Il Terrore Della Sesta Luna (1952) - Plot & Excerpts
Before reading this, I didn't realize I hadn’t read a NON-juvenile Heinlein novel- I was beginning to think they all had spunky pre-teen protagonists thrown into gee-whiz scenarios where they nonetheless manage to outshine the adults. My previous two RAH novels, “Time for the Stars” and “Have Space Suit, Will Travel”, share all the same 1950’s cultural colorations seen here, but are restrained in their violence, profanity, and sexual content due to his audience. Reading Heinlein less restrained in these areas was enjoyably disturbing. There’s something odd about the juxtaposition of 1950’s gender chivalry in one scene followed quickly by man-bisecting ray gun violence in the next that held my attention like a cold war “red alert” duck-and-cover drill. As in “Have Space Suit”, this story is about the early detection of an alien invasion, although what comes out of the saucers is much more gruesome this time. A lot of thought went into the methods a mid-controlling invader would use to subjugate the human race, and I appreciate the subtleties of counter-insurgence played out between the opposing species. The theme of personal freedom plays out on at least two levels: the struggle against literal slavery at the hands (psuedopods?) of aliens, and the second struggle against bureaucratic and paternalistic government authority. The final denouement chapter provides the satisfying full-throated vengeance on both that Heinlein, in his Libertarian zeal, must have fantasized about. I kept expecting a more direct parallel on McCarthyism and Red Scare politics, but found it only passingly mentioned; seemingly a missed opportunity. Just as you can never be immediately sure if the stranger seated beside you on the subway is an alien agent, you can likewise not discover a communist sympathizer with superficial inspection. Libro un pochino deludente questo di Heinlein, poichè si colloca un po' banalmente nel campo degli invasori extraterrestri difficilmente indentificabili. Questa volta tocca a delle masse informi provenienti da Titano che si attaccano alla colonna vertebrale degli uomini per prenderne il totale controllo. In tutto questo mettiamoci, il classico eroe di turno a cui va' sempre tutto bene e che riesce a trovare di botto il modo per eliminarli senza uccidere gli umani controllati. Heinlein adotta uno stile molto dinamico e zeppo di umorismo (le varie campagne anti-Titani, il presidente degli Stati Uniti che si spoglia in diretta tv). Però a parte questo, c'è ben poco altro...avrei preferito magari un approfondimento più dettagliato degli invasori. Lettura estiva divertente, ma poco più.
What do You think about Il Terrore Della Sesta Luna (1952)?
Good and fairly entertaining. Some parts I didn't like but overall it was a decent story.
—monti
A good read back when I was in Jr. high... It is Heinlein...what more needs be said?
—bell
I just remembered I read this in one shot as a kid.
—geomcl
