Time Enough for Love

What is the Science Fiction Premise?

Time Enough For Love is a collection of four or five short stories wrapped in a framing story. It is full of many Science Fiction premises, including space ships, space colonization efforts, intelligent computers, and even time travel. These different elements appear in varying degrees in each of the short stories that comprise the novel. Cutting across these stories is an ever present focus on longevity and the effect it has on love.

Is the science of the premise explored?

Most of the Science Fiction premises are asserted and not deeply explored. We are, however, offered nuggets of insight, such as what leads to awareness in computers, or how to conduct an effective colonization, or some interesting excursions into genetic engineering. This superficial treatment follows from being comprised of short stories.

The longevity premise is better explained and explored. Since the 19th century, the Ira Howard Foundation has been encouraging genetic selection for long life through marriage incentives, birth incentives, and careful tracking of all the families involved. (This notion is introduced in an earlier novel, Methuselah's Children, but is adequately recapitulated in Time Enough For Love.) Second, eventually a technique for rejuvenation is developed that undoes the ravages of aging and allows the body to start anew. Finally, a consistent theme in the short stories is to be smart and avoid unnecessary conflict, especially of the the sort that might kill you.

Is the impact of the premise on an individual explored?

The central character of the novel is Lazarus Long, a man who has lived for 2,000 years. Some of the reason for the short story structure is that Lazarus Long is telling stories about his past. Through these stories we learn about the ways in which marriage has been restructured to deal with long lives. We learn about how Lazarus is constantly running into relatives, partly because he has lived so long and partly because the Howard Families tend to marry one another. We also get a glimpse of the more relaxed approach to sex and love that comes with having time enough for love.

In one of the more poignant stories, we learn about the difficult situation when Lazarus Long falls in love with someone who lives a normal life span. Awareness of their difference drives many of their choices about how and where to live.

Overlaying all of this is a story of being worn out by the years and the need to rediscover what makes life worth living after one has lived so long.

Is the impact of the premise on society explored?

Time Enough For Love presents a very different view of love, marriage, family, and societal structure than is familiar to most of us. This follows, to some extent, from the premise that people are living longer. For example, marriage contracts are for limited terms rather than for life, since their primary purpose is to bear and raise the children. Besides the likely desire to seek new sexual and life partners, the Ira Howard Foundation objective is best pursued by constantly mixing the genetic pool.

In a similar vein, there is a recurring focus on incest. Given the nature of the Ira Howard Foundation objective, there is always a substantial likelihood that relatives as close as or closer than first cousins will meet and fall in love. Within the Howard Families, as genetic knowledge has improved, the mores have shifted to focus on genetic compatibility rather than avoiding consanguinity per se. Incest is no longer taboo, though taking a risk on genetically disadvantaged children remains prohibited. 

How well written is the story?

The story is quite readable, though some stylistic decisions take a bit of adjustment. Every now and then the story introduces the single-word line, "[Omitted]". This is never fully explained, but it lends the feeling that we are reading the archive of Lazarus Long's retelling of his life. Since there is little else to reinforce this view, we easily slip into the perspective that we are listening to Lazarus Long only to be jarred again when we encounter the next omitted section. It is manageable, but it is unclear that it is necessary or helps the story in any way.

There is also one story in which the perspective of the storyteller is constantly shifting between third and first person. I believe this was intended to portray the idea that Lazarus was really telling a story about himself, did not want to tell it that way, but kept slipping up. I mostly found it annoying.

Finally, I may be the only person who found this disconcerting, but in one tale Lazarus Long indicates that someone went to the Naval Academy at West Point. Since Heinlein attended the Naval Academy, we may safely assume that he knows it is in Annapolis, MD. Is this here to trick the reader? Is it to show that Lazarus Long's memory is failing? Or, is it to show that Lazarus Long is making the whole thing up? I'm still not sure.

Can I recommend the book?

If you have never read a Heinlein novel, don't start here. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress may be his best. Stranger in a Strange Land is also good, though there are two versions out there and I would guess that the original one that received the Hugo is the better one. Time Enough For Love builds on many previously presented ideas and is somewhat disjointed.

If you are familiar with and like both Heinlein and the free-thinking old man, who appears in many of his novels, you will probably want to read Time Enough For Love. Lazarus Long is a conceptual twin of the old man that we encounter in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land, and many other Heinlein novels. He probably has more to say about sex, love, marriage, and incest in this story than in his previous ones, but it's the same character.

While I am familiar with Heinlein and used to enjoy his work immensely, I cannot say that I enjoyed Time Enough For Love. My problem is that I am really tired of that old man. He pontificates freely about any and all subjects whether they advance the story or not. Everyone around him is there to provide him attention and adulation. And, his beliefs, while apparently sensible in the context of the story, are often untested and unchallenged in the story. He is the font of wisdom, but much of what he says is not wise at all.

I have tried to understand why I stopped liking Heinlein's work and here is my best analysis (with a little help from Wikipedia). Until 1961, Heinlein produced a great many short stories, novellas, and numerous novels focused on young adults. I especially liked Waldo and Magic, Inc. These stories were full of many creative Science Fiction ideas, while the short formats and focus on juveniles offered limited opportunities for pontification.

After 1961, Heinlein turned to novels written for adults. The old man appears and tells us the unvarnished truth about reality. At first, this free-thinking old man is refreshing and even enlightening, insofar as considering new ideas is always enlightening. From story to story, however, it is the same old man with the same "new" ideas. Eventually, it is difficult to believe that you are not simply listening to Heinlein. The story does not portray the truth of his ideas; it is simply a vehicle for expressing them. It is all a very self-indulgent exercise.

Now, when I read a Heinlein novel, I watch for that old man. Once I find him, I become ill-disposed towards the novel. If he would just shut up, let others tell the truths or better yet allow the truths to be revealed through the story, I might be able to revitalize my interest. In other words, I might have been able to enjoy Time Enough for Love, if you could somehow remove the main character who does 90% of the talking.

Tar Daddoo