Revolt in 2100: Methuselah's Children (Paperback)

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.

The first story, Revolt in 2100, is startlingly relavent to today's times. In the story, America has been taken over by Religious Fundamentalists (the 'American Ayatollas' as one reviewer describes them). Heinlein shrewdly picks apart religious fundamentalism in this story, while not attacking the concept of religion itself.

I was extremely disappointed by the second story in the collection. I have read almost every single Heinlein science fiction noveland this second story was by far the worst. The plot has a beginning and a middle, then seems to sputter with no resolution. It left me wondering, "What the heck?!"

The third story of Revolt in 2100 presents a dystopian - or utopian, depending how you look at it - America in which every American is required by law to be nice to everyone else. The punishment for any 'anti-social' act is banishment to a place with greater personal liberties, but also less personal security. Like the first one, this story is relavent to our times in that it deals with the contemporary struggle between civil liberties and personal security security

The fourth novella is about a group of Americans who have acheived amazingly long life, but are persecuted by their short-lived peers and forced off the planet Earth. Although not the same caliber as Revolt in 2100, this story is nevertheless a fun and engaging Heinlein story.

Revolt in 2100: Methusela's Children shows that one rotten apple doesn't always spoil the barrel. I wholeheartedly reccomend it regardless of whether you're a longtime Heinlein fan or a first time reader.

in revolt, you are getting three short stories

if this goes on, details the not so distant future, where america is isolated from the remainder of the world, through the implementation of a religous police state

coventry takes place after the 'revolt'
and deals with america as it could be...with 'liberty and justice for all'...as long as the all, want such things

misfits, introduces us to a wonderful young man...and a great heinlein character...andrew jackson libby, and details the creation of a space station

methuselah's children, is the first in the tales of lazarus long

wonderful wonderful stuff
fun technological things, and interesting plot developments.
if you have not read and of the other lazarus long stuff...read this first...i read 'time enough for love' before i read this...and once i read this, i wished i had read this first.
you can do it the other way, but a lot of things are clearer if you go in order