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Expanded Universe, Vol. 1  By  cover art

Expanded Universe, Vol. 1

By: Robert A. Heinlein
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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Publisher's summary

Robert A. Heinlein has been hailed as one of the most forward-thinking science fiction writers of all time, and Expanded Universe (presented in two volumes) offers the perfect collection of his works to provide listeners with true insights into his uniquely creative mind.

Heinlein personally selected each story or essay for inclusion in this collection, which is ordered chronologically, starting with his first sale in 1939 of "Life-Line" to Astounding. This remarkable collection highlights the development of Heinlein's writing style and his philosophy on life throughout his career.

More importantly this collection is as close to an autobiography as anything Heinlein wrote during his life. Heinlein was an extremely private person who never wrote much about himself. In this exclusive collection, he offers forewords to most of his stories and essays (and an occasional afterword), giving listeners a rare glimpse into the inner mind of the master.

Expanded Universe is a must-have for any Heinlein enthusiast and any fan of science fiction.

©2015 Robert A. Heinlein (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Expanded Universe, Vol. 1

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Old friends spoiled by poor narration

I first started reading Robert Heinlein in my teens in the mid-sixties. To me most of these stories are old friends that I can almost recite from memory.

Yes, the science is out of date and the unconscious misogyny and racism is jarring. But these stories are a product of their time.

The fact that one of the characters in “Solution Unsatisfactory” is a female scientist was revolutionary in the early 1940s, when it was written.

And the stories were thrilling to a teenage nerd in the 1960s. Listening to them again has given me a warm glow.

The only hair in the ointment is Bronson Pinchot’s narration. His inflection often makes Heinlein’s characters sound downright whiny, not what you expect from the grand master of the “great man” style of Science Fiction.

Maybe that’s how Pinchot was directed to read, but it does a disservice to the original material.

I have other Heinlein audio books. My fervent hope is that the narrator on those books does them justice.

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16 people found this helpful

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Classic Words of Wisdom

RAH and his musings from the ageshe wrote them are thought provoking and classically accurate in their own ways.

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A look at history.

RH started his writing at a critical time in our history. His observations are still valid. Enjoy.

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Still has the magic, "would that the world were"

It's the story well conceived and laid to the page that pulls in the mind, thus, earns the shekels that keeps the presses painting mind pictures.
If you are like myself in enjoying the Hineline mind, this book of stories reviels some part of how the
man saw potentials presented. realities

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Some are better than others

This is not classic Heinlein, but it does give a good glance into that genius' head and also into the way people used to think in mid-20th century.

Performance by Pinchot is, as always, brilliant.

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loved it.

I'm always thrilled to find an entire collection of an author. this was an excellent collection of nuclear fantasy .

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Worth every second of its time

Loved it.
It is worth every penny and every second!
And that is besides the fact that the stories aged so we'll. They are still as relevant as they are prophetic.
And they remind us of the issues unsolved but forgotten.

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Last stories aren't SF

First stories solid SF - last 3 or 4 weren't, more like philosophizing about the bomb, courage etc

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Especially Interesting for the Intros

This is a collection of Heinlein’s short stories from the first part of his career. They’re all good tales because it’s—Heinlein. What else would you expect? What makes Expanded Universe really worth reading are the forwards from Heinlein in which he talks about his life and how he got writing and sometimes about the stories themselves. Most amusing was Heinlein’s early conviction that he was only going to write until he paid off some bills and then his house. Then he was going to retire. A friend tells him that there are no retired writers, just people who are writing but not getting published anymore. How true.

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Quite fabulous

The mind of Robert Heinlein is certainly immense! Very concerned about nuclear war up to today as everyone should be. His ideas for solutions are fascinating. His stories are riveting. Great narration.

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