Stranger in a Strange Land
Books | Fiction / Science Fiction / General
3.8
(1.2K)
Robert A. Heinlein
The original uncut edition of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Hugo Award winner Robert A Heinlein - one of the most beloved, celebrated science-fiction novels of all time. Epic, ambitious and entertaining, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND caused controversy and uproar when it was first published and is still topical and challenging today. Twenty-five years ago, the first manned mission to Mars was lost, and all hands presumed dead. But someone survived... Born on the doomed spaceship and raised by the Martians who saved his life, Valentine Michael Smith has never seen a human being until the day a second expedition to Mars discovers him. Upon his return to Earth, a young nurse named Jill Boardman sneaks into Smith's hospital room and shares a glass of water with him, a simple act for her but a sacred ritual on Mars. Now, connected by an incredible bond, Smith, Jill and a writer named Jubal must fight to protect a right we all take for granted: the right to love.
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More Details:
Author
Robert A. Heinlein
Pages
300
Publisher
Hodder & Stoughton
Published Date
2014-06-05
ISBN
1444710230 9781444710236
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Grok means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science—and it means as little to us (because of our Earthly assumptions) as color means to a blind man."
Regina Simmons
"First off, the only thing I really knew about this book was that it was mentioned in Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", so that is to say, I didn't really know anything. I was even surprised to discover that it was sci-fi when my sci-fi/fantasy book club was discussing possible selections. It is indeed sci-fi, but more than that, it is 60s, but I was only able to really get that after I switched from the paperback to the audio book. I liked it better as audio, but I still only liked the parts Jubal was in - didn't really care for any of the other characters.<br/>"
"A monumental achievement of (science) fiction - a satirical yet compassionate meditation on human relationships - love, religion, sex, jealousy, intimacy, language, self-interest, innocence, and duplicity. I love reading great post-WWII / pre-Internet sci-fi - the Buckminster-Fuller-esque spirit of techno-utopianism and the radical visions of a better society always inspires. <br/><br/>Heinlein's masterpiece was full of surprises for me. I had barely heard of the guy before. He must have been big before though because I kept finding his name on lists with Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov. This book certainly corrected my ignorance - Heinlein is legit. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a refreshing bit of sci-fi because there's hardly any discussion of technology, Heinlein instead opts to use sci-fi as a lens through which to tackle big ideas about human relationships and society. The story and characters are compelling on their own merits without the aid of fancy techno-props.<br/><br/>Heinlein's dry humor is fantastic too. He incisively observes and comments on the base and self-interested nature of both high and low individuals in our society. His bit on the Fosterites in particular is great - and apparently influential. I couldn't help but notice echoes of Archangels Foster and Digby in Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's "Good Omens".<br/><br/>I had heard of the word "grok" before, but hadn't realized that Heinlein coined the term and that this book introduced the concept into our language. The idea of "grokking" plays a central role in the narrative and some reviewers have gone so far as to call the entire book a prolonged definition of the concept.<br/><br/>Share water and grok closer my brothers!<br/><br/>Review cross-posted from <a href="http://books.max-nova.com/stranger-in-a-strange-land/">http://books.max-nova.com/stranger-in-a-strange-land/</a>"
"My first DNF of the year. I really tried with this one as it's one of the original Sci-fi stories, but all the characters seemed very 1 dimensional and the dialogue style really grated on me. Any of the dialogue acted as if it was a Dick Tracy novel and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe one day I'll try again."
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