This is an important book if you're in to the Heinlein universe. It is the first good introduction to Lazarus Long who is the central character in many of Heinlein's later books. Unlike his later books, this one is a short, fun read. The basic premise is an oppressed minority fleeing before the public & government can get their greedy hands on them. There are some interesting looks at aliens & human nature along the way.This book has been included in a couple of his collections as it is really a novella, although it has also been issued as a stand alone novel. I'm not sure if the novella versions are edited down as I've never read any. ( )

When the general population learns of the Howards and their mutant ability that lets them live much longer than normal people, there is a crackdown, and the government starts hunting them down.

A compromise does happen, even with pressure as th e ability is revealed to be genetic, not a treatment.

Cue Lazarus Long here. The rogue returns to provide a focal point for the mutants, and we get some space adventuring after this.

http://www.archive.org/details/Methus...

http://freesf.blogspot.com/2009/06/me... ( )

A below average Heinlein book, as the first 100 pages are a dull political piece as the long-lived Families strive to coexist with short-lived humanity. Once the families leave Earth, however, the book really picks up to be an intergalatic jaunt featuring two different alien planets. The message of the book becomes clear in this second part, as Heinlein explores what it means to be human, and what lifespan means. There's a lot of futuristic physics thrown into this book too, which I think adds to the overall flatness of the book. ( )