
The Long Watch
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $1.93
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Peter Coates
About this listen
Robert A. Heinlein's The Long Watch is a powerful and emotional science fiction short story that explores themes of duty, sacrifice, and the moral courage of an individual standing against tyranny. First published in 1949, this story is part of Heinlein's Future History series and remains one of his most poignant and enduring tales.
The story follows Lieutenant John Dahlquist, a young officer in the Space Patrol, who finds himself in a critical moral dilemma. When a group of high-ranking officers attempts to stage a coup and seize control of nuclear weapons to establish a military dictatorship, Dahlquist is the only one who stands in their way. Understanding the devastating consequences of allowing these weapons to fall into the wrong hands, he makes the ultimate decision—to sabotage their plan at the cost of his own life.
In The Long Watch, Heinlein masterfully portrays the quiet heroism of an individual willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good. The story is a meditation on personal integrity, the responsibilities of those in power, and the importance of standing up against oppression. Dahlquist's unwavering dedication to his ideals makes him one of Heinlein's most compelling characters, and his act of defiance resonates as a timeless testament to the strength of the human spirit.
With its blend of suspense, deep moral questions, and Heinlein's signature storytelling, The Long Watch remains a classic exploration of heroism and duty, proving that sometimes, one person's courage can change the course of history.
©2025 Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing (P)2025 Strelbytskyy Multimedia PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
-
Delilah and the Space Rigger
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Delilah and the Space Rigger is a sharp and thought-provoking science fiction short story that explores themes of gender roles, workplace dynamics, and progress in space exploration. First published in 1949, this story showcases Heinlein's trademark blend of humor, social commentary, and hard science fiction. The story takes place on a space station under construction, where an all-male crew is suddenly thrown into disarray when a female technician, Delilah, joins their ranks.
-
Searchlight
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Searchlight is a gripping and suspenseful science fiction short story that highlights the power of human ingenuity and technological advancement in overcoming life-threatening challenges. First published in 1962, this tale is a testament to Heinlein's ability to blend hard science with emotional depth. The story revolves around a young blind girl, an exceptionally talented pianist, who becomes lost on the Moon after an accident during a lunar expedition.
-
Gentlemen, Be Seated!
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Gentlemen, Be Seated! is a gripping and suspenseful science fiction short story that highlights themes of ingenuity, survival, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of disaster. Originally published in 1948, this classic tale exemplifies Heinlein's ability to blend technical realism with high-stakes adventure. Set in a near-future lunar colony, the story follows an experienced space reporter and a group of lunar workers who find themselves in a life-threatening situation when a structural failure causes a dangerous air leak in an underground tunnel.
-
The Black Pits of Luna
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's The Black Pits of Luna is an exciting and suspenseful science fiction short story that explores the dangers of space exploration, the resilience of the human spirit, and the thrill of adventure beyond Earth. First published in 1948, this classic tale showcases Heinlein's ability to craft realistic yet gripping narratives set in the expanding frontier of space. The story follows a young boy who, while on a family trip to the Moon, gets separated from his group during a guided tour of the lunar surface.
-
Space Jockey
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Space Jockey is a gripping short story that offers a realistic and human perspective on space travel. First published in 1947, this tale explores the challenges faced by commercial space pilots in a future where spaceflight has become routine but remains physically and emotionally demanding. The story follows Jake Pemberton, a seasoned pilot navigating the vast emptiness of space while balancing the pressures of his job with the strains of family life back on Earth.
-
The Green Hills of Earth
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Green Hills of Earth blends Heinlein's characteristic exploration of human nature with a lyrical examination of the costs of space exploration and the human desire for connection to home. The story also delves into the role of art and poetry in expressing the deeper emotions and longings of those who venture into the unknown. This short story is a masterful exploration of the tension between adventure and sacrifice, reminding listeners of the emotional costs of leaving behind everything that is familiar in the pursuit of new frontiers.
-
Delilah and the Space Rigger
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Delilah and the Space Rigger is a sharp and thought-provoking science fiction short story that explores themes of gender roles, workplace dynamics, and progress in space exploration. First published in 1949, this story showcases Heinlein's trademark blend of humor, social commentary, and hard science fiction. The story takes place on a space station under construction, where an all-male crew is suddenly thrown into disarray when a female technician, Delilah, joins their ranks.
-
Searchlight
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Searchlight is a gripping and suspenseful science fiction short story that highlights the power of human ingenuity and technological advancement in overcoming life-threatening challenges. First published in 1962, this tale is a testament to Heinlein's ability to blend hard science with emotional depth. The story revolves around a young blind girl, an exceptionally talented pianist, who becomes lost on the Moon after an accident during a lunar expedition.
-
Gentlemen, Be Seated!
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Gentlemen, Be Seated! is a gripping and suspenseful science fiction short story that highlights themes of ingenuity, survival, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of disaster. Originally published in 1948, this classic tale exemplifies Heinlein's ability to blend technical realism with high-stakes adventure. Set in a near-future lunar colony, the story follows an experienced space reporter and a group of lunar workers who find themselves in a life-threatening situation when a structural failure causes a dangerous air leak in an underground tunnel.
-
The Black Pits of Luna
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's The Black Pits of Luna is an exciting and suspenseful science fiction short story that explores the dangers of space exploration, the resilience of the human spirit, and the thrill of adventure beyond Earth. First published in 1948, this classic tale showcases Heinlein's ability to craft realistic yet gripping narratives set in the expanding frontier of space. The story follows a young boy who, while on a family trip to the Moon, gets separated from his group during a guided tour of the lunar surface.
-
Space Jockey
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert A. Heinlein's Space Jockey is a gripping short story that offers a realistic and human perspective on space travel. First published in 1947, this tale explores the challenges faced by commercial space pilots in a future where spaceflight has become routine but remains physically and emotionally demanding. The story follows Jake Pemberton, a seasoned pilot navigating the vast emptiness of space while balancing the pressures of his job with the strains of family life back on Earth.
-
The Green Hills of Earth
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Green Hills of Earth blends Heinlein's characteristic exploration of human nature with a lyrical examination of the costs of space exploration and the human desire for connection to home. The story also delves into the role of art and poetry in expressing the deeper emotions and longings of those who venture into the unknown. This short story is a masterful exploration of the tension between adventure and sacrifice, reminding listeners of the emotional costs of leaving behind everything that is familiar in the pursuit of new frontiers.
-
Blowups Happen
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 1 hr and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Blowups Happen is a 1940 science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. It is one of two stories in which Heinlein, using only public knowledge of nuclear fission, anticipated the actual development of nuclear technology a few years later.
-
-
Knowledge of the author before Trinity
- By TVR on 05-05-25
-
Ring Around the Sun
- By: Isaak Asimov
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ring Around the Sun is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the March 1940 issue of Future Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov . "Ring Around the Sun" was the fifth story Asimov wrote, and also the fifth to be published.
By: Isaak Asimov
-
Misfit
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Misfit is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. It was originally titled Cosmic Construction Corps before being renamed by the editor John W. Campbell and published in the November 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Misfit was Heinlein's second published story. One of the earliest of Heinlein's Future History stories, it was later included in the collections Revolt in 2100 and The Past Through Tomorrow.
-
The Classic Collection of Robert A. Heinlein. Fourteen Short Stories
- Space Jockey, The Long Watch, The Green Hills of Earth, Delilah and the Space Rigger, The Black Pits of Luna and others
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This captivating anthology presents a selection of fourteen short stories by the legendary science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, showcasing his unparalleled imagination and narrative prowess. Among the featured tales are "Space Jockey," which explores the life of a daring pilot navigating the perils of interstellar travel, and "The Long Watch," a poignant reflection on duty and sacrifice.
-
We Also Walk Dogs
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We Also Walk Dogs is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. One of his Future History stories, it was first published in Astounding Science Fiction (July 1941, as by Anson MacDonald) and collected in The Green Hills of Earth (and subsequently The Past Through Tomorrow).
-
Life-Line
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life-Line is a short story by American author Robert A. Heinlein. Published in the August 1939 edition of Astounding, it was Heinlein's first published short story. The protagonist, Professor Hugo Pinero, builds a machine that will predict how long a person will live. It does this by sending a signal along the world line of a person and detecting the echo from the far end. Professor Pinero's invention has a powerful impact on the life insurance industry, as well as on his own life.
-
Let There Be Light
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let There Be Light is a science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, originally published in Super Science Stories magazine in May 1940 under the pseudonym Lyle Monroe. It is the second story in his Future History and was included in the first collection, The Man Who Sold the Moon, but was omitted from the omnibus collection The Past Through Tomorrow. This story draws on Heinlein's early leftist ideas, and makes references to George Bernard Shaw's The Apple Cart.
-
The Roads Must Roll
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Roads Must Roll is a 1940 science fiction short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. It was selected for The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964 anthology in 1970. The story is set in the near future, when "roadtowns" (wide rapidly moving passenger platforms similar to moving sidewalks, but reaching speeds of 100 mph) have replaced highways and railways as the dominant transportation method in the United States.
-
Requiem
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Coates
- Length: 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Requiem is a short story by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, a sequel to his science fiction novella The Man Who Sold the Moon, although it was in fact published several years earlier than that story, in Astounding, January 1940. The story was also performed as a play on October 27, 1955, on the NBC Radio Network program X Minus One. It is also the first story in the retrospective Requiem: New Collected Works by Robert A. Heinlein and Tributes to the Grand Master.
-
The Door into Summer
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dan Davis, an electronics engineer, had finally made the invention of a lifetime: a household robot that could do almost anything. Wild success was within reach, but then Dan's life was ruined. In a plot to steal his business, his greedy partner and greedier fiancée tricked him into taking the "long sleep": suspended animation for 30 years.
-
-
classic
- By Greg on 04-05-09
-
The Stars, Like Dust
- By: Isaac Asimov
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
His name was Biron Farrill and he was a student at the University of Earth. A native of one of the helpless Nebular Kingdoms, he saw his home world conquered and controlled by the planet Tyrann - a ruthless, barbaric Empire that was building a dynasty of cruelty and domination among the stars. Farrill’s own father had been executed for trying to resist the Tyrann dictatorship and now someone was trying to kill Biron. But why? His only hope for survival lay in fleeing Earth and joining the rebellion that was rumored to be forming somewhere in the Kingdoms.
-
-
A Great Literary Master
- By Michael F. kloppel on 06-21-21
By: Isaac Asimov
-
Robert Heinlein Radio Dramas
- By: Robert Heinlein
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection features four classic, dramatized Robert Heinlein stories: "Universe", "Requiem", "The Green Hills of Earth", and "The Roads Must Roll".
-
-
Heinlein at his Best
- By Chris on 08-21-07
By: Robert Heinlein