The Green Hills of Earth

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The Green Hills of Earth is a collection of short stories from one of the masters of science fiction who has held readers spellbound for over 30 years.

This collection includes "Delilah and the Space-Rigger," "Space-Jockey," "The Long Watch," "Gentlemen Be Seated," "The Black Pits of Luna," "It's Great to Be Back," "' - We Also Walk Dogs,'" "Ordeal in Space," "The Green Hills of Earth," and "Logic of Empire."

©2002 The Robert A. & Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Heinlein knows more about blending provocative scientific thinking with strong human stories than any dozen other contemporary science-fiction writers." (Chicago Sun-Times)
"One of the most influential writers in American literature." (New York Times Book Review)

Great short SF

This collection contains some of the finest short fiction written in the Twentieth century. Excellent!

Essential for Heinlein Fans

Good shorts in their own right. But more importantly, it brings out themes, characters, and even songs, you'll be hearing again in later Heinlein stories. To know where you're going you have to know where you've been.

Second book in Heinlein’s world

This collection of short stories is of course a stand alone book. I place it second in my reading list of Heinlein’s because it takes place after the events of The Man Who Sold the Moon. It is still establishing the world that produces Lazarus Long and so I think it is good to read before those stories.
Highly recommended.

Dated, but in a GOOD way.

Written by a master in what was truly the golden era of Science Fiction. Here it was the stories and the people that mattered. Not like much of todays incomprehensible and fantastic high tech mumbo jumbo.

At times delightfully anachronistic. Need to figure out a landing trajectory or a fuel consumption rate to save the spaceship? Use the slide ruler. Yea! Need to search a lot of data fast? Let the punch cards do it for you. Woohoo!

Not to be binge listened to. A short story now and again between full length novels, is the perfect way to take this fine collection in.

Narration is good. Perhaps a tad fast for my liking, but unobtrusive and pleasant.

Collection of 40's sci-fi tales

Robert A Heinlein's The Green Hills of Earth comprise a collection of short stories written in the 1940's. There's a wide range of diversity in the stories from light-hearted humorous, nail biting adventures, juvenile themed, to some rather serious philosophical concepts regarding future space colonization. There's a little bit something for every taste and mostly presents an upbeat, optimistic impression of future space technology at a time when outer space was truly science fiction.

Heinlein readily demonstrates his literary range from crafting a youth oriented tale of a missing child on the moon adventure to a 'Jetson's' style future where a service company readily develops new physics to satisfy the customer. The most thought provoking entry is the longest, qualifying more as a novella than a short story. The Logic of Empire outlines the exploitation of Venus that began as voluntary servitude but has transitioned to involuntary servitude bordering on slavery.

The narration is well done with an excellent range of characters. Pacing is brisk and each tale more along quickly, making for an enjoyable listen.

HOT JETS

This is one of RAH's best collections and one of his best novels after the YA novels. If you want to take the glory out of space and show what it might be like for the every day Joe to live and work on space ships, this gives you a good feeling for it.

Weiner basically has one male voice and it is often hard to tell the gravely men apart.

Classic Heinlein - Classic Science Fiction

I've loved this book since it was published in the distant past. Heinlein was the master of presenting science fiction that touched the imagination and heart. This book tells the story of a neer-do-well in space that has adventures everywhere until he longs for the place where he was born.

Heinlein's characters have depth of characterization that is rare in science fiction.

Loved it!

Great shorts, very enlightening

I love each of these stories, especially the last, they are all little stand-alone gems, very rich and satisfying.

Can't lose with Heinlein

What made the experience of listening to The Green Hills of Earth the most enjoyable?

I love all the stories in this collection.

What did you like best about this story?

The story "The Green Hills of Earth".

What about Tom Weiner’s performance did you like?

Excellent. Nice to listen to and read the text as though he really understood it.

Any additional comments?

I will be looking for more books by Heinlein in this format.

Really liked it.

Fun to see what he though life would be like in the future. Although something's are not possible still great science fiction.