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246 of 266 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Science fiction's greatest achievement, December 4, 2002
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 mantra of sorts naming yourself and those around you God. The "I am God, you are God" theme is essentially Heinlein's means of emphasizing the personal responsibility of each individual for his own life. It is not strictly antireligious, but certainly it is not an idea that would go over well among most fundamentalists. I say most because I am a fundamentalist myself, but I understand what Heinlein was saying and recognize the fact that, after all, this is fiction. Frankly, though, the free love theme bothers my sensibilities and causes my viewpoint of the novel to change somewhat. Even though disapproval began to temper my enthusiasm toward the end, I certainly cannot give this book less than five stars. Science fiction readers had never read anything quite like Stranger back in 1961; its originality, bold themes, and fearless writing hit with the force of a hurricane, and science fiction has never been quite the same. The Hugo Award this novel rightfully won barely begins to give it the honor and acclaim it deserves. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough, albeit I must enclose a caveat with my endorsement. This book has the power to shock readers even today; do not let your own beliefs take away from the wonder to be found in the pages of this novel. Stranger requires and deserves a completely open mind from anyone who would approach it; it also requires multiple readings to even begin to plumb the depths of its riches. Anyone wanting to understand and get a true appreciation of the genius of Robert Heinlein really must read Stranger, but I would not recommend picking this book up before you have sampled some of Heinlein's other wares. It would be a real shame to let any adverse emotional reaction to the themes of this novel deprive you of the joy and wonder to be found in countless other Heinlein stories and novels.
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36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you are not philosophically inclined, don't read this book, October 20, 2005
This novel was way ahead of its time in many ways, and yes, stuck in the 50s in other ways. Reading some people's negative reviews here has been amusing.
Most of them presume that Heinlein was writing from their 90s or post-2000 perspective for some insane reason. Take note: He wrote this *before* the so called "free-love" movement had become widespread in the 60s. Take further note: The water-brother mini-society he created in the novel wasn't "free-love" at all, but had a quite high barrier to entry.
Other negative posters are clearly unable to escape their ethnocentric viewpoint, finding the relationships constructed by Heinlein to be distasteful based on their societal values. If you are unable to think about a society that practices polyamory without feeling embarassment or nausea, or really think that it is simply "unnatural", then don't read this book. (...)
Most of all, remember this is science fiction. It's intended to portray an alternate reality, and I think it does a fine job of that while satirizing our reality at the same time. I could go on about other particulars of the book, but I won't: In short, this is one of the finest books ever written.
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38 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wildly Comic, Deeply Bitter, And A Pager-Turner To The End, June 17, 2005
A great many people have read Heinlein's STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND since it was first published in 1961--but while almost everyone enjoys the story, very few seem to actually get the point or indeed even understand what the novel is.
The story concerns Valentine Smith, a child born during Earth's first and failed attempt to establish a colony on Mars. The child is raised by Martians and absorbs Martian civilization, teachings, and training as if he were of the race. When a later expedition discovers Smith, he is "rescued" and returned to earth--and promptly begins a series of adventures that would put Voltaire's CANDIDE to shame.
Given the novel's premise many have described it as science fiction, but it is really nothing of the kind; futuristic concepts play only minor roles in the construct and imaginings based on science are more minor still. In fact, STRANGER IN A STRANGER LAND is essentially a satire, and like CANDIDE it focuses upon avarice, power, ignorance, and hypocrisy--and religious hypocrisy in particular.
In short order Smith is kidnapped by the government that claims to have "saved" him--and becomes a pawn in a series of political power plays designed to strip him of both his legal rights and his inherited wealth for the benefit of the status quo. No sooner does Smith escape this ordeal than he finds himself plunged into organized religion of the most vulgar description imaginable, complete with slot machines in the narthex, bar service in the sanctuary, and a stripper in every corner.
Unable to comprehend the motives of man, Smith goes underground in an effort to more fully understand the race--and after an unexpected turn emerges as a quasi-religious figure himself, preaching a philosophy that merges Martian and Earthly thought. But Smith proves all too human and is no more immune to human vices than those whose vices he seeks to correct, and the twin demons of government authority and religious fanaticism soon rise up to meet him.
Changing mores have left STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND with a slightly dated feel, and in some respects it reads as slightly sexist and faintly homophobic. Even so, the unfolding plot, the memorable characters, and Heinlein's bold style command attention; it is a page-turner if ever there was one. And the novel's razor-like derision of man's social inventions remains as bitterly comic--and as bitterly compelling--as ever. Strongly recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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