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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Volume Three of the Future History stories, 20 Jan 2003
Revolt in 2100 is the third volume in Heinlein's Future History series (preceded by The Man Who Sold the Moon and The Green Hills of Earth). The bulk of the book consists of the famous novella "If This Goes On--" and is rounded out with the short stories "Coventry" and "Misfit." America is a much different place in the year 2100. What was a thriving, democratic country reaching for the planets and beyond at the end of the second volume of the series is now a theocracy typified by brutal repression and backward-thinking. Heinlein provides some information about the three unwritten tales that would describe the rise to power of evangelist Nehemiah Scudder, the First Prophet who tore asunder the Constitution and set up a regime as repressive and backwards-thinking as anything from the Middle Ages. In 2100, Scudder is gone, but a First Prophet reigns in his name. There are virgins to "serve" the First Prophet, and there are "Angels of the Lord" (such as protagonist John Lyle) charged to protect his safety. Pariahs are frequently attacked and repressed by the government to further its dictatorial control, and history has been essentially deleted and replaced by a new version of America's story drilled into the heads of all youngsters. For those who dare resist, a modern Inquisition exists to punish and torture them-there is no bigger fear than of being subjected to The Question. Still, there are revolutionaries, even among the palace guard, and John Lyle finds himself joining their ranks after having fallen for a deaconess serving under the Prophet. The account of Lyle's soul-searching conversion from loyal soldier to doubting pariah is well told, as is the story of his admission to the cabal and attempt to escape the service of the Prophet. Once outside of the palace grounds, the narrative takes on a science fiction feel built around the plans of the cabal to overthrow the corrupt theocracy. The transformation of Lyle is fascinating; as he discovers the unknown history of a free America and reads the words of men such as Thomas Paine for the first time, he has little choice but to accept the fact that the world of his youth was based on falsehood and corruption. I didn't really care for the other two stories. "Coventry" seemed to have potential early on but never seemed to deliver. Coventry is the name of a region bordering America and serves as a destination for exiled citizens. The protagonist's expectations and hopes concerning life in the mysterious land are quickly proven wrong as the Jeffersonian society he hoped to find there does not exist. Finally, "Misfit" seems rather weak indeed. It concerns a mission to bring an asteroid into earth orbit to serve as a de facto space station. Protagonists and others like him find out that they can succeed and make a name for themselves in space, whereas at home on the ground they were misfits of no importance at all. I really learned nothing at all from this tale. "If This Goes On--" is one of Heinlein's most significant works, certainly among the Future History stories, and should not be missed by science fiction fans. Its surreal setting seems fantastic to anyone whose spoken or unspoken belief is that "it can't happen here," yet it provides an ever-timely warning against the dangers of extreme religious fanaticism gaining control over government. It is ironic, though, that the story that truly dominates the subject matter of this book is a story that was not actually written-the rise to power of Nehemiah Scudder. Heinlein's postscript about "stories never written" is actually more interesting than the shorter two stories included here.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Right to be Free of Tyranny In Any Form, 1 Dec 2006
This compilation of three of Heinlein's early Future History stories was originally published in 1953, but the stories actually date from much earlier.
"If This Goes On--" was first published as a 33,000 word novella in the Feb - Mar 1940 issues of Astounding, and was rewritten for this publication, where it weighs in a 57,000 words, thereby making it into the class of `short novel'. Heinlein's original working title for this work was "Vine and Fig Tree", which was a reference to George Washington's parting address to the nation: "he shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and none shall make him afraid." The story's main plot and theme, of revolt against an oppressive theocracy in order to make men free to determine their own beliefs, ties well with his main character's development from a naïve young soldier in the service of the Prophet Incarnate to a fully-realized man, who knows at least some of what he wants in terms of profession, marriage, and religious beliefs. The basic background scenario, that of a United States that elected Nehemiah Scudder as President, and then acceded to changes in laws and Constitution that made the government that of an all-powerful theocracy, might seem a little far-fetched (especially so at the time of publication). But there has always been a strong strain of militant religiosity running through the fabric of American society, and at times it has taken some control over the law making process (such as Prohibition). Given this strain, and the modern media allowing for instant disbursement of an idea or allowing a charismatic individual to capture the hearts and imaginations of a great portion of the populace in a short time, the idea is not as far fetched as it might appear.
As one of Heinlein's early works, it does not have quite the polish and sophistication of his later works. But it reads as a strong adventure, with a lot of very plausible character growth, while the philosophical musings are more muted here than in much of his later work. But one very significant point is raised in these pages:
"Secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy ... censorship. When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything --you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
"Coventry", the second story here, is almost a direct sequel to "If This Goes On ---". Here we see America after the revolution of the first story, where the new government is one based on allowing individuals to do anything except those actions that physically or economically injure another person. The story is about one man who does just that - breaks the nose of another person because he doesn't like the label that person tagged him with - and is then banished to Coventry, an area set aside for such individuals who won't allow themselves to be psychologically treated for their `illness'. Once more, the story is more about the maturation of its main character from someone who thinks the world isn't fair to one who accepts responsibility for his actions and sees the benefits of working for the good of the entire society. Part of the story is a little too melodramatic for my taste, and the ending is a little too pat, but it still makes for a good adventure read with some real meat buried within its story line.
"Misfit" sees the introduction of the mathematical genuis Andrew Jackson Libby, who will figure prominently in Methusalah's Children and as a minor character in several late period Heinlein books. Here his talents are called upon to give proper firing instructions to explosive charges used to warp an asteroid into a proper orbit between Earth and Mars. This may be the most dated of the stories, as the shown computer usage is positively ancient, on par with those used by WWII submarines for computing torpedo tracks. But it provides an interesting background to Libby, and shows just how some talents just don't become apparent unless they are placed in the right environment.
Heinlein's afterword, "On Stories Never Written", is probably of interest only to die-hard Heinlein fans, as it details his thoughts on the period leading up to the scenario of "If This Goes On ---", about which he had planned to write three separate stories (whose titles are still listed on the two-page Future History chart at the beginning of the book). Seeing the ideas, I just wish he had written those stories.
---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
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by Robert A. Heinlein
by Robert A. Heinlein
by Robert A. Heinlein
by Spider Robinson
by Robert A. Heinlein
