
The Pursuit of the Pankera
A Parallel Novel about Parallel Universes
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About this listen
The Pursuit of the Pankera is one of the most audacious experiments ever done in science fiction by the legendary author of the classic best seller Starship Troopers.
Robert A. Heinlein wrote The Number of the Beast, which was published in 1980. In the book Zeb, Deety, Hilda, and Jake are ambushed by the alien "Black Hats" and barely escape with their lives on a specially configured vehicle (the Gay Deceiver) which can travel along various planes of existence, allowing them to visit parallel universes.
However, unknown to most fans, Heinlein had already written a "parallel" novel about the four characters and parallel universes in 1977. He effectively wrote two parallel novels about parallel universes. The novels share the same start, but as soon as the Gay Deceiver is used to transport them to a parallel universe, each book transports them to a totally different parallel world.
From that point on the plot lines diverge completely. While The Number of the Beast morphs into something very different, more representative of later Heinlein works, The Pursuit of the Pankera remains on target with a much more traditional Heinleinesque storyline and ending, reminiscent of his earlier works.
The Pursuit of the Pankera was never published, and there have been many competing theories as to why (including significant copyright issues in 1977). Over time the manuscript was largely forgotten but survived in fragments. A recent re-examination of these fragments, however, made it clear that they constitute the complete novel.
And here it finally is: Robert A. Heinlein's audacious experiment. A fitting farewell from one of the most inventive science fiction writers to have ever lived: a parallel novel about parallel universes, as well as a great adventure pitting the forces of good versus evil only the way Heinlein could do.
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Performance
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Max Jones, a practical, hard-working young man, found his escape in his beloved astronomy books. When reality comes crashing in and his troubled home life forces him out on the road, Max finds himself adrift in a downtrodden land - until an unexpected, ultimate adventure carries him away as a stowaway aboard an intergalactic spaceship.
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A typical Heinlein Juvenile
- By Jeanene on 08-22-08
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I Will Fear No Evil
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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As startling and provocative as his famous Stranger in a Strange Land, here is Heinlein’s grand masterpiece about a man supremely talented, immensely old, and obscenely wealthy who discovers that money can buy everything.
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Disappointing Heinlein
- By Randall on 03-02-12
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Beyond This Horizon
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Hamilton Felix, the result of generations of genetic selection, finds his life as the ultimate man boring - until a gang of revolutionaries tries to enlist him in their cause.
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Women will forgive anything
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 10-01-12
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Expanded Universe, Vol. 1
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert A. Heinlein has been hailed as one of the most forward-thinking science fiction writers of all time, and Expanded Universe (presented in two volumes) offers the perfect collection of his works to provide listeners with true insights into his uniquely creative mind.
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Old friends spoiled by poor narration
- By Gary on 06-07-21
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Assignment in Eternity
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert A. Heinlein is widely and justly regarded as the greatest practitioner of the art of science fiction who has ever lived. Here are two of his greatest short novels: Gulf, in which the greatest super-spy of them all is revealed as the leader of a league of supermen and women who can’t quite decide what to do with the rest of us. And Lost Legacy, in which it is proved that we are all members of that league - or would be, if we but had eyes to see.
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You'll like it because you can think...
- By Trip Williams on 06-05-12
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To Sail Beyond the Sunset
- The Life and Loves of Maureen Johnson (Being the Memoirs of a Somewhat Irregular Lady)
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Maureen Johnson, the somewhat irregular mother of Lazarus Long, wakes up in bed with a man and a cat. The cat is Pixel, well-known to fans of the New York Times best seller The Cat Who Walks through Walls. The man is a stranger to her, and besides that, he is dead.
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Don't Dilly Dally, Dolly
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 04-17-14
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Double Star
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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One minute, down-and-out actor Lorenzo Smythe is, as usual, in a bar, drinking away his troubles while watching his career circle the drain. Then a space pilot buys him a drink, and the next thing Smythe knows, he’s shanghaied to Mars. Smythe suddenly finds himself agreeing to the most difficult role of his career: impersonating an important politician who has been kidnapped. Peace with the Martians is at stake, and failure to pull off the act could result in interplanetary war.
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Hugo Award Well Deserved. A+
- By Margaret Pierce on 07-27-20
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Time for the Stars
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Travel to other planets is now a reality, and with overpopulation stretching the resources of Earth, the necessity of finding habitable worlds is growing ever more urgent. There’s a problem though—because the spaceships are slower than light, any communication between the exploring ships and Earth would take years.
Tom and Pat are identical twin teenagers. As twins they’ve always been close, so close that it seemed like they could read each other’s minds.
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My First Heinlein
- By DJM on 01-27-11
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Methuselah's Children
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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After the fall of the American Ayatollahs as foretold in Stranger in a Strange Land and chronicled in Revolt in 2100, the United States of America at last fulfills the promise inherent in its first Revolution: for the first time in human history there is a nation with Liberty and Justice for All. No one may seize or harm the person or property of another, or invade his privacy, or force him to do his bidding. Americans are fiercely proud of their re-won liberties and the blood it cost them; nothing could make them forswear those truths they hold self-evident. Nothing except the promise of immortality…
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A delight to revisit a science fiction classic
- By Anne on 02-16-13
What listeners say about The Pursuit of the Pankera
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- Jeremy
- 09-28-23
Need to read other old SciFi first?
So much of the book references old SciFi series, Barsoom and the Lensman series. I had not read either of these, so it felt like this book kept referring to things that I didn’t know about. It makes the book dry and confusing in large sections.
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- Local Man
- 07-08-21
A posthumous novel by Robert A. Heinlein
This book was compiled from bits and parts long after Heinlein's death. It appears to be an abandoned first draft of The Number of the Beast (NofB), as the first 11 chapters are identical.
After that, PotP takes a different path. The four main characters are mostly the same, but much of the rest of the book is a tribute to three other classic book series, just barely touching a few older Heinlein characters. However, unless you've read those classic book series (or know a lot about them), you may lose some of the enjoyment of this book. (The three are the Oz books, Lensman series by E.E. "Doc" Smith, and the John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
In comparison, NotB dove heavily into Heinein's prior work. Unless one had read much of Heinlein's previous work, the last third of the book would make little sense.
This book might be a better stand-alone book than NotB, as NotB was a "fan service" book intended to revisit many of Heinlein's characters.
As a long-term Heinlein fan, I certainly enjoyed PotP. The writing style and the character banter was pure Heinlein. It was fun to see how the story differed from NotB. Fortunately, I have read at least some of the books in all three classic series, so I understood most of the references.
The Audiobook performance was very good. There are four performers, each playing one of the main four characters. Each chapter is from one of the main four characters' point of view, and each performer read his or her character well, while also having to perform the dialog of other characters.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jim H
- 07-04-21
Not your typical Heinlein
While the style itself is typical Heinlein and very enjoyable once you get past the dates attitudes of the time it was written, the story itself took an unexpected tangent that ‘borrowed’ from other stories. I won’t give details as it would be a major spoiler but it rapidly took the pleasure out of hearing the story. I think I understand why this was not originally published.
Luckily the narration is well done and does maintain the Heinlein prose and period so I was able to make it to the end.
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- Anonymous User
- 12-13-20
Curious but slightly disappointed
Glad this one was included in audible. Would've been better with 1 person reading. Not one of his best as I enjoyed Number of the beast more.
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- Arthur W. Smart
- 06-21-20
Stupid production
4 main characters, 4 narrators and each narrator doing all 4 characters? What an idiotic idea. You never know who’s talking. Just about the time you can identify the characters the next chapter begins with a different narrator and 4 different voices. Enjoyed the story in spite of the frustration but they really did the author’s work an injustice.
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59 people found this helpful
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- Mike Bowers
- 11-14-21
This book is slow, long, and has little merit.
It needs significant editing to make it shorter.
It does not have the same level of quality of other Heinlein books. This explains why it was not published in Heinlein's lifetime.
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- David Grimes
- 03-21-21
Vintage Heinlein
any new work of heinlein's is always a treat. this one does not disppoint. All hale the dean.
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- Mike Shore
- 01-14-22
classic Heinlein
While the narration may have lagged a bit in spots it was a very enjoyable "read".
I can see why copyright issues may have delayed it's publishing but this book is gloriously more Heinlein than it's predecessor "Number Of The Beast".
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- Novice pilot
- 05-02-20
still listening so not final
I needed to comment on the performers pronunciation. just as our hero's reach the first stop of their interplanetary voyage Heinlein refers to a famous Edgar Rice Burroughs creation the Thoat (sounds like throat) several puns follow. But the readers read it as "tho at"like calling a boat a 'bow at' when you say a pun like "a man can't eat with his thoat cut" but mispronounce it as tho at, the puns don't work. This should never get past the editors.
Up to now the book is identical to The Number of The Beast.
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27 people found this helpful
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- marla
- 07-02-20
Great Spin
I like this version better than The Number Of The Beast. Great story telling.
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5 people found this helpful