The Menace from Earth

This is a great collection of basic Heinlein SciFi. The title story is about basic jealousy surrounded by miscommunication and the physics of living on the moon. The other stories explore similar kinds of territory. Recommended for exploring concepts of the future and odd bits of probability.

In "The Year of the Jackpot", a statistician graphs the points of convergence of cyclycal events. Overlapping his graphs, he notices that the wavy lines are approaching extremes. Interesting times. The story "By His Bootstraps" is not logically sound: How did Bob Wilson get to the other side of the Gate so that he could operate the Gate before sending for the first version of himself? "The Menace From Earth" tackles Earth Moon female jealousy. "Sky Lift" details the heroism of a rocket pilot carying an antidote to the Pluto colony. "Goldfish Bowl" asks: What if humans were kept as pets by disinterested intelligent beings? "Project Nightmare" is about Psionic humans who are able to locate nuclear devices and prevent atomic fusion -- using psi ability. "Water is for Washing" is about a mega earthquake that creates a new sea between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The Gulf of California extends to Los Angeles.

I grew up inspired by Science Fiction, and eventually had the privilege of working on the Space Shuttle program for several years. Of all the many SF stories I have read, The Menace From Earth has always been one of my favorites. There are other stories more technically inspiring, or with better drawn characters. There is none that conveys the sense of humans fitting in to a non-earth environment and making it their home with such ease and inspiration. When the flying starts, the story becomes simply lyrical.

To me, "The Menace from Earth" is the book that sealed Robert Heinlein's place as the greatest science fiction author of all times. This little collection, considered to be one of his minor works, packs more creativity than most authors display in their entire career. For instance, in the story "Goldfish Bowl" Heinlein completely reinvents the human race's role on planet Earth, to quite scary effect. That's one that you won't stop thinking about anytime soon once you've read it. In "By his Bootstraps" we read about a fellow who gets caught in a mysterious series of events involving other versions of himself time-traveling from the future. Contrary to some claims, Heinlein did not actually invent this concpet. What he does do here is to cook up an incredibly inventive, clever, and humorous plot for the story. He does a particularly good job handling the psychologoical state of the narrator as the stream of bizarre revelations comes in. While the other stories may not break your head quite as totally as those two, they are all memorable. "Water is for Washing", the closing entry, has some quite memorable imagery. So, for that matter, does "The Menace from Earth", a tale of teenage angst and ambition on the Moon. Overall, I give this collection of stories a hearty recommendation.

This collection presents itself as a very interesting and wonderful reading indeed. However, I'd like to comment on one brilliant piece: "By His Bootstraps". If you have ever thought or wondered about the paradoxes of the time travel, the nature of time/space and our relationship with it, go and read it. You will find an example of one of the best time travel related reading in the world. Enjoy!