Rating: 
Summary: It grows on you
Review: This book was really hard me to get through I don't know about the rest of you. This book is a fine illistation of how well some of Heinlein's idea have transfered over into the 21st century (moon is a harsh mistress).
Others simply have not (Farnham's Freehold). I really didn't like where the book wound up for the vast majority reads like a sort of Turner Diaries in reverse only this time with the black men on top but than suddenly at the end of the book the main charecters are suddenly forgiven all of their transgresions and its back to square one. In the end the book really doesn't make any kind of sense and too otp it all off the book is almost drianed of the author's usual good humor and wit. Therefore it was really no fun for me too read.
Overall-The author wrote this book for two reasons Either he was trying to make a vast social statment to white people about the shoe being on the other foot someday and that us white poeple had to change our ways.
Or he just really hated black people I honestly don't know. I do know that nothing in this book inspires me to read it over and over agian ike I have done for practically all of Heinlein's other works that I have read.
Rating:
Summary: BEHOLD...THE FUTURE...
Review: This is an entirely plot driven book with one dimensional characters that are, for the most part, unlikable. The core characters are twentieth century citizens who find their lives forever changed by a nuclear holocaust. The plot itself is a relatively simple one.
The main protagonist, Hugh Farnham, is a farsighted, twentieth century guy who builds a bomb shelter and stocks it with the necessities of life so as to be prepared in the event that nuclear war erupts. When it does, he, his wife, Grace, son, Duke, and daughter, Karen, as well as her friend, Barbara Wells, and Joseph, Hugh's employee, find themselves saved from destruction but hurled by the nuclear blast into a world two thousand years into the future.
The future, however, into which the characters are hurled, is a future in which the world is ruled by dark skinned people. All light skinned people are slaves to their dark skinned masters. Since the Farnhams and Barbara Wells are white, they do not fare too well in this new world order. The only one who comes out on top is Joseph, who happens to be black. He also happens to be the only reasonably likable character in the book.
While the future is an interesting one, the novelty of it is undone by the fact that the main characters are so unlikable. Hugh Farnham is nothing more than an insensitive bully and egotist married to a lush, whimsically named Grace. Barbara Wells is a woman who thinks nothing of abusing the hospitality of her hostess, Grace, by sleeping with her husband, Hugh, shortly after meeting him.
As luck would have it, Barbara's friend, Karen, also think that it is perfectly fine that her friend should be sleeping with her father, who just happens to be her mother's husband. Though, why Barbara would want to, however, is beyond me. Once in the future, however, Karen, for whatever sick reason, also seems interested in copulating with her father. Meanwhile, her brother, Duke, is nothing more than his drunken mother's enabler, at odds with his father, and a secret racist. The only remotely normal person is Joseph, and even he, too, has his moments.
One simply does not care about most of the characters. In terms of plot, however, the author is on firmer ground. The future that the author has created provides a lot of food for thought, as he covers many issues. Incest, cannibalism, race role reversals, women as sex toys, the neutering of males, as well as using some humans as breeders, are all interesting, though somewhat controversial, concepts. While touched upon, however, these issues are never fully explored or realized. Consequently, the plot, which is, at times, quite interesting, finds itself undone by the unlikability factor of its characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Very uneven
Review: This is not one of Heinlein's best efforts. Actually, it's one
of his worst. At first I thought it was terrible, but after I finished it I found there were some interesting plot twists and
some trenchant observations. There are some very strange things in this book--the "heroes" at the beginning mix booze, Seconal and Miltown. Heinlein doesn't even blink in writing it. In fact, he appears quite enthusiatic. There are some other strange things--a discussion of incest that almost sounds approving. At first I suspected that Heinlein had been the one mixing the drugs when he wrote this book. And the other things--cannibalism, for one. If this had been the first book of
Heinlein's that I had ever read, I would have thought he verged
on being nuts. Fortunately, I've read his best work, so I can
forgive this novel. Which, unfortunately, at times, verges
on being a monstrosity. Try _The Door Into Summer_ or _Double Star_
before you read this. Otherwise, your opinion of Heinlein
might be permanently warped.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful
Review: this is the first time i read this this author but really enjoyed this book. i think some people have reviewed this book badly because of the roles being reversed. its just narrow minded reviewers. keep on writing heinlein you have a fan for life...
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