Strange...Memorable.....Adequate

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	• I Will Fear No Evil Robert A. Heinlein Ace, 1987 - 512 pages average customer review:based on 76 reviews view larger image
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Ok < I Will Fear no Evil < Good

I first read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, and upon finishing the book, immediately went out and bought 5 more by him. This book, unfortunately, was in the pile.

I don't know much about Robert A. Heinlein but I did find out that he wrote this book while he was dying, so I'll cut him some slack, but this book is definitely not his best.

This story (as the other 20 reviews you've probably read have told you) is the story of a wealthy but old man transplanting his brain into the body of a younger soul. Little does Johann know is that he has transplanted his brain into a female body! (and through this very odd and convenient sequences in the book) we know have a story, that of a very confused man trying life out in some new and definitely female trousers.

I would definitely say that the idea behind the story is a FANTASTIC one, that of what will happen if the earth population gets to the point where we can buy new bodies, and what will that do to identification of such peoples?

The most dissatisfying part of this book was probably how much R.A.H. focused on just everyday life of the new Johann gone Jaon Eunice. I don't want to tell much about the story but in a jist he gets the body of his ex-secretary and turns out that even though the brains gone the soul's still there and now Johann has someone to help him out in the ways of women. He/she then marries his/hers lawyer and thats about it.

I would think that this book would have been a lot more promising if, even though focusing on the small stuff in this book like now going to different bathrooms and dressing differently and even thinking differently is important, it had focused a little bit more on what this would mean in the economical would (eternal life?) and human body farming and less on a old mans witty one liners and his very sexual and diverse life.

All in all, a big disappointment even though it sounds promising.

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Strange...Memorable.....Adequate

Heinlein is a fantastic author and one who has often made some pretty adventurous tours into the sci-fi genre. I have often been taken with his willingness to push the envelope and tackle some interesting questions with a unique and, at times, disturbing angle.

The basic theme of cheating death by having your brain transplanted into another person's body is weird enough in its own right. However, add that the main character, Johann Sebastian Bach Smith, is male and he wakes up to find he is now a she in the body of Eunice, his personal assistant. The book basically follows his struggles to cope with the new identity, and also deal with the residual presence of Eunice in the body.

Action-packed sci-fi this is not, but it is interesting in the ethical issues that it raises. The questions posed about prolonging life by the use of another's body are interesting and distasteful in some ways.

The association of a name carrying heavily religious and musical connections with such a selfish man as Smith adds something of a commentary on the book's central premise and the issues connected with it.

"I Will Fear No Evil" is not a bad book, but certainly one for select tastes and only hardcore Heinlein fans. Those readers who have some philosophical interests in ethics might also enjoy the book. For those looking for more conventional sci-fi novels, treat this one with caution.

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Possibly Intriguing

If the idea of human brain transplantation intrigues you, especially the transplant of an old male brain into the body of a voluptuous young woman, give this book a try. Otherwise, forget it. I estimate, very roughly, that the book is 20% decent SF, 40% average storytelling and character development, 30% psycho-sexual babble, and 10% very soft porn, titilatiing, but not explicit. Some of the brain's internal babbling did get annoyingly repetitive, e.g., "I did X while your grandmother was still a virgin." I wonder if Heinlein was well enough to edit this story to his satisfaction before he died. I also wonder if he had originally intended a sequel to take place on the Moon; the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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