Rating: 
Summary: You will be transported into Hoag's weird, weird world
Review: "Something Wicked this way Comes" and this book are my favorites in the Fantasy genre
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Vinatge Heinlein
Review: "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag". If that's not an eye-grabbing title, I don't know what is. Unfortunately, the text within the covers doesn't quite live up to it. Jonathan Hoag remembers the mornings, and he remembers the evenings, but he doesn't quite remember what he does for a living during the day. To solve this mystery, he hires two private detectives to tail him and report his movements to him. The more they try to do so, the more confusing and seemingly impossible phenomenon they encounter. This novella keeps you reading just to see how Heinlein will wrap up all the contradictions in the end. Unfortunately, he doesn't. There is a conclusion that provides some metaphysical food for thought, but it's not really a satisfactory explanation of everything that happened. "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag" does boast distinctive characters, and crisp, clean, believable dialogue.
The other flagship story in this collection is "And He Built a Crooked House". The story of an architect who won't take no for an answer and a suburban couple who get trapped in one of his designs, this little exercise in cleverness will delight the mathematically minded with its musings on higher dimensions and lower intellects. The rest is a hodgepodge. "They" is an initially intriguing exploration of paranoia, but the ending doesn't punch the way Heinlein wants it to. "Our Fair City" is an amusing but not particularly thought-provoking tale about a miniature tornado that gets involved in politics. "All You Zombies" is yet another pointless time-travel story.
Lastly there's "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants". One of the master's more unusual stories, it explores the life of a quirky elderly couple who travel around attending county fairs. The point is to suggest that Heaven will be a carnival, complete with cotton candy and a parade of elephants. With no real science fiction component, it gives us instead an unusual take on finding your purpose on Earth. But for some reason I found it strangely unsatisfying in the end. Regardless, below average Heinlein is still above average fiction.
Rating:
Summary: You will be transported into Hoag's weird, weird world
Review: "Something Wicked this way Comes" and this book are my favorites in the Fantasy genre
Rating:
Summary: Bizarre concept, very satisfying read
Review: Can't imagine giving RAH less than 5 stars. My copy is falling apart & you never know when you'll be in a bomb shelter for an extended length of time...;-) Gotta have a new copy just in case!You'll never look at art (maybe the world) the same way again...
Rating:
Summary: A most creative ending of an otherwise mediocre book
Review: I have read the vast majority of heinlein's work. I don't know where i picked this book up but i'm glad i did. The book is typical heinlein fare until you get to the ending when he bowls you over with an extremely thought provoking climax. Heinlein may be brilliant but he usually does nothing but write how he thinks the world should act given a particular situation. This book breaks from his usual formula to give the reader not only a thought provoking idea but a truly original one as well.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book.
Review: Its very dated but its great sci-fi! I especially loved the last short story in the book, it was a real mind bender. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great is the bird,the 13th floor, and more.....
Review: Robert A.Heinlein is in my life everyday, his dedication to the reader is a fixture in every book he writes, he takes an ordinary sheet of paper and turns it into a masterpiece that you can't set down. I have every book he has made available to the public and I still long for more, I have read and reread everything the man has in print, and one of my favorites is The Unpleasent Profession of Johnathan Hoag. Which also contains several other stories such as, They, The Man Who Travels In Elephants, and He built a crooked House. If I missed one I'm sorry as I am typing from memory. Pick up his book and you'll see why I praise this man....
Rating:
Summary: Title story, unusual plots, outshine some weak points
Review: This book collects some of Heinlein's earlier efforts in the fantasy vein. There's virtually no science fiction here, but there are some interesting ideas. The title piece is almost a short novel, and features a husband and wife detective team who are hired to find out exactly what their client does during the daylight hours. The answer takes them on a journey through the looking glass to a world of evil secrets that lie just beneath the surface of our comfortable reality. There are plenty of surprises and a fair amount of suspense, but Heinlein's hazy ending may leave some readers unsatisfied. The remaining stories in the collection are a pretty mixed bag, highlighted by "All You Zombies", which is not about zombies at all, but still delivers a powerful punch. Without giving away the plot, the protagonist manages to recount the story of his (generally speaking) totally unique life. Although by no means prurient, this story has some sexual components that could lead to very embarrassing questions if read by the very young, so be forewarned. Equally solipsistic is the paranoid fantasy "They", in which a mental patient questions the very nature of reality. Heinlein seems to enjoy this kind of philosophical rambling, but apart from the sharp ending, this story has little to recommend it. Similarly, "-And He Built a Crooked House" involves speculation of a more mathematical nature. An iconoclast architect designs, and then actually builds, a house in four dimensions, with what one assumes to be intended as comic effect, although having a stuffy dowager faint repeatedly seems more like an exercise in misogyny than in humor. Even sillier is "Our Fair City", in which Heinlein shows how a nosy newsman takes down a corrupt city government with the help of a trained pet whirlwind. And "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" is a wholly forgettable story about a man who spends his declining years visiting state fairs. Heinlein shows considerable inventiveness in finding utterly unique plotlines for these stories, but not all of them actually succeed. Still, this is a pretty entertaining collection, and should provide a welcome diversion for fantasy fans who are looking for something a little offbeat.
Rating:
Summary: Title story, unusual plots, outshine some weak points
Review: This book collects some of Heinlein's earlier efforts in the fantasy vein. There's virtually no science fiction here, but there are some interesting ideas. The title piece is almost a short novel, and features a husband and wife detective team who are hired to find out exactly what their client does during the daylight hours. The answer takes them on a journey through the looking glass to a world of evil secrets that lie just beneath the surface of our comfortable reality. There are plenty of surprises and a fair amount of suspense, but Heinlein's hazy ending may leave some readers unsatisfied. The remaining stories in the collection are a pretty mixed bag, highlighted by "All You Zombies", which is not about zombies at all, but still delivers a powerful punch. Without giving away the plot, the protagonist manages to recount the story of his (generally speaking) totally unique life. Although by no means prurient, this story has some sexual components that could lead to very embarrassing questions if read by the very young, so be forewarned. Equally solipsistic is the paranoid fantasy "They", in which a mental patient questions the very nature of reality. Heinlein seems to enjoy this kind of philosophical rambling, but apart from the sharp ending, this story has little to recommend it. Similarly, "-And He Built a Crooked House" involves speculation of a more mathematical nature. An iconoclast architect designs, and then actually builds, a house in four dimensions, with what one assumes to be intended as comic effect, although having a stuffy dowager faint repeatedly seems more like an exercise in misogyny than in humor. Even sillier is "Our Fair City", in which Heinlein shows how a nosy newsman takes down a corrupt city government with the help of a trained pet whirlwind. And "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" is a wholly forgettable story about a man who spends his declining years visiting state fairs. Heinlein shows considerable inventiveness in finding utterly unique plotlines for these stories, but not all of them actually succeed. Still, this is a pretty entertaining collection, and should provide a welcome diversion for fantasy fans who are looking for something a little offbeat.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite RAH
Review: This is my favorite book by Heinlein that I have read thus far. It is actually a collection of short stories, with the title novella being the longest one. It is truly a good story. Not hard science fiction, but more of a mystery. SF fans and non-fans alike will like this story, it is very suspenseful and a real page turner. The other stories are The Man Who Traveled In Elephants, a throwaway; All You Zombies, a good story that is probably the weirdest story from an author known for weird storie; They, a very thought-provoking story, with feelings from the main character that I'm sure we've all felt at one time or another; Our Fair City, a hilarous short story that had me laughing out loud numerous times; and He Built A Crooked House, another grand tale that will leave Geometry experts saying "Hmmm...". Read this book. It is one of those books that you will just find near impossible to put down, and you will regret it when you finally do.
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