Glory Road

Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) was certainly his most read and most influential novel. The one that followed next, Glory Road (1963), was perhaps his least. In terms of basic literary substance and quality, it represented no slackening on his part, but it fell afoul of a genre-oriented readership that expected Science Fiction from a writer who had done as much as anyone to define the form in the mid-20th century. Instead, Glory Road most nearly approximates heroic fantasy, albeit in a subversive manner consistent with the Cabellesque, satirical inclinations already on display in Stranger in a Strange Land.

If it were to be given a Cabell-style subtitle, Glory Road might well have been called "A Comedy of Vocation." show more Heinlein's not-thoroughly-sympathetic protagonist "Easy" Gordon is a young US army veteran of the "police action" in Southeast Asia. As he is trying to sort out his future, it seems as if he might have a winning sweepstakes ticket that will put him through college. It turns out that he himself is a winning ticket (a.k.a. "hero") for a sorceress from another dimension who needs his help to reclaim an invaluable artifact from a hostile world. So roughly the first two thirds of the book is the gradual disclosure and accomplishment of this quest for the "Egg of the Phoenix."

But the final third of the book is far too much for a "happily ever after," and even exceeds what might be classed as a denouement. In this structural respect, as in several others, the book reminded me of Fleming's Casino Royale from about a decade earlier. (Substitute fencing for baccarat in this case.) Gordon discovers that being a "retired hero" does not suit him, and that having achieved greater rewards and higher luxury than he could have possibly imagined, he is dissatisfied without work to suit his character. The resolution of this dilemma, complicated through personal relationships and extradimensional migration, is the concern of the final arc of the story.

Like Stranger, Glory Road is sure to offend some 21st-century shallow readers who want to collapse the sexual prejudices of its protagonist onto its author--despite the protagonist overcoming some of those prejudices, and despite the story upending a variety of gender preconceptions within both the 'fairy tale' and 'fantasy adventure' paradigms. A few of Heinlein's personal fetishes (sexual or otherwise) are likely on display, but these are gestures I wouldn't begrudge any author. An epigram from George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra is the first instance of a leitmotif regarding cultural difference and moral relativism that is sounded throughout the book, not just in the later sections that portray the social commerce of a multiverse.

But "cultural pluralism" (as it is called in the Samuel Delany essay about the book appended to my 2004 Tor edition) is not the central conundrum of the book. As noted before, it is about the necessity of finding and cleaving to a calling, despite convention, cowardice, and any sort of distracting appetite. Gordon discovers what is needful in order to do that one thing which is the true purpose of his sojourn, and that makes him a hero. show less

I continue the self-flagellating task of rereading the less notable works of Robert Heinlein, an author who was important to me in my teens, as he was to every serious fan of science fiction in the mid-20th century. This one's a sword-and-sorcery fantasy, dressed up at the end with sufficient revelations to qualify it as SF, however dubiously.

In an amusing review at Tor.com, Alan Brown points out that getting to the adventure part of the book seems interminable: In a book of less than 300 pages, it starts with "33 pages of Oscar [the hero] complaining about his life" and "31 pages of Oscar preparing for his quest" before wrapping up at the end with over 60 pages of what you might call post-adventurum depression. To that I might add that show more probably a quarter of the book, if you were to total it, consists of various characters, but mostly our under-25 hero, spouting off about taxes, liberty (narrowly defined), patriotism, sexual mores, and manners in the there-can-be-no-disagreement voice of the 56-year-old author.

Now, the adventure parts are very entertaining. And the characters are vivid, even though they conform, from start to end, to the very limited palette of stock characters that Heinlein kept in his toolbox. (And as with most of Heinlein's books, including his most famous, your ability to stomach his ideas about the differing natures of the two human species, homo vir and homo femina, probably depends on your age.) But like Alan Brown, as an older reader I find I lack the patience I had when I was younger. I'm less willing to put up with narrative slack, less willing to be lectured, and less willing to put myself uncomplainingly in the hands of an author whose great powers of imagination did not extend to include points of view greatly different from his own.

If you are a less easily irritated reader, there is a lot in this book you'll find fun. (For me, the best part was the surprise final guardian of the treasure: he goes unnamed in the book, but it's pretty clear who he is, and although his presence is never explained, it's so wild and unexpected that I was laughing aloud in delight.) But for the issues that I found annoying, I wouldn't recommend it. In fact, I increasingly wonder whether Heinlein's limitations are simply so great from a modern perspective that he can no longer effectively speak to today's readers. There is simply so much else out there. show less

Ah, Heinlein, nobody spins an adventure tale like Heinlein. Glory Road is a departure from Heinlein's hard-SF roots, into a distinctly twisted take on the monomyth, as a young, down-at-the-heals veteran is recruited by an dimension-hopping princess for a dangerous Quest. Dragons are slain, perils braved, and our hero goes toe-to-toe with the Eater of Souls. But this book is really about a lot more than heroism, with long meditations on sex, marriage, government, and all the rest. As a novel, it's neither one thing or the other, not quite swashbuckling enough for a pure adventure, and not quite thoughtful enough for a philosophical exploration. But it does happen to be surprisingly psychological realistic, and quite a lot of fun. As show more little excursion for an author at the height of his powers (Glory Road was published after Stranger in a Strange Land and before The Moon is a Harsh Mistress), it makes for a welcome bridge between early Heinlein and later "brain worm" Heinlein. The afterward by Samuel Delany is worth the price of admission alone. Only really necessary for the Heinlein completionist, it's still a good read for the general SF fan. show less

Re-reading my least favorite of Heinlein's works, because who knows? Maybe an older eye can shed some light upon this most shameful of tales rife with sexism, unabashed fantastical thinking (that works because this is a fantasy), or the fact that there *might* be a good reason why Heinlein only wrote one fantasy novel.

Results of my analysis are pretty much the same as when I was a kid. Odd, that. I mean, sure, there's the fighting of dragons and lots of really cool swordplay, geometrical magical symbols and magic flying everywhere, and adventure, adventure, adventure, and while none of that is particularly noteworthy in a world literally overwhelmed with such things, there is a certain odd quirk to this novel that at once feels way out show more of place for a fantasy novel and later how it becomes almost the entire focus.

It's a book about relationships.

Not heroism, guts, luck, or doing one's manly duty.

It's about getting in the girl's pants, discovering that she's playing him for the same reason, marrying her because of a sense of "that's what men do", learning she's a galactic empress in a high-tech interstellar kingdom, learning he's filthy rich, and then, even though he's "wildly in love" with her, gets bored within months and drops her to go back to earth and act like a screwed-up war vet, all the while obsessing over her, the fact that he'd just given up high-tech immortality and endless wealth, and he dropped her all because she's freaking old, too, and it doesn't even matter if she looks like she's in her early 20's and she's an empress that has been ruling for a long time. He's upset because she went out to sow her wild oats, and he was the result.

Wild sexism is rampant throughout this novel. Absolutely. All on his part. He's pretty much the perfect example of "do as I say not as I do" idiocy that men tell each other about the women in their lives, and because this is a poor fantasy because it is just as fantastical to see this dipshit as a lady's man that all the chicks flock to, it IS a condemnation of such thinking, too.

I mean, I think I'd have preferred to have read the book from Star's PoV, not Scar's. After all, she's out there playing the game and even offering this dipshit not just the world but her wonderful self, endless wealth, immortality, and the respect of a whole empire for the heroic deeds that he (and she) accomplished. She played the game as only a smart and sexy woman of 1964 could play it, hamming it up for the benefit of the idiot male and giving him what he expected at every turn. All she really wanted was fun and companionship and a bit of love. She'd already had three children and 50 born ex-vitro. She has experience, she's smart, and she's bored.

It's just a shame that we had to follow along with this asshole, instead. If the novel had been written the way that Heinlein had written Maureen from Sail Beyond the Sunset, this novel would probably be a long-enduring classic. But it wasn't.

I did like the full synthesis of other-universal conditions that changed the laws where certain tech isn't feasible but magic is. This makes the novel Science-Fantasy rather than standard SF, but I have no problems with it. It was nominated for the Hugo in '64 and [b:Way Station|190999|Way Station|Clifford D. Simak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326490682s/190999.jpg|348798] won instead. That was a smart move. [b:Way Station|190999|Way Station|Clifford D. Simak|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326490682s/190999.jpg|348798] was awesome. :)

I knocked off a star from my original review for all the reasons listed. It may be unfair to judge a work that is of its times this way, kind of like judging the men in Mad Men in the early 60's for their behavior by our standards, but it is what it is. *shrug*

Let's see how some of my better-beloved Heinleins will hold up! :) show less

E.C. Oscar, Gordon, a military veteran struggling to find purpose on Earth, spots a bizarre classified ad seeking a brave, highly skilled man for a dangerous, glorious quest. He travels to a fantasy universe alongside his employers: Star and an eccentric, ancient storyteller named Rufo.

They embark on a perilous trek to retrieve the Egg of the Phoenix, an object containing millennia of accumulated knowledge and wisdom. After surviving swordfights, magical traps, and various absurd monsters, Oscar successfully claims the Egg and marries Star.

Oscar realizes that Star is not just a fantasy queen, but the immortal, galactic Empress. Despite the wealth, technology, and his intense love for her, he soon grows completely bored with his idle, show more aristocratic life. show less

When I picked up my copy of "Glory Road," I was met with a cover depicting a buxom woman in tights, a dwarf and a guy dressed like Robin Hood battling what appears to be a fire-breathing dinosaur and a blurb proclaiming this one of the "best SF novels of all-time." And I thought to myself--this is precisely why some people don't take science-fiction as a literary genre seriously. Covers like this that depict such absurd scenes really can put off the serious intellectuals who look down their nose at sci-fi and can't see the forest for the trees.

Then I read the book and the scene on the cover actually happens within the pages of "Glory Road."

Whoops....

I guess that whole "don't judge a book by its cover thing" thing really does apply show more here.

And here we come to my yearly reading of Heinlein. I participate in a science-fiction and fantasy discussion group and each year our January selection is by Robert Heinlein. Having read "Starship Troopers" last year and missed a discussion on "Stranger in a Strange Land," that leaves a lot of the other "lesser" Heinlein novels on the table for reading and discussion. I tried suggesting a collection of short stories but after hearing this one advertised as young man answers classified ad for hero and has adventures, I have to admit I was kind of intrigued by it. Looking at when it was written by Heinlein, I was hopeful it might be from the period before he became old, pervy and pretty much insane.

Alas, "Glory Road" is a preview of the old, pervy and insane Heinlein to come.

E.C. "Scar" Gordon is your typical, later period Heinlein hero. By that, I mean he's this fantasized version of himself that Heinlein puts into just about all of his later books. Gordon is a man's man, virile, red-blooded, full of opinions and completely attractive to every woman he encounters. Women can't resist him becuase...umm....well, if you figure that one out you let me know. Gordon is the veteran of an unnamed war in Asia (clearly the Vietnam war, though at the time Heinlein wrote, that name hadn't stuck yet) who decides to finish his education on the G.I. Bill. That is until he finds out that Congress hasn't approved the funding, leaving him stuck in Europe. He decides to spend some time in France in a town where going around in the buff is common and fully accepted by everyone. On the beach one day, he sees a stunningly beautiful woman who he falls instantly in love with though he fails to do something silly like catch her name or introduce himself. The next day he is torn between trying to find this beautiful woman or taking advantage of his ticket in the Irish Sweepstakes.

Upon finding his ticket is a fake, he returns to town and tries to find the girl. But to no luck. He sees an ad various papers he reads, looking for a hero and since it applies to him--all except the part about being handsome, he says--he decides to follow up on it before returning to the United States.

And lo and behold, the naked girl from the beach is the one who placed the ad. To find him. I'm not joking on that one. Gordon calls her Star and she says she needs a hero to accompany her and a dwarf on a dangerous journey, full of peril to retrieve some object becuase...well, she doesn't actually tell him at this point.

It's at this point (and this is only the first third at best of the novel) that the book begins to quickly derail. As I said before, Oscar is clearly a Heinlein stand-in and it's only moments before Star is desparately in love with him. Why I'm not sure, since the guy is a manipulative, controlling man who threatens to keep her in line by spanking her if the need arises. Star, who apparently hasn't been around any men lately, finds this incredibly sexy and falls deeper and deeper in love. Eventually, the two get married but not before Star offers to let Oscar sample her first sexually. In fact, upon his proposal, Star offers to jump his bones right there on the Glory Road.

Meanwhile, the trio are on some kind of quest, journeying up the road. At several points, Oscar asks Star what the nature of their quest is, only to have her deflect the question. This gets frustrating because it's clearly Heinlein trying to keep the coming twist a secret as long as possible. But given that Gordon is such a man's man and in complete control over Star, it's hard to believe that he'll just accept the secret and not pursue it further. It's a contradiction in character that is alarmingly apparent and really ruins the middle third of this novel.

And believe me, there's a lot working against the middle third of this book. A journey up the Glory Road should be, well, exciting. Or at least interesting. Instead, it's just...well, there. There is the battle with fire-breathing dinosaurs and the way that Oscar deals with a couple of threats requires such a huge suspension of disbelief that it completely took me out of the story. And that doesn't even begin to cover the long sections of characters sitting around discussing Heinlein's views on women and sexual relationships. If you think the whole Star offering herself right there to Oscar is a bit out there, wait until you get to the part of where the ruler offers his three daughters to Oscar. In many ways, it's a preview of the later Heinlein obsession with the idea that monogomy goes against the basic urges and insticts of mankind. And that men, if the right kind of man mind you, should be able to have sex with whoever and whenever possible in order to sow the wild oats and produce more men like him.

Thankfully, the novel finally ends this third and we find out the twist. Star is the Queen of the Multiverses. And Gordon is her husband/consort. The final third of the novel has some more interesting moments, though Heinlein's political idea that the best way to deal with any issue is to leave it alone seems a bit naive at best. It may stem from feelings at the time of writing about the conflict in Vietnam.

The final third tries to look at how Oscar reacts to his new life and what really gives life meaning and purpose. When it gets there, it is interesting and almost enough to redeem the novel. But not quite.

I've read several places that many consider this one of Heinlein's top novels. I can't say I agree. I will admit I've read only a limited amount of Heinlein, but "Glory Road" is precisely one of those novels that exemplifies why I just can't get excited about reading more of his works. show less

(reading dates are for copy 2; reread for the first time in many years)

The inside cover blurb says "A tougher Tolkien or an urbane Burroughs might have written Glory Road, but only Heinlein could have carried it off as perfectly as he has!" -- which is accurate in the first part, not so much in the second.

The book is fundamentally sword-and-sorcery, with a "scientific" veneer to avoid labeling it as fantasy; it is one of the hybrid models that have pretty much disappeared now, with some "alternate history" exceptions.

The story is a good romp (literally; male adolescent fantasy to the max), and okay for what it is, but doesn't have the depth and breadth of Tolkien, and the novelty of Burroughs has worn thin.

Still, it is vintage Heinlein, show more so the set-up is fun, the characters are engaging, and the repartee entertaining.

Caveat to the RadFemLib section: Heinlein is not a misogynist; probably the exact opposite - his female characters are generally stronger than his males in intellect, empathy, and skills-sets (everything but brute muscle power), but he is a product of his time.

One can appreciate Scar's appreciation of Star's talents while still cringing at the casual machismo of the age he comes from, and her meek acceptance of it despite her higher status in all possible dimensions.

Kind of a "His Girl Friday" thing, which is a film of the same general era. They represent a peculiar but not unusual mix of liberated woman & patriarchal privilege, but none of it is with any malicious or venal intent.
Deal with it.

NOTES:
p. 188 explains why Heinlein prefers swords over projectile weapons.
p. 214 shows an uneasy alliance of libertarianism with absolute tyranny.
p. 218 describes the difference between "magic" and "technology" (to avoid being a "fantasy" rather than "science fiction").
p. 228 is a convoluted essay on religious tolerance "rules" even though most humans actually hate freedom.
(applicable to today's conflicts).

There are more instances of his usual political and social theorizing, not any different from other books. show less