The Green Hills of Earth

This volume contains 10 of Heinlein's Future History stories written during the 1940's. The first, 'Delilah and the Space Rigger' (1949) concerns the arrival of women's liberation on a construction site in space. 'Space Jockey' (1947) describes the problems of long distance relationships. 'The Long Watch' (1948) sometimes being a hero means being in the wrong place at the right time 'Gentlemen, Be Seated' (1948) a journalist discovers what it takes to survive on the moon up close and personal 'The Black Pits of Luna' (1947) some children should be neither seen nor heard 'It's Great to be Back' (1946) a young couple learns that home is where the heart is '-We Also Walk Dogs' (1941) a very enterprising group of business people tackle some very surprising problems 'Ordeal in Space' (1947) a grounded spaceman faces his demons aided by a most surprising ally 'The Green Hills of Earth' (1947) the life and times of the poet laureate of space 'Logic of Empire' (1941) two wealthy young businessmen investigate the colonial problem These stories laid a very solid foundation to the Future History stories. Many of the characters and/or incidents described return in later stories in this series making this a good place for a newcomer to RAH's work to begin or provid background for anyone who has read the later stories.

Robert Heinlein was writing great science fiction before a lot of people even knew what it was. The Green Hills of Earth features ten early short stories from the 1940s; all of these stories are set in outer space, but these are more sociological and entertaining than technical in the way of hard science fiction. In "Delilah and the Space Rigger," the head of the space station construction project is horrified to discover that his new engineer is a woman. His fear of having one woman working among a crew of 200 men is never alleviated, but the modern-day Delilah makes good use of her undeniable engineering skills to win a victory of sorts in the end. "Space Jockey" is basically a story of a space pilot and his stay-at-home wife. It basically explores the issues of a traditional marriage in which the husband is away from home more than either partner would like for him to be. These two stories' treatment of women is far from sexist in my opinion. "The Long Watch" and "Gentlemen, Be Seated" are stories of bravery and heroism. In the first, a spaceman risks his radiation-vulnerable life to stop a military coup from taking place, while the second describes the heroism of three men trapped in a tunnel collapse in Luna City. "The Black Pits of Luna" is a story of a normal family whose youngest son (referred to lovingly as "the brat") wanders off by himself on a tour of the moon. The search for the little guy offers us some clues as to what sorts of qualities a space man should have (as well as the qualities of individuals who should never have been allowed on the moon to start with). "It's Great to be Back" is enjoyable yet wholly predictable. After three years on the moon, a couple absolutely yearns to go back home to earth, only to find that their idea of home has changed immensely during their sojourn in Luna City. "-We Also Walk Dogs" is probably the most singular story in this collection. General Services basically serves any request made by its customers, offering a service borne of the old tradition of walking dogs for rich folks. Their commitment to do whatever job needs to be done is put to the ultimate test when a bureaucrat asks them to make hay with the laws of gravity in order to pave the way for an ultra-important international business meeting on earth. "Ordeal in Space" is another hero story-"Mr. Saunders" is a space hero who has become deathly afraid of heights as the result of a terribly frightening yet heroic ordeal above the earth. He is so afraid of heights that he can't even look up at the sky without getting queasy. When he reluctantly accepts a dinner invitation and ends up spending the night in an apartment 35 stories above the ground, the meowing of a kitten stuck out on the ledge challenges him to overcome his fears. As an acrophobic person myself, it was all I could do to get through some of Heinlein's realistic descriptions of the heights involved in this kitten rescue mission. "The Green Hills of Earth"

I have an older copy of this book that my Grandpa gave me. I read and loved it. I re-read often.

All of these stories are very good, and memorable. I have not reread this book, in I think 10 years, but I still remember laughing at the lunatics in "It's Great to Be Back" and how the last scene in "The Long Watch" misted over my eyes. This book is well worth reading and rereading.

In 'The Green Hills of Earth', the reader is given many short stories that deal with how the future might be, in respect to technology and sociology. With storys that touch on future colonies on the moon, interplanitary relations (there are Martians!), and a host of other topics, this book is, as the experssion goes, hard to put down. I reccomend it to anyone with an interest in the future of earth