This is my first exposure to Heinlein, and I must say, I’m impressed. The characters developed throughout are compelling and the dialogue has moments of sheer genius. The intelligence and wit expressed by the author through his characters is fantastic. This is one of few science fiction books that forces you to question the world as it stands.

I found a lot of my thoughts mirrored back to me as I was reading, albeit expressed much more eloquently by Heinlein than I would’ve put them myself.  Jubal Harshaw, arguably the main character of the story, has a lot in common with me with regard to personal philosophies.

Here are a couple quotes of his that give you some idea of his attitudes.

“Customs, morals - is there a difference? Woman, do you realize what you are doing? Here, by the grace of God and an inside straight, we have a personality untouched by the psychotic taboos of our tribe - and you want to turn him into a carbon copy of every fourth-rate conformist in this frightened land! Why don’t you go whole hog? Get him a brief case and make him carry it wherever he goes - make him feel shame if he doesn’t have it.”

“Sit back down—and for God’s sake quit trying to be as nasty as I am; you don’t have my years of practice. Now let me get something straight: you are not in my debt. You can’t be. Impossible—because I never do anything I don’t want to do. Nor does anyone, but in my case I am always aware of it. So please don’t invent a debt that does not exist, or before you know it you will be trying to feel gratitude—and that is the treacherous first step downward to complete moral degradation.”

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

To top that off he’s a lawyer, a doctor, a pompous jackass, an art snob, and a renowned author. Basically he’s my idol.

I wish I could tell you more, but it would ruin the book. Suffice it to say, it’s a story about a man from mars. And that doesn’t do it any justice. I highly recommend it.