FOR US, THE LIVING A Comedy of Customs

Narrator Malcolm Hillgartner keeps this slow-paced novel moving. When Perry Nelson's car skids out of control in 1939, he comes to in the year 2086, an era when America has experienced a radical social and political shift. People no longer need to work yet have enough resources to live their lives peacefully, with social freedoms never dreamed of in Perry's day. Heinlein's first novel, which was unfinished, is high on concept and slack on plot. Hillgartner delivers dialogue well and carefully paces the exposition on the complex economic principles of the utopian society. At times weirdly prophetic and at other times quite dated, Heinlein’s story provides fans with ideas to chew on and demonstrates the origins of his later works. F.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]