Revolt in 2100

Future History

by Robert A. Heinlein, Eric Michael Summerer (Narrator)

After the fall of the American Ayatollahs (as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land) there is a Second American Revolution; for the first time in human history there is a land with Liberty and Justice for All.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Dystopia, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published April 1, 1953

About the author

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to join with Spider Robinson and so many other literary critics who populate the science fiction genre of literature in stating that a bad Heinlein novel is still better than a “good” novel by most anyone else.

Revolt in 2100 is not at all a bad Heinlein, though, it is quite good. Any serious reader of RAH will want to know more about Nehemiah Scudder and the origins of Andrew Jackson Libby, and both can be found in the pages of Revolt in 2100. The Future History of RAH is sprinkled liberally with mention of them both, and so for a devoted fan of Heinlein, this is a must read.

Divided into three loosely connected parts, the first tells the tale of the end of the theocracy Scudder started. In an epiloguecal aside, Heinlein states that he will never write a direct story about Scudder because he dislikes him so much, but he goes into an interesting explanation about his ideas for the possibility, if not probability, of a Scudder like emergence in our culture. The rise of Al-Qaeda and the earlier rise of Soviet communism can also be explained using the same social symptoms.

Good Heinlein.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

The USA today seems intent on proving Heinlein right!

As the 21st century comes to a close, Nehemiah Scudder is First Prophet. Once a low IQ itinerant backwoods preacher, he now sits at the pinnacle of a fundamentalist Christian theocracy. It rules the former USA from New Jerusalem, the seat of an oppressive, right-wing government that punishes sin, heresy, blasphemy or even any openly expressed lapses of a doubting faith with all of the awesome power of modern technology, science and even applied psychology or psychotherapy. John Lyle, a young man proud of his recent appointment to the First Prophet’s corps of bodyguards, believes himself to be happy, devout and confirmed in his faith. But when he commits the “crime” of falling in love with one of the Prophet’s brigade of “virgins”, held in thrall for sexual services, he is forced to seek out the help of The Cabal, an undercover resistance movement dedicated to overthrowing the theocracy.

Heinlein posited some thoughts on organized religion, government, power and revolution that were memorably thought-provoking and, if they were relevant in the 1950s, then they are even more important and relevant today:

“You can’t conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.”
“You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic.”
“Openly expressed piety is insufferable conceit”
“No people was ever held in subjection long except through their own consent.”

But the fact is that Heinlein’s writing in Revolt in 2100 is unable to clear the bar that he set for himself in such later, more polished novels as Methuselah’s Children. It’s blunt, ham-handed and melodramatic, the dialogue is stilted and trite, the romance is juvenile, and the manner in which the otherwise poignant ideas are expressed is in-your-face and over-the-top with nary a single subtle moment in sight.

I’m not sorry that I took a few hours out of my life to read it. Jeff Sessions’ obnoxious recent establishment of a Religious Liberty Task Force (with the openly stated goal of combating "dangerous secularism")in response to the unrelenting pressure exerted by evangelical Christians in the halls of power in Washington make the message more important than ever. And, if a reader is paying any attention to the current events that are unfolding in the world around him, they will realize that Heinlein was nothing, if not prescient, when he penned Revolt in 2100. But, that said, there is still little positive that can be said about the quality of the story itself. Four stars for the message with a grudging single star for the writing brings the novel in at two stars overall.



Paul Weiss

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having randomly picked this old classic off the shelf for a re-read I wonder how random it really was or whether my subconscious was playing tricks on me. Having just recently discussed another old classic sci-fi that has more recently risen to prominence " The Handmaid's Tale" it was interesting to look at some parallels between the two.

Revolt in 2100 is actually three stories in one cover, however the first uses up 140 of the 187 pages while the other two are in the nature of small vignettes that look at a couple of details after the 'revolt' of the title, they use new themes and characters with no reference to the ones from the first story.

In the main story 'If this goes on' we follow the story of a young and pious John Lyle having lived all his life in an America that has become a religious tyranny of a country, led by a 'Prophet Incarnate' and controlled by propaganda machine that in this future has risen to a science, a religious military and all the other trappings of an oppressive regime.

John Lyle who has never questioned this world of his is a guard in the elite Angels of the Lord, the personal guards of the Prophet Incarnate in New Jerusalem and one night he meets a young woman (a species somewhat alien to his experience). Sister Judith is newly come to be one of the 'Virgins' a holy deaconess in a group whose role it is to serve the prophet in all ways. You see where this is going? So Sister Judith loses her naivety one day when she finds out first hand that 'Virgins of the prophet' is code for "sex salves of the prophet". John Lyle, in the throes of puppy love tries to save her, in the process becoming involved in 'The Cabal'. The Cabal, described by the government of the prophet as heretic devil worshipers, are in fact Rebels (though their is a coy mention of them going back to their 'original purpose' at one stage. What was Heinlein referencing I wonder? The Masons or similar perhaps?). John Lyle and his friend Zeb join their group and sister Judith is saved from sexual slavery.

There is a lot more to the story than just the above, John Lyle is discovered, escapes, flees across country, the rebels rise and conquer most satisfyingly and in it all is the best part of the old science fiction which looks at how societies could evolve, at all the 'what ifs' of people and what they do. These days it would be called speculative fiction, but it is a good story either way.

Now Heinlein is not good at writing women in general, but the women in this story actually do quite well. They are not as fleshed out as the men, but they make suitable vessels for Heinlein to examine power bases between men and women, equality and sexual equality and the uses of made of women under religious control. While this story is dated, a lot of the points he is making are relevant still today, where gender equality in religion is once again in question. Heinlein is more about the societal level, where The Handmaid's Tale was more about personal experience, but, honestly, I feel Heinlein had a lot more to say about the topic AND did it better.

Heinlein always has a lot to say; in fact a lot of the narrative is kind of preachy, John Lyle is forced to face and overcome his own prejudices over many things and that is the platform Heinlein uses to address human idiocies, semantics, human idiosyncrasies and a few more of his old favourites.

I really enjoyed all three of the stories, but the first was the best.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book includes a novella and two short stories by Robert A. Heinlein ( 1907-1988 ). The novella is "If This Goes On--" and it's about the revolution that overthrows a religious dictatorship over the United States in the year 2100. I had the book as a kid and I had read a number of Heinleins back in elementary school--but I thought the idea of a religious dictatorship was the most ridiculous idea I had ever heard of. Everyone knows we have separation of church and state, I thought. How could we ever give it up? So I never got around to reading the book! Now, having read this story in 2020, I don't find it so implausible!
The story is about the conspiracy against the dictatorship based in "New Jerusalem"-- I thought it was New York City, but perhaps it's Philadelphia. The conspiracy develops into a revolution that captures New Jerusalem ( you knew the revolution had to succeed!) and the story then ends very abruptly. I think it would have been more interesting to have had a story about the rise of evangelist "Brother" Nehemiah Scudder and how he overthrew the US Constitution and government, but, as Heinlein states in an afterword in the edition I read, he disliked Scudder too much to write any more about him! I didn't realize it until I started reading the book that the story fits into Heinlein's "Future History" and I think he wanted to escape the restrictions that his History imposed on him and write stories that didn't fit into that History.
The two short stories are "Coventry" and "Misfits," both of some interest and could have been developed a little more. "Coventry" is the place that lawbreakers are sent to and reminded me of the 80s movie "Escape from New York." Not surprisingly, it turns out that it can be an unsafe place to be. "Misfits" features the mathematical genius Andrew Jackson Libby, who pops up later, I believe, in "Methuselah's Children."
The book's three stories are not among RAH's best--but it's Heinlein. 'Nuff said.

[Tomislav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third read – 27 August 2025 – Rating 4/5. Technically, Revolt in 2100 is a collection, as it consists of three separately published works. But the longest one, “If This Goes On –“, takes up about 2/3 of the page count. The two shorter stories are tangentially related, and are included here in order of the chronology of Robert Heinlein’s Future History. I re-read the book this time because “Misfit“ is discussed in Lecture 7 “The Golden Age of Science Fiction Stories” of The Great Course’s How Great Science Fiction Works.

If This Goes On –, was first published in two parts as If This Goes On… in Astounding February and March 1940, it was revised and expanded for inclusion in this book in 1953. I don’t really know which things were changed. The setting is in later twenty-first United States, ruled as a neo-Christian theocracy by the Prophet Incarnate. The story is told in first-person by the young John Lyle, a proud West Point graduate who has been given the plum assignment of guarding the Prophet as a member of the Angels of the Lord. He meets Sister Judith, a similarly naïve young Deaconess who is awaiting her chance to be chosen to serve the Prophet. Their simple attraction to one another leads John and Judith into a deep conspiracy of heretical revolution. The action and their perils are well drawn and pull this story along purely on its plot during the Second American Revolution. At the same time, Heinlein uses this as a platform to warn against religious authority and present a humanistic alternative, and previews some of his later ideas of sexual freedom. I recommend this short novel version of the story. The original has won a Retro Hugo Award for novella. My rating 4/5.

Coventry was first published in Astounding July 1940. It is set a half century after the Second American Revolution, which has brought about a libertarian government. David MacKinnon is a belligerent young man, convicted of “damaging another free citizen.” He is given a choice of psychological treatment or exile. He chooses exile and is thrown through a forcefield barrier into a land of violent strongman governance. The story relates his progress through that land, ultimately learning about himself. It has won a Prometheus Hall of Fame Award for libertarian SF. In my opinion, the chaos within Coventry somewhat undermines the libertarian utopian theme promoted by Heinlein. My rating 3/5.

Misfit was first published in Astounding November 1939. It is a lovingly crafted technical/scientific description of a space mission to construct a base on an asteroid. The crew are misfits who do not conform well to the society of twenty-second century America. But there is almost no plot to pull you through the descriptions. Rating 2/5.

Second read – 3 February 1981. While in graduate engineering school at Washington University in St. Louis, I found a used copy, and took the opportunity to re-read it. I was really surprised to find Wash U mentioned in it, although I don’t know what “auditorium” he was talking about. Heinlein grew up in Missouri, and must have become aware of the campus then.

First read – 1 June 1969. My father was a teacher, and we traveled summers for him to attend graduate school. I borrowed this from a box of books at the house of a classmate of his when I was 14. It was a little more mature than the Heinlein juveniles I was used to, but clearly the same author.

[Jeff Yoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only story I remember actually based during the 21st Century religious dictatorship under Nehemiah Scudder. The backdrop is a little depressing and the longer two stories lack Heinlein's typical talent for creating amazing characters.

[Collin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Depending on the quality of your taste, 2/5ths to 3/5ths of the books you read in your life will be better than this one. That's not an awful spot to be, proportionally speaking, but the mediocrity of this book is a definite downer from what Heinlein is capable of. I mean, read this book if you want to complete your collection, but otherwise pick almost any of his other books at random and you'll be better off.

This book contains 3 completely unrelated stories, one of which is moderately enjoyable (the first and long one). Since the other 2 are pure toss-off, unessential space fillers, I'll keep my review to the major story.

The US is ruled by a dictatorial theocracy. Revolution occurs.

Two points to discuss. 1) Understand that you don't get any feel for how the revolution is set up. Practically every person seems to be in on it, so I guess the Prophet was corrupt and not well-liked, but the only role you see is merely clerical. Revolutions always work in Heinlein's books so there's no spoiler to say it does here as well, but it does hinge on a cheap trick I won't discuss, and the fighting is glossed over and takes only a chapter. 2) The second love story is half-formed and unconvincing (whereas the first love story was blindingly fast and had no depth). It serves no real purpose that I could find, which is just as well because I was not emotionally invested in how they turned out anyways.

Here's my guess as to why Heinlein wrote this book: he'd written other books that alluded to a previous theocratic government and revolution, so he thought he would actually write a story to go with the allusions. He got 150 pages in, realized his heart wasn't into it, and just finished it off as quickly and cleanly as he could manage.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good, fast read with a couple of interesting themes in it. First, the U.S. has become a corrupt theocracy, which is a different future than most SF writers have looked at. The second is a unified field theory for science, where they figure out how gravity, electricity & magnetism all work. This break through in science is leveraged in the revolt. I found it interesting that time was left out, but the pseudo-science is fun.

It's a very monochrome view of a revolution. The bad guys are really bad, the good guys are heroic, with pure motives. Not nearly as good as "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" but not a bad, quick shot at it.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dystopian SF novel in which an early 21st century US is taken over by a repressive right-wing theocracy. Obviously it could never happen, but fun all the same.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Heinlein's stories were written decades ago they are still a great read and are classics of early SiFi. While the books are quick reads you find yourself analyzing the deeper questions Heinlein weaves into the story. Always a great read, Very recommended

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good concept, but: Heinlein. Plodding and colorless. Add a somewhat embarrassing adoration of Freemasonry and awkwardness around female characters, and it’s definitely not going to crack the ‘best dystopian’ list.

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one novel as I had thought at first, but three somewhat related stories showing societal progression, with the first novella being the longest and most developed. The stories are decent but not what I would consider groundbreaking Heinlein, although anyone who is concerned about the rise of Christian Nationalism in our current time will find the first novella about the revolt against an American theocracy rather timely. I usually prefer Heinlein's concepts to his characters, and that held true here for the most part. I thought the author's postscript, written in 1952, was both fascinating and prescient:

"As for the second notion, the idea that we could lose our freedom by succumbing to a wave of religious hysteria, I am sorry to say that I consider it possible. I hope that it is not probable. But there is a latent deep strain of religious fanaticism in this, our culture; it is rooted in our history and it has broken out many times in the past. It is with us now; there has been a sharp rise in strongly evangelical sects in this country in recent years, some of which hold beliefs theocratic in the extreme, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-libertarian."

"It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so, and will follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all education to seize early the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or driving underground all heretics. This is equally true whether the faith is Communism or Holy-Rollerism; indeed it is the bounden duty of the faithful to do so. The custodians of the True Faith cannot logically admit tolerance of heresy to be a virtue."

"...Could any one sect obtain a working majority at the polls and take over the country? Perhaps not--but a combination of a dynamic evangelist, television, enough money, and modern techniques of advertising and propaganda might make Billy Sunday's efforts look like a corner store compared to Sears Roebuck. Thow in a depression for good measure, promise a material heaven here on earth, add a dash of anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, anti-Negroism, and a good large dose of anti-"furriners" in general and anti-intellectuals here at home and the result might be something quite frightening--particularly when one recalls that our voting system is such that a minority distributed as pluralities in enough states can constitute a working majority in Washington."

Yikes. Three and a half stars rounded up to four for that postcript.

[David Ivory · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real kicker is in the afterword where Heinlein talks about the rise of Scudder, and the means by which Theocracy arose in his future history the US. Disturbingly prescient.

I do wish he had written that book - it would undoubtedly have been a classic in the vein of We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, 1984, Handmaid's Tale, and Brave New World.

But Heinlein was an optimist and didn't want to write downer books. Good for him - that's the attitude!

[Alex Memus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Из всего сборника достойны внимания только первые пять глав «Если это будет продолжаться…», да и то с большой натяжкой. Остальное бестолковые пробы пера.

Подробные отзывы:
«Если это будет продолжаться…»
«Ковентри»
«Неудачник»

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this again by accident, as I'd orginally read it so long ago I'd forgotten the title. Nonetheless it was a pleasant trip down memory lane. Collection contains: "If this goes on"; "Coventry,"and "Misfit", all part of Heinlein's Future History timeline. Future as seen from the 50's, that is, with personal rocket ships, individual subway tubes, flying cars, telepathy, 'blasters', etc.

The first two stories deal with the downfall and aftermath of the repressive theocracy that Heinlein figured would be taking over the United States right about now, a sort of precursor to Gilead, with enough's similarities to make you wonder-replace 'Handmaids' with 'Temple Virgins,' 'Mayday' with the Freemasons. I'm certain in this case it's just parallel thinking (and I don't think either Heinlein or Atwood were the first to postulate an oppressive religion overthrowing the government).The last story, while set in the same universe, deals with a math prodigy who saves a space expedition with his calculating brain (a device Heinlein uses again in Starman Jones).

It's typical Heinlien of that era, with numerous data dumps of quaint, old fashioned theories about brain washing and mind control, coloured as always by the author's strong libertarian bent.

Heinlein has always been this strange mix of space opera and often perceptive observations about the development of American society. Take the character of Nehemiah Scudder, the 'Prophet', a television personality who uses money and propaganda to win the Presidency and abolish democracy. Sound like anyone we know?

Undoubtably dated in the 60 plus years since first publication but with enough ideas in it still to keep it (mildly) interesting.
And nostalgia inducing for the old fogies.

[Roddy Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A minor fix-up novel from Heinlein, where he explores the theme of insurgency and revolution; a concept he was to return to again and again. In ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’ the residents of Luna revolted and declared independence. ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ examined a subversive yet benign cultural revolution. Here, the rebellion is against a repressive Theocracy which has taken over the US in the year 2100.
A naïve young soldier in the private guard of The Prophet (the despotic leader of the Theocracy) is recruited into an Underground Resistance Movement and we follow his career until the moment of revolution.
An additional tale is set at a time when the new state has used psychological tools to create a mentally stable society.
Not all are happy in this tame paradise however and those who employ violence or seek to promote dissent are banished to a lawless community within a forcefield which is called Coventry. Another rash young man ends up here and finds himself attempting to escape, but only to warn the external society that the lawless misfits are about to break out and declare war.
The three stories employed here form part of Heinlein’s Future History series and comprise of ‘If This Goes On—‘ (1940), ‘Coventry’ (1949) and ‘Misfit’ (1939)

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of three stories (one novella, two long short stories) with sort of the same theme but standing independently. Some of Heinlein's lesser-read books, but still great. First, a religious cult (Falwell-style) takes over the US and an exploration of the lives of good people living within it (spoiler: they act like Heinleinian heroes...). Basically "Handmaid's Tale" by Heinlein.

Second, an exploration of "the paradox of tolerance" in a society with perfect government. Not as fully developed, could have been a great novel too, but a good short story.

Third, a shorter story about an exceptional individual in space (probably the weakest of the three, but still a good story).

Even the worst Heinlein stories are among the best of science fiction. These definitely aren't his best, but they're pretty good, and based on length, quite worth reading.

[Chan Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially the first story, but really the entire book is a solid contribution to the science fiction of its day — and thus influencing countless stories afterward. It’s rare that I’ll rate something of Heinlein’s five stars, especially anything over 200 pages, but the opening novella If This Goes On— was amazingly good.

(I have published a much longer review, including mini-reviews of each story, on my website.)

[Greyling54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of Heinlein's Future History series. This volume contains the novella "If This Goes On -" and the short stories "Coventry" and "Misfit." Dated in all sorts of ways, but still enjoyable. And the tyranny presented in the novella seems much too possible these days, although I don't think it's a theocracy we have to worry about. Wonder what Heinlein would have made of Trump.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is in three parts, with the first part being by far the best and most interesting.

[Wampuscat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just looking at some of the other reviews on this one before writing mine forces me to say.... A science fiction book should not get five stars simply because it was written by Heinlein.

I think this was a bad place for me to start on Heinlein's future history work. I hadn't done my homework on Heinlein that much, so I didn't realize it was the third in a series of collected works. So, this review is from the perspective of someone with zero background on the first two books in the collection/series... anyone reading it should take that for what it's worth.

If This Goes On... (1 star)

Regarding the story's plot, I have absolutely no concept of how we could possibly get to the Religious Theocracy point in America. Even knowing what life was like in 1955 when this was written, I think I would still have to call bullshit. But... suspending disbelief I continued. And... Bleh.

Puritanical, dogmatic character John Lyle is the Pious Pilgrim's Pilgrim, but then he give it all up for a good looking chick. Pfft! Trope! Next. He immediately understands that he had been brainwashed all his life and converts to the rebel heretics, but he can't seem to get the goody-goody out of his system until his buddy convinces him that God is a 'private thing'....oh, yeah, and he sees a naked chick... spare me the anti-religious rhetoric, Bob.

Top all that off with the Psychobabble, mind control, hypnosis, psychic nonsense (how's that different from superstitious religion, Bob?), and you have a very mushy story. Wow, I was going to give 3 stars for creativity until I talked myself down to 1 here. Hmmm, I didn't realize how much I didn't like this one until I wrote it all out. Ahhh, writing is catharsis!

Coventry (3 stars)

A short story about a non-conformist who is removed from society because broke the Covenant - do what you want as long as it brings no harm to others - and refuses to be 'mentally reconditioned'. He is sent to a reservation for such as himself called Coventry that is kept separated by a force field. What he expects to find there, and reality are far far different.

I enjoyed this one. It had a better pace, and the concepts were more interesting to me. 3 stars.

Misfit - 4 stars.

Short story with a lot of scientific detail in it. A group of young men who just don't fit into society are given an opportunity to better themselves by helping mankind make a space station out of an asteroid. In the process, one young man with a rare gift is discovered, and gets his opportunity to save the project; thus proving that one groups misfit is another groups superstar. 4 stars.

[Amir Nakar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool ideas, not well done.
The book is a futuristic sci-fi book that is split into 3 stories (which sort of follow each other in chronology but the connections are vague to non-existent)

The first which is the longest and weakest is about a dystopian religious America, where a prophet rules the country in a very Orwellian way (1984-ish), and a revolt against said prophet. I don't want to spoil it but my biggest problem was the inconsistency: the hero ditches his whole life philosophy several times and not for good reasons and characters make huge impact and are then forgotten about, only to be used again to badly tie their own loose ends. This inconsistency and loose-ends make this story seem thoughtless and carelessly written.

The other 2 stories are about the future after the revolt. they are much shorter and are thus less damaged by inconsistencies (though still not very well done). The best part about these is the insight into the world of technology and engineering, seen through the eyes of a former military engineer.

Generally this is the brightest spot in this book - Heinlein, a former army engineer, writes compellingly about rocketry, space, flight and underground excavations. He appears to both understand the issues of trying to live on an airless, gravity-free asteroid and offer futuristic plausible solutions for them. Which makes the writing special and unique, at least in my opinion.

FYI - if you're looking for realistic characters, especially female ones, look elsewhere.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heinlein, Robert A. Revolt in 2100. 1953. Baen, 1981.
Revolt in 2100 began as separately published magazine pieces—a novella, “If This Goes On--,” and shorter pieces, “Coventry” and “Misfit”— written at the outset of the second world war. In the early 1950s, the stories were expanded and joined with a short outline of Heinlein’s future history. In 1939-40, Heinlein seems to have been worried that religious fundamentalism with a charismatic tyrant could lead the United States into its own form of homespun fascism. In putting the book together, he shifts some of the focus to a distrust of a high-tech nanny state and of most of the alternatives to it. In the original version of “If This Goes On--,” he sent his hero back into civilian life after the despot was overthrown. The expanded novella has a more open-ended conclusion. “Coventry” in context seems like a sequel to it, in which the second American Revolution has produced its own kind of mind control, although it may be better than alternatives produced in the gulag. “The Misfit” is more optimistic—mathematical genius and engineering skill may get us to \the stars where other options can be tried. The book is not Heinlein at his best, but it remains readable, if you can overlook the novella’s similarity to Margaret Atwood’s much better take on religious tyranny in The Handmaid’s Tale.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this even more if I'd a) read the World as Myth and peripheral books in a better order, and b) understood that Lazarus Long does not make an appearance. When you're waiting for something to happen, and it never does, it's confusing and frustrating. But that's had no impact on my rating.

There were 3 main stories in this book, connected only by date, not characters. The latter introduces Andrew Jackson Libby, a character in Methuselah's Children. It's a good follow-up to Stranger in a Strange LandStranger in a Strange Land, and lead-in to Methuselah's Children and the rest of the World as Myth books.

[Charles Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the three in one edition with 'Coventry' and 'Misfits' included.
The core story is good and does the usual Heinlein trick of making you sympathise with a moderately unpleasant set of 'good guys.' The setting is rich and believable but at times there is simply too much explaining going on to make this a truly great novel. Having the Masons as the underlying revolutionary force was unexpected but worked weirdly well.
'Coventry' makes it worth reading 'Revolt' some great discussions of justice and it is always nice to see a naive individualist getting their comeuppance.
'Misfits' is a bit average and goes exactly the way you expect it to go.

[Robert Arl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read of a one of the four volumes of Heinlein's future history stories. The main story in this collection, If This Goes On--, is very timely. It details the 2nd American Revolution.... the story of the overthrow of a hundred year long despotic religious dictatorship.

Of particular interest is Heinlein's afterward in which he (accurately) describes the future he thought was possible from trends he observed in 1953 America.

An interesting read given the results of the 2016 presidential election.

[Dane Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolt in 2100 was a quick read and full of great quotes. I find all of Heinlein's work to be full of great quotes. I probably enjoyed the first short, Coventry, set in the future after the revolt of the main story the most. I would love to have seen that explored further, into a full novel or even a trilogy.

I enjoyed all three stories though, and the themes written those decades ago still ring through to our condition here in the US today.

[Mrklingon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a crazy idea, the US controlled by a xenophobic, intolerant religious dictatorship - where do these SF writers get their ideas??? (glances at newspaper) Oh, right.

This is classic Heinlein and sadly, sadly prescient.

[Jake Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Heinlein classic made new by his prescient understanding of American culture and politics. It is typical of his books and by that I mean a novella and two shorter stories connected by a setting made real by thoughtful details.

[Jack Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary and fun

Great anthology from the master. Always liked this introduction to the wonderful character of "Slipstick" Libby. And like Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", Heinlein's novella "Revolt in 2100" scares the heck out of me, due to it's all-too-possible scenario.