Expanded universe is an odd collection - unlike every other author’s volume of short stories you’ve read, EU is half author musings. It is almost as if Heinlein sat down to fill 500+ pages with social commentary, and used the short story format for about half of it.
If you are a fan of all things Heinlein you will doubtless enjoy this cross-section of his mind. If you were born in my parent’s generation, say around 1950 (or earlier), you will likely find a lot of his essays more relevant than I did - for many of them were written in the shadow of nuclear weaponry, and his predictions for the future (of which there are plenty) were made while you were alive.
I did skip over some of his expository writing - the twenty pages devoted to the history of the science of antimatter, for one - and some of his political and social rants, the ideas behind which I have already come across in other places. Such things might be of interest to the youth who is just now venturing into political thought.
My sum impression of EU is neutral; I was alternately bored and engaged. If I found it for a nickel at a garage sale, I’d snag it, but otherwise I’ve no plans to acquire it. It wasn’t by any means a waste of time, but it’s not high on my list of brain food, either.
