Have Space Suit - Will Travel

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Mark Turetsky

Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

From the mind of the storyteller who has captured the imagination of readers from around the worldand across generations comes this classic work of science fiction.

First prize in the Skyway Soap slogan contest was an all-expenses-paid trip to the moon. The consolation prize was an authenticspace suit, and when scientifically minded high school senior Kip Russell wonit, he knew for certain he would use it one day to make a sojourn of his own tothe stars. But "one day" comes sooner than he thinks when he tries the suit on in his backyard - and finds himself worlds away, a prisoner aboard a space pirate's ship. The whole thing seems like a bad dream until he discovers he's not theonly prisoner on board. Kip - along with the daughter of a world-renownedscientist and a beautiful creature from another planet - has been kidnapped by amonstrous extraterrestrial, and they are heading straight for what could be Kip's final destination.

©2005 Robert A. Heinlein (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

At times I found the voice acting quite irritating

The voice acting would have been better if they'd gotten at least one other actor, but I suppose profit was at risk. Turetsky can sound winey at times, drawing his vowels out too long, but otherwise skilled at his craft.

Never a disappointment

I've been reading sci-fi for 48 years. The author is one of my favorites. This is a gem of ride.

intriguing!

a little hard to start but once the story got going I couldn't stop listening.

memory lane

I first read this back in school, over two decades ago. this story speaks about responsibility and all the potential we could have if we but tried, and how high and how low we can became. Enjoyed reliving this book.

Action-packed teen space adventure + 1950's morals

This is a thrilling story of our High School age protagonist going on a space adventure. It starts off in a small town where the stakes are a box top mail in contest, and ends with, well no spoilers, but the stakes go up. Way, way up.

The ending leaves something to be desired, partly because of the somewhat ugly, slightly chauvinist, very 1950's-style, violent/libertarian morals Heinlein is famous for. ("The slide rule is the greatest invention since girls!" is literally a quote from the book. No joke.) If you close one eye and cover that up with an outstretched thumb, it's the perfect teen space adventure. Assuming you have a fat thumb. And short arms. And poor peripheral vision.

Sorry, I tried. But I have to complain about the bad morals. In the end of the book -- and this doesn't spoil much, really -- he milkshakes a mentally handicapped person for being a bully. I mean, the guy was a bully. But is that the message we wanna end on? Vindictiveness? Apparently this is to drive home the central theme that "The best things in history are accomplished by people who get tired of being shoved around." But this message doesn't fit into the story. Really, the opposite lesson is what we can infer from the events as they unfolded.

May be fun for budding engineers

As I grew increasingly bored and turned off while listening to this, I kept reminding myself that, who knows, I might have LOVED it when I was a young Heinlein fan six decades ago. (I devoured all his juveniles in those days, followed by all his adult books, but somehow missed this one, so I was curious.)

In many respects it’s typical Heinlein, narrated by a wry, plucky, somewhat show-offy teen science nerd, and it relies on plenty of smart-alecky dialogue between him and an improbable 10-year-old girl genius, as well as gobs of detailed information about how he brilliantly overcomes various technical problems involving air pressure, gravity, interplanetary and interstellar travel, etc. As we all know, Heinlein loved brainy people of all ages and was, let’s face it, a lifelong know-it-all himself.

Again, I might have relished this stuff when I was a schoolboy. Today, in my impatient old age, it just seemed tedious and self-congratulatory.

Read this one or wait for another narrator

How could the performance have been better?

This is the first review I've ever left here. I've listened to so many audiobooks and not all narrators have been great, but I've been able to shake it off and listen, but not with this. The inflection in the narrators voice made me think the narrator was a 10 year old boy instead of a high school senior and that was the least of it. If I could go back, I would have read this one instead of listening. I hope that I can revisit this book again to really experience Heinlein's story. Such a shame. This was a great disservice to the author.

Great story for young and old.

First read this book when I was 10. Enjoyed it just as much at 53. Great car trip audio book for parents and kids.

Great book!

Space adventure of the highest caliber, one of Heinlein's best. The performance was great. I highly recommend to fans of classic sci-fi.

Grew Up Reading Every Heinlein! 😱

So I'm a bit of a fan . . .
This is really a YA read that is suitable for all.
I don't give many five-star reviews anymore and I admit to bias but this book takes one back to the high values, morals, and pride of advancement in the sciences of the 1950s.
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Earths humankind is on trial before a galactic tribunal--and the outcome . . . 😱