Beyond This Horizon: Discovering Heinlein
In the years since I fell down the Twitter/Substack rabbit hole, I had frequently heard the name of Robert Heinlein mentioned by those writers and commentators whose opinions I value the most. The impression that I got from these second-hand sources was that he was a writer of great imagination and foresight, to say nothing of his commercial appeal and status as one of the Big Three of sci-fi, along with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. I wrote down his name in my notes, thinking I’d get around to reading something of his eventually, despite knowing that I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction books.
A few weeks ago, I was walking around my neighborhood when I saw one of those hipster library boxes that are used in programs to encourage people to read. Curious, I took a glimpse at its contents and quickly saw Heinlein’s name. In all honesty, I was under the impression that all his books were very long, and if I had stumbled upon a 400-pager, I might’ve just carried on with my walk. But since Beyond this Horizon was a fairly thin tome, I decided that the forces of serendipity wanted me to read this. I took it home and got started.
As I began to dive in, I was surprised at how easy going through the pages was despite the frequently dense subject matter. Heinlein’s ability to turn a sentence was quite dexterous, and the descriptions of futuristic technology made sense to me even though it seemed that they shouldn’t. I figured that perhaps reading it in 2024 made this process easier, yet I was still in awe of how somebody in the mid 20th century had been able to visualize such processes and gadgets. Furthermore, it was apparent early on that the book was mainly concerned with the effects of enhanced genetic breeding in a futuristic utopian society. I am fascinated by population genetics and traits, so I began to feel that this was exactly the right book to discover Heinlein for myself.
In the world of the novel, a majority of humans have been genetically selected for favorable traits, with a few select lines (star lines) known as the creme de la creme of humanity, and a few non-selected people (control naturals) are also around, serving as a living reminder of the past. The economy is so productive that a sort of universal basic income has been implemented, meaning that the only people who are working are those driven by passion and industry to do so. Perhaps anachronistically, citizens of good standing always carry a gun in public, and deadly duels over seemingly petty matters are not uncommon. Those who do not want to carry a gun wear a brassard that signifies lower status. It seems existential ennui continues to plague humanity, even in a world without disease, war or poverty.
Hamilton Felix is one of those driven to work by a genuine interest and knack for the craft. He is a free-spirited game-maker who is quite successful, but has also become a bit of a nihilist. His good friend is the neurotic Monroe-Alpha Clifford (Cliff), an economics quant who can’t ever seem to enjoy himself. One night when they are out to dinner, Hamilton gets into a duel with some guys at a restaurant. He manages to get off scot-free, while getting on the radar of Mordan Claude, a synthesist. These are a sort of scientific generalist( I thought of Steven Pinker) who command great respect within this society, and are in charge of managing the star lines’ breeding stock. We learn that Felix is a descendant of one of these lines, and his genes are desired by science to create even more perfect humans. Despite its triviality, I liked how Heinlein switched the naming order in this world.
Unfortunately for Mordan and humanity’s future, Felix does not seem interested in the idea of being a father. Although he seems successful, happy and in good health, he does not believe there is an inherent purpose or meaning to life. Most people don’t appear to be happy, he says. He challenges Mordan to offer up a worthy response, but doesn’t get further insight into the matter. When questioned as to when he begin having thoughts of the emptiness of existence, Felix mentions that he wanted to be a synthesist when he was an adolescent, but was unable to because he possessed a fatal flaw: he lacked an eidetic (perfect) memory. It is also revealed that he grew up without knowing his parents in a “development center”. Mordan is confident that he can predict a man’s future simply by looking at his DNA and tallying up his strengths and weaknesses, if there are indeed any.
In this part of the novel, Heinlein dexterously explains the principle of DNA recombination, as well as the difference between environmental and genetic effects for traits( he uses the example of teeth quality). There is also a brief explanation of the wars that led up to the events here, including the Second Genetic War, where unscrupulous gene editing led to the creation of armies of hyper obedient super soldiers and other monster-like creations. The current gene editing has strict rules and parameters, and takes into account the happiness and natural conditions that an individual has the right to pursue. Only mutations and genes that occur naturally are candidates for selection. Continuing his courting of Felix, Mordan tells him that a woman who is a distant cousin from one of the same star lines has been identified as the best match for Felix, and that they could have children of exceptional ability. When Mordan shows him a picture of her, the confident Felix says she’s cute, but he knows many others like that already. He exits Mordan’s office remaining steadfast in his conviction not to have children.
At a party, Felix encounters somebody who was part of the group of the man he dueled at the restaurant earlier on. He reveals that Felix was not the intended target; they were after a different person. The man continues speaking and says that he is a member of a secret revolutionary group that seeks to use DNA science in a less restrained way to improve mankind in a more effective way. Or so he says. Felix is invited to one of their meetings, as the group knows he questions the current DNA system. Cliff, who is stuck in a marriage that has run its course, meets a beautiful woman at the same party that seems to shake him out of his lifelessness, only for him to trip while dancing with her. True to form, he can’t find her afterward.
The woman chosen for Felix, the extravagantly named Longcourt Phyllis, arrives to pay him an unexpected visit at his place. She is beautiful, strong-willed and unusually for a member of the female sex in this society, she carries a weapon. After some back and forth about why she does this, with Felix saying that women like her want to behave like men only because they face none of the consequences of such actions, they begin to fight in a half serious, half jesting manner. Their encounter turns into an erotically charged one as Felix manages to take the upper hand, even though he does end up respecting her fighting prowess. Before things progress any further, Phyllis departs as an excited Felix says they will have a lot of fun together. Mordan’s plan seems to be going well, even if Felix insists to Phyllis that he does not want children.
Felix arranges a meeting with Mordan through Cliff, who is better acquainted with him. He asks if Mordan sent Phyllis to his residence, and the reply is a firm “no”. Moving on to the conversation at the party, Felix has deduced that the only way the man from the revolutionary group knew that he opposed the current gene editing program is that somebody in Mordan’s office leaked their earlier meeting where Felix had been told of his pedigree and the plans for his offspring. Felix offers to infiltrate the group as a double agent, having taken the oath for his own safety. Mordan appreciates his loyalty, but claims he and other government high-ups already knew about the group’s plans. After retorting that there are still things they don’t know about them, Felix convinces Mordan to let him continue undercover, with one condition: that Felix’s sperm will be stored safely by Mordan, and will be used to sire children should Felix die. A deal is struck.
As the novel continues, Felix manages to rise up the ranks of the revolutionary group without arousing any suspicions. At the same time, he begins courting Phyllis and it seems that all is going well. They even get around to discussing children, and Felix finally seems open to the idea of life as a family man and father. The group leaders reveal to him that there is an upcoming date on which they will stage their attempted coup, and Felix finds out to his astonishment that Cliff is a part of the group. However, he would likely face death one way or another, as he is not a double-agent like Felix is. After a brief confrontation, Felix subdues Cliff and sends him off in a type of aircraft away from the fighting while his friend is in a drugged haze.
In a not so surprising denouement, Felix and Mordan valiantly shoot it out with the leaders of the plot and manage to defeat them through their superior tactics and home advantage at the DNA clinic. Cliff attempts suicide, only to miraculously run into the girl he’d been smitten with at the party earlier. Felix and Phyllis have a son named Theobald, whose genes are so off the charts that a great future is expected of him. Cliff divorces his wife to marry the girl and finally seems to get a taste of happiness. Grateful for Felix’s help, Mordan and the board responsible for budget spending agree to dedicate a good portion of scientific efforts to inquiring the mysteries of the nature of life and what happens after death that Mordan had been unable to assuage Felix about in the beginning of the story. Felix himself is appointed to a contributor role in the project, allowing him to live out his childhood dream of being a scientist.
As Theobald grows up, he is found to possess an eidetic memory, which he uses to constantly correct his parents and others about minor details. At this stage, my initial fascination with the world of the novel began to wear off, although in fairness the short length meant this was not a lasting feeling. As Felix and Phyllis are awaiting the arrival of their daughter, Theobald begins to show signs of telepathic ability. Their household gets mysterious visits from Carvala, an elder stateswoman from the board. Using state of the art technology, during the birth of their daughter Theobald is able to confirm that Carvala’s consciousness has been re-embodied in some way in his new sister after the former’s death. The title’s connection to the plot is finally illuminated. We end with the Hamilton family blissfully together at the beach, and Felix no longer caring about the metaphysics of existence and simply enjoying every moment.
Once I finished reading, I was somewhat baffled by the ending, although I suspected that Mordan was scheming to get Hamilton’s seed from the beginning. I even thought that he had engineered the rebellion simply to give Hamilton a taste of real stakes, a whiff of death. Sort of like that thing they say about funerals being a great aphrodisiac( was this from Wedding Crashers? I think so). The general theme of humans stumbling upon new existential issues and dilemmas even in the midst of awe-inspiring, life-altering scientific progress reminded me of one of Richard Feynman’s speeches in The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. Speaking of economic theory, he notes that at the time, the idea of every man being fulfilled in a material sense was considered to be a utopian goal. Very presciently, as he gave this speech in 1964, he points out that well-developed economies seem to develop a new set of social problems, and that no concrete answer or charted course can ever be found for human well-being. We must keep coming up with new objectives and pose more questions, while hoping the net effects of this enormous and multi-variate process are positive. With that being said, it would be very entertaining to imagine how scientific proof of life after death or re-incarnation would alter our lives, decisions, actions and systems of economic and social organization.
There is much to appreciate in this book. The world-building in the first third of the story is detailed and vividly imagined, with amazing parallels to modern technology and conditions, as well as those ethical quandaries which are only today coming into focus. There is a tragi-comic dimension to the ways in which Cliff and Felix seem to be unfulfilled, and a clever acknowledgement of how man remains a biologically-ruled organism even despite the trappings of superior technology and gadgets. The machinations of the plot are somewhat predictable, and the revolutionary group never posed a credible threat to the current order. The fawning over Felix in the narration and in his treatment from various characters does get a bit contrived, an übermensch whose only character deficit is that he wants to remain a bachelor. After some additional research, I have learned that other works are considered by most to be Heinlein’s best. In spite of this, I do recommend it if like myself, you are interested in the implications of DNA editing, realistic sci-fi and the eternal mysteries of the human condition. If you are already familiar with his oeuvre, please be as kind as to share your favorites in the comments.
Anyway, once I had mulled over some last thoughts, I headed to my local library box to return the paperback. I was glad to have popped my Heinlein cherry, my mind filled with images of the future and those who dare to dream of it. I don’t know if I am the only person who has actually grabbed a book from that box, but I’d like to think that people do occasionally discover them in this manner. I’m no Luddite, yet for some reason I feel the surprise of finding this book made for a better experience than if I had ordered it on Amazon after some deliberation. Kind of like listening to your favorite song on the radio as opposed to playing it on repeat five times. Like it was fated.
