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Time Enough For Love

Author: Robert Heinlein

Arguably, Heinlein's opus magnus, though people tend to argue the point. It's about the life of Lazarus Long (a.k.a. Woodrow Wilson Smith) the oldest living human. The guy's been kicking around for over two millennia, and is sick and tired of living! So his friends keep him talking and reminiscing, hoping that he'll snap out of his depression. The book is divided into several sections. Time-travel appears in the last one, entitled 'Da Capo'. Finally, Lazarus Long decides that he wants to see what the world and time he was born into would look like from his 2k+ year perspective. So, he finds himself a time-machine and off he goesâexcept that he doesn't land in 1919 as planned, but in 1916, just before the US got involved in WW1. Complications from this little slip include him meeting his mother and falling in love with her. This in turn, among other things, leads to him eventually enlisting in the army (long story). Before he leave for Europe, he and his mother actually 'consummate', as they say, their profound mutual and apparently irresistible attraction. Once in Europe, Lazarus is seriously wounded and almost dies, but is rescued just in time by his future friends and saved.Why it's on the list: Because this is easily the most controversial use (some might say abuse) of a time-machine, right? Unless you count #16 maybe.

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