8a2203c6   
   XPost: rec.arts.sf.written   
   From: kai.extern@googlemail.com   
      
   On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:38:22 -0700 (PDT)   
   William Hyde  wrote:   
      
   > On Sep 28, 1:41 pm, Bill Patterson  wrote:   
   >  There's a quick rule-of-thumb if your object is to get a grasp   
   > > of what Heinlein is all about and a sense of why he might be   
   > > significant; three books Heinlein said were on the same theme:   
   > > Starship Troopers (1959) Stranger In a Strange Land (1961) and   
   >    
   > For what it is worth, if I was reading Heinlein for the first time   
   > now, and if my first book was either "Starship Troopers" or "Stranger   
   > in a Strange land", I would not read any further Heinlein.  I probably   
   > would not even finish "Stranger".   
      
   For what it's worth, "Stranger" *was* my first one. And it definitely   
   had significant influence, though it'd be hard to describe. And I   
   certainly read more Heinleins. (It was my first exposure to the pi   
   story, and that one completely broke my WSOD. Things like this and   
   Creationism still both weird and creep me out today - possibly more   
   when I know something's for real.)   
      
   Incidentally, it was also the first English-language novel I read, and   
   part of that influence is the great amount of English-language stuff I   
   read these days.   
      
   > If the first novel were "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" or "Double   
   > Star" then I would probably look for more of his books.  Ditto, I   
   > suspect, with "Time Enough for Love".   
      
   Liked "Double Star", though I only read it in German. Hated "The Moon   
   is a Harsh Mistress"; that one definitely wouldn't have contributed to   
   me reading more. Don't remember which one was "Time Enough for Love".   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)