A Heinlein Triad

by Robert A. Heinlein

A collection of The Puppet Masters; Waldo and Magic Inc

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Collections, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

432 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1965

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

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waldo by Robert Heinlein
I read this book many years ago; I was probably 15 or 16. As a budding engineer and scientist, I completely understood how remote manipulators "Waldoes" would work in the future.

In November of 2013, I had my prostate and seminal vesicles removed surgically, due to locally advanced prostate cancer. The surgeon is the brilliant Dr Chris Ogden, and his instrument is the DaVinci surgical robot, a waldo. The robot has 4 arms inside you, and the surgeon sits at a stereoscopic workstation, with 2-handed, 5-finger controls, plus foot pedals - a virtuoso playing Bach, translated to healing, inside me.

http://www.mercyannualreport.com/wp-c...

Amazing that Heinlein foresaw this, as did I upon first glance at his story. I am alive today due to the extraordinary skill of Dr Ogden, and the amazing engineers who created the DaVinci surgical waldo.

A few months later, I was able to find a copy of the book, and some cover art, which I prepared and presented to Dr Ogden with the above references to Heinlein's work, and my boyhood. He was delighted and amazed. A brilliant man, with a brilliant and extraordinarily active mind. We always have such a good time talking medicine and science, and sometimes, politics.

I am blessed.

[David Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an omnibus of 3 short novels by Heinlein, published around 1965. The novels are "The Puppet Maters" (1951), "Waldo" (1942), and "Magic, Inc." (1940). I read the unexpurgated version of "The Puppet Masters" (1990), which I would say is the recommended version to read. Of the three novels in this volume, "The Puppet Masters" is the most substantial in plotting, character, and thematic exploration. It is one of several stories published in the 1950s allegorizing communism in the form of aliens with collective intelligence who take over the bodies of humans (or the only humans that mattered in American science fiction - Americans) and use them for evil purposes. These aliens are collective intelligences, hence representative of the communist menace and the supposed fifth columnists. The narrator is an operative for a nameless secret government agency that gets involved tracking down the invasion. In a way, it is a kind of spy novel, complete with brain-washing (i.e. the slugs latch on and take over one's mind), double-agents, chases, daring rescues, and so on. It is highly entertaining, but also somewhat philosophical as Heinlein takes some time to explore the implications of the scenario he has created. This novel is also one of the earliest in which Heinlein indulges some musings on the nature of the sexes, on what is "essential" to men and women. Some of these ideas are by today's standards infuriatingly out-dated and so over-the-top sexist that the conversations in which they occur are difficult to get through. The infuriating part is that Heinlein believes he is being fair and honest and treating the sexes equally. These can be skipped over, however, as they are not essential to the plot and the main problem that Heinlein engages in. "Waldo" is famous for an idea, one of several, central to its plot. That idea is the use of remote-controlled robots, and more particularly, remote-controlled robots used to create ever-smaller remote-controlled robots. It is a precursor idea for how one can build nanotechnology, even though even in 1942, the whole concept was a logical extrapolation of existing technology. This story is chock full of technological ideas: a nation-wide power grid based entirely on broadcast power rather than wired power, life in zero gravity as a means to allow a person with a physically debilitating disease to have something like normal freedom of movement, personalized space ships, and so on. It also has one big speculative science idea - a parallel universe in contact at all points with our universe, and from which one could defeat the law of entropy by stealing power. The story itself proceeds as a typical hard-science story revolving around engineering problems - the power condensers for broadcast power are randomly failing, and humans seem to be getting weaker physically and mentally. The "trick" of the story is that the solution to these problems is in essence magic, presented in scientific and engineering terms. From the science and tech side, it is all rather interesting. The story itself is a little less so, relying to a great extent on that old stereotype of the lone genius. Also, the high-tech future is very much a man's world; there is not a single woman in the story, not a wife, mother, sister, cousin, co-worker, or female human of any kind (there is one female bird). Again, it is quite entertaining in many respects. "Magic, Inc." is the lightest of the three, a jolly jape in which the extrapolative idea is to have the world be pretty much as it is, except that magic is a profession and magic really works. Someone is using dirty tricks to corner the magic market, create a monopoly, and ruin both business and labor. There is a bit of free-market libertarianism in Heinlein's thinking, but fortunately in this story he does not push it too hard. Instead, this one is an "entertainment" full of unlikely characters forming an improbable team to go against an impossible enemy. The collection in total is on the lighter end of Heinlein's prodigious output, although "The Puppet Masters" was highly rated among science fiction critics at one time. Nowadays, it is perhaps more rightly seen as a work of its time. Definitely, Heinlein has written deeper and more sophisticated works, most of which were published after these. However, these show that Heinlein could also be a very good entertainer.

[Peridot 5XG · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Puppet Masters was the weakest of the bunch, with a two star rating. A review on the page for just that book by I believe a Christie puts my thoughts on the matter very well. Ultimately it’s an OK action thriller but it’s… a definite precursor to the turn his later works take. Also definitely don’t read if you love animals, especially cats. Rest in peace Pirate, you did not deserve such a painful and torturous death. Also RIP Mary, Heinlein did you dirty there. You may as well have had a slug on you at the end.

Waldo was middle of the road, far more enjoyable than The Puppet Masters in my opinion. I’d give it three stars. Some ableist themes I wasn’t the biggest fan of. Waldo being able to “cure” his disability with “magic” and the “power of belief” and then from then on being a happy go lucky friendly dude. Implying that the only reason he was a such an antisocial jerk is because of the disability and without it he’s actually a super friendly extrovert. But it had interesting themes and ideas with science and magic. I hear there are better places and authors to find what Heinlein explored in this book, I haven’t read them yet though.

Best of the lot is Magic Inc. which I give four stars. Only reason it’s not five was because of Heinleins classic but not unexpected questionable view and portrayal of different races. Good old Rob Heinlein, he’ll never let you down for the Noble Savage Characterization ha. It was a good story though and this stuff isn’t really a focus of the book. A lot more politics than the other two but Im okay with that. I’ve found I often like those of his the best. I mean my first book of his was Double Star, which I loved and got me hooked to him. I was like 13 or 14 then too. If you prefer his more action oriented stuff though then Magic Inc. definitely isn’t for you.

Final Verdict for the overall omnibus: Three Stars. Would probably do four if not for The Puppet Masters, as I like to rate with a more favorable lean, but unfortunately its inclusion pushes it back down to three.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is your basic aliens-try-to-take-over-the-world, but it speaks to a moden day issue (think global warming) - the reluctance of citizens and governments to acknowledge and respond to a crisis. When they do so, it is almost too late.

Also interesting, Heinlein's vision of the future (2007), what he gets right, what he gets wrong. Right - mobile communications to some extent, the slow workings in a democracy. Wrong - nuclear attacks, flying cars, women's role in society (smart but demure, society still patriarchal and chavinsitc), communications that require line-of-sight relay (no satellites), nothing like the Internet.

But solid writing.

[Adam]

I liked "The Puppet Masters", it was a different take on some tropes. Maybe this would have felt more groundbreaking or edgy when it was first published.

TBH though, unlike the other Heinlein books I've read this didn't leave me wanting more. I tried the other two novellas in this collection and realized that I didn't care for either of these stories.

I'll certainly come back to Heinlein but probably not this collection. Still one of my favorite 20th-century authors!

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 classic works by Heinlein: THE PUPPET MASTERS, WALDO, & MAGIC, INC. A Science Fiction Book Club selection.

[nobody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for Three By Heinlein, not his best work, but some very good early stuff. The Puppet Masters obviously inspired Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, Waldos is actually where the name for mechanical hands came from, and Magic Inc is an urban fantasy novella from 1940. An interesting read for Heinlein fans, not the place to begin though.

[Joseph DeBolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic, Inc. is an interesting tale of the impact of certain factors on the economy and how that affects people individually, and how the tendency of monopoly can be countered by civil activity. Compare, economically, to Terry Goodkind's Faith of the Fallen.

[Austin Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two books in one. Out of the three stories, Waldo was my favorite.