Beyond This Horizon - Softcover

Heinlein, Robert A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451098331 ISBN 13: 9780451098337

Publisher: Roc, 1960

Synopsis

Utopia has been achieved. Disease, hunger, poverty and war are found only in the history tapes, and applied genetics has brought a lifespan of over a century. But Hamilton Felix is bored. And he is the culmination of a star line; each of his last thirty ancestors chosen for superior genes. He is, as far as genetics can produce one, the ultimate man, yet sees no meaning in life. However, his life is about to become less boring. A secret cabal of revolutionaries plan to revolt and seize control. Knowing of Hamilton’s disenchantment with the modern world, they want him to join their Glorious Revolution. Big mistake! The revolutionaries are about to find out that recruiting a superman was definitely not a good idea. . . “Not only America’s premier writer of speculative fiction, but the greatest writer of such fiction in the world.” – Stephen King “There is no other writer whose work has exhilarated me as often and to such an extent as Heinlein.” – Dean Koontz

About this title

About the Author

Robert A Heinlein is considered one of the Big Three of classic science fiction (along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke). Heinlein is a seven-time Hugo Award recipient and was given the first Grand Master Nebula Award for lifetime achievement. Heinlein’s juveniles alone have influenced generations of scientists, engineers and creators the world over (for instance, it was once estimated that everyone in the Apollo 11 mission control room had read and loved at least one Heinlein novel). His worldwide bestsellers include Have Space Suit ― Will Travel, Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

PETER GANIM is an award-winning stage, film and television actor and the narrator of over 100 audiobooks. He lives in New York City.

From Publishers Weekly

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.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Roc
• Publication date: 1960
• ISBN 10: 0451098331
• ISBN 13: 9780451098337
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback