The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein

The Green Hills of Earth by Robert A. Heinlein
Signet Books, ISBN 0 451 02348 3
Price paid: 1,00$

This is the second Heinlein book being reviewed here and both were excellent. The Green Hills of Earth is a series of short stories set in the near future. While it suffers from the sort of "pseudo science" seen in books such as Alpha Centauri or Die! and The Last Castle, Heinlein knows better than to use these inconsistencies as base for his stories.

He will rather use them to reinforce the very human conflicts in each of the stories. While they all deal with particularities of space travel, each short story relies on the human nature and each could be set anywhere, really. Logic Empire, a story about confederacy, slavery and human rights, could be set in the 15th century and have the same effect. This is Heinlein's strength and it is beautifully expressed.

Is it worth a dollar?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the book. Stories are short enough for a casual reading and engaging enough to read them all in one sitting. Each brings something different to the reader and one feels slightly better about the human condition afterwards. It is well worth the dollar.