Beyond This Horizon is a social-utopian novel by Robert Heinlein devoted to the problems of genetic control over society and eugenics . The description of the economic doctrine was borrowed from Heinlein’s first, unpublished novel, To Us Living [1] .
| Over there | |
|---|---|
| Beyond This Horizon | |
| Genre | novel |
| Author | Robert Heinlein |
| Original language | English |
| Date of first publication | Astounding Science-Fiction , 1942 |
| Publishing house | and |
Content
Contents
The novel takes place in an indefinitely distant future (after 2075 ). The American continent becomes the main center of human civilization, where a liberal society based on social credit and genetic control is built. The unofficial goal of the development of society is the removal of the superman through the genetic pathway. The solar system has been mastered - there are bases and entertainment centers on the Moon , a large scientific center is located on Pluto , whose employees create a large-scale dynamic model of the Galaxy . Tropical garden cities are scattered along the shores of Orinoco . In Eurasia , once there was a powerful "Empire of the Great Khan", also based on genetic control, but it was destroyed in the " atomic war of 1970 ", and now there are some wild tribes at the level of development of the Stone Age. A relic of wartime is that all genetically full citizens are armed, there is a developed duel code. A person can, however, wear a “bandage” - this is enough to not be tried to involve him in fights, but such people are most often “wild-born”. “Freebirths,” that is, genetically unmodified, have a much more delayed response, are susceptible to disease, the effects of alcohol, and much more. They are perceived as socially defective creatures.
The protagonist - Hamilton Felix, the owner of a network of gambling establishments, is a genetic superman - the final generation of a genetic experiment. He realizes that he is unhappy, because he cannot fully realize his intellectual potential, although he has succeeded in business and lives, having fun. Only a clash with a group of conspirators who wanted to restore caste society allows Hamilton to realize that a free society deserves to serve him. He agrees to a breeding marriage , as a result a brilliant son is born with the ability to telepathy. In the finale, a daughter is born to Hamilton, in which her older brother sees the reincarnation of one of the leaders of the world, who died shortly before.
There are other storylines in the novel, for example, a man from 1926 who fell into the future in some strange way. He gave Hamilton the idea of football , which again became popular in the world of the distant future.
Criticism
After the publication of the book in 1948, critics reacted favorably to the novel. In a review by Anthony Bucher and Francis McComas, it was said that the novel is "one of the best among the modern shoots" [2] . Peter Miller wrote that the true idea of the novel appears only in the final part of the text [3] .
Editions in Russian
- Robert Heinlein There, Beyond (translated by A. Dmitriev, S. Fomchenko) [4] : novel // Worlds of Robert Heinlein . Riga: Polaris, 1994. S. 5-248. ISBN 5-88132-081-6
- Robert Heinlein There, beyond. Roman, per. A. Balabuhi. M .: Eksmo, St. Petersburg: Terra Fantastica, 2002. S. 5-228. ISBN 5-7921-0543-X , 5-699-01083-1
- Robert Heinlein There, beyond. Roman, per. A. Balabuhi // Robert Heinlein . Farnham fluency. M .: Eksmo, St. Petersburg: Terra Fantastica, 2007.P. 361-584. ISBN 978-5-699-21265-1 , 5-7921-0735-9
Notes
- ↑ Robert James . Pure victory // Robert Heinlein . To us living. M., 2013.S. 377.
- ↑ Recommended Reading // The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. October 1951, p. 60.
- ↑ Book Reviews // Astounding, February 1949, p. 146.
- ↑ Translation by A. Balabuha, but signed with pseudonyms.
Links
- “Beyond the Boundary” on the site “ Fantasy Laboratory ”