Heinlein's great story, a glorious spin by Pinchot

Unlike many Heinlein fans, I have loved "Glory Road" since I read it as a teenager. At that time, I had just read "The Lord of the Rings" and was delighted by what I saw as a beautiful fantasy adventure that wasn't quite so heavy and thoughtful.

WRONG. It's just as topical and political and sneaky about making one think as any of Heinlein's books... but more about that later. Suffice to say that E. C. "Oscar" Gordon (and why anyone would name a little baby boy Evelyn Cyril is beyond this writer; though my given name is also Evelyn I'm at least FEMALE) became a voice in my head as the competent, reluctant -- or not so reluctant -- hero, one I always remembered, and the book a sentimental favorite.

I adore Audible books, but often the casting is not to my preference. Hazard of the trade, I guess. The wonder is, after a few moments, Bronson Pinchot, an actor I've always liked but wrongly considered something of a lightweight, BECAME the voice of Oscar in my head. Pinchot's command of narrative, dialogue, nuance, and, yes, dialect, made this story come alive for me as never before. I could close my eyes and be THERE; his reading gave it an immediacy that I seldom get from **any** production, audio, video, or otherwise. I wonder if he's a fan?

Reading "Glory Road" time and again over many years, I have come to see the craft that seemed so effortless the first time through. Heinlein was current with not only the time he wrote this classic (1962 or thereabouts) but with the time I read it, in the early 1970s with the war in Southeast Asia still going on in its bloodiest, most nonsensical glory (yeah, folks, get over it, I AM that old). And sadly, he was correct about how "non-veterans" got treated after that war for many years.

I'm off to find more of Mr. Pinchot's audiobooks. I recommend this for fans of Heinlein, sword and sorcery, and just plain good acting and narration of a book. I had a whale of a lot of fun listening to it, and I'll bet you will, too. It's worth the time.

65 people found this helpful

Heinlein's only fantasy

This is a great book. I've been wishing for a long time that Audible would get it. I've read it over and over again through the years, and I'm happy to say that now I'll be able to listen to it over and over again because Bronson Pinchot does a wonderful job with the characters' voices.

I'm not sure that this is really a fantasy. It has swords and seems to have sorcery, but the magic gets explained in such a way that it seems to (almost) be advanced science. But it has the feel of fantasy. If Heinlein wrote this book today, the publisher would have insisted on a 20-book series, and I truly think our hero Oscar Gordon could have provided it to us.

Heinlein was born more than a hundred years ago, and attitudes toward male/female relations were different then. But just as we do not hold Shakespeare or Homer to 21st Century societal norms, so we must give Heinlein a pass here as well. He was trying.

I think that any young man who likes science fiction or fantasy will like this adventure story. And I think that women who can release their grip on modern feminism for the space of a few hours will like it as well.

Get this book.

52 people found this helpful

Not sure this is really as good as you remember

I've had this book in my Amazon wishlist for a long time as I've heard a lot of good things about it and read the great reviews. So I was happy when I saw it was available on Audible and gave it a listen.

I don't know exactly what to say other than I just found the book kind of silly and juvenile for the most part. Very disappointing, because the first chapters of the book about Gordon's life and path to Vietnam were really good. It really lost me almost immediately as soon as the story leaves Earth.

I have a feeling my problem with this book is that it was written in 1964 or whatever and just doesn't hold up as well for a first time reader. Its like being a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica and remembering how great it was when you were a kid. But if you show it to your kid today, they likely wouldn't see it the same way.

I hate to bash the book as it clearly has a lot of fans who love it. My comment is just that if you're like me and you've grown up reading Gibson or Stephenson or more contemporary sci-fi writers, you might find this a little unsophisticated.

Bronson Pinchot's narration was pretty awesome though.

26 people found this helpful

Fun swashbuckeling tale full of monsters & maidens

One of my favorite books, it's Heinlein’s homage to Edgar Rice Burrough -
full of the swashbuckling, macho, romantic ideals of ERBs Barsoom (John Carter/Mars) series (including the silly romantic banter).

Heinlein’s witty, insightful, and caustic (at times) commentary on the military and the Vietnam War in particular are spot-on. The off Earth adventures are over-the-top, filled with sword fights and monsters. The character development is good, especially the grudging respect that grows between Oscar and Rufo.

All in all it is just plain fun and well worth the listen.

17 people found this helpful

Full Figured Amazon

This was published in 1963 and marks the beginning of when RH seems to have one hand on the typewriter and the other. This is nowhere near as bad as what he will write in the future, but you can see it coming. I found this silly and not worth my time.

I am a fan of the Heinlein of the 50's, I wish I would have never read anything after Starship Troopers.

12 people found this helpful

So glad t get on audible

Would you listen to Glory Road again? Why?

I've read just about every Heinlein book that was ever written. I read this MANY years ago. It is Heinlein's only true Fantasy. .

What did you like best about this story?

Well the hero was mature for his age, but not self conscious. You also have to realize the story was supposed to have been taking place around the time of the Vietnam conflict. So the What is considered PC now was not so then. How ever the story if you over look that one small thing again it is Fantasy so it takes you to places that may be more like the way we see things now that we did then.

Which character – as performed by Bronson Pinchot – was your favorite?

Bronson Pinchot is one of the best narrators that Audible has. I've listened to him narrate about 5 different books. Each of them having many characters from women to gruff monsters, Mr Pinchot does it all with class. Also expressing emotion as well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I was trying to but I fell asleep and had to go back about 9 chapters. If you are a Heinlein fan and never read this book give it a shot. I was so glad I got this because Bronson Pinchot did a 5 star job of narration.

Any additional comments?

I think you should get Mr Pinchot to narrate more books.

12 people found this helpful

Heinlein Taking a Stab At Fantasy

I read this over 30 years ago and after listening to it again on Audible, remembered why I disliked the book. It is a good story about a young warrior and a beautiful damsel, but the underlying theme of the young buck who has zero knowledge about the strange world in which they are adventuring insists on leading everything and being a picture perfect male chauvinist. It stopped the story cold when he even threatened to spank the damsel and was actually serious. Let me get this straight, you're some guy she picked up to help be a hero to do her quest, she has magical ability, seemingly endless knowledge, he's smack in love with her but he won't listen to her and orders her around like a petulant child. Shakes head in disgust.

I've been re-reading Heinlein young sci-fi stand alones recently and enjoying it, but he has this theme throughout his young fiction books of telling the women to literally "Be quiet and let the men do the thinking", which is so unpleasant.

The story is Ok, but I see why he went back to Science Fiction and left the fantasy world alone. His book isn't really a young adult (there are scenes where the local guy offers his wife and daughters for the night) but it's not a good fantasy and has no humorous aspects.

7 people found this helpful

narration is all wrong for Heinlein

Would you listen to Glory Road again? Why?

Definitely not - I love the book, I'd better re-read it again. It is fortunate that I already knew the book, otherwise I would have dropped it. Bronson Pinchot is a very good narrator - just not for female voices and not for Heinlein.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of them as it is a very well told story that maintains an ideal balance of characters, plot, humor and sheer joy of life.

What about Bronson Pinchot’s performance did you like?

Actually I did not particularly like it. His Oscar is very good. But others... Why use a funny accent for Rufo? - after the hero learned the languages, there is no reason to assume that Rufo talks with some ridiculous kind of accent (and those irritating hissing "sheeeeee"s are horrible). The gorgeous proud, smart and funny empress comes across more often than not as a simpering sniveling little maiden in distress - nothing could be farther from Heinlein's heroine.Heinlein himself practically never used funny accents or dialects - his heroes usually speak clear concise English and his humor is dry.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I love the duel with Cyrano de Bergerac in the Dark Tower.

Any additional comments?

I do hope not to hear a narrator to imitate crying in a book again ))) LOL that was so over the top I nearly switched it off for good.

7 people found this helpful

Heinlein definitely should stick to Sci-fi

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I preface this with the fact that I am a huge Heinlein fan. This book is a turd. The concept is really cool and interesting but poorly executed at best. This book would have needed a complete re-write to be acceptable. As the author is dead that isn't going to happen. I have to say this is one of the few books by the author I do not like.

Would you ever listen to anything by Robert A. Heinlein again?

Of course..

Which character – as performed by Bronson Pinchot – was your favorite?

All of them. I don't like his TV and movie work but Bronson Pinchot is a genius at narrarating audiobooks.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Glory Road?

Really this story is more like a draft than a completed work. I'd keep the main concept and the first few chapters and scrap the rest.

Any additional comments?

Heinlein is one of the most prolific authors of all time the fact that this is one of the few stinkers he ever wrote is a testament to how talented the guy was. You can't hit a home run all the time but most anything else he wrote is excellent.

7 people found this helpful

Great redition of a classic

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Any Heinlein fan would find this novel enjoyable. While his only fantasy, most of the technology in this book was explained as science and not magic. The character creation and word play is vintage Heinlein.

Any additional comments?

The only complaint I have on the reader is that the volume on the primary female character, Star, drops off considerably from the other characters. When you're listening in a convertible, it means cranking up the volume.

Heinlein first published this book 50 years ago this year and it's been 40 since I first read it. While some people feel that the interplay between the sexes has changed so much in the intervening decades, I note them and enjoy seeing how much has changed. Surprisingly, these distracters never criticize Dickens, Wells, Dumas, or Bronte for their writing in their own milieus.

Heinlein is known for his strong feminine characters (based loosely on his wife Victoria). The hero in this novel, like many of Heinlein's, could not succeed without the assistant of the primary female character.

7 people found this helpful