Robert A. Heinlein in Dialogue with His Century, Vol. 2: 1948–1988, The Man Who Learned Better

The final volume of Patterson’s exhaustive biography of golden age science fiction’s leading luminary opens in 1948 with Heinlein lifting the genre out of the pulp ghetto and ushering SF into mainstream respectability. Heinlein’s work was winding down on the film Destination Moon, his juvenile novels (published the year before) were taking the young adult market by storm, and his stories were appearing in prestigious periodicals like the Saturday Evening Post. Heinlein had also begun brainstorming ideas for a “Martian Mowgli” novel—a science fiction variation on the theme of Kipling’s The Jungle Book that he would publish as his 1961 blockbuster Stranger in a Strange Land. These professional milestones punctuate a fast-paced chronicle of the author’s life, rich with references to Heinlein’s liberal politics, active engagement with the space race, the severe illnesses that dominated his twilight years, and intimate involvement with friends and family—notably Ginny, his third wife and soul-mate. Patterson tells Heinlein’s story in a breathless gush of details that blurs key events into the minutiae of daily life. However, his unprecedented access to Heinlein’s personal papers makes this adulatory portrait an important foundation for future appreciations of the author’s work. Agent: Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary Agency. (June)