another of RAH's short story collections. ( )

Three lengthy stories, two concerned with humans gaining new abilities above normal, and finally the artificial rights shorter tale, Jerry Was a Man. Why these particular stories were grouped, not quite sure other than perhaps the general evolution theme. Pure author popularity perhaps, as well?

Assignment In Eternity : Gulf - Robert A. Heinlein
Assignment In Eternity : Elsewhen - Robert A. Heinlein
Assignment In Eternity : Lost Legacy - Robert A. Heinlein
Assignment In Eternity : Jerry Was a Man - Robert A. Heinlein

They want you for the New Man crew.

3.5 out of 5

Time is a rolling surface.

2.5 out of 5

Brain surgery ESP ability enhancement study.

3 out of 5

Artificial people aren't rubbish.

4 out of 5

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2008/03... ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1OESA05... ( )

A collection of four stories about man's evolution. The first and third stories were definitely the best, but none were amazing. Heinlein definitely does a good job exciting the reader with the possibilities of super powers if only they focused on the task. Still has Heinlein's amazing style of joining great characters with thought provoking ideas. ( )

I have to preface this with two comments. First, I found this book while cataloguing my collection on LibraryThing, so it was not something I had originally found or searched for. (May even be my wife’s.) Second, I do not read much Heinlein, but remember enjoying what I had read so, when I found it, I put it in my “To Be Read” list.

There is no doubt that Heinlein is an excellent writer, and this carries into these very early stories (“Gulf” 1943, “Elsewhen” 1941, “Lost Legacy” 1941, and “Jerry was a Man” 1947). With each of them, I was quickly drawn into the characters and the stories. Oh, there is no doubt they are dated – black characters are butlers and the one strong woman was obviously a bold placement for Heinlein in the 40’s. But the first three were horribly disappointing. Longer pieces, they moved at a good pace, and developed interesting ideas – and then they just stopped. It was as if he’d reached his word count for the magazine and just wrapped everything up. The disappointment was even greater due to the promise they held. For each story, another 30 pages, or even given a novel treatment, would have been wonderful. The last story was shorter, more satisfying, but held a message (I think unintended – more a factor of when it was written) that greatly disturbed me. (Although this is a much earlier attempt to address the same issues Asimov did in “The Bicentennial Man.”)

This is a book I would only recommend to the Heinlein completest. This will not turn me off Heinlein. But it loses value because it is such a product of its time and its brevity. ( )