Door into Summer

[silverflight8]

I decided that it was time to start on Heinlein (on whim) while in the library which has lots of sf. The only problem is that Heinlein has written a lot of stuff, so I went to ask the librarian sitting at the desk.

He didn't even know who Heinlein was! (GASP) But then he gave me the funniest look and said: "But you know who would know?" and I said--realizing suddenly and cutting him off rather rudely--"The librarians upstairs?" (The speculative fiction collection is upstairs.) He nodded. I don't think he's got a very good opinion of sf/f, or maybe of the librarians upstairs. But it was really funny. His expression was priceless. Maybe he was just chagrined that he didn't know who Heinlein was, when I'd worded the question like he ought to know.

So I got recs (I asked the librarian and she said: "That would be Robert Ansolm Heinlein, right?" straight off) and finished Door into Summer a couple days ago. I enjoyed it hugely. It wasn't just good, it was fun. The only part that I didn't like was the part with Ricky, because it was wayyyyy too close to grooming for me. I love Dan (the protagonist). He's a mechanical engineer and a rather brilliant inventor, and he's also pretty optimistic and funny, and Heinlein's sideways descriptions of certain things (er, like the women that Dan likes) were amusing. It also had time-travel into 2000. Some of the things were obviously not true (we still have colds, ugh, I have a sore throat right now.) But there are some things that Dan was trying to invent by 2000 that we've already got--like dictation software. Dictation software is so common that it's actually packaged into Windows 7 operating systems! But also, we're still using zippers.

I'm also pleased that I managed to track down one of the allusions from Among Others ("you have to be prepared to abandon your baggage").

Comments

[bluegerl.livejournal.com]

Read all those early fantasy and sci-fi's in the fifties and sixties or whenever.... and they were FANTASY. Arthur Clarke, and Aasimov and... somehow so MUCH they wrote has come about. Incredible. And frightening!!! I remember being 'amazed' in a goggle-eyed mind way. Now.. look at me in 2013! nonstick pans, pc. little motors on the moon, and so MUCH more.

Alas, no cure for the common cold - I think they've realised it comes, stays ten days then disappears... and normally doesn't affect pixels or software and humans can just get on with it - 'snot fatal!

teehee.

[silverflight8.livejournal.com]

Yeah, honestly *looks around to make sure there are no diehard sf fans to pelt me with tomatoes* I think there's a huge overlap in sf/f and really, speculative fiction in general (so like alternate history sort s of universes.) :D Asimov is next on the list, but I couldn't find any of the librarian's recommendations on the shelf so I'll have to put holds instead.

Non-stick pans kind of freak me out, even though I cook with one (I'm always afraid to scrub them....) but yeah, computers that I can carry! People went to the moon! (AND came back!) and oh, so many neat things.

BLEHHH I have a cough right now and I rarely get sick so I'm grumpy about that. I think it's also probably the different permutations of cold--you don't get the exact same one each time, so it's difficult to find a cure.