The Door into Summer by Robert A. Heinlein
"The Door into Summer" is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein that explores themes of time travel, cryonics, and robotics through the story of Daniel Boone Davis. Set against a backdrop of societal upheaval following the fictional Six Weeks War, the narrative begins in 1970, where Daniel finds himself betrayed by his friend Miles Gentry, who marries his fiancée, Belle Darkin, and forces him out of his own robotics company. Faced with despair, Daniel initially opts for cold sleep—a form of cryonics—to awaken in the year 2000, hoping for a better future. Upon awakening, he discovers a transformed world with advanced technology and societal changes, yet he grapples with the loss of connections from his past.
Daniel embarks on a quest to reclaim his former life and find Frederica, affectionately known as Little Ricky, who is now married. His journey leads him to learn about a suppressed time machine, which he ultimately uses to travel back to his original time and set things right. The story culminates in his reunion with Little Ricky, his beloved cat Pete, and the prospects of a new life. "The Door into Summer" is recognized for its forward-thinking projections and the intricate interplay between personal loss and technological advancement, making it a notable work within the science fiction genre.
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The Door into Summer
First published: 1957
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—time travel
Time of work: 1970 and 2000
Locale: Los Angeles, California, and Denver, Colorado
The Plot
Robert A. Heinlein’s The Door into Summer forecasts themes that appear in his later work and packs many facets of the science-fiction canon into its abbreviated length. Although the plot is understandable, if incredible at points, the novel is difficult reading primarily because the reader must suspend disbelief and recall that this dark, yet advanced, view of 1970 and 2000 was written from the perspective of the 1950’s. By the standards of the genre, the book is short, but it unveils Heinlein’s projections for the future, including a well-developed cryonics program, time travel, and robotics.
The story begins in 1970, shortly after the Six Weeks War, a confrontation that decimated much of the eastern United States, causing all governmental officials and documents to be relocated near Denver. As the tale opens, the protagonist, Daniel Boone Davis, is contemplating cold sleep, a precursor of cryonics, which will allow him to disassociate until the year 2000. He has reached this rather desperate alternative because his best friend and colleague, Miles Gentry, has just married Daniel’s fiancée, Belle Darkin. Together, they have swindled Daniel out of the company he founded. The firm, Hired Girl, churns out robotic assistants, invented by Daniel, for harried housewives.
After Daniel makes arrangements for both himself and his cat, Petronius the Arbiter (Pete), to go into cold sleep, he makes a complete reversal and decides that revenge might be sweeter. While visiting Miles and Belle to carry out his coup, he is drugged by Belle, who accidentally uncovers the forms stating that he is to be put into cold sleep. She and Miles decide that this is a good way to get rid of Daniel. Belle takes Daniel to her own cryogenicist and puts him to sleep without his cat.
When Daniel awakes, it is the year 2000. There is a cure for the common cold, there is no smog, all clothes are made with velcro seams, and mass movers are the sole forms of transportation. Prior to undergoing cold sleep, Daniel had made financial arrangements for his reawakening, but his investments have gone sour, so he is forced to look for work. Through a series of blue-collar positions and chance meetings, he manages to work his way into a robotics lab. While learning the new technology, he discovers that most of the patents for robots carry his name.
The only negative factor in his new existence is a person from his past whom he had hoped to find in his future—Frederica (Little Ricky) Gentry, the adopted daughter of his former partner, Miles. By this point, the importance to Daniel of Pete the cat has become apparent. Much of his desire to find Little Ricky has to do with news of the animal; in addition, he had mailed her the balance of his Hired Girl stock prior to undergoing cold sleep. His quest to track her down leads him to Arizona and the news that she has married. A third motive and Daniel’s real interest in finding the girl becomes apparent: He had hoped to marry her.
In another chance encounter, Daniel learns of an inventor, Dr. Hubert Twitchell, who has created a time machine, which is suppressed by the government. Daniel tricks the inventor into a demonstration and arranges to be transported back to 1970.
After initially plopping down in the middle of a nudist colony, Daniel locates Little Ricky, tells her to go into cold sleep on her twenty-first birthday, returns to Miles’s home, retrieves his cat, and recommits himself to cold sleep for the year 2001. The book ends as he, Little Ricky, Pete, and the Hired Girl stock are reunited.
Bibliography
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