Robert A. Heinlein

posts about #robertaheinlein more →
The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
The Simple Technology That Could Make Heinlein's Classic Novel Into A Novella
Can You Come Up With A Science Fiction Book Cover Worse Than These?
Science Fiction Books That Launched Their Own Genres
20 Best (And 20 Worst) Pets In Science Fiction
What's The Difference Between Space Opera and Military SF?
Time Travel: Six Reasons Not to Meet Your Mother
Science Fiction's Greatest Stolen Ideas
11 Books About People Whose Childhoods Were Worse Than Yours
Science Fiction Writers' Craziest Wagers

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AmishJohn
10/31/09

In reply to 20 Best (And 20 Worst) Pets In Science Fiction
The only problem with Bouncers is that they eventually grow up. #robertaheinlein
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siles.m
08/31/09

In reply to Science Fiction Books That Launched Their Own Genres
can any1 gimme some more information about CONSIDER PHLEBAS
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Grey_Area
08/31/09

@siles.m: This is a pretty old post but I happened to be auditing new commenters and saw your interest in Consider Phlebas. Do you want a summary of the plot? Some folks hate spoilers, but here's a taste...

The protagonist is the last of a race of shapechangers that has been working against The Culture, which is like Star Trek's Federation only way whacked out. It is controlled by powerful artificial intelligences called Minds. The Culture is at war with the Iridians, big three-legged bug guys, really tough and religious zealots too. One of these Minds has been lost in a space battle before it could be turned on and the race is on to find it.

Banks is great for the jaw dropping set pieces and can be very funny to boot. You'll read about space-pirates, a cannibal cult, a cruise ship so big it could use the Titanic for a life raft, an artificial world like Niven's Ringworld or Halo, a game where players manipulate each others emotions and bet with the lives of volunteers, and so much much more.

I really like this book. Banks wrote it when he was still fairly young and some people think it lacks the finesse that maturity gave his later books. I still say check it out!

I hope this helps and welcome you to io9. Have fun.
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laughingacademy
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Re: Jack Harkness.
1. One of his wives, Lucia Moretti, died of old age; another, Estelle Cole, was killed by fairies.
2. Jack's daughter, Alice Carter, appears to be the same age that he is, but remember, he’s 2000+ years old when we meet her.
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ArchibaldDamrit
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Mmmm....how about Dana Scully? We first saw indications of this in the classic episode..."Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"
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RandomSignal
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
The Immortal from Robert Kirkman's Invincible series.

Det. Christian Walker (and a few others) from Bendis's Powers.

DC's Immortal Man.

All three started out as cave men...but only one was also Abraham Lincoln!
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bluehinter promoted this comment Edited by RandomSignal at 08/05/09 11:38 AM RandomSignal was starred RandomSignal was unstarred

Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Just recently read "Forever" which was rather interesting, if not very similar in some ways to Highlander, though much better researched. But in any case the main character is a young Irishman witnessing the entire history of Manhattan. It's also often rather violent which it's soft glow book cover betrays.
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bluehinter
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Oh, and if we're talking comic books, there's also the entire cast of Fables. Not only are they eternally youthful, but depending on how popular their stories are, some can even survive a point-blank gunshot wound to the head.
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Mortimer Gray
08/05/09

@bluehinter: And were we to make a list of the most badass eternally young heroes, Bigby Wolf would have to be near the top of the list.
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bluehinter
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
You missed a couple of obvious ones:

First up: Mr. Immortal from the GLA (who basically has the exact same powers as Captain Jack, except dies even more frequently and painfully)

Second: The Immortal (from the 1970 TV Series). Hunted by a dying billionaire who wants to use his miraculous Type-O super-blood, Ben Richards travels from town to town, always one step ahead of his pursuers, just like his buddies The Fugitive and The Incredible Hulk. Ironically, Richard's blood grants him super-immunity to diseases and renders him ageless, but it doesn't make him indestructable.
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Edited by bluehinter at 08/05/09 9:35 AM bluehinter was starred bluehinter was unstarred

tetracycloide
08/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
wolverine, claire, and richard on the list without dorian grey is an ineffable tragedy.
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AngriestGeek
08/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Wolverine over Superman? Are you kidding. Superman has been seen either aged in the 31st Century (Kingdom Come), ageless in the 853rd Century (DC One Million) and in an issue of the Flash is around to watch the sun die. Wolverine has nothing on the big, blue, boy scout for longevity.
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nutmeag
08/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
What about the Doctor? Maybe not the same face, but still the same person.
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laughingacademy
08/05/09

@nutmeag: But not eternally youthful — see Doctors One through Three.
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RandomSignal
08/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
In Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentleman series, Mina Murray, Allan Quartermain, and Orlando have all bathed in a mystical pool that grants youth and immortality.

In DC Comics, several Golden Agers are still kicking around and fighting fit: Alan Scott (Green Lantern), Jay Garrick (The Flash), and Ted Grant (Wildcat).

I don't know if he counts as a hero, but the immortal Hob Galding was always one of my favorite characters from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.
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Edited by RandomSignal at 08/04/09 8:06 PM RandomSignal was starred RandomSignal was unstarred

CJG
08/05/09

@RandomSignal: Regarding Ms. Murray... The title specifically excludes her on a certain criteria.
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BlueBeard
08/05/09

@CJG: Mina Murray isn't a vampire, she is just a normal (yet extraordinary) woman who survived a vampire attack. Shame what that movie did to such an awesome comic.
The only thing that movie did right was to cast an Indian as Nemo- seriously, how many movies are going to cast an englishman as Nemo?
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hhaller
08/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
It really pains me to think that they are going to try and remake Highlander. Sure, you can have better FX, but how can you replace: a Frenchman speaking with a mangled Scottish accent, a Scotsman pretending to be Egyptian, a rockin' Queen soundtrack, and last but not least, Clancy Brown.
You can't, so don't even try it.
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phoghat
09/12/09

@hhaller:
yeah, "Who wants to live forever?"
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TimothyH
08/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
... Jon Osterman?
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CmdrHunt (aka Clarence Colton)
08/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Nice compilation CJA!
Oh, Jenny Sparks... I miss her the most.
My second favorite is Lazarus Long.
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