Methuselah's Children
- 188
- Pages
- about 3.5 h
- Reading time
- Prometheus Award - Hall of Fame
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
Our view
“Methuselah’s Children” builds a clever story around the Howard families, people who have bred themselves for exceptionally long lives. Expanded in 1958 from a 1941 magazine serial, it belongs to Heinlein’s “Future History” and introduces Lazarus Long. Some readers find the plot implausible and the characters thin; others are put off by its dated, patriarchal outlook. Readers at ease with older science fiction will get the most out of it.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Methuselah's Children is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in the July, August, and September 1941 issues, it was expanded into a full-length novel in 1958. The novel is part of Heinlein's Future History series of stories. It introduces the Howard families, a fictional group of people who achieved long lifespans through selective breeding.
Reading order · Future History
Full order & progress →- Life-LineStart here
–Not ranked yet - MisfitMisfit–Not ranked yet
- Blowups HappenBlowups Happen–Not ranked yet
- "Let There Be Light""Let There Be Light"–Not ranked yet
- "If This Goes On—""If This Goes On—"–Not ranked yet
- CoventryCoventry–Not ranked yet
- Requiem
–Not ranked yet - The Roads Must RollThe Roads Must Roll–Not ranked yet
- —We Also Walk Dogs—We Also Walk Dogs–Not ranked yet
- Logic of EmpireLogic of Empire–Not ranked yet
- The Green Hills of Earth
–Not ranked yet - "It's Great to Be Back!""It's Great to Be Back!"–Not ranked yet
- Space JockeySpace Jockey–Not ranked yet
- Ordeal in Space
–Not ranked yet - The Black Pits of LunaThe Black Pits of Luna–Not ranked yet
- The Long WatchThe Long Watch–Not ranked yet
- Delilah and the Space RiggerDelilah and the Space Rigger–Not ranked yet
- Gentlemen, Be Seated!Gentlemen, Be Seated!–Not ranked yet
- The Man Who Sold the Moon
–Not ranked yet - The Green Hills of Earth
–Not ranked yet - Revolt in 2100
–Not ranked yet - The Menace from Earth
–Not ranked yet - Methuselah's ChildrenThis book
7.67.6 / 10 - Orphans of the Sky
7.67.6 / 10 - The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein
–Not ranked yet - The Past Through Tomorrow
–Not ranked yet - Time Enough for Love
7.67.6 / 10 - The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
7.27.2 / 10 - To Sail Beyond the Sunset
7.67.6 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.4 across 78 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 35% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.4 | 10 | 13% |
| Hardcover | 7.4 | 68 | 87% |
Frequently asked
How long is Methuselah's Children?
It has 188 pages — shorter than 95% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Science fiction — and a score of 7.6, the closest to this book.
