Glory Road

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

E. C. “Scar” Gordon was on the French Riviera recovering from a tour of combat in Southeast Asia, but he hadn’t given up his habit of scanning the personals in the newspaper. One ad in particular leapt out at him: "Are you a coward? This is not for you. We badly need a brave man. He must be 23 to 25 years old, in perfect health, at least six feet tall, weigh about 190 pounds, fluent English with some French, proficient with all weapons, some knowledge of engineering and mathematics essential, willing to travel, no family or emotional ties, indomitably courageous and handsome of face and figure. Permanent employment, very high pay, glorious adventure, great danger. You must apply in person, 17 rue Dante, Nice, 2me étage, apt. D."

How could you not answer an ad like that, especially when it seemed to describe you perfectly? Well, except maybe for the “handsome” part, but that was in the eye of the beholder anyway. So he went to that apartment and was greeted by the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. She seemed to have many names but agreed he could call her Star. A pretty appropriate name, as it turned out, for the empress of twenty universes. And she sends him on the adventure of a lifetime.

Robert A. Heinlein’s one true fantasy novel, Glory Road is as much fun today as when he wrote it after Stranger in a Strange Land. Heinlein proves himself as adept with sword and sorcery as with rockets and slide rules, and the result is exciting, satirical, fast-paced, funny, and tremendously readable - a favorite of all who have read it. Glory Road is a masterpiece of escapist entertainment with a typically Heinleinian sting in its tail.

Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) was the dominant science fiction writer of the modern era, a writer whose influence on the field was immense. He won science fiction’s Hugo Award for best novel four times.

©1963 Robert A. Heinlein; renewed 1991 by Virginia Heinlein; 2003 by the Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust; Afterword 1979, 1984 by Samuel R. Delany (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A triumph.”( Chicago Tribune)

“ Glory Road maintains a delicacy, a bravura, and a joy that not only are notable, but clearly consign it to his heptology of major SF novels.” (Samuel R. Delany, American author and literary critic)

Old but Gold

By far one of my favorite stories that I have read growing up. I am glad that an audiobook has been made.

Speaker is creative and good -but differences in audio volume are difficult

Of the three main characters, the 'star' dialog is at too low of a volume level. It is hard to find a comfortable volume level given the audio dynamic range for the dialog of these three main characters

Otherwise, the audio characterizations are good

Heinlein at his best

Great adventure with well developed and believable characters. RAH telling a great story with the 60 issues in America as his back drop. One of his best.

Too much emphasis on sex

Too much emphasis on sex.
Not fantasy, but science fiction. Disappointing overall based on the source. Great narration! Ending not very satisfying.

Read this READ IT SERIOUSLY

Please do yourself a favor and jump into this book. what a DELIGHT! Fantastic narrator, and the book never drug once. It's light hearted and it took me away from reality.

loved it

I love Heinlein books, not only a fun adventure very different to the other ones I have read, but a unique look into the world as the author saw it

Great narrator, but story hasn't aged well

E.C. Gordon is a veteran of the Vietnam War before it was referred to as a war. Because of this technicality, his dreams of attending Heidelberg, getting an engineering degree, and a wife--all of these fantasies are dashed. Through a series of encounters, he signs on as a hero, working for a beautiful woman, with whom he falls in love. This is standard boy's fantasy.

But it also Heinlein making the transition from juvenile fiction to his later work. Heinlein's politics do not occupy background space. They are front and center, and for a man so preoccupied by the notion of individual liberty, it is jarring that his vision of civilized culture is where are men, women are women, and men are entitled to spank their wives and the women like it.

Glory Road is a product of its time. Fast forward 50 years, and the politics and misogyny don't age well.

The narration is superb. I don't think I would have made it through the material had the narrator not done such a superb job with the nuances of the text. I heard things I might have glossed over.

Eh...

Good characters. Interesting concepts. Poor execution of the plot. I gave it 3 but I am probably being generous. 2.5? At least it was good enough to finish the whole thing. Pinchot did a great job narrating though.

Slightly Dated But Still GLORYious

My all time Second favorite Heinlein tale. And Mr. Pinchot's reading was, for me, spot on. Was initially annoyed at Rufo's French accent, but by less than midway, I found it indispensable. A hearty well done to all involved.

Classic Sci Fi

Classic for Sci Fi aficionados. Worth the listen. Ahead of its time by a well established author.