Beyond This Horizon

by Robert A. Heinlein

Overview

Hamilton Felix is the ultimate man, the end product of highly refined applied genetics in a world that has long since banished disease, hunger, and war. But no one counts on what happens when this superman is recruited by a cabal of dissident revolutionaries for their Glorious Revolution. They find out it is definitely "not" a good idea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743435611
Publisher:	Baen
Publication date:	09/01/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	4.19(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

Robert A. Heinlein, four-time winner of the Hugo Award and recipient of three Retro Hugos, received the first Grand Master Nebula Award for lifetime achievement. His worldwide bestsellers have been translated into twenty-two languages and include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His long-lost first novel, For Us, the Living, was published by Scribner and Pocket Books.

Robert A. Heinlein, four-time winner of the Hugo Award and recipient of three Retro Hugos, received the first Grand Master Nebula Award for lifetime achievement. His worldwide bestsellers have been translated into twenty-two languages and include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His long-lost first novel, For Us, the Living, was published by Scribner and Pocket Books.

Date of Birth:

July 7, 1907

Date of Death:

May 8, 1988

Place of Birth:

Butler, Missouri

Place of Death:

Carmel, California

Education:

Graduate of U.S. Naval Academy, 1929; attended University of California, Los Angeles, 1934, for graduate study in physic

Editorial Reviews

Heinlein equals kitsch? First published in 1942, this reprint title by one of the masters of modern science fiction is not one of his best efforts, with its dated '40s jargon, a ham-fisted attempt at romance and a plot that really doesn't go anywhere. On the plus side, it does contain good, sound genetics that later scientific advances haven't significantly outmoded. The plot centers on Hamilton Felix, whose genetic makeup has been recorded, tracked and tweaked for over five generations to make his genetic pool one of several "Star line" groups. Hamilton has a body filled with some of the best characteristics that man can have, and the only problem is that he doesn't give a darn. Nor does he intend to continue with the experiment that his progenitors were so keen on, since he doesn't want children. When he's not avoiding reproduction, Hamilton plays at being a millionaire entrepreneur (his genetic mix gives him great intelligence and he's a whiz with money) and a spy/counterspy for the government (foiling a plot to overthrow the government keeps him hopping). With his traditional hard-boiled detective voice, Hamilton makes an engaging hero. Despite some definite signs of age, as well as a tendency to the pedantic, the book remains highly readable. Heinlein loyalists will ignore the pallid "star child" jacket art as they head for the cash register. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Noted science fiction author Heinlein offers this imaginative tale of Hamilton Felix, a genetically perfect man who finds himself being courted by a gang of makeshift revolutionaries who believe him to be their savior. Narrator Peter Ganim delivers a stern yet atmospheric reading that sets the tone for this futuristic thriller, which takes its cues from Anthony Burgess's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Though Ganim's voice can sound slightly robotic and fixed at times, his vocal style reflects his portrayal of the protagonist, who has become a one-dimensional droid of sorts. Indeed, Felix was created in a laboratory and needs a few human foibles to shake him loose. Ganim is fully aware of this and captures his transformation quite well over the course of the novel. L.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2009 - AudioFile