About the Author

AUTHORED BY ROBERT A. HEINLEIN

Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 - May 8, 1988) was an American science-fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and retired Naval officer officer and the author of such classic bestsellers as Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the sub-genre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.

Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mould the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters that were strong and independent, yet often stereotypically feminine - such as Friday.

Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas, and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.

Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"--awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including "grok", "waldo", and "speculative fiction", as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon, though he never patented nor built one. In the first chapter of the novel Space Cadet he anticipated the cell-phone, 35 years before Motorola invented the technology. Several of Heinlein's works have been adapted for film and television. [adapted from Wikipedia]

INTRODUCTION BY DAVID WEBER

David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best known of which is the Honor Harrington science-fiction series and has had a number of New York bestsellers. His books are also a regular selection for the Science Fiction Book Club.

Reviews

An absolutely essential and 'must read' novel for the legions of Robert Heinlein fans, The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes, /i> is an extraordinary work of science fiction and a welcome addition to both community and academic library collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99). Editorial Note: This edition of The Pursuit of the Pankera: A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes is enhanced for Heinlein fans and academia with the inclusion of an informative introduction by David Weber, an American science fiction and fantasy author who has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, who is best known for his Honor Harrington science-fiction series.

"The Pursuit of the Pankera is old-school Heinlein: the writer we all loved taking us on one more great ride. For those of us with a fondness for the rollicking Heinlein of the early days, with larger-than-life oh-so-competent characters and snappy, just-this-side-of-screwball-comedy dialog, this lost gem is a must."-- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of The Oppenheimer Alternative--Robert J. Sawyer

This previously unpublished manuscript by Grand Master Heinlein will be in demand by his many fans and readers interested in the history of the genre. It's based on the same premise and features the same characters as his The Number of the Beast (1980). Indeed, the first third of the book is identical. But the novel then veers into an entirely different story, appropriately, since the books are based on travel through alternate worlds. As in Beast, our intrepid explorers travel to various fictional universes: Burroughs' Barsoom, Baum's Land of Oz, Smith's Lensman universe, confronting the idea that all fictional universes exist somewhere in the multiverse. Beast is recognized as the first work of Heinlein's late style, but The Pursuit of the Pankera is mostly in his middle style and occasionally hearkens back to his earliest pulp action writings. Together, the two novels offer fascinating insight into an inflection point in the evolution of one of science fiction's greatest writers. Pankeracan also be read on its own, though it will be of greatest interest to Heinlein fans. --John Keogh "Booklist "

Yes, this is a new Robert Heinlein novel. The first one hundred fifty-nine pages are identical to those in Number of the Beast. That was a visitation and embracing of other writers and mythos, a sort of farewell. Herein, we are gifted with the opportunity to visit familiar and widely beloved worlds of imagination. Of course, Mr. Heinlein puts his own unique stamp on all of them, with touches of hilarity and over-the-top extrapolation. After that lead-in, the crew of the Gay Deceiver (I hasten to point out that at time of writing, "gay" had not acquired its current meaning) embark on a roaming of otherworldly dimensions, venturing into realms defined by literary expositions. The voice is heartbreakingly Heinleinian, and it ranges from whimsy to the chest-out strutting of Lazarus Long revisiting his own past. By the by, Lazarus is mentioned and involved with our heroes' lives, though under an alias. Interpersonal relations, sexual tensions, and pleasurable titillations abound. Familial hierarchies, or the societal kowtowing to them, are reminiscent of fifties morality, but not to the point of being stifling. If anything, they are employed masterfully to maintain loving conflict. I will reveal no more; all Heinlein fans deserve to experience this wondrous revisiting for themselves. --David Lloyd Sutton "Manhattan Book Review "