55. METHUSELAH’S CHILDREN. (1958). Robert A. Heinlein. ***.Back in the 1950s and 1960s I was a rabid reader of science fiction. I think part of the reason was that we were on the cusp a huge number of discoveries in the world of science that was addressed by SciFi writers. Heinlein, as I remember, was among the best of the lot, along with Asimov. They were able to introduce concepts soon to be stirred up by scientists into their plots and make them sound plausible. Going back today, however, points out that their margin of error was fairly high – but then, it carried the story along. In this novel, Heinlein addresses the nature of greed in mankind, and what the consequences might be. The greed in this case was for a longer life. Set in the year 2125, the population of the Earth had exploded; couples had to get a permit from the government to have a child. Although the natural advances of science had provided for a longer life for the average person, there existed within the population a relatively small group of people – mostly from one family tree – who lived exceptionally long lives. Two hundred years or so was not unreasonable. As soon as the major portion of the population discovered this, they wanted to be let in on the secret too. It turns out that there really wasn’t a secret. The people of this group simply lived longer. They did not engage in breeding programs or take obscure drugs or follow a rigorous diet; again, they simply lived longer. They developed ruses to hide themselves among the regular population; taking on new identities and moving to new locations, altering their birth documents, and undergoing plastic surgery to look older. It didn’t work. The average Joe could ultimately spot them. Mr. Average Joe soon lost his patience, and planned to round up all of these people and put them in prison – using torture or drugs to make them talk – in order to find out their secret. The leader of these folks immediately saw the danger inherent in that plan. Although there were only 100,000 people in this group, that was still a significant number to protect. They made the decision to leave Earth and venture to a new world that would support life as they were accustomed to it. Stealing a huge cargo space ship, they took off. There was a problem: they didn’t know where to go. Also, they didn’t know how long it would take. Make sense? Along the way, they developed new techniques that allowed them to travel at speeds greater than the speed of light, and they must have had some sort of divine oversight because they soon found a suitable planet out of our solar system. The problem was that the current population of that planet were not hospitable to the new potential inhabitants, and they had to leave rather quickly. Off again. The next planet was even better, but was full of small creatures who looked like small pink bunnies. The bunnies were very welcoming, but their level of civilization was far beyond that of our earthmen. Soon, the bunnies decided that they could improve on the earthmen; they modified organs and added a few where they saw a need. When this new, improved human version was presented, the earthmen knew that they had to get away before they were all mutated. What choice did they have? None. They had to return to Earth. The story of the final encounter with the remaining earthmen finishes up the story, and it is quite a finish. It will take you by surprise. This work is obviously dated, but it is still a good read, and is a good example of Heinlein’s talent.
Sadly this was my first Heinlein book, and it should've been my tenth, or ten years ago at least. I was very impressed with his writing. There was some stilted dialog, and some confusing aspects to the plot and character development, but the overall package is just profound. I found the philosophical considerations subtle and important. Evolution equipped us with a strong will to survive. Our big brains helped us figure out ways to make survival assured (for most of us), and continue to develop technology to make our lives easier. Now the profound question: if humans could live virtually forever, in a blissful state, what value would life have? For those people who never knew anything else, i.e., those born into such a world, what would one's time and energy be directed towards? Art? Play? Love?This is where I think Heinlein was at his best in the book. The perspective of different worlds and cultures gives us an ability to consider how our species may fare in a distant (time and/or space) utopia. As we work hard to lengthen life and battle disease, what sort of future are we creating? Overpopulation? A dearth of meaning-making activity, in the light of existential angst? These are the spaces where the best sci-fi writers shine, and Heinlein certainly does.The arc of the book gives us a "happy" ending, and that probably bothered me more than anything else. It seems that from his own premises, the conclusion does not follow. And the worlds that were visited needed to be further fleshed out. Too shallow a treatment of the aliens and their cultures, IMHO. Especially the nature of the "pet" relationship and what sorts of things the Little People do.**SPOILER ALERT**The Howard Families (THF) represent a pseudo-race whose genetics predispose them for extreme lifespans. They keep themselves a secret for centuries, called the Masquerade, then decide to slowly reveal who they are. THF basically equals the title of the book. The rest of the planet, upon finding out about THF, decides that it's about time to squeeze the secret of longevity out of this group. When one takes into account just how long ago Heinlein wrote this book, it is frankly amazing that so much of what he wrote made so much sense. Not only from the perspective of genetics, but the physics and xenobiology of his worlds and star-travel remain eerily good. For example, the whole "blood of the young" is now known to be a real way to extend lifespan and health.The way that non-THF humans are so eager to trample the rights of the THF humans is not surprising. When the stakes are raised high enough, humans tend towards mobs. And it helps to keep that realization front and center: no matter how smart we are, no matter how advanced, we still carry the genes of our animal ancestors. We have remnants of fur, claws and fangs. The beast nature is still inside.I felt that Heinlein went overboard worrying about technical stuff with the Libby character, creating some awkward and unnecessary dialog. At the same time, some of the more important psychological and sociological issues were skated over and/or ignored entirely. For example, how did the 100,000 get herded on to the ship so smoothly? (Yes, I know there were "helpers" that assisted the leaders, but still...) How did the people feel during the first trip? Second? Third? How did they act? How many babies were born, and what did people teach them?Overall a fantastic read, with some areas I think that I would have expanded on and some I would've edited out.S. Daniel Morgan -- https://www.goodreads.com/sirdanielm
What do You think about Methuselah's Children (1986)?
Yet another of my collection of "S-F from long ago." This one is from the mid-50's, and tells the story of a clan (the Howard Families) who tend to live a LOOOOOONNNNNG time), and who garner a LOT of negative attention from those who DON'T live a long time. The main character, Lazarus Long, is the oldest of them all, having lived some 375 or so years. Well, these people are given a choice: Be tortured until they give up their secret(there is none, it's just in the genes) or go off onto another planet.They choose the latter,and half of the book entails their journey to find a home. I found some of the "how do we do this here interstellar drive" stuff somewhat boring and irrelevant to the main story, but the rest is pretty interesting, and I'd recommend it (No,I WON'T give the ending away!)NOW! What is MORE interesting is that this book is only a part of a much larger oeuvre by Heinlen dubbed "future history," which documents not only the longevity mentioned here, but also a long downfall of society's morals. This collection, from the first story (1939) through "Methuselah's Children," is in a gargantuan tome titled "The Past through Tomorrow." I just read the first story in it, and I'm hooked! The time line for the stories is given in a chart towards the front of "Methuselah's Children," and goes from about 1940 through the 3000's. I actually wish I had discovered "The Past Through Tomorrow" first, would make my enjoyment deeper. Anyway, will give you a review of that one in a few months. (oops, forgot this part) The preceding is concluded in his 1973 magnum opus, "Time Enough for Love" (interestingly, one that is in my "old S-F books" collection referred to ad nauseam. Chronicles the further adventures of Lazarus (living ) Long.Gonna dig that one out of the musty books after I finish "The Past Through Tomorrow." Cool.
—Tim
Originally posted at FanLit.Methuselah’s Children introduces us to Lazarus Long, a popular character in several of Robert A. Heinlein’s books. Lazarus, who wears a kilt (but there’s guns strapped to his thighs!) and can’t remember how old he is, is descended from one of several families who, long ago, were bred for their health and longevity. Lazarus and his extended clan live very long lives — so long that they must eventually fake their own deaths and take new identities so that others don’t get suspicious about their supernatural abilities. This has become a problem, however, as technology in the United States has reached the point where people are identified by their DNA and it will soon be impossible to hide. So some of the family members are experimenting with a new plan; they’re outing themselves — telling their friends and neighbors about their longevity and hoping for a good response.Unfortunately, this has backfired. The government doesn’t believe that genetics is the cause of their longevity; they think the families are hiding information and techniques that anyone could use to delay death, and they see this as treason. The families are now on the run. They plan to hijack a spaceship and escape the planet before they’re all rounded up for examination. Then they’ll cruise the universe, looking for some other world where they can live happily ever after.Methuselah’s Children is short (7 hours on audio) and mildly entertaining. The book, originally published in 1941, has aged fairly well and deals with the topics of class warfare, civil liberties, personal property, privacy, freedom, and the need for meaningful work. Further features include some dull meetings, some aliens who remind us that humans are pretty weird, and a trite resolution to the whole affair. At the end I was left wanting to see more of Lazarus Long, and wondering if Heinlein has written any books for adults that don’t include incest.Brilliance Audio’s version was narrated by MacLeod Andrews. He has a really nice voice and, judging by his photo on the back of the audiobook (which I enjoyed looking at much more than I liked looking at the cheesy cover art for Methuselah’s Children) I thought he looked too young to pull off a convincing 200 year old Lazarus Long. Wrong! He was really good.
—Kat Hooper
Methuselah's Children is an early sci-fi novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It originally appeared in three parts in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction, in the July, August, and September issues of 1941.In 1958 it was published as a full-length novel, expanded somewhat by Heinlein. I don't know what was added or changed, but it can't have been that much, because it's still a very short novel, despite there being enough plot to fill a 1,000-page epic.The story involves a group of "families" who enjoy incredibly long life thanks to selective breeding. When news of their longevity is revealed, the rest of the world goes mad wanting to know their "secret formula," which doesn't exist. So they hijack an interstellar cruiser called New Frontiers and go in search of more hospitable planets. The fact that they find more than one habitable planet and make contact with more than one alien race is why I said there's enough plot to fill a book much, much longer than this one.As it is, it's an enjoyable read, but the descriptions feel sketchy at times, and Heinlein employs more than one deus ex machina to move his characters around.Your enjoyment of this book will probably depend on your enjoyment of Heinlein's wacky ideas. I'm not totally sold on his worldview, but I enjoy reading about it.
—Adam
