Notes on The Pursuit of the Pankera (semi-new Heinlein novel)

[nancylebov]

The Pursuit of the Pankera is an early draft of Heinlein's The Number of the Beast. The first third is the same, the rest is material which wasn't previously published.

I'm not sure when Pankera was written-- Number of the Beast came out in 1980.

I'm hoping for a better answer about who the Black Hats were, but don't tell me.

My plan is to post notes about what I notice as I read, and I'm starting at the beginning.

I'm not sure how much I liked Zeb and Deety's aggressive style of flirting when I first read the book. Did I like it or just tolerate it? In any case, I find it somewhat wearing now.

On the other hand, I find the descriptions of dancing a lot more interesting than I used to-- I've gotten deeper into tai chi and qi gung.

There's a mention of transexual operations being common. I would count that as pretty good speculation.

Zeb's rapid takeoff and evasive maneuvers remind me of John Lyle's piloting in If This Goes On--.

The John Carter/Denah Thoris bit still works for me emotionally though I'm not especially an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan. The geek background is still strong stuff. But not so strong that I left off the Edgar Rice, since I don't want people be caught short by thinking it might be William Burroughs.

Minor failure of prognostication. Long distance phone calls are still expensive. Pay phones are still common.

Prognostication win: Personal news filtering.

NotB and Pankera could possibly be paired with Friday and Job and possibly others as being about searching for a home.

Current plan is to comment on about 5% of the book at a time, rounded to the end of a chapter.

Comments

[noelfigart]

I've bought it, too, but I'm currently reading The Mirror and The Light. It's next on my list.

Who is the Heinleins' literary estate? The Heinlein society?

[nancylebov]

I'm not sure who has the Heinlein literary estate, but folks at the facebook group should be able to tell you.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/heinleinforum/

[dan326miller]

The Robert and Virginia Heinlein Prize Trust

[malkingrey]

On the flirting -- we're talking here about a guy whose ideas of flirting were formed in the nineteen-twenties. The early steps in the mating dance change from era to era, and it's hard to learn new ones in later years -- especially if you've been long partnered and haven't needed to play the game in earnest for quite a while.

(God knows, the dance back in the late sixties/early seventies was not the same as it is now.)

[nancylebov]

Zeb had also decided not to marry again. He isn't negging, he's somewhat hostile because he's frightened.

[sturgeonslawyer]

My copy is sitting at the bedside waiting for me to finish something I was already reading. I have serious doubts about the project; an abandoned novel that Heinlein thought wasn't as good as tNotB? Worryworry.

[selenite0]

I share your doubts. I've read For Us, the Living. Which is why I have not picked up a copy of Pursuit.

Pankera

[quadzen]

Nancy, I am glad that you started this journal. I just finished reading PotP. I liked it, and I am going to try to participate here in discussing it. (when time permits)

Re: Pankera

[nancylebov]

Thanks-- I'm interested in seeing your comments. Did you find out about this from facebook?

Re: Pankera

[quadzen]

Yes, I am a member of the Heinlein Forum, and I think I first heard about it there.

Re: Pankera

[quadzen]

Like other people have mentioned, I am a little disappointed that there were spelling errors, grammar errors, and wrong words substituted for what should have been put in.

I was also disappointed that I read some parts that were not "new" after the story was supposed to "diverge completely" from the original.

Over all, I was glad to have been able to read the new material, but I guess I was expecting it to "blow my socks off" and it didn't.

I liked the part where Deety was talking about how much she wanted to kill them, because I felt the same as she did. I wanted to read about the Pankera being exterminated, and I was a little disappointed that didn't happen.