Stranger in a Strange Land

by Robert A. Heinlein

Book Overview

Robert Heinlein's Hugo Award-winning all-time masterpiece, the brilliant novel that grew from a cult favorite to a bestseller to a science fiction classic. Raised by Martians on Mars, Valentine... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441790348
• Release Date: May 1987
• Publisher: Ace
• Length: 438 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.1" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Positive fantasy

Good vibes

Simply amazing

From Heinlein's view of the future, the bizarre religion the book spawned, to the emotions it evokes, when you come to grok this book, you'll be happy you picked it up.

This book is a true gift.

It was writtwn in the '60s, but its ideas and ideals are timeless. It has such a unique and selfless take on love and relationships. It changed my life.

Valuable

If you’re a science fiction fan this definitely deserves to be on your book shelf, the story isn’t original or persuasive it’s VALUABLE. I would advice anyone to read slowly and carefully Mr. Jubal is a very informative guy along with Mike. Stranger in a strange land forces you to highlight, underline and THINK.

The meaning behind the story is incredible....

I am shocked at some of the bad reviews below.... I guess the book was set up well for me because I can see how someone just picking this up at random could find it quite boring. I was suggested to read this from a friend who told me it was one of the best books she has ever read in her life, but yet one of the worst stories. I love the book, though. Jubal makes a great comment that really relates how I view "Stranger in a Strange Land" "Anybody can see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl she used to be. A great artist can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is... and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be... more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo see that this lovely young girl is still alive, prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart... no matter what the merciless hours have done." The story and plot itself is, honestly, a boring old woman compared to other stories "meant" to excite you. I feel I see so many of the points behind the actual story itself, though. If you really analyze this book as you read (which isn't hard because Heinlein does a great job of almost forcing you to think and relate), you will see so many relevancies to so many things. Beyond that, the concept, if read and understood from start to finish, is quite genius. Buy this book and be prepared. This is a trip and a work of art. You must treat is as a work of art and give it the attention it deserves. The more attention you put into it, the more you will get out of it at the end. Enjoy!

Science fiction's greatest achievement

Reviewing Stranger in a Strange Land is quite a challenge. Is it the best science fiction novel ever published? I would say yes. Is it my favorite? No; it's not even my favorite Heinlein novel. To add a little more irony to the pot, Heinlein himself insisted that the book is not really science fiction to begin with. Stranger really marks a huge turning point in Heinlein's career. Unhappy with the brand of "juvenile" writer and the editing that position constantly entailed, Heinlein was determined to write a truly adult novel, one with no taboos, no limits, and no restrictions of any kind. With Stranger in a Strange Land he accomplished that in spades, basically taking on the heretofore sacrosanct subjects of sexuality and religion. Heinlein was not sure that anyone would even publish this story that took him 12 years to write; what was published was a mere figment of the original manuscript, 60,000 words having been cut out. Even though Heinlein did the editing himself, it had to have felt like jabbing an ice pick into his own heart to do it. Thankfully, we can now read the complete, original manuscript the way Heinlein intended the story to be told.The plot is deceptively simple. The first manned mission to Mars never made it home to Earth. The second mission, twenty years later, found Valentine Michael Smith, an infant born on Mars and the only surviving member of the ill-fated first mission. Having been raised by Martians, Smith is literally a stranger in a strange land when he is brought back to earth with "miraculous" abilities and a Martian philosophy of life. The Federation government basically hides him away from prying eyes, partly in fear of the legal and political dangers posed by his unique status. Having been raised by Martians, the human experience is completely new and rather frightening to him. He has never even met a woman until nurse Jill Boardman sneaks into his room to get a glimpse of him. Fearful that the government is going to keep Michael basically imprisoned (or worse), Jill helps sneak him out of the hospital, and the two of them end up at the home of Jubal Harshaw. Jubal is an outspoken, older man who lives a thoroughly individual lifestyle, but he commits himself to helping Michael escape his perilous situation. Michael quickly begins to absorb human knowledge and, less quickly, begins to understand the confusing mentality of human beings. Halfway through the novel, you may be asking yourself why the book was so controversial; the answer becomes clear as Michael now steps out into the wider world. He and Jill move around incognito, and Michael learns more about people. After a stint as an unsuccessful magician, he eventually decides to become a preacher. He's not preaching a religion, though; he offers humans a new way of living and thinking, one based on the Martian system he grew up in. This new lifestyle involves a lot of nudity, a lot of open fornication, and the constant repetition of a man

A Must For Any SF Reader

I won't go so far as to say that this is the greatest work of fiction ever written - it is not. It suffers on several counts, not least of which is that it marks the real beginning of Heinlein's later descent into rambling on at too great a length propounding on the benefits of free love at the expense of gripping storytelling.That said, it nevertheless earns 5 stars not just for its well-deserved place near the top of the SF pantheon of 'must reads' but on its merits. This is no mere rayguns-and-aliens space opera and as such it was, in and of itself, also a contributor to a fundamental shift in the nature of all SF published afterward. I don't think it's going to far to say that this book reshaped the genre permanently.One thing is certain: If you haven't read this book - or much of what Heinlein wrote after - it is very different form what you're expecting. At times it seems a simple enough story. But by taking Micheal Valentine Smith and raising him in an alien culture, Heinlein is able to draw out much of what it means to be human - his main character, after all, is an alien human who must learn for himself how his fellows work to try to fit in among them. A monumental endeavour for its time and no less relavent today. And, at the risk of repeating myself, this effort continues to this day in much of the better SF being published. The newer takes on the subject may not agree with Heinlein's point of view on the nature of humanity, but they cannot ignore it and in many ways they owe their ability to approach the issue in print to this book.So, it's important. Does that also translate into a good read? Yes, it most certainly does. This novel is packed with fun and interesting characters interacting with panache and an ever-present hint of heresy that stimulates the mind to explore new ground even as it makes you laugh and/or nod your head in fervent agreement. So, if you're a fan of SF you need to read this book not only b/c no SF collection is complete without it but also b/c it's great fun.

Heinlein is, and always will be, a master

I was not a born science fiction fan. Truth be told, I always thought it all a bit silly, but at the urging of a friend I sat down and read "Stranger In A Strange Land." Well, ten years later, I have read every book Robert Heinlein ever wrote. He is a science fiction writer, but his stories center around the human condition, using science only as a windowdressing to his fine dramas. All detractors aside, Heinlein is a grand master, his prose elequently (and timeslessly I might add) speaking about what it is to be human. And "Stranger In A Strange Land" is a great example of this. The protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians, becomes through the course of the book the most human character of all, despite is otherworldly upraising. And eventhough the book was written in the late '50s, it reads as though it came off the presses not too long ago.As for those who would speak ill of Heinlein and his works, especially this book, you either did not fully understand what it was he was trying to say (unlike the millions of others who did), or you can't see past the science fiction trappings to the inner story. It sparked an entire generation of people to be free and to love, and it continues to do so to this day. In the end it is a book about true love, pure love, and every time I read it I am reminded of what it means to be human. If you want a reminder too, read this book. It isn't a dearly loved classic for nothing...PS: And just so you know, I am a member of Generation X, and it is just as relevant to me as it was to those who came before me.