Rating: Excellent

I love Robert Heinlein's work, but the only other novels of his that I've only read to date are The Moon is a Harsh Mistress  and (most of) Stranger in a Strange Land. A lot of what I love about his work is the philosophy it espouses—so much so that I did honors research on it in college—so I was a little hesitant to try one of his earlier, shorter novels. What if, in the absence of pages of philosophizing about libertarianism, I found his work lacking? Sure, there are worse things than falling out of love with an author’s work, but still, I was a little concerned.

Of course, I needn’t have been. The Door into Summer runs at a faster pace than The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; it's lighter, cheerier, not as ambitious or far-reaching--and I love it just as much as Moon for those differences. This book was a pleasure to read.

The novel is initially set in 1970. Dan Davis is an engineer with a successful company, Hired Girl, and spends his time designing ingenious housekeeping gadgets--some of which are startlingly reminiscent of Roomba. He's engaged to Belle Darkin who, along with his best friend Miles Gentry, helps run Hired Girl. And he has his cat Pete and Miles' daughter Ricky for companions--yes, things are going great for Dan.

Well, no. This is a science fiction novel, so there's always a way to get revenge on your backstabbing friends, even if you have to travel back through time to do it. Dan sets out to track down Miles and Belle, but when he tries to find Ricky, things get strange.  And that's when he realizes there might be a way to set things right--and maybe get Pete and Ricky back in the process.

I'll admit, that part was a little weird--Dan has some strong feelings toward Ricky, who is 11-years-old in 1970. But there was something romantic and natural about the way it played out, and by the story's resolution it didn't seem creepy at all (really!).

I'm a sucker for a good book about a guy and his pet--Pete the cat is a great, memorable character, and one of the reasons this book is so good. I've heard complaints that Pete is a more fleshed-out character than Dan, and while that could be true, it doesn't work to the story's detriment. Not every character needs to carry around thirty years of angst-riddled back-story, and Dan is more than adequate for the role of main character.

The first chapter, where Heinlein sets up the idea of "the door into summer," is a little repetitive and out-of-sync with the rest of the novel, but it's short and necessary to the story. Once the plot gets going it goes quickly—the book’s a little over 300 pages, but so fun and easy to read that you could easily knock it out in one or two lazy Saturday afternoons. As well you should!

(As an aside: While this is not considered one of Heinlein's juvenile works, I have no problem with recommending this book to younger science fiction fans as well. Heinlein doesn't talk down to his readers like so many "young adult" authors do today, and the book is clean and intelligent. It'd make a great gift for a younger teenager who is interested in science fiction.)

 [Buy The Door into Summer at Amazon.com]