Jonathan Hoag has a curious problem. Every evening, he finds a mysterious reddish substance under his fingernails, with no memory what he was doing during the day to get it there. Jonathan hires the husband and wife detective team of Ted and Cynthia Randall to follow him during the day and find out. But Ted and Cynthia find themselves instantly out of their depth. Jonathan leaves no fingerprints. His few memories about his profession turn out to be false. Even stranger, Ted and Cynthia's own memories of what happens during their investigation do not match. There is a thirteenth floor to Jonathan's building that does not exist, there are mysterious and threatening beings living inside mirrors, and all of reality is not what they thought it was. Part supernatural thriller, part noir detective story, Heinlein's trip down the rabbit hole leads where you never expected.
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"I thought I was re-reading this. The book is on my shelf but I don't remember this story. It was reminding me of Neil Gaiman's short story "The Sunbird" and by the end I was surprised by how much it was like Neil Gaiman. I am amazed by the variety in style in Heinlein stories and how his fantasy differs so much from his hard sf (they don't tend to have the long passages of speechifying) Very interesting read. So glad I sought it out again." — Lisa (4 out of 5 stars)
"I thought I was re-reading this. The book is on my shelf but I don't remember this story. It was reminding me of Neil Gaiman's short story "The Sunbird" and by the end I was surprised by how much it was like Neil Gaiman. I am amazed by the variety in style in Heinlein stories and how his fantasy differs so much from his hard sf (they don't tend to have the long passages of speechifying) Very interesting read. So glad I sought it out again."
" Best just to read it, without knowing what to expect. "
" "-and he built a crooked house-" is my favorite from this collection. "_all you zombies_" left me a with a headache trying to untie the time paradox stuff... "
" This is one of four Heinlein novels that remain in my library. In thirty years I've found my tastes have changed and I don't like much of his work anymore. Yet I marked this particular book "good". "
" Unforgettable. I've been thinking of reading it again lately. "
" This was just weird. heinlein's hard SF stuff is more my cup of tea, I think - I'm just glad I have no site. For to look into a mirror... Scary... "
" This is a collection of short stories. The title story is one of the most hair-curling stories I've ever read. "
" Short brisk read. And even if the stories didn't all qualify as 'great', they were never boring. "
" One of the best opening lines of a book! "
" I've read only the "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag" story "
" All good Heinlein, though a little on the fantasy side. "-And he Built a Crooked House" is one of my favorite short stories of all time, but they're all great. "
" A mixed bag. The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag was the best in the collection in my opinion. "
" For YEARS after I read this, I had to cover mirrors in any room I slept in. "
" Love. Ah love. The answer is love. I knew it. "
" Okay, but not one of his best works. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they're a die hard Heinlein fan and have already read all of his other stuff. "
" Like all collections of short stories, it's hit or miss. Several are fantastic, several are mediocre. If you're interested in Heinlein's body of work, I wouldn't start here unless you only have a couple of hours. "
" This has to be one that RAH wrote for the paycheck. Not a bad story but not one that kept my interest all the way through the 4 cumulative hours it took to read it. "
" One of my favorite stories. It would make such a great movie. "
" Contains "All You Zombies". Say no more. The collection was also titled "6 x H: Six Stories by Robert H. Heinlein" (Pyramid paperback, 1961). This is the edition I have. "
" I guess I expect too much from this science fiction master. This book just did not live up to that expectation for me. "
" Not Heinlein's best stories, though the title story is pretty great. The remainder are not bad, but not terribly exciting. Note the printing of the book I read was renamed "6 x H." "
" Not so keen on the title story, a bit long winded. Loved the others. "
" W Rating : B+ Great stories. Twilight Zone reminiscent and just a lot of fun. This was a great book to read. I recommend to everyone. Good pulp 50's novel. "
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