This is an old Robert Heinlein novel I haven’t seen in ages (and didn’t remember much of what I saw back then, to be honest) so I’m revisiting it.
I have to say it’s not one of Heinlein’s best stories – there’s a lot of discussion about his favorite topics (sex & the place of the woman in a marriage) and the hero isn’t particularly likable in every instance, but it’s a fun read nonetheless. The main character, EC (Evelyn Cyril!) Gordon, also known as “Easy” or “Oscar,” is broke in France when he reads a newspaper advertisement looking for a hero. Gordon is no hero, but he applies anyway, where he meets a mysterious woman named Star who he’d seen once on a beach and had been searching for since. She explains that they will be traveling into another dimension, with the aid of a second man, the seemingly elderly Rufo.
Star explains that their ultimate goal is to retrieve something called The Egg, which is held in the stereotypical tower filled with bad guys. They fight their way there, rescue The Egg, which turns out to be a cybernetic record of all the past rulers of Star’s Kingdom – and she turns out to be an Empress of many worlds! Gordon is now in the place of all those princesses who marry and live “happily ever after.” He quickly finds this life boring and longs to return to “The Glory Road” of the hero. I’ll leave the ending for you to enjoy if you choose to read the story. As I said, it’s not what I consider his best work, but it’s fun.
