Please note that this review is just about Methuselah's Children in this volume.

Someone gave me this book recently and so I reread it again for the first time in probably 25 years. I was pleased to see how well the book held up. Published in 1948, Methuselah's Children shows Heinlein's ideas about politics in the future were becoming darker and more cynical and in some ways the book presages the concepts in Starship Troopers. In Methuselah's Children, governments are not trustworthy, and even your neighbor probably isn't, which our Founding Fathers would have agreed with, which is why our system has so many checks and balances (especially the cantankerous but brilliant, cynical John Adams).

The novel also contains some of Heinlein's most interesting ideas for alien races, and the "God" race was a fascinating concept, with their technology so advanced that even Libby couldn't figure it out. Some of his earliest speculation on telepathy is also present, which he puts to good use both for the Howard families and in their contacts with at least two of the alien races. The story features Lazurus Long in one of his most dynamic and prominent roles, so fans of Long won't be disappointed there, and also Andrew Jackson Libby has an important role. The background story of a race of Methuselahs and how that might be accomplished through genetic breeding was not too far-fetched given the science of the time, since genetic engineering was far in the future. Finally, many of the ideas about electronic banking, email, and networking that Heinlein uses in the novel have come to pass. At only about 270 pages, I think it's one of Heinlein's best stories and still holds up very well considering it's now almost 60 years old.

This is a collection of four of Heinlein's epic 'future history' work.

The first selection "If This Goes On -" concerns Hugh, a young American soldier serving as a palace guard to the Prophet. America has become a totalitarian theocracy that Hugh discovers to be corrupt. This story is very good on it's own merit but is particularly chilling in our 21st century America confronted with totalitarian theocratic enemies and our own politically active religious right.

"Coventry" focuses on the ideas of freedom and societal responsibilities. Years after the events of "If This Goes On -" have passed society has established total freedom for all. The only restrictions are that one citizen is not allowed to harm another and even then there is no punishment only treatment and re-education. Still there are those who find even these restrictions too confining and for them there is Coventry. One such individual comes to realize that some rules exist for a reason.

"Misfit" - introduces Andrew Jackson Libby, a young member of the CCC (Cosmic Construction Corps) assigned to work in the asteroid belt while learning skills that will help him become a productive citizen. It seems that Andy, like the rest of the CCC are considered to be bad boys, troubled youth, or juvenile delinquents. It quickly becomes apparent that Andy does not conform to society for some other very interesting reasons. This character will return in many of RAH's later future history works.

"Methuselah's Children" marks the debut of Lazarus Long, perhaps RAH's best know character. Lazarus is the result of a genetic experiment on human longevity. The resulting test subjects of this experiment now number 100,000, have life expectencies two to three times that of the rest of the population. For years they have hidden their existence from the rest of humanity but now many of their group have decided that it is safe to let their presence be known. They felt that the rest of humanity is ready to accept them....they were wrong.

Lazarus Long and the Howard family figure largely in the rest of Heinlein work, and is the cental figure of the last few of RAH's novels. "Methuselah's Children" lays the ground work for these stories and is an exciting story in its own right.

This collection is a treasure trove for those unfamiliar with RAH's work and would be an excellent starting point. If it contains any that a fan has somehow missed to this point it is a must read.

I just had to buy a copy of "Revolt in 2100" when I read the back cover blurb:

"In the year A.D. 2100 an evil Dictator rules the United States. He maintains power through the clever use of advanced science and psychology. And he is backed by a dedicated military clique..."

Except for a little numerical dyslexia that's a perfect description.

These were some of Heinlein's earlier works, and as such, don't have the length and depth of some of his later, Hugo-Award winning works. Here's a short synopsis and review of each of the four stories. The first and the last are longer, multi-chaptered "short books", while the two in the middle can more appropriately be termed short-stories.

Revolt in 2100 - America is now a theocratic dictatorship ruled by the "Prophet" who is really a corrupt leader dependent upon brutal suppression of dissidents to maintain power. John Lyle, the main character, is a graduate of West Point and a young officer who, through the love of a priestess, joins the Revolution and overthrows this dictatorship. The story is somewhat shallow for those who are familiar with Heinlein's later works, but it is still entertaining. One thing Heinlein never did well was write romance. The interactions between his male and female characters are awkward - had he developed the talent for it, he could really flesh out the motives of many of his characters.

Coventry - Dave McKinnon, banished to "Coventry" for striking a man and refusing psycological adjustment, finds out just how brutal and uncivilized man can be when he enters the wall-less prison. A nice short story, but with an unresolved (and somewhat predictable) ending

Misfit - Here we are introduced to A.J. Libby, who will play a part in the next story. He is a young man working in a space construction crew, but discovers that he has a remarkable talent for mathematics. Extremely short, its more like a preview for the last story included in the collection.

Methuselah's Children - The Howard Families - 100,000 members strong, are having their civil liberties trod upon because their unnatural lifespans lead other humans to believe they possess the "fountain of youth" Lazarus Long, a rogueish character, leads the Families to steal an interstellar spaceship and pilots it to two alien planets before finally returning to earth. This was by far the best of the four, very entertaining, but in some parts, Heinlein delves a little too far into esoteric subjects that are of interest only to physicists and theoretical mathematicians - there are passages I skipped because they proved too difficult to understand for someone just looking for a fun fiction experience.

Altogether, this is a worthwhile purchase.