[Robert A. Heinlein] has been a vivid and controversial figure for three decades. His values have been called everything from fascistic to anarchistic, and as a writer he has been described as both a "natural storyteller" [see excerpt by Alexei Panshin in CLC, Vol. 3] and "not a particularly good story-teller" [see excerpt above by Brian Aldiss]. There is disagreement about which of his works are the best and which the worst, and about the value of his work as a whole. The fans have agreed for some time that he is their favorite writer, but the only thing that most critics agree about is the fact that he is there, he is important, he must be dealt with. And the first thing that must be dealt with is the fact that his immense popularity is based on something very real—his immense readability. When a reader picks up...