The Puppet Masters

I read a number of Heinlein's later and more famous novels about 20 years ago. Lately I have been going back and reading some of his juvenile novels and earlier works. The Puppet Masters stands out as one of his best novels of this early period. I loved the mixture of alien invasion story, the horror elements, along with the homage to the pulp detective novel genre. I have read some criticism of the novel as being misogynistic. While some of that criticism is appropriate I still enjoyed the novel and felt that Heinlein was mainly paying tribute to the pulp detective novel in his main character and not truly expressing misogynistic ideas of his own. In truth the main character is complex and shows some real emotional depth at times for what might be a caricature in the hands of a lesser author. Highly recommended if you have enjoyed any of Heinlein's work or enjoy your sci-fi with a tinge of horror.