Status
Available
Collections
Publication
New York : Berkeley Publishing Corporation, 1978.
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction & Fantasy. HTML: Jonathan Hoag has a curious problem. Every evening, he finds a mysterious reddish substance under his fingernails, with no memory of how it got 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..… (more)
Media reviews
NBD/Biblion (via BOL.com)
'In den Beginne,' verklaarde Stoles, 'was de Vogel.' Hij bedekte plotseling zijn gezicht met zijn handen; alle anderen die zich rondom de tafel geschaard hadden, deden hetzelfde. De Vogel... Randal kreeg ineens een beeld van de betekenis van die twee simpele woorden toen ze uitgesproken werden door
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die weerzinwekkende dikke man; geen zacht en donzig diertje maar een roofvogel met sterke vleugels, roofzuchtig - ogen die niet knipperden, bleek van kleur en starend, purperen halslellen - maar het duidelijkst zag hij de poten, vogelpoten, bedekt met gele schubben, vleesloos en met smerige klauwen...
Wat is het beroep van Jonathan Hoag? Als hem tijdens een diner die vraag wordt gesteld, weet hij het tot zijn eigen ontzetting niet. Hoag treft bovendien onder de nagels van zijn rechterhand steeds een kleverige roodbruine substantie aan waarvan hij zich de herkomst evenmin herinnert. Bloed? Ten einde raad schakelt hij Edward Randall in, een particulier detective... Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This is a collection of one novella, the title story "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag," and five short stories, among them some of Heinlein's strongest. I really loved the opening novella, which is a mix of science fiction, fantasy, horror--and noir mystery. It focuses on a husband/wife
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detective team, Teddy Randall and Cynthia Craig. They really are among Heinlein's best drawn couples--I'm sorry we never saw more of them. At times I have my issues with how Heinlein drew women, but not in the case of Cyn. She comes across as brave and competent without ever being kittenish. I'm not particularly impressed with the story's premise or plot, but the characters made it for me. "The Man Who Traveled in Elephants" is a sweet tale, and pure fantasy, not science fiction, but not to me a standout. "All You Zombies" is about a "temporal agent"--it's a twisty and memorable time travel story. "They" is an interesting study in paranoia--a theme that runs through most of the stories in this collection. "Our Fair City" features one of my favorite Heinlein characters--"Kitten"--a whirlwind. I'd call "And He Built a Crooked House" unique--and unforgettable. A story surely only an engineer such as Heinlein could have conceived. All of these stories are well worth the read--particularly if you're a science fiction or Heinlein fan. Show Less
LibraryThing member szarka
Collects both the title novella and several short stories, including "And He Built a Crooked House" (one of my favorite Heinlein shorts). The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag is, no kidding, the scariest story I've ever read, with Heinlein seemingly channeling both H.P. Lovecraft and Philip
It's a crime this book isn't in print; but maybe it's a good thing, too, because I hope Hollywood never discovers it.
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Marlowe.It's a crime this book isn't in print; but maybe it's a good thing, too, because I hope Hollywood never discovers it.
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LibraryThing member JonathanGorman
Some stories I've already read, but sill an excellent little collection. Liked some of the images from the story that the collection gets the name from, "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag", in particular. Reminded me a bit of The Man Who Was Thursday with a nice twist and a dash of gumshoe
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detectives. Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag Hoag determines he suffers from a daily bout of amnesia and cannot remember what he does or where he goes during the day, including how he earns his living. He hires a pair of investigators to determine this. .. Clever twist, but mostly a 'meh' story.
The
"All You Zombies" The story of the "Unmarried Mother" .. I've read this one before; it's been collected elsewhere quite a bit, I believe, but it's still a fun one every time.
They A man in conversation with his psychiatrist. He's convinced the world is created for his benefit alone and he's the only conscious human. All others are playacting around him for nefarious purposes. .. I wonder if the writers/creators of The Truman Show were influenced by this one? An interesting thought-experiment.
Our Fair City A newspaper writer meets a conscious whirlwind. .. Cute story, but a little confusing. This news guy has a real beef with City Hall.
"And He Built a Crooked House Architect tries to explain and then build a house that's a tesseract. .. This was a lot of fun, but I feel bad for the guy who paid for the construction. (p.s. Why does spell check not know the word Tesseract?)
The
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Man Who Traveled in Elephants A man who spent his life on the road with his late wife visiting all kinds of fairs and exhibitions, takes a bus to a fair unlike any other he's seen before. .. Mostly a description of the incredible fair, but a lovely ending."All You Zombies" The story of the "Unmarried Mother" .. I've read this one before; it's been collected elsewhere quite a bit, I believe, but it's still a fun one every time.
They A man in conversation with his psychiatrist. He's convinced the world is created for his benefit alone and he's the only conscious human. All others are playacting around him for nefarious purposes. .. I wonder if the writers/creators of The Truman Show were influenced by this one? An interesting thought-experiment.
Our Fair City A newspaper writer meets a conscious whirlwind. .. Cute story, but a little confusing. This news guy has a real beef with City Hall.
"And He Built a Crooked House Architect tries to explain and then build a house that's a tesseract. .. This was a lot of fun, but I feel bad for the guy who paid for the construction. (p.s. Why does spell check not know the word Tesseract?)
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LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn
A 4, because although it's ultimately a bit familiar territory, I suspect it's the first one to trod that particular path, and it did so briskly and effectively where others meander to get to their point. This is a second read, but the first one happened quickly as a tween, and I barely remember
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
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it, so that shouldn't count. This is a quick, light read--a short novella or longish story--effectively combining a tale of private detectives with an eerie twist. Not too hard-boiled, with a pleasant camaraderie between the protagonists--hard not to like.(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
I'm not a great fan of Heinlein's and this book is much in line with his usual productions. "The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag" is the flagship of this convoy and s well known...I can't find any memory of the other entries here.
LibraryThing member fdholt
Robert Heinlein is one of the finest science fiction writer of the twentieth century. 6 x H is a collection of a novella, "The unpleasant profession of Jonathan Hoag," and five short stories. Hoag is a gentleman who goes to work but has no memory of what happens during the day. When he finds a
The other five stories are vintage Heinlein. A travelling salesman gets to attend a fair; an unmarried mother asks questions; a man struggles in an insane asylum; a whirlwind named Kitten keeps trash she finds; and, the best story in the book, an architect builds a house in four dimensions.
This is vintage Heinlein, unlike many of his later works which are different from the early years.
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strange substance under his nails, he asks two detectives to help him sort it all out. Teddy and Cynthia find themselves getting into more than they bargained for.The other five stories are vintage Heinlein. A travelling salesman gets to attend a fair; an unmarried mother asks questions; a man struggles in an insane asylum; a whirlwind named Kitten keeps trash she finds; and, the best story in the book, an architect builds a house in four dimensions.
This is vintage Heinlein, unlike many of his later works which are different from the early years.
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LibraryThing member endolith
Some stories were good; some were bad. I liked "They".
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Although it has a mediocre plot, The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag has solid mechanics. Robert Heinlein wrote a great short novel or long short story with this one. He generally wrote hard science fiction, but this is more of a horror/suspense piece.. The other stories in the collection
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augment the overall value of this volume. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1959
Physical description
214 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
0-425-03717-7 / 9780425037171
Similar in this library
Pages
214