A stasis field established in the 20th century and purported to contain living specimens of the year 1926. J. Darlington Smith was found inside and revived when the field was finally released.
Ancient Benevolent and Fraternal Order of the Wolf
Symbol worn to indicate that a man is unarmed (women are not expected to arm themselves). It was considered a sign of weakness and inferiority, except on the elderly.
Hamilton Felix's sidearm of choice, a .45 caliber model recreated from a model in the Smithsonian Institution. It was considered highly unusual, since most weapons used energy beams, not projectiles.
control natural
People who were conceived without the intervention of genetic selection. They were used as controls to determine how far genetic engineers had manipulated human development from the "original" state. They were subject to such ills as caries, allergies, and degenerative diseases. In compensation they received special government subsidies, but they were sometimes treated as social inferiors.
Council of Policy
Political body that analyzed economic indicators and determined monthly citizens' allowances.
Cyril (no last name)
Member of a restaurant party disturbed by an accident of Monroe-Alpha Clifford's. The altercation culminated in an exchange of gunfire; the other party was astonished that Clifford used a projectile, not an energy-beam, weapon.
[mentioned in passing] Ancient researcher into the meaning of dreams. [Mispronunciation of Carl Jung?]
Eastern University
College from which J. Darlington Smith graduated, no longer in existence when he was rescued from the Adirondack Stasis Field. By implication, the educational system had changed radically since the 20th century.
Government that attempted to breed supermen, which instigated the Second Genetic War.
Espartero Carvala
Patagonian representative on the Genetic Planning Council, a control natural and formidable figure. She claimed to be certain that her opinion on life after death was correct. There are implications that she was reincarnated as Hamilton Justina.
The "Oldest Living Thing on Earth", jokingly proclaimed President Emeritus by the Survivors Club in its public guise.
Genetic Planning Council
Government agency that oversaw genetic "improvement" of humans; their role included maintaining a group of control naturals against which the genetic changes could be compared.
Headquarters of the Ancient Benevolent and Fraternal Order of the Wolf. It was used as a meeting place by the Survivors Club.
Hamilton Felix
The "culmination of a three-hundred-year program of controlled genetics". Unfortunately for the genetic planners, he had no interest in producing offspring. After thwarting a revolt by the Survivors Club and falling in love with Longcourt Phyllis, he took more of an interest in life. In response to his demand to know whether life had meaning, a colossal research project into that question was organized by the government. He and Phyllis had two children, Hamilton Justina and Hamilton Theobald.
Member of the Survivors Club conspiracy, given unspecified assignments for the revolt.
Hartnett Marion
A guest at Johnson-Smith Estaire's party with whom Monroe-Alpha Clifford fell in love. After a frantic search for her, he met her again in the Sierra Nevada Forest while he was still deranged from the abortive Survivors Club coup. Thinking she was a mutation, he tried to kill her, but she survived. She was actually an experimental genotype possessing extraordinary emotional control and civility. She married him in spite of his earlier behavior towards her. Clifford called her "Molly".
Product of genetic experiments by the Empire of the Great Khans. They were extremely specialized, and so ultimately a failure. [Latin, "changeable man"]
Hornby Willem
Survivors Club conspirator. He was accused of disobeying orders and summarily executed.
Member of the Genetic Planning Council, Speaker for the Day during the hearing to consider Mordan Claude's proposal for an investigation into life after death.
Probably a fancy name for computer; it uses paper tape. It was used for economic predictions: every transaction was entered into it and analyses were issued quarterly.
[mentioned in passing] Tourist city, apparently somewhere in South America.
Larsen Hazel
Monroe-Alpha Clifford's ortho-wife, a former professional dancer. After an amicable divorce, she resumed her career to take entertainment troupes to outplanet scientific posts.
Law of Stable Money
Theory that governed the economy: "In a stable economy, debt-free new currency must be equated to the net reinvestment."
Entity invoked by Hamilton Felix; quite possibly it served as a deity.
Longcourt Phyllis
Woman chosen by Mordan Claude as the most perfect genetic mate for Hamilton Felix; a practicing psycho-pediatrician. Although he initially resisted, she and Felix were married, and they had two children.
[mentioned in passing] Economic system (not described) that preceded the one administered by Monroe-Alpha Clifford.
marriage
Marriage is obviously important to Heinlein. In many stories a marriage is central to the story, the characters take time out from crises to marry, or it is implied that marriage between main characters is inevitable. Serial monogamy is apparently common in the society of Beyond This Horizon. Marriage contracts are for a limited number of years, renewable by mutual consent.
District Moderator for Genetics, married to Bainbridge Martha. Worked hard at persuading Hamilton Felix to have children, arranging for him to meet Longcourt Phyllis and founding the Great Research (into reincarnation) at his behest.
They were occasionally introduced by genetic engineers to foster improvements in the human race. Excessive tampering such as that by the Empire of the Great Khans led to warfare.
[mentioned in passing] South American city near the Orinoco River, which suffered from an overabundance of credit.
Northwest Colony
Enclave founded by people who resisted the attempt to genetically eliminate violent tendencies. There was eventually a war between them and the outside world. (Also called the
Northwest Union.)
Parmalee-Hitchcock
[mentioned in passing] Recessive gene that determines a pacifist personality.
It was an accepted custom — i.e. virtually a social necessity — for men to wear weapons. Since social offenders could be challenged to a duel, with no legal punishment, this custom allegedly served to discourage on public rudeness and obnoxious behavior. Unarmed males were treated as social inferiors but were also exempt from challenges unless their behavior was extremely offensive. Women rarely went armed, and were often belittled when they did.
J. Darlington Smith
Man discovered inside the Adirondack Stasis Field. He revived the ancient game of "feetball", and served Hamilton Felix as a translator of ancient (i.e. 20th century) documents.
Steinwitz (no first name)
Member of the Survivors Club conspiracy, assigned to the Power Center during the coup attempt.
Stokes Coagulator
[mentioned in passing] Common sidearm.
Survivors Club
Club that met in the Hall of the Wolf; McFee Norbert was a member. Superficially a drinking club, it was actually a revolutionary cabal. Hamilton Felix was recruited but agreed to act as a double agent for the government. Monroe-Alpha Clifford was duped into joining, but was "rescued" by Felix. The Club attempted a coup d'état and was presumably wiped out.
Dr. Thorgsen (no first name)
Inventor of an apparatus to determine the origin and destination of the galaxy.
(Beyond This Horizon)
time
J. Darlington Smith was seen as a "time traveler" although he had not really bypassed the normal sequence of time.
