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The Pursuit of the Pankera

First edition
Author	Robert A. Heinlein
Cover artist	Scott Grimando
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Caezik SF & Fantasy, Shahid Mahmud (US)
Publication date	March 24, 2020
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print, eBook
ISBN	9781647100018

The Pursuit of the Pankera is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, published in 2020 based on a rediscovered manuscript. As such is it the last published work by this iconic author. The introduction was written by David Weber

History

The Number of the Beast was published in 1980. However, an earlier version or variant of the book, fully written, was never published. No one is exactly sure why the other text was never published, but many theories have been put forth. One is that Virginia Heinlein was not happy with the manuscript. However there were significant copyright issues which may have been a major hurdle at that time.

Both The Number of the Beast and this other variant took liberties with characters and settings created by other authors, in particular with E. E. Smith's Lensman series and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. Heinlein was a major fan of these writers and used these elements as a tribute to his favorite authors.

Whatever the reason, this variant of the book never got published and over the years, the original manuscript only survived in fragments, primarily in academic institutions.

Shahid Mahmudthe owner of Arc Manorsecured the US rights to publish this variant, originally titled by Arc Manor as '''666''' as a reference to the sister novel The Number of the Beast. This title was eventually changed to The Pursuit of the Pankera, a direct reference to the book's plot, which concerns itself with the pursuit of the alien race known as the Pankera. The novel was published in March 2020 by Arc Manor's flagship imprint, Caezik SF & Fantasy, with permission from the estates of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and E.E. Doc Smith.

Plot

The Novel revolves around four main characters: Zebadiah Carter, Dejah Thoris "Deety" Burroughs, her father Jacob Burroughs, and Hilda Corners. They use a specially equipped vehicle, the "Gay Deceiver," capable of traveling through different dimensions.

The story begins with the group escaping an assassination attempt by jumping to an alternate universe. The attack appears connected to Jacob's invention that facilitates their universe-hopping ability. The group, realizing they are being targeted, uses the "Gay Deceiver" to flee across multiple universes to elude their unknown assailants.

As they navigate through various parallel Earths, each with its unique characteristics and challenges, they encounter different versions of themselves and familiar figures from their own world, leading to confusing and complex interactions.

Their journey to understand who is behind the attacks and why leads them deeper into a web of multiverse intrigue. They discover that the motive behind the assassination attempts is tied to control over the technology that enables interdimensional travel.

The climax of the novel occurs when the group confronts the main antagonist in one of the parallel universes. They engage in a battle of wits and technology to stop the villain's plan, which threatens the stability of multiple universes.

The resolution sees the group successfully thwarting the antagonist, securing their safety and the safety of the dimensions they've traveled. They return to their original universe, more aware of the vast possibilities and dangers of multiverse travel.

Differences between The Number of the Beast and The Pursuit of the Pankera

Both The Number of the Beast and The Pursuit of the Pankera start off the same for the first one third of the book. After the first third, the books diverge completely. While The Number of the Beast morphs into something very different than a straightforward adventure tale and there has been substantial speculation about what the book is about. As the book progresses, the alien Pankera are largely ignored and the main characters encounter all sorts of strange situations.

Jack Kirwan wrote in National Review that the novel is "about two men and two women in a time machine safari through this and other universes. But describing The Number of the Beast thus is like saying Moby Dick is about a one-legged guy trying to catch a fish." He went on to state that Heinlein celebrates the "competent person".

Heinlein buff David Potter explained on alt.fan.heinlein, in a posting reprinted on the Heinlein Society, that the entire book is actually "one of the greatest textbooks on narrative fiction ever produced, with a truly magnificent set of examples of how not to do it right there in the foreground, and constant explanations of how to do it right, with literary references to people and books that did do it right, in the background." He noted that "every single time there's a boring lecture or tedious character interaction going on in the foreground, there's an example of how to do it right in the background."

On the other hand, The Pursuit of the Pankera stays on message and is even reminiscent of earlier Heinlein's in many ways. This is a traditional Heinlein novel with a coherent plot that focuses on overcoming the alien invaders.

Parallel books in parallel universes

Both The Number of the Beast and The Pursuit of the Pankera deal with multiple universes. The start of the books (approximately one-third) is precisely the same. The storyline changes when the four main characters make their first jump in their universe-hopping ship, making their first jump from their original universe to a parallel one.

In other words, the characters jump from one universe to another and from one book to another, creating a situation where the two universes have two different books.

Unfortunately, since one variant was never published during Heinlein's lifetime and there was no discussion about it, there is no information about the author's intentions, whether this was an intentional (elaborate) experiment in writing about parallel universes or not. Regardless, the fact that the text diverges precisely at the point of the first jump to a parallel universe gives the two books a unique relationship: parallel books about parallel universes.

Literary significance and reception

References

1. Kirwan, Jack (1980-12-12). "Books In Brief". National Review. 32 (25): 1522–1523. ISSN 0028-0038.
2. "Heinlein Society". heinleinsociety.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-01.

External links

• The Pursuit of the Pankera title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• The Number of the Beast at Open Library

• Books based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• 1980 American novels
• 1980 science fiction novels
• American science fiction novels
• Barsoom
• Metafictional novels
• Fiction about flying cars
• Novels by Robert A. Heinlein
• Works originally published in Omni (magazine)
• New English Library books