Glory Road

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Glory Road is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1963.

Discharged from the war in Asia, Oscar sits in a cafe in France hoping to win the Irish Sweepstakes. Into his life walks a beautiful woman (witch or empress?) who brings him on a quest to retrieve the Egg of the Phoenix. Assisted by Rufo (shameless rake or comparative culturologist), he treads the glory road in swashbuckling style.

Glory Road is Heinlein with no apologies for the juvenile nature of his characters and plot. He seems to have realized that his abilities as a novelist are limited, and decided to go with his strengths: an excellent picaresque plot, monsters (wait till you meet Igli!) and villains, barons and empresses, swords and hard science fiction are served up in a delightful confection. Like all Heinlein novels of the young adult variety, these somewhat childish elements are commingled with other, technical elements conceived at a very high level.

For example, the art of fencing is revealed in this book in some detail and quite accurately. Various social structures are explored, from that of a "medieval barony" to a "galactic empire." The psychology of how a hero may be motivated, or not motivated, is described creatively.

This book is a worthy successor to books of the 'thirties about the legends of King Arthur's knights, in a science fiction context.

For example,

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