Quote:
Originally Posted by db105
The Door Into Summer by Robert A. Heinlein.
Since the novel starts in 1970 and then goes into the future, it's easy to forget that this was written in the 50s. Being written much before the computer era, and being set in the near future, which is actually our past now, it suffers from retrofuturism, like a lot of old science fiction. So of course expect no internet, no modern computers, no modern social values... So a modern reader has to be able to see beyond those obstacles in order to enjoy this fine story about time travel and the development of limited types of AI. In fairness to Heinlein, although he did not get the technological details right, the general idea about what kind of tasks AI can do is accurate.
Anyway, other than that, the story is interesting, very readable and fast-paced. It's told in first person by a very creative engineer, and it features industrial theft, various types of time travel, cats and a love story that is kind of creepy. There's a kind of optimism and charm in the way the main character is always inventing something, and cares much more about the creation process itself than about the business element. Being written during the early stage of Heinlein's career, the narration is tight and focused, and I enjoyed it, much more than his later work although it's not my favorite Heinlein novel.
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I love this book. This was my first Heinlein book, so perhaps that's why.