparison I found "Stranger in a strange land" (my next Heinlen) very difficult to read, and did not appreciate it until I read it (Stranger in a strage land) again some years later, it reminded me of when I tried to read Tolkien's "Silmarillion" after "Lord of the Rings". I think "I will fear no evil" remained my favorite book for several years, until I read "Number of the Beast" which *really* blew me away.

So, there you go, I hope I havent bored you, and I sincerely hope that you feel the same way as I did after reading this novel, especially if it's your first Heinlein.

Rating:
Summary: What could this have been?
Review: What could this have been had RAH been well enough to edit and rewrite it? As most fans know, Heinlein suffered periods of sickness. I think this time it was peritonitis, but I am not really sure. He did not get to edit or rewrite to his standards, and it shows. What you are reading is one of his rough drafts, not a finished product. That makes a big difference, and for that reason, I can't really recommend this except to die-hards. However I am surprised at the number of people who are not die-hards who seem to enjoy it. I would just hate for this to be someone's first or second experience with this wonderful author. May I suggest Citizen of the Galaxy? Time Enough for Love? Even To Sail Beyond the Sunset? This should be one of the last books Heinlein competists like myself should read.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating book by Heinlein
Review: This novel has an interesting premise. An extremely rich old man doesn't want to die. He pays to have his brain transplanted into someone else's body before he dies. He discovers very much to his surprise that his brain is transplanted into the body of a young woman. The novel is the story of his adaptation to being in a woman's body. If you're looking for a unique book, this is the book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Sex on the brain
Review: Heinlein may be one of the great masters of science fiction, but his novels also tend to be oversexed, and this one is no exception. The "Free Love" theme of the 1970's is quite evident here, and gets quite tiring by the book's end.

The book concerns a rich old man named Johann Sebastian Bach Smith, who (in order to live longer), wishes to have his brain transplanted in a younger body. The twist comes in when it gets transplanted into the body of his sexy young female secretary! There's a lot of gender-bending and sometimes thought-provoking questions about male vs. female psyches, but after 500 pages, it gets rather lengthy and dull.

In the author's defense, Heinlein (as always) manages to paint some very interesting and charismatic personalities on paper. If you haven't yet read it (although most people have), I recommend instead Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. While also oversexed, is much more interesting and not quite as droning as I Will Fear No Evil.

Rating:
Summary: The Second Trip
Review: Macho, macho man; I've got to be a, whoops, where's my willy? Heinlein's medication must have backed up on him while he was writing this. I guess every man has wondered what it's like for the girls, but very few volunteer to find out. Johann Sebastian Bach Smith's elaborate suicide scheme to escape his nightmarish, over-medicated old age, an impossible body transplant, backfires by actually working. Smith finds himself in the body of his recently-deceased secretary, along with the mind of the secretary herself. It's actually a damn good book, but we are talking major league weirdness here as Smith sets out to explore this brave new world, jiggling all the way.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I've read it 3 or 4 times and find new things in it every time. One of the most appealing things about it though is that it was written in the 60's and set in the time period that we are living though. It shows that people can predict the future.

Rating:
Summary: Has anyone figured out where the title came from?
Review: I am leaning toward the opinion of the reviewer who suggested that the title is a Biblical referance. In that context it makes perfect sence. Leave it to RAH to even create a title that is though provoking. This book is not the best RAH book out there. Certainly not the one I would read first. It has a tendancy to drift and doesn't have quite that same ability to grab on not let go as most of RAH's books. However, considering RAH's health at the time that he wrote it, I can understand.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: Why do I see so many negative reviews? This book is great. Many people seem to reviewing Heinlein and not the book. Just goes to show you can't rely on other people opinions, only your own. While perhaps not as far reaching as Stranger in a Strange Land, IWFNE is nevertheless quite enjoyable and kept me interested from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: I will fear no real plot....
Review: Dont expect anything dramatic to happen in this book even though the premise seems interesting. Heinlein is indeed a great author and this book does have its strong points. Yet, one of them is definitely not a strong plot. The novel seems to meander throught the life of Joan Eunice aka Johann Smith after the transplant is completed. Being written at the end of the sexual revolution of the late 60's the book aspires to the ideals of free love and uninhibited sex between adults. Read it and see for yourself. You might not want to buy it new if you are not a Heinlein fan...