The Menace From Earth
Encyclopedia
"The Menace From Earth" is a science fiction
short story
by Robert A. Heinlein
, first published in 1957.
Living in an underground city on the Moon
, Holly and Jeff's hobby is flying with strap-on wings in a great cavern, made possible because the gravity field is one sixth the strength of Earth's. Ariel wants to try flying, and Holly, in order not to appear jealous, offers to teach her. However, during her first flight, Ariel loses control at a great height, falling toward the ground. Holly swoops down and saves her life, breaking both arms in the process.
In the hospital afterward, Ariel gently explains some things to Holly. She, Ariel, could never be interested in Jeff, being twice their age. In addition, Jeff is not in love with her but with Holly. After the accident, Jeff rushed up, stepping over and ignoring Ariel to cradle the unconscious Holly in his arms, sobbing his eyes out. Ariel tactfully leaves when Jeff arrives. After some embarrassed banter, he kisses Holly for the first time.
sets the basis for lunar exploration and development in Heinlein's future history. The memorial referred to in the story is set up in The Black Pits of Luna
. Holly is also one of the many Heinlein characters mentioned in The Number of the Beast (novel)
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
, first published in 1957.
Plot summary
The "menace" of the title is a beautiful woman tourist who visits the Moon colony and is assigned a young guide named Holly, a 15 year old girl and aspiring starship designer who is the first person narrator of the story. Her best friend Jeff develops a crush on the "groundhog" visitor, Ariel. As Jeff spends more time with the visitor, Holly becomes jealous and begins to doubt Jeff's friendship.Living in an underground city on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, Holly and Jeff's hobby is flying with strap-on wings in a great cavern, made possible because the gravity field is one sixth the strength of Earth's. Ariel wants to try flying, and Holly, in order not to appear jealous, offers to teach her. However, during her first flight, Ariel loses control at a great height, falling toward the ground. Holly swoops down and saves her life, breaking both arms in the process.
In the hospital afterward, Ariel gently explains some things to Holly. She, Ariel, could never be interested in Jeff, being twice their age. In addition, Jeff is not in love with her but with Holly. After the accident, Jeff rushed up, stepping over and ignoring Ariel to cradle the unconscious Holly in his arms, sobbing his eyes out. Ariel tactfully leaves when Jeff arrives. After some embarrassed banter, he kisses Holly for the first time.
Analysis
One of Heinlein's stories written from a female perspective, with his typically strong, independent, capable (for this era) female protagonist. It effectively contrasts a traditional teenage romance story against realistically drawn details of everyday life as a colonist on the moon.Relationship to other Heinlein works
The Man Who Sold the MoonThe Man Who Sold the Moon
The Man Who Sold the Moon is a science fiction novella by Robert A. Heinlein written in 1949 and published in 1950. A part of his Future History and prequel to "Requiem", it covers events around a fictional first Moon landing, in 1978, and the schemes of Delos D...
sets the basis for lunar exploration and development in Heinlein's future history. The memorial referred to in the story is set up in The Black Pits of Luna
The Black Pits of Luna
"The Black Pits of Luna" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein about a Boy Scout on a trip to the moon and his novel way of finding his lost brother...
. Holly is also one of the many Heinlein characters mentioned in The Number of the Beast (novel)
The Number of the Beast (novel)
The Number of the Beast is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1980. The first edition featured a cover and interior illustrations by Richard M. Powers...
.