Glory Road

Glory Road (1978) – Robert A. Heinlein
New English Library | ISBN: 0450039722
Condition: Fair | Sold by Crappy Old Books

Adventure. That wonderful occupation in which perfectly sensible people abandon comfortable beds, regular meals and the reassuring certainty of indoor plumbing in favour of dangerous journeys, improbable companions and the distinct possibility of being eaten by something with an excessive number of teeth. Most people are content to experience adventure through books. Robert A. Heinlein, however, decided to write about a man who discovers that actually becoming a fantasy hero is considerably less straightforward than the advertisements suggest.

Welcome to Glory Road, Heinlein’s gloriously eccentric excursion into heroic fantasy, interdimensional travel, swordplay, romance and the curious business of saving the universe while attempting to understand what on earth is happening.

Our hero is Evelyn Cyril Gordon, better known as Oscar, a disillusioned American veteran whose experiences in Southeast Asia have left him with a healthy scepticism towards authority and an equally healthy appetite for something more interesting than ordinary civilian existence.

Then he encounters a mysterious advertisement offering employment to someone interested in adventure. Naturally, it sounds suspicious. The qualifications are vague, the duties are uncertain, and the likelihood of receiving a respectable pension appears negligible.

Oscar applies anyway.

Before long, he meets the extraordinarily beautiful Star, a woman whose identity, abilities and intentions are considerably more complicated than they initially appear. Accompanied by the formidable Rufo, Oscar embarks upon a journey through strange worlds populated by dangerous creatures, peculiar civilisations and opponents who seem determined to complicate his career prospects with swords.

His mission involves recovering the legendary Egg of the Phoenix, an object of enormous importance whose acquisition requires bravery, cunning and a remarkably enthusiastic willingness to risk one’s life.

Heinlein gleefully borrows the familiar ingredients of traditional heroic romance: the beautiful lady, the courageous champion, the loyal companion, the perilous quest and the obligatory assortment of monsters requiring immediate attention from a sharp weapon.

But this being Heinlein, nothing remains comfortably conventional for very long.

Behind the swordplay and fantastic landscapes lie questions about duty, individual freedom, political authority, personal identity and the uncomfortable distinction between being a hero and actually enjoying the responsibilities that accompany the position.

Originally published in 1963, Glory Road represents a particularly entertaining departure from Heinlein’s more familiar technological science fiction, blending fantasy adventure with his characteristic philosophical arguments, provocative observations and enthusiasm for independent-minded protagonists.

There is also the delicious irony that Oscar, having finally escaped the dreariness of ordinary existence, discovers that even the most magnificent adventures eventually involve complications resembling the very problems he hoped to leave behind.

This 1978 New English Library paperback, offered in Fair condition by Crappy Old Books, is an appealing vintage reading copy for Heinlein enthusiasts, collectors of classic science fiction and anyone who appreciates a fantasy adventure with a substantial helping of wit, romance and philosophical mischief.

A wonderfully imaginative journey through impossible worlds, deadly encounters and heroic responsibilities, where the greatest challenge may not be defeating monsters but discovering what to do once the adventure is over.

Because becoming a legendary champion sounds magnificent.

Until somebody explains the working hours, the occupational hazards and the complete absence of paid holidays.

And unfortunately, dragons don’t recognise trade unions.

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