Stranger in a Strange Land

Mar 02, 2010 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shannon (Giraffe Days) by: Science fiction and fantasy book club

Shelves: sci-fi, 2008

Apparently a classic of the sci-fi cannon, I'd never heard of this book until it came up on a book club here. It took me a long time to read only because of lack of time, and a rather annoying trait the author has that I'll go into later.

This is one of those books that tells us more about the period it was written in than anything else, so it's important to note that it was first published in 1961 and later again in 1968 - when moon fever was running high and people seemed to have high expectati...more

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Jul 04, 2008 Christy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-and-fantasy, religion-and-atheism, readinglist2-sf

This is a book that it seems like I should like. It deals with issues of religion, including a strong critique of religion as we know it, presents socially progressive ideas about sex and relationships, and relies upon a fundamentally humanist, individualist philosophy.

In the end, however, I can't get past a few things to really like this book.

1. The word "grok." I understand the meaning and significance of the word within the book and I understand why Heinlein chose to create a new word to ca...more This is a book that it seems like I should like. It deals with issues of religion, including a strong critique of religion as we know it, presents socially progressive ideas about sex and relationships, and relies upon a fundamentally humanist, individualist philosophy.

In the end, however, I can't get past a few things to really like this book.

1. The word "grok." I understand the meaning and significance of the word within the book and I understand why Heinlein chose to create a new word to carry this meaning, but "grok"? It's an ugly word and it gets used about 150 times too many in the book.

2. The use of mystic religious concepts and practices. Heinlein critiques traditional, human religions, but he is unable or unwilling, finally, to leave behind the trappings of religion, relying upon them to bolster his argument. This bothers me because it feels like manipulation, like a man trying to have it both ways by using the religiosity and losing the religion. Michael admits that his philosophy, his truth, "couldn't be taught in schools" and says, "I was forced to smuggle it in as a religion--which it is not--and con the marks into tasting it by appealing to their curiosity" (419). He admits that he is manipulating his audience (just as Heinlein manipulates his) as well as admitting that the people he is trying to save are no more than marks, dupes to be conned. This is entirely too cynical for my taste and does not accord with the whole "Thou art God and I am God and all that groks is God" philosophy.

3. The sexism of the text, which is inseparable from its heteronormativity and even homophobia. Despite Heinlein's progressive (especially for the time) ideas about sexuality and desire, he reinforces the gender dichotomy repeatedly, putting women and homosexuals in their place as he does so. Sometimes this is obviously negative and hard to miss, especially for a modern reader: "Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault" (304). At other times this is done with apparently positive statements: "Male-femaleness is the greatest gift we have--romantic physical love may be unique to this planet" (419). A statement like this one is troubling not because of its emphasis on romantic physical love but because of its insistence on the male-female gender dichotomy as a necessary component of that love.

A more substantial example arises when Jill discovers that she likes to be looked at it, that it makes her feel desirable. She says, "Okay, if a healthy woman liked to be looked at, then it follows as the night the day that healthy men should like to look, else there was just no darn sense to it! At which point, she finally understood, intellectually, Duke and his pictures" (302-3). The realization that she likes to be looked at is fine as far as it goes, although the immediate leap from there to pornography is definitely a problem (pornography of course having huge and unavoidable issues of power wrapped up in it that this analysis neatly sidesteps). Following Jill's realization of her own desire to be looked at, Mike comes to see that "Naughty pictures are a great goodness" and they go together to strip clubs to enjoy the live version. However, "Jill found that she 'grokked naughty pictures' only through a man's eyes. If Mike watched, she shared his mood, from sensuous pleasure to full rut--but if Mike's attention wandered, the model, dancer, or peeler was just another woman. She decided that this was fortunate; to have discovered in herself Lesbian tendencies would have been too much" (307). Here, Heinlein brings together his progressive, free love ideas about sex itself with his more traditional ideas about gender roles and his leaning toward homophobia. The conclusion Jill arrives at here is that a) sex and desire are good, b) women are the spectacle, never the spectator, and c) lesbianism is completely taboo, even for someone who is otherwise interested in opening herself up to sexual love in its many forms. This one scene simply brings together these ideas that recur throughout the second half of the book. Repeatedly, it is made clear that homosexual behavior is a danger for Mike to avoid and that women's role in sexual behavior is essentially passive.

4. The emphasis on self, whether in self-love, self-pleasure, self-control. There are two basic ideas here. One is stated by Patricia Paiwonski, Mike's first convert, who says, "God wants us to be Happy and He told us how: 'Love one another!' Love a snake if the poor thing needs love. Love thy neighbor . . . . And by 'love' He didn't mean namby-pamby old-maid love that's scared to look up from a hymn book for fear of seeing a temptation of the flesh. If God hated flesh, why did He make so much of it? . . . Love little babies that always need changing and love strong, smelly men so that there will be more babies to love--and in between go on loving because it's so good to love!" (288). Love is wonderful, love is a good goal, but this is a love I am suspicious of, for it is a love based on feeling good, based on happiness. There's nothing wrong with feeling good and being happy, of course, but if feeling good and being happy are the primary goals of life, then that opens the door for abuses of others in the name of love or happiness and seems a rather meaningless goal in and of itself. Hedonism alone is not enough for me.

The second basic idea is Mike's final message to the people: "The Truth is simple but the Way of Man is hard. First you must learn to control your self. The rest follows. Blessed is he who knows himself and commands himself, for the world is his and love and happiness and peace walk with him wherever he goes" (429). Again, this is not a bad goal--for once, finally, Mike brings a message of personal responsibility to add to the free love and grokking that has constituted most of the rest of the book. However, to expect the rest to follow from that kind of responsibility and self-control is just silly. This is The Secret, this is "name-it-and-claim-it" theology, this is bullshit. Like the idea that God wants us to be happy so if we all try to live for our own happiness, it will all work out, this is a philosophy that believes that YOU are the center of the universe, that everything will work out for the best.

This is the complete opposite of the philosophy provided in Kurt Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan. Vonnegut also emphasizes love and finding a kind of happiness, but in his universe, those things are refuges in the midst of chaos, small things we can each do to make the world we live in a little better, a little more livable, not means to become masters of the universe. For Heinlein, God moves from out there to in here, validating each individual person's individual desire and decision; for Vonnegut, there is no God, not out there and not in here. For me, that is much more appealing.(less)

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Stew Ceridwen, I agree with you; my points are ones of intent. I never met him and don't know his mind, as Christy stated earlier, save for the works he ha...more
Oct 01, 2012 10:34pm

Nick I thought your review was spot on. I'd like to add you as a friend so I can see what else you've read.
Dec 05, 2012 07:22pm

Apr 03, 2010 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: why-favorites, what-sf, what-glbtq, when-reread, why-favorite-authors

Nowadays, most people seem to either love or hate Heinlein. Many read his children's books like Podkayne from Mars, Red Planet and The Rolling Stones, enjoyed the adventure and moved on to his adult stuff just to get more. The politics, sexism and lack of depth went over their young heads. To them, his books were just great adventure. And yes, for the era in which they were written, they were great adventure and less sexist than most SF at the time.

My intro to the man was a little different: I...more Nowadays, most people seem to either love or hate Heinlein. Many read his children's books like Podkayne from Mars, Red Planet and The Rolling Stones, enjoyed the adventure and moved on to his adult stuff just to get more. The politics, sexism and lack of depth went over their young heads. To them, his books were just great adventure. And yes, for the era in which they were written, they were great adventure and less sexist than most SF at the time.

My intro to the man was a little different: I was dallying at the library because I wanted just one more book (I was 12 I think). My mom was trying to get me to leave so she glanced at the paperback rack where I was standing, grabbed "Stranger in a Strange Land" and said, "If you want to know how weird your father is, read this book." How could I turn that down? I grabbed it and devoured it as soon as I got home.

I loved it, the free love was eye-opening, and I announced when I was finished that I was bisexual. I've never turned back, although my mom was understandably disbelieving, never really even hearing me. (She was later shocked when I first dated another woman.)

The book affected me profoundly but I am afraid to read it again because I'm sure I'll hate it. So I have a love/hate relationship with Heinlein. He was my second favorite author by the time I graduated from high school having read everything he wrote. By the time he died, I had wised up and realized what he was really about. Libertarian politics anger me. His twisted sexism, the kind where a woman tells a man he's smarter because he needs to believe he is and yet has very little power, makes me want to vomit. And I hate to think what kind of racist drivel I'd find.

But if there was a book that actually changed my life, this is it. Yes, I was 12, and yes, I would have come out eventually and yes, I would probably strongly dislike the book now. But Stranger was my favorite book for a long time. For its place in my past, my enjoyment of it at the time I read it, and the effect it had on my life, I must give it five stars. Just don't ask me to defend it.(less)

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Oct 26, 2009 Kasia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, audio, religion, 1001-done-with, appreciated-not-enjoyed, lovely-covers

Mixed feelings here. The first half of the book reads like a suspenseful mystery/action flick with some sharp observations about language and culture clashes. And I loved it. The second half deals with whacky religion and uninhibited sex. Public nudity, open marriage, sex used for growing closer - it's all very out there and provocative, especially for 1960s. But since it's 1960 you also get a fair share of sexism. Women are often excluded from male conversations, patronised: "girl", "dearest",...more

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Oct 25, 2007 Donovan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: zealots, believers of metaphysics

For me, it would be a more apt title if it were “Strangeness in a Strange Book.” Of all the books I’ve read on the list so far [and I’ve skipped around, been reading them as I can find them], I enjoyed this one the least. Overall, I was enjoying the ideas the book was putting forth about religion and politics and community prior to Mike’s intellectual ascent [descent?] as a Man rather than a Martian. I was extra disappointed with it because the premise the book set up in Sections One and Two see...more For me, it would be a more apt title if it were “Strangeness in a Strange Book.” Of all the books I’ve read on the list so far [and I’ve skipped around, been reading them as I can find them], I enjoyed this one the least. Overall, I was enjoying the ideas the book was putting forth about religion and politics and community prior to Mike’s intellectual ascent [descent?] as a Man rather than a Martian. I was extra disappointed with it because the premise the book set up in Sections One and Two seemed very interesting and then, somehow, everything became weirdly psychedelic and communist with a side of evangelicalism thrown in.

Once he became Man, I became more and more uncomfortable with the book. I don’t know. Maybe I’m repressed, but I doubt it. Some of it probably stems from the fact that I didn’t live through the Free Love Era and the boom of Communism. Both have always been, for me, fabulous ideas that did not work; so to read about them working seems both contrived and naïve. Some of it also stems from the fact that I think Heinlein wanted to think he had some insight into the sexual feelings of women and I think he missed the mark by a long shot. Of course, you can’t win many points with me when one of your main female characters says, “Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it’s partly her fault.” [pg. 304] Plus, I’m not into losing my individuality, regardless of whether or not it makes me a member of a peaceful society.

I had the brilliant idea while reading this book to put in little markers about what I wanted to talk about. Unfortunately, it’s now about 2 months since I finished it and I no longer remember why I put the markers on some pages. I marked the section where Mr. Heinlein points out the ritualistic cannibalism in Christianity, but I forget what point I was going to make about it. I also marked the passage about Jubal’s feelings towards Fosterites and other Earthly religions. I think Heinlein was using Jubal as the adherent to Science as a religion, setting up all belief systems currently at work on Earth, pre-Martian Man, to be resolved under the power of human mental oneness i.e. “grok.” I put a marker on a page that used “grok” a lot and I think it was to remind myself to make the same point Liz made about “grok” sticking in her head and becoming really annoying. [Just wait till Ringworld for new words that will stick in your head.]

At one point in the book, I stuck a Post-It note on which I wrote, “I suppose I take it for granted that reading comprehension requires a certain level of knowledge and a certain level of common sense.” The pages to which it was stuck referenced things like Julius Caesar, the S.S., and Hemophiliacs. I realized that if I didn’t know what those things were a lot of this book would not make sense to me. It wasn’t just Stranger in a Strange Land that cause this revelation though. I was reading Ulysses by James Joyce at the same time, and, if it hadn’t been for my love of Irish ballads and history, I would really have had NO CLUE what half that book was about.

I’m always intrigued by the levels of future advancement presented in sci-fi. It’s very interesting to see what predictions have come to pass, what things are still distant dreams for us, and what things are totally wrong. On pg. 229, Heinlein mentions a star exploding and Earth not noticing. Right before I read that, I’d just finished reading an article in the Smithsonian about how astronomers have systems set up to alert them when a super nova is occurring so that they can observe the gamma ray bursts. But we still don’t have flying cars.

(less)

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Oct 13, 2008 Kristjan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kristjan by: GR Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book Club

Shelves: science-fiction, book-club-selection, reviewed

I seem to be hit-or-miss with Heinlein. I have read and enjoyed Starship Troopers and The Glory Road; however I couldn't finish Job: A Comedy of Justice and was not impressed with Stranger in a Strange Land (SISL) ... It is simply NOT good Science-Fiction (even if it is a fair piece of satire).

The book is divided into five (5) parts ...

Part One [His Maculate Origin] was a good Sci-Fi plot that I actually enjoyed ... the premise being that of a lost human boy raised by non-humans (in this case...more I seem to be hit-or-miss with Heinlein. I have read and enjoyed Starship Troopers and The Glory Road; however I couldn't finish Job: A Comedy of Justice and was not impressed with Stranger in a Strange Land (SISL) ... It is simply NOT good Science-Fiction (even if it is a fair piece of satire).

The book is divided into five (5) parts ...

Part One [His Maculate Origin] was a good Sci-Fi plot that I actually enjoyed ... the premise being that of a lost human boy raised by non-humans (in this case Martians) along the lines of Tarzan of the Apes and The Jungle Book (which is thought to have been his original inspiration for the story). Next to nothing is actually revealed about Valentine Michael (Mike) Smith's time with his adoptive people, but the story keeps humming along with a little political intrigue and mystery. Unfortunately the plot begins to sink after this until it practically disappears by the end. The koolest concept here has to be the 'Fair Witness' characters ... A very limited version of human machine proxies that could easily be the precursor to the better developed Mentats of the Dune saga.

Part Two [His Preposterous Heritage] introduces what is arguably the true main character in the story and Heinlein's alter ego, Jubal Harshaw, who proceeds to introduce 'Mike' to all the ills of human society. This wasn't all that bad a satire actually, even when Jubal waxes on the sermon a bit too much (it had the feel of watching re-runs of "Abbott and Costello', 'I Love Lucy' or 'The Dick Van Dyke Show.') Mike really takes a back seat here so that Jubal can pontificate at will, but the humor of it all was still mildly entertaining. Presumably Jubal's female secretaries provide the strong gender examples that Heinlein is noted for ... They are also incredibly shallow and boring (or as presented in one discussion thread ... They differ by a haircut). There is absolutely NO character development for anybody except Mike from here on out; and as far a Mikey is concerned, all of his character development happens all at once as he is 'wondrously converted from Tarzan/Mogli into the next Messiah of humanity. We also get two main plot items ... The term 'grok' which became a cult classic in the late 60's and the revelation that Mike has a super power to go with his naiveté that just about blows any plot discipline out of the water for the remainder of the story.

"Thou Art G-d" saith the Man from Mars ...

The rest is a complete Grokk.

Part Three [His Eccentric Education] was an attempt to develop Mike a little further so that he learns the 'art of the con' that is apparently required to make a go of any religion. Mike needs this, because he wants to harness such shams to 'trick' humans into accepting his rather dubious views on human society (which social change has now exposed as mildly sexist and homophobic).

Part Four [His Scandalous Career] Here is where Jubal comes back on stage in order whip the reader with guilt to make it easier to accept Heinlein's free love society. That is really all that you find here. We get such gems as: "I can at least see the beauty of Mike's attempt to devise an ideal human ethic and applaud his recognition that such a code must be founded on ideal sexual behavior ..." Really? Even if accepted as true, Heinlein completely FAILS to explore this concept other then to say that it is obviously good. To support his claim, he gives us a voyeuristic look into his 'Nest' (aka Harem) where such physical contact is open, natural and without jealousy BECAUSE everyone is an equally great looking sex god following the true path to happiness. The problem? We the reader get NO insight into how Mike's disciples change their thinking. They just do ... Possibly because they now see the inherent 'rightness' of the concept once it is properly explained to them (the only instance we get of that is between Jubal and Ben Caxton and that is left unresolved at the end of the encounter).

Part Five [His Happy Destiny] After such a stinging rebuke of Christianity (specifically) earlier in the story, it seems surprising the Heinlein would so blatantly force the 'Passion of Christ' upon his protagonist here; and with very little rationale other then some need to highlight one of his more hypocritical definitions of 'grok' that includes consuming the physical body of a person in order to truly know him. Add to this a complete moral bankrupcy where it is okay to cheat, steal and kill as needed and I do not see any appeal what so ever to Heinlein's proposed utopia. Sure ... I get the fact that the story is not supposed to be realistic (it is supposed to be satire) and that it was not intended to be a guide to a practical utopia, but that just doesn't save the later half of the story from being so preachy and simpleminded that it not only obscures the "important questions" about contemporary social mores (specifically sex and religion), it actually fails to entertain with its long-winded monologs defending the 'rightness' of the title character's views on the subjects. While Heinlein may not have intended to provide convenient answers to the questions he thought he was raising, that is in fact what he did, displaying a remarkable ignorance of basic human psychology that ultimately dooms his 'social commentary' to failure.(less)

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Jun 01, 2008 Otis Chandler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, fiction

I really enjoyed this book. The concept of a man who had grown up on Mars and never seen another human until he was in his twenties is such a fun idea - and a rich canvas. Watching Mike try to grok humans gave a Heinlein great opportunities to point out some of faults - and our advantages.

I think my favorite part of this book is the word 'grok'. I would bet that there are deep discussions over the true meaning of this word - but I will contend that its closest meaning in English is 'to be enligh...more

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May 24, 2009 Ceridwen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned, shit-show, sci-fi, grok-this, aliens, space-the-final-frontier

This book has the dubious distinction of being the only book I threw against a wall and never finished. There have been a few that have taken air after I finished reading them, but there hasn't been another mid-book reading-ending chuck. Some of this is historical: both obligatory book finishing and doing violence to books are things that I'm trying to leave in my past. Heinlein taught me that sometimes I need to put the book down, before I continue the cycle of violence. Thanks Heinlein! Look a...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Lisa (OhThatLisa) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one.

Shelves: 1001-books, zero-redeeming-value

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First off, what this book is ultimately about is the idea that an ideal life is one in which we combine the central tenets of Christianity with partner-swapping and group sex. But just like communism and the dashiki, the 60's proved that a bad idea is a bad idea, and no amount of drugs is going to make it work.

Nevertheless, the first half of this book is really very good. A martian-born human arrives on Earth and has to learn to function in a world to which he's wholly unaccustomed. Meanwhile h...more

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Mar 06, 2008 Dash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Amy, you've gotta read this one & tell me what you think

Recommended to Dash by: My father

Shelves: science-fiction-and-or-fantasy

Can you grok it?

I feel I should preface this review with the following information divulged upfront. This book was pushed on my by my father when I was around 16 years old. For good or bad, these were the circumstances under which I first read it, and this may have contributed to my being predisposed to enjoying the read. Before reading "Stranger" I had read half a dozen or so of Heinlein's so-called "juvenile" or "adolescent" novels, including "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" and "Starship Galileo...more Can you grok it?

I feel I should preface this review with the following information divulged upfront. This book was pushed on my by my father when I was around 16 years old. For good or bad, these were the circumstances under which I first read it, and this may have contributed to my being predisposed to enjoying the read. Before reading "Stranger" I had read half a dozen or so of Heinlein's so-called "juvenile" or "adolescent" novels, including "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" and "Starship Galileo". It is somewhat difficult for me to review these books since it has been so long since I have read them, but I must say that I enojoyed them thoroughly when I read them as an adolescent. I feel that I am qualified, finaly, to review "Stranger" now as I have read both vesions, having read the originally published severely edited version and the later released "unedited" version, I much prefer the later.

Upon my second reading of this novel, I was somewhat dismayed at the degree of misogyny therein. I was especially surprised at not noticing it the first time around. I would say that the primary reasons that I so loved this book were the way it mocked organized religion, promoted polyamorism & "free love", and was, at its core, just a very well-crafted science fiction tale. I admit that Heinlein does get a bit preachy from time to time, and some of the dialogue is offensive to many from many angles, but where it is abrasive I feel it is so in a likeable way. There are occassional exceptions to this, but I found it to be refreshing in most cases. The book is written largely in a dialogue manner, so most of the opinions and statements contained therein reflect the predjudices and social mores of the characters themselves.

The message that I most empathized with in this novel was his championing of the individual and alternately pointing out the downfalls of becoming a blind follower. Just the idea of pushing yourself beyond the percieved limitations of body and mind is captavating and inspiring.

Now that I am all grown up I would place myself, politically, far from Heinlein, although I do have a bit of a libertarian streak. I am a very "liberal" person generally, and am a pacifist, vegan, mother nature loving hippie sort of fellow. I have always thought back on the Heinlein that I read as a teen as mostly pointing out the absurdity of unbridled militarism and militiristic propaganda. I find it fascinating that some see him as being militiristic in his writings. I have not read all of his books, but from what I have read I got a wholly different impression.

I think it is interesting what the original publishers deemed too controversial and offensive enough to require editing.

Individual freedom and liberty - the negative effects of organized religion on society - sexual freedom for all -
these are the themes I can relate to and endorse contained in "Stranger in a Strange Land"!(less)

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Sep 22, 2008 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I just re-read for the SF & Fantasy book club. I've read it a dozen times over the years. Worth the time & was no effort. It's incredible to me that he captured the 60's so well & it was first published in 1961. It would have been a lot less shocking toward the end of that decade, but he actually foresaw so much of the societal upheaval we had.

Typical of Heinlein, one of his main characters is a crusty old genius, Jubal Harshaw, who pontificates a fair amount & he kept his sexua...more

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Jul 23, 2007 Bloodanna rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read_for_school

I read this for a class (Reading in Science Fiction), with all the good reviews and the fact that it's own cover hailed it as "The Most Famous Science Fiction Novel Ever Written" I couldn't wait to read it. Now, I can read a good book in a matter of days depending on how many pages it has and what's going on; this book took me nearly six months to finish.
While it had a good idea with the character of Valentine Michael Smith and his origins, his growth, it was poorly executed. The focus should ha...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Ian rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, futurity, philosophy, politics, religion, romance, sci-fi, society

Yes, I gave this one star. Yes, I think this is one of Heinlein's lesser works, despite it's "classic" status. Yes, I don't think it's particularly well-written, well-plotted, or well-paced, with paper-thin characters and a surprisingly shallow "revolution". And yes, I think it's entirely too heavy-handed and evangelical -- even for Heinlein! Despite all of those factors, I have not put it on my "tripe" shelf because I also think it's a remarkably harmless evangelical tract and I appreciated the...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Joe Boeke rated it 3 of 5 stars

I remember reading _Stranger In A Strange Land_ as a young high school student in the late 70s. At the time, the story appealed to my changing state (as an adult, I think I can finally admit that the adolescent young man who read this book the first time, did so because my friends told me it was filled with lots of sex scenes). I also remember that despite Heinlein's writing found it a difficult book to read as a result I "skipped" around looking for the "good" parts (which are all in the second...more I remember reading _Stranger In A Strange Land_ as a young high school student in the late 70s. At the time, the story appealed to my changing state (as an adult, I think I can finally admit that the adolescent young man who read this book the first time, did so because my friends told me it was filled with lots of sex scenes). I also remember that despite Heinlein's writing found it a difficult book to read as a result I "skipped" around looking for the "good" parts (which are all in the second half of the book).

However some (other) passages in the book did leave an impression on me during that first read. Heinlein's railing against the parochialism of the Church (and the Catholic Church in particular) was certainly instrumental in shaping my views on religion and partially contributed to some of my more existential leanings (I'd also note that the criticism leveled at Heinlein for passing off his impressions/views/ideas as fact is certainly warranted).

So, when I found myself stuck in the Charlotte, NC airport for 5 hours this weekend (awaiting a 5 hour flight home to LA) I surprised myself by deciding to buy the Ace (trade paperback) version of _Stranger In A Strange Land_ and re-read it -- in retrospect, I am ambivalent that I took the time to re-read the book.

The protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, is a child born on Mars to two of the crew of the first human expedition to that planet; he is raised by the Martians when a catastrophe wipes out the adults of the expedition. Years later, another expedition to Mars results in contact with the Martians and Michael's return to Earth, completely innocent of knowledge about the planet. The greater part of the novel details his attempts to understand human nature from his Martian philosophical perspective (which is rather like that of Eastern philosophy); these end in his foundation of a new religion to help human beings achieve their full potential which hitherto has been impossible because of the straitjacket of human culture.

The book makes me think, which now (that I am considerably past my adolescence) I appreciate much more. It can be slow in parts (most of the book is dialogue with very little or no action), but (and I'm not sure if it is my age, or the fact that Ace added back in 30,000 words to this edition that weren't in the copy I read 30 years ago) much more readable than the first time through.

Some parts, especially in the second half of the text, result in disturbing thought patterns, even now. The concept that all human morals are arbitrary (which is how the "Martian" Valentine Michael Smith views them) and that anything that leads one to "grow closer" is good -- also leads down a slippery slope where moral objections to murder, and other heinous things, can be downplayed (in the name of the collective growing closer). While these attacks on Western culture don't seem quite as shocking as they must have been back in the 1960s, other parts of the book are just preachy and long-winded. The international intrigue and world government sub-plot of the first half of the book are more interesting to me now than they were on my first read (but ultimately unfulfilled as Valentine Michael Smith escapes to become the messiah like character of the second half of the book).

It would be easy to write this classic of science fiction off as a novel of the hippie era and relegate it to the dustbin (and history could still do that). However, the somewhat unique premise of analyzing human culture from an alien point of view as well as the fact that the novel forever broke (maybe bridged) the barrier between science fiction and mainstream literature, put it into the classic (must read at least once) category. By all means, read it and form your own opinion. Or better yet, (re)read Starship Troopers :)(less)

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May 28, 2008 Morgan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi

This is the second Heinlein book I've read, and hopefully, the last. It's interesting to read this book in the context of it's supposedly historical influence on the 60's free-love movement, and the origin of the term 'grok' which shows up amongst the geeky stuff that I read. Other than that, I found myself severely rolling my eyes at least every other page.

On the free-love, polyamorous relationship thing, I felt he could have explored this much more. For example, during Ben's initiation into th...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Jon added it

Recommended to Jon by: SciFi and Fantasy Book Club October Selection

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, read-in-my-40s, award-winners, hugo-winner, meh

2.5-3 stars

Due to the acquisition of GoodReads by Amazon on March 28, 2013 and my existing and continuing boycott of all things Amazon, the review I wrote after reading this book now resides, safe and secure, at my blog. You can read it by following this link: http://bit.ly/ZIWd7C

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Sep 28, 2008 Kait rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I picked up Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein as part of the Science Fiction & Fantasy book club. I'm always willing to try new books, especially ones out of my typical genre. I borrowed this copy from the library, and it is the uncut version, having 60,000 words that were cut from the original restored.

If it were possible, I would have given this book 3.5 stars. I more than liked it, but I wouldn't say that I really liked it (which seems like a major commitment to me).

*Spoil...more I picked up Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein as part of the Science Fiction & Fantasy book club. I'm always willing to try new books, especially ones out of my typical genre. I borrowed this copy from the library, and it is the uncut version, having 60,000 words that were cut from the original restored.

If it were possible, I would have given this book 3.5 stars. I more than liked it, but I wouldn't say that I really liked it (which seems like a major commitment to me).

*Spoilers may start here*

I loved the first half of the book. In fact, if I could rate the first and second half of the book separately, I would have given the first half five stars. That's how much I loved it. The characters were human, the story moved along nicely and was very interesting.

Heinlein shows his adeptness at writing sci-fi by making technical, complicated things read so very well. I didn't need a quantum physics degree to understand this story at all, nor did I need any kind of advanced training in anything to understand what his gadgets and technical stuff looked like and did. It was all really plain.

The language was a little annoying - grok isn't my favorite word, but I have found myself thinking about the word a little bit. I did, however, LOVE the fact that it seemed very roaring 20's to me. I'm not sure if it was the language, the settings, or what, but it felt like someone had cut the culture of the early 1900's and transplanted them somewhere in the (not so distant, now) future and everything remained fairly intact. Some might find this disturbing, but it appealed to me - I felt very "retro" reading it... or maybe that was just how I filtered it.

After Mike learns of sex, the story went to pot for me. I'm not sure if it was my version or not, but I felt like certain cast members would get pages of soliloquy, about religion, sex, morals, etc. While I have nothing against trying to teach something to your readers, there were parts where I just wanted to shout "enough all ready! Get back to the story!" The worst scene for this (IMO) was when Ben came home from the Nest and was talking to Jubal about it. Jubal went on and on and ON about it. I found the last half of this book to be very much like this (except for maybe the last two chapters). It seems like any time that Heinlein got a chance to "speak" through one of his characters, he did. And excessively, in my opinion. I would love to know what the last half of this book was like in the cut version.

I did find that, for the most part, that Heinlein dealt with sex in good way. I'm not saying that I believe that polyamoury is something I'm interested/believe in, I just thought that he wasn't vulgar or rude. To be honest, he had more sex in his book than some of the urban fantasy type books that I love to read, but it didn't feel like the book was dripping with sex.

So I don't really know what my final verdict on the book is. I truly loved the first have of the book. I think If I could cut scenes out of the second have (the ones where things actually happened, and it wasn't just jibba jabba), I would have loved the whole thing. As the uncut version stands, it's a heck of a lot of preached, balanced by some storytelling. (less)

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Kait Matt, you've thought about this book a lot more deeply than I have, and for that I commend (and thank!) you.

I think for me, the death blow was the pr...more
Sep 29, 2008 02:34pm

Jim Kait, this anticipated the several movements of the '60's by a good bit when it was published in '61. I'd never thought about what Matt said about all...more
Sep 30, 2008 03:10am

Dec 29, 2007 Will rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Man From Mars, the main character, starts out as a fascinating, strange and fragile creature. Born on Mars and raised my Martians, creatures vastly different from ourselves, he has no point of reference for understanding human language and culture. Hell he can't even cope with our gravity! His early interactions with "his own kind" are fascinating. What makes someone human? We generally think of it as a matter of species, but the Man From Mars lacks any of our traits beyond the physical. He...more The Man From Mars, the main character, starts out as a fascinating, strange and fragile creature. Born on Mars and raised my Martians, creatures vastly different from ourselves, he has no point of reference for understanding human language and culture. Hell he can't even cope with our gravity! His early interactions with "his own kind" are fascinating. What makes someone human? We generally think of it as a matter of species, but the Man From Mars lacks any of our traits beyond the physical. He doesn't even think like us. Hilarious, poignant, and disturbing interactions ensue. Brilliant stuff, really.

Spoiler: Sadly, it turns out he's a superman. Seriously, the man of steel wouldn't last a second against this guy. And he's richer than Bruce Wayne. And a philosophical genius. Yawn. Supermen make for boring literature. Take a lesson from the Greeks and give them a weakness or two.
End Spoiler

This book has a stellar start, introducing fascinating concepts aplenty, promising to expound upon them in luscious, ground-breaking detail. Alas, it was not to be. Heinlein does not delve deep enough. He promises an exploration of the nature of language and symbols, especially the untranslatable concept. The verb, "to grok" gets a healthy exploration of it's nuanced meaning(s) early in the book. To drink, to grow closer, to think, to learn, to know, to eat, to cherish, to hate, to become: all these English verbs share meaning with, or are encompassed by, the Martian concept of grokking. But Heinlein doesn't go any further than this. He chooses to tell, rather than show, when it comes to the Martian language. Supposedly many of the great insights he is writing about can only be understood if one first learns Martian. Well, then teach us some, gorrammit! Do we need to get Professor Tolkien on the case?

Heinlein has some great insight into what laughter is, and what purpose it actually serves. Sadly, his own sense of humor gets very tiring after a while.

His notions about sex and community are quite cool to me, at first anyway. Then it kinda degenerates into 1960's-style softcore porn, complete with the literary equivalent of soft-focus lenses. Also, Heinlein's attitudes towards women are so dated as to be truly aggravating.

In summary, Heinlein really hits the mark on a lot of topics. Sadly, he raises some brilliant questions that he doesn't bother to answer. Those answers he does give are often unsatisfying. Much of it has an odor of "hippie space magic."

Ok, so I actually liked the book, on the whole. I loved the first half, and found some real gems in the second half. It deserves it's place in the sci-fi canon. Maybe some lively/thoughtful discussion will help me put it in perspective.
(less)

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Mar 07, 2007 Kate added it · review of another edition Recommends it for: NOBODY!

(Note: Original pub date is 1961)

Fuck you, Heinlein!!! That's like 3 or 4 hours of my life I'm NEVER GETTING BACK. This isn't a book, it's a pompous recitation of every one of your pet peeves and pet theories, delivered through the mouths of your utterly two-dimensional "characters" during the course of a nonexistent plot. You can throw all the orgies and kinky sex you want in there, but it doesn't make your book edgy or profound, and it sure doesn't make you a good writer.

Although, bonus hilar...more

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Jun 02, 2007 aisha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

here are some quotes i like from this book. (hah! lazy reviewer)

"'I don't pay attention to politics.'
'You should. It's only barely less important than your own heartbeat.'"(45)

"The three Federation defense stations swung silently in the sky, promising instant death to any who disturbed the planet's peace. Commercial space stations swung not so silently, disturbing the planet's peace with endless clamor of the virtues of endless trademarked trade goods"(95)

"History will justify you"(99)

"...that s...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Arun Divakar rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am yet to read Christopher Hitchens but his reputation precedes him for his acerbic pen (& tongue !) has been celebrated and reviled in equal measure. There is this book by him named God is not great and the second line of the book's title is most apt as a summary for Heinlein's story : How religion poisons everything . Hailed as a classic, hugo award winner and quite controversial at its time of release, I found this to be filled with nothing but religious patronizing and a whole lot o...more I am yet to read Christopher Hitchens but his reputation precedes him for his acerbic pen (& tongue !) has been celebrated and reviled in equal measure. There is this book by him named God is not great and the second line of the book's title is most apt as a summary for Heinlein's story : How religion poisons everything . Hailed as a classic, hugo award winner and quite controversial at its time of release, I found this to be filled with nothing but religious patronizing and a whole lot of it too. Prime example of how a brilliant idea gets convoluted with religious claptrap.

Some books stand the test of time for it makes perfect connect with a reader who comes to it even after a good hundred years. Some other books are like a mirror that reflects the world of that day and to a person who approaches the book after a good few decades, there is no connect to speak of and the entire plot is wasted on them. I suffered a similar fate in the hands of this book. It has been some forty plus years since the age of flower power, psychedelic ways to attain nirvana, the paranoia surrounding the space race and all that circus which I can digest but not fully. It's not the first time that I have done time travel with a story and its characters ! But what completely fizzed my circuits out was Heinlein's way of infusing a messianic plot line into the whole mix.

I was very satisfied with the story until the point of religious blah blah intervening. Imagine : One man who was born and raised in Mars.The guy has unbelievable superpowers which would send Superman crying back to his mamma. The man is as naive as a newborn but slowly comes to grips with the world around him. The world is a nasty place out to take him for a ride too. He takes baby steps in this world being assisted by a few kind hearted folks and what do you know....he turns out to be a messiah ! Free sex and orgies would have been a rage years ago but it bores my pants off trying to read it now. I could see a lot of parallels with Osho in the reformed Valentine Michael Smith ( the creation of an a total style of living for the people around, belief in open and unbridled love, extreme erudition to name a few traits). Considering the fact that he travelled all over India in the 60's and obtained the stature of a love guru , my hunch grows even stronger.

A book becomes controversial when it takes up subject matter that had been delicate for the public till then and goes into territory which till then had been untouched. An onslaught of sex, gurus, cannibalism and rebellion against the system would have been controversy then but is quite archaic now. Which is to say, the only value here is its antique value ! I would have foregone all this if not for this one line in the book Nine times out of ten, when a woman gets raped ; it's partly her fault. You can offer me a thousand arguments for the inclusion of this piece of appalling junk in a book but brother, I am not buying any of them. Initially I thought of a two star rating for this book but this one line and the outstandingly irritating pest of a character named Jubal Harshaw did the job of making this a one star book.

I will read your other books Mr.Heinlein but I am not touching this one with even a ten-foot pole again ! (less)

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May 29, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, futuristic, philosophy, religion, science-fiction, speculative

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Much weirder than I remembered. I last read it in middle school, and I'm pretty sure I didn't read the expanded version, so that's part of it. I also doubt I understood much of what was going on (I'd have been ten or eleven). Just finished rereading for a book club, and I really wasn't impressed.

The idea is interesting. When I read The Idiot a little while ago, I thought it had a lot in common with Stranger: innocent young man transplanted into corrupt society and forced to cope the best he can....more

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May 20, 2008 Erik Simon rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fingernails across a chalkboard.

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Dec 18, 2010 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, hugo-award-for-best-novel

I dig Heinlein. I think he's brimming over with ideas and I like how committed he is to exploring them. I plan to read more of his novels than the three I currently have under my belt, and I look forward to doing so.

However, "Stranger in a Strange Land" failed to engage me on a basic level. It's not so much a novel as it is a collection of philosophical dialogues. These dialogues usually take the form of Heinlein's idealism and utopian thinking vs. Heinlein's skepticism and questioning of his ow...more

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Dr Edward Diesel So, how is it? This book blew a lot of minds back in the hippie days...but then that seems like a pretty easy accomplishment. Is it good writing or di...more
Sep 13, 2010 08:22am

Adam So far, so good. I like Heinlein, though, at least the few novels of his that I've read. It's interesting that this book became such a huge part of th...more
Sep 13, 2010 09:08am

Jim Nice short review, Adam.

I continue to enjoy your reviews - which have a professional reviewer's voice and sensibility.

Generally, I agree that Heinlei...more
Dec 20, 2010 01:48pm

Oct 20, 2011 Apatt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-f, favorites, top-20, sf-top-20

Robert Heinlein is my favorite of the Big Three of Science Fiction (Assimov/Clarke/Heinlein), simply because I think he tells better stories and is more proficient at creating interesting characters (yes yes, YMMV!).

Stranger in a Strange Land is Heinlein at his best, creative, provocative and controversial. I may not necessarily agree with the ideas and philosophy put forward in this book but I had a blast reading about them. The protagonist Michael Valentine Smith with his weird ideas and psych...more

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Oct 03, 2008 Sandi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sandi by: Re-reading

Shelves: sci-fi, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really, really, really hated "Stranger in a Strange Land" when I read it 25+ years ago. I only disliked it this time. The first half is pretty good, if you can overlook the outdated idea that there could be life on Mars and that it could support human life. One can even suspend disbelief enough to accept that a human infant could be raised by Martians much in the same way Mowgli was raised by wolves. However, it goes downhill quickly once Mike and Jill run off to join the circus (actually, a c...more

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Mar 20, 2008 Hope rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I will try to keep this diatribe objective, but there is little chance I can conceal my loathing for this book. It's not just the author's use of faux film-noir speech, not just that he has created a speculative future that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And frankly I think that the idea that an enlightened individual creating a highly sexual new spirituality is a fantastic idea. That's just it, though. The premise is actually outstanding. The thing that makes me recoil in revulsion is that thi...more

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Jan 02, 2008 Rindis rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dad, science-fiction

This is a magical, rare thing. The first half of a great book seamlessly fused with the second half of an awful book.

It has been many years since I read it, so forgive me some fuzziness here.

The first parts of the novel are well written and believable (as long as you can go with pre-space program views of Mars, and—much worse—the idea of a manned Martian expedition that should never have gotten past psychological screening and isn't followed up for 20 years), and does a wonderful job portraying...more

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May 24, 2009 Rob rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: scifi completists only

Shelves: science-fiction, 2009, important, cannibalism

In lieu of a review (because what would be the point?), a few notes intead:

(1) I can see why it's considered a science fiction classic. On an intellectual level, I "get" that part. Hence getting shelved as "important". Creating a character and a milieu and a plot to lampoon all of our socio-cultural conventions? Even cannibalism? Brilliant! But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

(2) How did this book get lauded and praised as the "bible" of the counter-culture/sexual revolution? Heinlein's narr...more

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Mar 11, 2007 jesa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no.

i read this book because my grandpa, a chemist who never reads fiction, read it, and my dad, who only ever does crosswords and other word games but doesn't read, read it willingly and lauded it as a great science fiction/spiritual work...i found it both dragged on and offended. Misogynist, mildly offensive (it's not subversive enough today to be offensive) supermarket fiction.
Also the writing was just a step above juvenile, and it was BORING. I didn't care about any of the characters, and Heinl...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Jubal Harshaw = Charlie Wilson?!?	6	141	May 16, 2013 12:24pm
Enjoyable Science Fiction Books	20	161	May 11, 2013 09:16pm
a thing that bugs me - help, please	8	197	Jan 11, 2013 11:52pm
Not Quite A Tople...: Stranger in a Strange Land: Official Discussion Thread	11	22	Nov 30, 2012 02:40pm
Is Martian civilization a dystopia?	3	52	Oct 27, 2012 04:51pm
is this book worth my time and what age do u recomend it	20	184	Oct 22, 2012 03:09am

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