 Critics William H. Patterson, Jr., and Andrew Thornton believe that this is simply an expression of Heinlein's longstanding philosophical opposition to positivism.Heinlein stated that he was influenced by James Branch Cabell in taking this new literary direction.The penultimate novel of this period, "I Will Fear No Evil", is according to critic James Gifford "almost universally regarded as a literary failure" and he attributes its shortcomings to Heinlein's near-death from peritonitis.