X Minus One Audiobook By Robert Heinlein cover art

X Minus One

The Roads Must Roll (Dramatized)

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X Minus One

By: Robert Heinlein
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Engineers create conveyor-belt-like roads, the only way to keep the congested future moving. But now a strike is shutting it all down. Based on a story by Robert Heinlein, this episode of X Minus One originally aired on January 4, 1956.

X Minus One premiered in April 1955 on NBC and ran until January 1958. Like its predecessor series, Dimension X, X Minus One featured stories by the greatest names in modern science fiction: Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Clifford Simak, Robert Bloch, and many more.

Hear more science fiction dramatizations.©2006 Radio Spirits Inc. (P)2006 Radio Spirits Inc. Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction

Critic reviews

"[X Minus One] brought current SF to radio, providing adaptations of many excellent new stories and thus allowing the public to appreciate the best science fiction available at the time." (Michael Ashley, The Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines)
All stars
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Union busters as heroes? Shades of McCarthyism. Great old radio play in the spirit of its time.

Heinlein Satire.

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It seems Audible has fixed the problem and all is well again. The X Minus One series is great and a steal at the price. Thanks, Audible!!

As Advertized!!!

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not this story, the only sci fi in it was the fact the US banned cars and installed people movers. Mostly it was a story of union busting by portraying the union members as fanatics who would destroy what they couldn't control.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Swan Song by Robert McCammon.

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrator?

This was not a narration but theatrical production for a 1950's radio play. I would definitely listen to another story from this show.

Could you see X Minus One being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I would hope this one would never be made into a movie. Disappointing. I could see Mel Gibson play the Union buster, the head of the Engineers Union played by Christopher Walken, the visitor from another nation could be played by Keanu Reeves. The Union buster's wife could be played by anyone. Small part. Bad storyline, boring movie.

Any additional comments?

"Nothing to see here, move along."

An anti union story by Heinlein

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This short story predicted urban sprawl, and our dependence on the technology that makes it possible. This radio production is very faithful to the original source material, and very well done.

Classic Heinlein

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