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Stranger in a Strange Land Mass Market Paperback – May 15, 1987

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,692 ratings

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 Michael Smith is a human who has never seen another member of his species. Sent to Earth, he is a stranger who must learn what it is to be a man. But his own beliefs and his powers far exceed the limits of humankind, and as he teaches them about grokking and water-sharing, he also inspires a transformation that will alter Earth’s inhabitants forever...

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
10,692 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book magnificent, interesting, and influential. They also find the content insightful, thought-provoking, and timeless. Readers describe the characters as well-developed and eclectic. They praise the author's greatness as the best and most memorable works. However, some find the story boring, tedious, and uninspiring. Additionally, they mention the content is dated.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

496 customers mention "Readability"481 positive15 negative

Customers find the book magnificent, interesting, and influential. They say it's an entertaining science fiction story and well-paced. Readers also mention the first half of the book is great.

"...or not, whether you love it or not, you will find it to be an interesting and thought-provoking read." Read more

"...This is an entertaining science fiction story, yet, Heinlein's ideas, in this sexual-religious-social romp, border on theological sophistry...." Read more

"Good book for sifi fans. About a man from Mars that was brought to earth." Read more

"...It is science fiction, that cannot be argued, but it’s also a coming of age story, a religious story and at its very core, a story about love...." Read more

230 customers mention "Thought provoking"210 positive20 negative

Customers find the book insightful, interesting, and enjoyable. They say it leaves them with a new perspective. Readers also mention the book is filled with many ideas and amplifies their imagination. They mention it dives into socio-religious and political themes that we might very well experience in the future. They also appreciate the characters, prose, world-building, suspense, and touching utopia.

"...5. Un-Human, Superior Culture. Heinlein did a remarkable and revolutionary thing when he created the Martian culture of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND...." Read more

"...Smith's reflective, contemplative message, reminds of Thomas A Kempis ( The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions)), James..." Read more

"...question why it’s lumped into the sci-fi category because the themes are very human...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the analysis of human nature throughout the story. But I was disappointed in the direction the story took toward the end...." Read more

57 customers mention "Classic content"44 positive13 negative

Customers find the content timeless, ground-breaking, and excellent. They say it excels at the timeless lineage and introspection of humans. Readers also mention the book is good from a historical perspective and deserves its classic status.

"...Is it his best? Perhaps not. But it is a ground breaking classic, one that I enjoy reading again and again...." Read more

"...may not be the best book ever, it is still really good and deserves its CLASSIC status for its historic impact as much as its quality...." Read more

"...TLDR: decent read, dated book. Another great example of the evolution of the genre through the mid-20th century...." Read more

"...This is thus not really a work of science fiction and but rather a theological treatise...." Read more

55 customers mention "Character development"44 positive11 negative

Customers find the characters well-developed and eclectic. They also say the story is well-acted and told.

"...‘Stranger…’ is populated by an eclectic cast of personalities, to most imposing of which is my favorite lawyer, doctor, and lovable, the magnanimous..." Read more

"...Rereading it was such a joy. The story is so engaging the characters very real, and the emotions were just as strong as they were the first time I..." Read more

"...This has a very moving message, deeply engaging characters, a poignant and impactful story, good development arcs, great worldbuilding, and an..." Read more

"...it's that the women are such terribly-drawn characters. They're not very smart. They need a man to explain what's going on to them...." Read more

36 customers mention "Author's greatness"36 positive0 negative

Customers find the book one of Heinlein's most memorable works. They describe the fiction as absolutely unparalleled, marvelous, and classic. Readers also mention that the author is awesome.

"...There are moments of sheer brilliance, but much of the middle of the book becomes slow and a bit preachy...." Read more

"...This is truly a marvelous novel - if you read the right one." Read more

"...It still fulfills the responsibility of being wonderful and imagination amplified." Read more

"...They're beautiful hardcover editions with a nice foreword by Neil Gaiman explaining how these canonical books shaped sci-fi fantasy in the second..." Read more

43 customers mention "Plot"21 positive22 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot. Some mention it's engaging at first, esoteric, and provocative. Others say it gets weird in the second half and is disappointing in the ending.

"...Then Jill and Mike leave the place. At this point the book is almost a joke...." Read more

"...this book is just that it's extremely readable and leaves you with enough quirky impressions for it to be memorable..." Read more

"From a technical standpoint this book is awful...." Read more

"...Spoiler Alert - The ending was inevitable (and quite realistic) but to me a bit gratuitous...." Read more

76 customers mention "Boredom"4 positive72 negative

Customers find the book boring and tedious. They say it has unnecessary plot lines and tangents. Readers also mention there is no adventure and it's nonsensical.

"...The satire can get tedious at time, but I think this flaw is excusable...." Read more

"...The story itself is not challenging, but as I stated before, it challenges the reader to think about humans from an outside perspective and that is..." Read more

"...the brushpenned version which shows exactly what was cut out--nothing worth reading, that is...." Read more

"...There is some action, which I won't spoil, but there is no adventure...." Read more

36 customers mention "Dated content"3 positive33 negative

Customers find the content dated. They mention it's a work of art and hasn't aged well.

"This book is a little outdated. For the most part it is still a fun read but parts of it just don't resonate." Read more

"...Some of the dialogue and ideas are way ahead of their time, others very dated. Still a recommended read to arrive at the transcendent end." Read more

"...: The dialogue in Stranger has not aged well and makes for a very dated feeling read...." Read more

"...is just so much "sign of the times" within the pages that it's aged very poorly." Read more

This book is a classic
5 out of 5 stars
This book is a classic
I read Stranger in a Strange Land years ago in high school. I thought of the book because of Elon Musk, and his desire to head to Mars!
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2009
There is no question that Robert Anson Heinlein is one of the Fathers of Science Fiction. There is also no question that STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND is his most famous work, having been called "the most famous science fiction novel ever written." Is it his best? Perhaps not. But it is a ground breaking classic, one that I enjoy reading again and again.

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND is the story of Valentine Michael Smith (Mike), a male born of human parents on the first Earth colony ship to Mars. Literally born as the ship landed on Mars, Mike's parents and the rest of the crew died, and Mike was raised by Martians. 25 years later, a second Earth colony ship lands on Mars, and discovers Mike, the native inhabitants of Mars, and a host of unanswered questions. Mike returns to Earth, and STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND is the detailed chronicle of his introduction to, interaction with, and transformation of human culture.

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND was Heinlein's first truly adult science fiction novel, and he took on some pretty heady topics. Politics, religion, sex, equality, and the concept of a truly un-human culture (which happened to be superior), to name a few. Heinlein wove these themes into STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, each of which contributed to his idealistic vision of a perfect world.He intermixed shock value, logic, and plain good storytelling to get his points across, and I think he did so quite wonderfully.

1. Religion. Heinlein was not an atheist, as some have claimed. He did believe in a higher power; what he did not have any use for was organized religion. He believed in faith. If you had faith, true faith, then the trappings of religion were unnecessary and superfluous. They just did not matter. The Church of All Worlds in STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND was set up to show that no matter what the religious trapping were, it was faith that really mattered. He also created a religion where happiness and self-belief were the main drivers, rather than fire, brimstone, and fear. Makes great sense to me.

2. Sex. Contrary to popular belief, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND did not promote promiscuity or free love. What Heinlein did was to create a world where people were open about sex, where it was enjoyable and exciting, but with it came great responsibility. In this world, sex wasn't hidden, secret, or naughty; rather it was honest and pure and fun. People who could develop this utopian attitude became happier, healthier, less jealous, more caring, and, yes, more sexual. Responsibility to partners, offspring, and an entire extended family became the norm. In his own way, by exploring sexuality, Heinlein was exploring and redefining the meaning of family. He was also trying to define sex as a miraculous union, and to show that humans should treat it as the miracle of bonding and "growing closer" that it is.

3. Equality. Before the sexual revolution and equality for women, Heinlein clearly believed in equality of the sexes, equality of the races, equality of faiths...basically the equality of all humans. Yes, he felt women should be treated with respect and reverence and be protected and nurtured because they gave birth and perpetuated the species, but he clearly believed that they were intelligent and capable. He also believed that women had sexual needs equal to those of men and had the right to pursue those needs.

4. Politics. In STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, Heinlein clearly had little use for government, politics, or politicians. He believed that government in general was a necessary evil, but preferred that it be kept small and out of his business. He didn't care what it was based on or what guided it - astrology was the ridiculous example used in STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND - as long as it left him alone. Works for me. He also had little use for entitlements, and expected human beings to work for what they received. Again, works for me.

5. Un-Human, Superior Culture. Heinlein did a remarkable and revolutionary thing when he created the Martian culture of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. The Martians of this novel are clearly not humanoids from another planet. They do not think like humans, act like humans, look like humans, reproduce like human, live like humans, or do anything like we do here on the planet Earth. There is nothing remotely recognizable about these Martians; they are completely alien. We can't them, and they can't understand us. They are older, more advanced, and can perceive the universe around them in ways that humans do not. But humans can, if properly taught, learn some of the things that Martians do. What a marvelous concept.

In 1962 the original version of STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND won the Hugo Award for the Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year. After Heinlein's death in 1988, his wife Virginia discovered the original uncut manuscript and arranged to have it published in 1991. It is interesting to read the two books side by side, to see the differences, and to compare them. I enjoy both versions very much, and am still not sure which is my favorite. Whatever version you choose, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. Whether you have read it before or not, whether you love it or not, you will find it to be an interesting and thought-provoking read.
82 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2013
I read this book as a teenager, in the 1960s, and just, now, finished rereading it, at age 65. I see that I missed many of the author's ideas (due to my youthful lusts, antics, and ignorance of life and of the Bible). "Stranger in a Strange Land" struggles with boundaries of self, morality, and what may constitute/govern a normal healthy society. The author pokes at our spiritual needs, ideas, or rituals upon which we all depend to order our lives, whether we be atheistic, pantheistic, or monotheistic. By minimizing God and godhood to the level of individual understanding and growth, the Heinlein's story posits that all philosophical views need not be antagonistic toward one another; that, by default, truth is and should be relative, given our potentially reformed natural self-interests. Whether a `religious' or irreligious person or organization is primitive, civilized, or `who-cares', Heinlein poses that, despite our ideologies that distinguish us from others, or unite us, only a growing constructive self-awareness is really important, not whether God really exists or whether we will face a final judgment. The author's trick to redemption is how we decide to get along with ourselves and our neighbors, within a `fly right, or mess up and go back to the beginning' scenario, in contrast to the biblical one-life-one-chance view. By design or default, in this story, Heinlein relegates God below human self-actualization, and allows no room for absolute truth. Heinlein's self-fulfilling self-actualization is entirely at odds with biblical Christianity and biblical Judaism, yet quite at home with most religions and faiths that rely on salvation by personal works, and reincarnation-based religions. Maybe that was part of the author's point in telling the story.

When it comes to putting a halt to abusive powers, I have to chuckle at how Heinlein has Smith frustrate the overbearing powers-that-be. A thought struck me about twenty years ago that those who have power or understanding have a God-given responsibility to exercise discipline and restraint with those who lack power or understanding. Having more power or understanding than someone or something else does not obviate one's responsibility to exercise that power or understanding to better the world in which we live, nor does it entitle one to do ought but to treat others with love, respect, and decency, which, for the betterment of society and our world, may require that one's power or understanding be exercised to identify or destroy evil. Though this philosophy is exercised by the lead character within the story, the clarity of this comes late to Valentine Michael Smith, yet, sadly, such clarity does not move him to embrace an absolute God, absolute truth, nor his own existence as a created being that is not God, leaving Heinlein's view of life and after-life harshly in contrast to the biblical viewpoint, hence at odds with God. Martian or human, in the end, Heinlein simply does a shell game with his characters, when the issue of death arises, leaving readers to guess in what level the author will eventually hide them, to avoid a final judgment, leaving each soul's story to continue ad infinitum, ad nauseam, without any ultimate accountability.

This is an entertaining science fiction story, yet, Heinlein's ideas, in this sexual-religious-social romp, border on theological sophistry. His ideas will probably offend most established points of view. Despite his general bravado, and so bold a topic, Heinlein omits balanced discussion among the characters, fails to deal with any absolute truth or true final judgment of evil, and perfunctorily dismisses biblical views that might be germane to cogent biblical discussion. There are two upwelling truths that the author has twisted and cheapened them considerably, by his denial of absolute truth and avoiding our accountability to God's perfect righteousness. Those are self-sacrificing love and the inevitability that every soul is responsible for her/his own thoughts and actions. Though he allows watered down versions of those traditional moral elements to remain, Heinlein (who must have seen too many money-hungry medicine shows, tent meetings, and carnival acts) relies solely on human constructive self-awareness, self-discipline, and self-empowerment to pose a stab at a positive future for humanity and the afterlife. The story's quasi-moral might read, "Find any way to beat the present system and exploit it at almost any cost, so long as no one really gets hurt." Smith's earthly end-game of self-sacrifice is a corrupted shadow of Christ's. Smith's is a twisted image of self-sacrifice, a huckster's trick to work the crowd, avoiding entirely the biblical God and plan of Christ. Heinlein's bootstrap theology, in the end, can neither respect nor agree upon one God, nor save itself from its own moral meanderings and wishful unthinking of human sin.

As an author, myself, I would add that every one of our actions, gestures, and our written or spoken utterances, has its consequences, and that we are ultimately responsible, to God, for everything that we generate and utter. I believe that Heinlein's story agrees partly with my belief, except that Heinlein leaves the one true God completely out of his story. Despite Heinlein's philosophical thrust that everyone can claim "Thou art God", for self or others, I personally subscribe to the biblical view that all things and people are created by God, and that He holds us together by His Laws and will, and that there is, yet, a separation that He reserves between us and Him, that can only be bridged or reconciled through His Christ, and, furthermore, that we are the only part of His Creation that has been offered that exclusive plan of redemption. By contrast, Heinlein's story offers the carrot of constructive self-awareness as the means of possible redemption for humanity, insecurely hoping to save us from ourselves.

Craig M. Szwed
(Author, photographer, combat veteran, father, composer)
63 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2024
Good book for sifi fans. About a man from Mars that was brought to earth.

Top reviews from other countries

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Robirda
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a re-read, particularly as you age...
Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2023
This is a complex and fascinating story that clearly reflects the times it was written in - plus a whole lot more. I thought I knew this story - but as the years pass, perceptions change, and I've found more highlights to ponder this time around that I ever managed in earlier readings during the 70's and 80's. Heinlein is always great, but it's fascinating to be able to compare the various editing techniques that were used on different editions; what some folks call boring, others see as insightful. Always more layers to uncover, that's the thing I love the best about Heinlein stories, no matter who they were written for, or when, or who edited them, and how. Marvelous stuff! :-)
Douglas McLaurin
5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps getting better
Reviewed in Mexico on January 4, 2022
I have read this book about 6 times now. I purchased the Kindle edition to re experience Heinlein's masterpiece after 2 decades of not reading it and it was even better. I believe I now grok fully.
Give this book a try for a wild ride in religious synchretism and philosophy. Definitively a page turner and an unforgettable story.
Marilyn Ruston
5.0 out of 5 stars Very original sci-fi story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2024
It's an interesting and thought provoking book. I really enjoyed the story and characters. Very clever idea.
Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Un classico
Reviewed in Italy on September 5, 2023
Un classico tuttora godibilissimo ad onta degli anni trascorsi dalla sua prima pubblicazione. Si noti che questa edizione riporta la stesura originale del libro, più lunga di un terzo rispetto alla versione pubblicata nel 1961, quando l'editore richiese all'autore di accorciarla. Fantascienza, ma ancor più filosofia.
Johan
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book eller bra bok!
Reviewed in Sweden on April 27, 2023
En riktig klassiker, rekommenderas!