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Stranger in a Strange Land
  
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Stranger in a Strange Land (Hardcover)

by Robert A. Heinlein (Author) "ONCE UPON a time there was a Martian named Valentine Michael Smith ..." (more)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (451 customer reviews)

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From Amazon.com

Stranger in a Strange Land, winner of the 1962 Hugo Award, is the story of Valentine Michael Smith, born during, and the only survivor of, the first manned mission to Mars. Michael is raised by Martians, and he arrives on Earth as a true innocent: he has never seen a woman and has no knowledge of Earth's cultures or religions. But he brings turmoil with him, as he is the legal heir to an enormous financial empire, not to mention de facto owner of the planet Mars. With the irascible popular author Jubal Harshaw to protect him, Michael explores human morality and the meanings of love. He founds his own church, preaching free love and disseminating the psychic talents taught him by the Martians. Ultimately, he confronts the fate reserved for all messiahs.

The impact of Stranger in a Strange Land was considerable, leading many children of the 60's to set up households based on Michael's water-brother nests. Heinlein loved to pontificate through the mouths of his characters, so modern readers must be willing to overlook the occasional sour note ("Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault."). That aside, Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the master's best entertainments, provocative as he always loved to be. Can you grok it? --Brooks Peck --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

In 1939 Heinlein published his first sf short story and became one of the most prolific and influential authors in the genre. Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) is an international best seller and a landmark in more ways than one: it opened the trade best sellers lists to sf writers, breaking down longstanding barriers that will never be seen again. At the same time Stranger became an emblem of the 1960s generation in its iconoclasm and free-love themes. Telling the story of an Earth baby raised by an existing, ancient Martian civilization, the novel often reads as if it were the "Playboy Philosophy" in dialog form. The man/ Martian comes to Earth and broadcasts his ideas by forming his own Church. Heinlein has been rightly criticized for presenting as facts his opinions, which state that organized religion is a sham, authority is generally stupid, young women are all the same, and the common individual is alternately an independent, Ayn Randian-producing genius and the dull-witted part of an ignorant and will-less mob. Yet the book is hard to put down; in its early pages it is a truly masterful sf story. Every library with a fiction collection should have it. Christopher Hurt reads with authority, nicely drawing the characters via barely perceptible changes in intonation, harshness, and pacing. Highly recommended.?Don Wismer, Office of the Secretary of State, Augusta, Me.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
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Customer Reviews

451 Reviews
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3 star:
 (48)
2 star:
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4.1 out of 5 stars (451 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favorites, April 15 2004
By Essay "essay27" (Arkansas, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stranger In A Strange Land (Mass Market Paperback)
I haven't read this in about 10 years, since my father gave me an unabridged edition, and loved the nuances I didn't really pick up on as a teenager. It's a good tale, with Jubal probably the most well-rounded character of the huge cast. I love his ramblings on religion, especially when he declares that he figures he'll get to the end and figure out that Mumbo Jumbo of the Congo was the correct deity after all. Mild male chauvanism just fits the nature of the tale (and the time period it was written).
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Started off good, April 3 2004
By William Black "buddman921" (La Vergne, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Stranger In A Strange Land (Mass Market Paperback)
The first couple of sections are very good. Of course, you have to suspend disbelief, but this is easy as long as you just redefine mars as a planet in another galaxy or something. Science proved wrong alot of what was written in this book. Stereotubes? The were TV's then. Like a good reader though, I can suspend disbelief and believe that people call the TV a stereo tube.

Some where in the second or third section the book turns to complete crap. It becomes Heinlein's reactions to religion and philosophy. Most religions are blasphemed and free love orgies run rampant. The way Mike makes things just disappear has me worrying about the environment and I really don't see what humans are doing know as that damaging. Did I mention this book is sexist. Women are nurses, strippers, secretaries, rites of passage in new religions. The purpose of women in this story is to serve men, even sexually. (...) But every man realizes that this is just a male fantasy.
Read something else.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Man I hated this "classic", May 25 2004
By The MacGuffin (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stranger In A Strange Land (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked this up last year as part of my attempts to educate myself on the classic sci-fi novels. Before I started in on Ray Bradbury I tackled this. It even made that Billy Joel song that was so popular in middle school. How could it go wrong?

50 pages in I was hoping the bad writing got better. It did not. Most of the novel is simply bad preaching disguised as a sci-fi novel. I wasn't bothered by the ideas in the book as some defenders might want to suggest. I've participated on discussion lists about polyamory and religion. So I found nothing new here. Maybe if Heinlein could construct more than a straw man argument for the other side his preaching would be easier to swallow.

As bad as the so-called story is, the so-called characterizations are even worse. I had hopes for Jubal at first, but he proved to be less of a character and more of a caricature. (...) .

I still recommend this, despite the fact I hated it. You cannot have love without hate. And maybe if you are still 13 years old this will seem like a revelation. Time and experience have revealed this true nature of this novel to me.

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 		 Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Like the Manson family, but with more funding, and a man from Mars
The men are powerful and rich, the women are willing subordinates who happen to adore nudity. Orgies ensue. This story didn't even really need a man from Mars.
Published 8 months ago by MC

5.0 out of 5 stars Hear a tale that will lever you wanting more
The title says it all. As you read this story of a stranger who brings more than novelty to his new world, different people will read different things into the story. Read more
Published on Oct 2 2006 by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars An extrodanarey and anthralling book
This is the type of book where you can read it all night and day forgeting to eat. But once your done reading it you regret not reading slower and savering it. Read more
Published on Dec 5 2005 by Trent Ziffely

5.0 out of 5 stars Stranger in A Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein is the story of a human, Valentine Michale smith, who was born and on raised on mars, and now on earth must come to understand the... Read more
Published on July 20 2004 by Jacob Gest

1.0 out of 5 stars I finished it, but....
I just finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (pretty good overall), and went to SIASL because it had been recommended it to me before. Read more
Published on July 12 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous read
Heinlein is amazing and this book is on my list of favorites forever. I recommend it to non-sci fi fans as well as sci fi lovers. Read more
Published on Jun 24 2004 by C. Schuster

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for a first time Heinlein reader
Stranger is a very stange book. It is not a bad book, but it is strange. If you are a first time reader of sci-fi or of Mr. Heinlein, I would avoid the one. Read more
Published on May 7 2004 by Andrew L Rice

5.0 out of 5 stars GROK=APPRECIATE
I am especially writing this review as a reply to S.P Brady who thinks that he didn't like the book because of the word GROK. Read more
Published on May 3 2004 by Tsering

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Is Believing....
This was the first Science Fiction book I had ever read and fortunately it turned out to be the best. The best part of the book is the first half and the ending. Read more
Published on May 3 2004 by Tsering

3.0 out of 5 stars Strange book to say the least
This book starts off as the typical SF novel of the 50s. A crewship heading to Mars from Earth etc. However, by page 3 they are all dead. Read more
Published on April 22 2004 by Jason Nelson

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