The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

The Cat Who Walks Through Walls follows a retired military officer turned writer who becomes entangled in an interplanetary conspiracy after witnessing a murder at a space station restaurant. His path intersects with Gwendolyn Novak, a mysterious woman who helps him escape to the Moon while evading persistent assassins. The narrative expands into a complex mission involving the Time Corps, an organization that manipulates historical events through time travel. Their goal centers on recovering Mike, a sophisticated computer system with the ability to predict outcomes across multiple timelines and alternate universes. The story connects to other works in Heinlein's universe, featuring appearances by recurring characters Lazarus Long and Jubal Harshaw. Military operations, space travel, and temporal mechanics form the backdrop for the core plotline. The novel explores themes of identity, causality, and the interconnected nature of reality while questioning the relationship between free will and predetermined destiny in a multiverse setting.

Readers describe this as one of Heinlein's more challenging later works, with a sharp divide between the first and second halves. The initial chapters read as a straightforward sci-fi adventure, while the latter portion connects to Heinlein's multiverse and incorporates characters from his other books. Readers praise: - Fast-paced opening act - Witty dialogue - Return of familiar characters from past Heinlein works - Complex time travel concepts Common criticisms: - Confusing plot in second half - Too many references requiring knowledge of other Heinlein books - Self-indulgent writing style - Abrupt tonal shift midway Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (15,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (500+ ratings) "The first half is vintage Heinlein. The second half feels like a different book entirely," notes one Amazon reviewer. Multiple Goodreads reviews suggest reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and The Number of the Beast before attempting this book.

Number of the Beast by Robert A. Heinlein A multiverse adventure explores parallel worlds through space-time while incorporating characters and settings from other Heinlein works.

Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein A man faces reality shifts and parallel universes while navigating a complex relationship with religious and supernatural forces.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers A space crew encounters various species and cultures during their journey through wormholes across the galaxy.

Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein The story follows a long-lived human through multiple lives and adventures across time and space while exploring themes of love and mortality.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis A time-traveling historian moves between Victorian England and the future while dealing with paradoxes and romantic entanglements.

🌟 The novel serves as a crossover event, connecting multiple books from Heinlein's "Future History" series and "World as Myth" multiverse. 🌟 Published in 1985, this was one of Heinlein's final novels, written when he was 78 years old and dealing with significant health issues. 🌟 The book's title references quantum mechanics, specifically the concept of "quantum tunneling" where particles can pass through seemingly impenetrable barriers. 🌟 Several characters from Heinlein's earlier works appear, including Pixel the cat from "The Number of the Beast" and Manuel Garcia O'Kelly from "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." 🌟 The novel includes references to Heinlein's own military experience at the U.S. Naval Academy and his background in engineering, particularly in its detailed descriptions of space stations and lunar colonies.