Friday

Typical Heinlein fare, with his particular mix of liberal (social issues) and conservative (governance) attitudes and his style in full force. A fun, feisty heroine with a strong voice (if one not wildly distinctive from other Heinlein protagonists), a rotating cast of friendly supporting

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characters, convincing world-building, some social commentary (prejudice is illogical, unpleasant, rude, and dumb), and enough goings on to distract one from the fact that somehow while there is a lot of movement, there isn't much of a plot. Fun and absorbing, if not one of his most bestest. If you like Heinlein, you'll like this.

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This story of an interplanetary super-courier with accelerated reflexes and a heightened libido is a tale for strong women everywhere. Heinlein's female leads tend to be a curious combination of strong and situationally meek (subservient to their men at times, subservient to societal roles at other

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times), but the overall feeling that one is left with is that Friday is a strong and empowered woman. This book is written in a lighthearted style that captures a sense of fun and play while still being able to trigger feelings of empathy for the lead character, Friday Jones. Of all the books in my library, this one has been re-read the most, simply because it's such a pleasure.

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SF adventure story that always reads as sexist to me. Check out the vacant eyed bimbo on the cover or, failing that the quote on the back "Friday is all woman. She is as strong and resourceful and decisive as any Heinlein hero; in addition she is loving (oh, yes) and tender and very, very female."

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Thank you, Theodore Sturgeon.

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Nothing to see here folks, move on... move on... Heinlein has done all this before, and better. The only new thing here is his affection for cats. Perhaps he'd mentioned it before somewhere, but quite possibly I'd never noticed it in those earlier books because they were full of distracting things

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such as engaging plots, original characters and interesting scenarios. If you'd set out to read everything Heinlein had ever written you'd be very satisfied with this book, and particularly happy that you had finished it. Not recommended otherwise, especially if you had a mind to preserve your good opinion of Heinlein based upon your reading of his earlier work.

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I read this back in Junior HIgh when I was first discovering science fiction and was well into my Heinlein phase of this.

At the time I enjoyed it, and I still do enjoy parts of it, but even back then I had problems with the sex and how the characters main identity seemed to be her sexuality and

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conforming to what others (more often men than women) wanted from her in regards to sex. She was supposed to be this tough, independent superwoman and in the end it all came down to her willingness to sleep with anyone at any time.
And the less said about the rape the better, as I got older and began to understand more, I lost all respect for Heinlien as a person for that scene, and it's colored everything else I've read by him since.

As much as I enjoyed it at the time, I can't give it a good rating based on the handling of the rape and his warped views on women and independence as a whole

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This is Heinlein that I am reluctant to recommend because he indulges in his delight in encouraging free sex to an extreme. There are also rape and torture scenes. Nothing too strong for an adult, but I would not had this one to a teenager.

"Friday" is typical of some of Heinlein's style used in some of his not so successful books. Heinlein certainly likes his archetypes, as he should. Jubal Harshaw in “Stranger in a Strange Land,” for example, is just another Boss, a mysterious ultra-rich, cynical genius and Mike is the

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super-powered innocent growing into his own. I appreciate the feelings more when they are mixed with cunning. Friday was extremely intelligent, but her thoughts, while calculated, were contrived. Her mind had the same feel as the rest of her "just-in-time" powers, which is exactly what deadened her internal conflict for me. Her flip-flops between acting like an alien observer to silly humans, and like a human longing to fit in. So, she's a lot like nerds in 80s sitcoms. The problem was her emotional disconnect as an observer is so pronounced that she basically stops appearing human for small pockets of time. When she was raped early in the story, she was able to brush it off with (again, convenient) "mind control" techniques. She didn't walk away from the situation traumatized; although she did have a nearly-murderous grudge.

My point is that even Friday's psychological state is ultimately indestructible, which hurt the only real conflict that seemed to matter in the story. Even the alien mindset thing can be done well if it has an impact on other characters (Dr. Manhattan is a good example again, with whether he's too alienated to care if humanity ends being a big question throughout). I guess Heinlein had to be aware that the character is indestructible to do anything interesting with them; if they're constantly trying to fake the audience out with the character not really being indestructible, they might not even realize what kind of character they've written themselves.

What supports my point of view, by the way, is that in the end, Friday finds "home" but notice that her tension is actually unresolved, because her locus of emotional control is still exterior, rather than one of self-acceptance and "self-belonging." She depends on others for kittens and cuddles, much as she relied on Boss all the way though. She presents the image of a strong, independent woman, but never quite embodies it, despite being in God Mode.

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I really enjoyed the first and last part of this book--where we follow Friday on her courier missions. The sexuality was a big turn-off for me. I got my fill of "polyamorous social group structures" in "Brave New World". Unlike Heinlein, I don't look at sex as "the greatest thing ever", in fact,

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far from it in my opinion. Even though Heinlein does not go into any detail with the sexual situations of Friday between men, women, groups of men and women, APs, etc... I find myself slightly sickened by what is mentioned and I did vomit a little at the ending. I went in well knowing of Heinlein's sexuality, and his style, so I'll shut up. I could not help but think through it all that this is where Rare got their "Perfect Dark". I love that 64 game! Heinlein really did make me hate Friday's "S Family". One huge disappointment was that Friday did not get the money back the family swindled from her and Anita (#1 antagonist) did not get what was coming to her. I enjoyed the diagrams of Lupus and Centaurus and the technical explanations of the hyperspaceship's planned course! Boss would be proud. I'd kill for Janet's hideaway! I must say the most sexually deviant person in the book is Betty--what a slitch!

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My favorite of all the Heinlein books I have read, which is saying a lot.

For me, it is the characters that make this such a special book. It's one of only two Heinlein books that I have in my bookcase.

Men authors should not write from the viewpoint of a oman. Heinlein has just shown as in this tome why this is so. I doublt many women are as horny and sex crazy as Friday, nor can i understand how i klept going. several times I lay the book down and gasped a sigh of relief. I struggled through it,

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however, and guarantee you it has slowed me down in pursuing another heinlein book for awhile. Turgid, messy, and without depth, this is below the quality i remember in "Stranger."

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An enjoyable read. Representative of Heilein's latter works. Lots of mentions of Australia and New Zealand.

Witty dialogue was the only reason it didn't get a half star. No plot, too much sex (can't belive I'm saying this).

Heinlein was gifted in being able to comment on current social issues without being obvious about it. Friday is an artificial person and a top secret currier. But, the very world she fights for doesn't recognize her rights as a living being. Fantastic futuristic story that subtley chastises

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prejudice against those that are different. Though not as good as "Stranger in a Strange Land," still a five star read.

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Run of the mill Heinlein book--strong female character--adventure. Not my favorite of his books, but I enjoyed it anyways.

Heinlein introduces many original and somewhat confusing concepts in this book, though it makes for a very exciting read and forces you to think. It is almost impossible for someone without a liberal education and a bit of experience to fully understand it.
The most astounding prediction here is the

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research capabilities made possible by modern computer networks. Tough he may already have been somewhat familiar with computer networks as of this book's publication. However analysis such as Friday was able to do would require some very sophisticated and flexible data analysis programs.

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She is trained in physical combat and weaponry, incredibly strong, fast, and determined never to fail at her job as a combat courier. She is also sexy, loving, and beautiful (though she'd argue the latter). Her name is Friday...and she's an artificial woman. Simply put, Friday was created in a lab.

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Thus, while her appearance is completely human, she doesn't fully grasp human emotions, reactions, and customs.

Our story begins with Friday returning from a secret courier mission assigned by her employer, known only to her as "Boss" (until about 3/4 into the story, but no spoilers). However, she is betrayed by one of their own, captured, tortured, and gang-raped until she is rescued by operatives.

However, Friday doesn't appear to sustain much, if any, emotional damage from the experience. She is enraged, but not distraught, nor does she seem to suffer the deep trauma and shame that most rape victims experience. I'm not sure if this was due to her training and conditioning or if Heinlein merely downplayed that to keep the story moving.

Friday is almost immediately ready to get back to work but Boss insists that she take downtime. The next several chapters of the book follow Friday as she takes a vacation and ends up signing on to join an extended family in New Zealand. However, when they learn that she is artificial, the head of the family turns on her and breaks Friday's contract.

From there, Friday tries to return to Boss back in California but is sidetracked by terrorist attacks and petty wars between nations. While traveling through Canada, she finds herself taken in by a semi-ballistic ship captain named Ian. He brings her home and introduces her to his wife, a fiercly strong-willed woman named Janet, and her other husband, Georges. Instantly, Friday bonds with Janet, with whom she nearly makes love. She also bonds with Ian and Georges, with whom she does make love.

As the acts of terrorism force states and nations to close borders, Friday finds it ever challenging to return to HQ, taking on many identities, jobs, friends, lovers, and a few near-fatal adventures along the way. When she finally reaches Boss again, in a completely new secret HQ, he takes her off courier duty and places her in academic study, which is disrupted by events outside her control.

Friday then finds herself out of work, but not out of options. She takes one last courier job off-world, one that changes her life drastically and forever.

In the mind-boggling, incredibly detailed world that Heinlein lays out for us, sex comes free and easy. I lost count of how many lovers (men or women) that Friday slept with through the course of the story. However, Heinlein's writing is never pornographic, never erotic. It is merely suggestive and, at times, comedic.

National boundaries no longer exist as we know them. Many of the states are now sovereign countries as are the provinces and territories in Canada. New Zealand and British Canada are the best nations on Earth though society at large is in decay. There may even be another pandemic plague on the horizon. Polygamy and homosexuality are common and as accepted as the green of grass and the blue of sky. Artifical persons, however, not so much.

Families are managed more like corporations, their foundations seemingly driven by finance first, love second. Heinlein is known for presenting ingenious social commentary in his stories and that is prevalent in Friday. Although the term "internet" is never used explicitly, the information and communication technologies described in the story are prescient.

Overall, Friday is an engaging read, drawing you into a society that, to be honest, may not be too far in our own future.

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another of the first Sci-Fi books I read in 1983. I want to build that house someday. That is the coolest secret passageway EVER!
This book lead me on to read more Heinlien and then Asimov and Norton, Tolkien, and Zimmer-Bradely

Heinlein couldn't write from a female perspective to save his life; but I enjoy Friday anyway, both as an adventure story and as a meditation on the meaning of family.

This was a bit of a different book for Heinlein, but I enjoyed it. It is also one of his later books, maybe that had something to do with the differences. It is a bit of a takeoff on the Robert Louis Stevenson character of 'Friday'.

It's a good read, and probably representative of Heinlein's later, well-rehearsed voice. His polyamorous families are very much in play in virtually any family gathering set of episodes, and trigger alert: there is a rape scene at the beginning.

The basic premise is that Friday is an Advanced

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Person whose status in society is below that of "real" people. She is physically indistinguishable from a human female, including having Cherokee features. One thing that impressed me about Heinlein is that in her EnnZed family (New Zealand in this book), Heinlein confronts the endemic racism of the white family when a daughter marries a Tongan. As in Africa. They are not averse to Friday's AmerIndian bloodlines, nor are they averse to the Maori peoples; their rationale is that both groups are "first peoples." But for their daughter to marry a Tongan! She is instantly disowned. Friday risks it all, and loses, when she demonstrates her AP self.

The space flight and transportation makes my head hurt, and the continued sexcapades with all of the people she picks up are a bit much. But Friday does struggle with acceptance into humanity and her story is reasonably well told.

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Heinlein's classic tale of a combat courier and her adventures is no less thrilling upon multiple readings. The political and social implications of his futuristic society are well-thought out and bear the unmistakable Heinlein stamp. If you're a fan of his other works, you'll like this one. If

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your morals are conservative and your politics are anything other than libertarian, you probably won't like it.

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There, Jayme, you want embarrassing admissions? I read this book like ten times in high school.

For the dirty parts, obviously, which were pretty much all of them.

Once again, a testament to our ability to grow up more or less normal even despite the weird shit we were exposed to during puberty. This

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lady's nipple totally gets sawed off.

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There's nearly always a quote in Heinlein's books that sticks in the mind; in this one it's "Throughout history, the conventional way of dealing with an awkward witness has been to arrange for him to stop breathing."

I monstly liked this book. The elements I liked, I liked a lot: a strong heroine with amazing abilities, what's not to love? Interesting living arrangements and technology.

What I didn't like:
- the way a rapist becomes a lover in the end
- how Friday, like aaaaaall women, ends up wanting to be a

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mother.
But then, it's Heinlein. He's not known for his feminist views. Viewed as an adventure novel, it's pretty much fine.

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