Misfit (short story)

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Misfit is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein. It was first published in the November 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. One of the earliest of his Future History stories, it was later included in the collections Revolt in 2100 and The Past Through Tomorrow.

[edit] Plot summary

The story concerns Andrew Jackson Libby (here nicknamed Pinky, for his red hair, but later nicknamed Slipstick), a boy from Earth with extraordinary mathematical ability but meager education. Finding few opportunities on Earth, he joins the Cosmic Construction Corps (see Civilian Conservation Corps), where his astounding abilities prove crucial in moving an asteroid from the Belt to near-Earth orbit.

"Slipstick" Libby became one of Heinlein's recurring characters, and would later appear in several works associated with Lazarus Long, among them Methuselah's Children and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls.

v • d • e Robert A. Heinlein's Future History Collections The Past Through Tomorrow, The Man Who Sold the Moon, The Green Hills of Earth, Orphans of the Sky, Revolt in 2100, The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein, Expanded Universe Short stories "Life-Line", "Let There Be Light", "The Roads Must Roll", "Blowups Happen", "The Man Who Sold the Moon", "Delilah and the Space Rigger", "Space Jockey", "Requiem", "The Long Watch", "Gentlemen, Be Seated!", "The Black Pits of Luna", "It's Great to Be Back!", "—We Also Walk Dogs", "Searchlight", "Ordeal in Space", "The Green Hills of Earth", "Logic of Empire", "The Menace from Earth", "If This Goes On—", "Coventry", "Misfit", "Universe", "Common Sense" Novels Methuselah's Children, Time Enough for Love, To Sail Beyond the Sunset