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Stranger in a Strange Land Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,867 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...
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stranger in a Strange Land, winner of the 1962 Hugo Award, is the story of Valentine Michael Smith, born during, and the only survivor of, the first manned mission to Mars. Michael is raised by Martians, and he arrives on Earth as a true innocent: he has never seen a woman and has no knowledge of Earth's cultures or religions. But he brings turmoil with him, as he is the legal heir to an enormous financial empire, not to mention de facto owner of the planet Mars. With the irascible popular author Jubal Harshaw to protect him, Michael explores human morality and the meanings of love. He founds his own church, preaching free love and disseminating the psychic talents taught him by the Martians. Ultimately, he confronts the fate reserved for all messiahs.

The impact of Stranger in a Strange Land was considerable, leading many children of the 60's to set up households based on Michael's water-brother nests. Heinlein loved to pontificate through the mouths of his characters, so modern readers must be willing to overlook the occasional sour note ("Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault."). That aside, Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the master's best entertainments, provocative as he always loved to be. Can you grok it? --Brooks Peck

From Library Journal

In 1939 Heinlein published his first sf short story and became one of the most prolific and influential authors in the genre. Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) is an international best seller and a landmark in more ways than one: it opened the trade best sellers lists to sf writers, breaking down longstanding barriers that will never be seen again. At the same time Stranger became an emblem of the 1960s generation in its iconoclasm and free-love themes. Telling the story of an Earth baby raised by an existing, ancient Martian civilization, the novel often reads as if it were the "Playboy Philosophy" in dialog form. The man/ Martian comes to Earth and broadcasts his ideas by forming his own Church. Heinlein has been rightly criticized for presenting as facts his opinions, which state that organized religion is a sham, authority is generally stupid, young women are all the same, and the common individual is alternately an independent, Ayn Randian-producing genius and the dull-witted part of an ignorant and will-less mob. Yet the book is hard to put down; in its early pages it is a truly masterful sf story. Every library with a fiction collection should have it. Christopher Hurt reads with authority, nicely drawing the characters via barely perceptible changes in intonation, harshness, and pacing. Highly recommended.?Don Wismer, Office of the Secretary of State, Augusta, Me.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000TO0TDK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ace (May 15, 1987)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 15, 1987
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1677 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 610 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,867 ratings

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Robert Heinlein
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Robert Heinlein was an American novelist and the grand master of science fiction in the twentieth century. Often called 'the dean of science fiction writers', he is one of the most popular, influential and controversial authors of 'hard science fiction'.

Over the course of his long career he won numerous awards and wrote 32 novels, 59 short stories and 16 collections, many of which have cemented their place in history as science fiction classics, including STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS and the beloved STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
10,867 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and well-written. They describe the story as engaging and entertaining with an interesting premise. The characters are described as wonderful and the relationships between them are developed well. Many customers appreciate the book's age and condition, describing it as trustworthy, in good condition, and never getting old. While some find the wordiness excessive, others appreciate the social commentary and thought-provoking ideas.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

518 customers mention "Readability"505 positive13 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find the first half entertaining and a real page-turner. The book is described as entertaining, thought-provoking, and an enjoyable read.

"...was to create a world where people were open about sex, where it was enjoyable and exciting, but with it came great responsibility...." Read more

"...question, while this 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..." Read more

"...Starship Troopers was a good concept which Joe Haldeman made into a good book, the Moon is a harsh Mistress was a quick read that kept me hooked,..." Read more

"One of my favorite books, having read it some 60 years before. There is so much that we might learn from it...." Read more

427 customers mention "Story quality"407 positive20 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story with realistic characters and emotions. They find the premise interesting and the book a fascinating read after all these years. Readers appreciate the historical perspective and the concept of the book.

"...He intermixed shock value, logic, and plain good storytelling to get his points across, and I think he did so quite wonderfully...." Read more

"In the wide-ranging genre of science fiction, there are plenty of classics, but only a few true CLASSICS...." Read more

"...my third book I read from Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers was a good concept which Joe Haldeman made into a good book, the Moon is a harsh..." Read more

"...All that said, the STORY is great!..." Read more

324 customers mention "Thought provoking"269 positive55 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and enlightening. They appreciate the interesting concepts and contemplative message. The book's wisdom and truth resonate with them.

"...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

"...Well-written and thought-provoking, this is Heinlein's masterpiece." Read more

"...Should be required reading in high school or college. I wish I could fully grok it!!" Read more

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

62 customers mention "Character development"50 positive12 negative

Customers enjoy the character development and world-building in the book. They appreciate the author's skill in developing relationships between characters and the liberal social and sexual environment portrayed.

"...Naturally, the magic Martian man is written as a really odd character, innocent and childlike, but he feels too much like a forced spectacle...." Read more

"...However, I liked the characters for the most part (even though many of them were "perfect".) -..." Read more

"...Douglas and his wife (who pulls the strings) were great characters...." 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

54 customers mention "Ageing"41 positive13 negative

Customers appreciate the book's ageing. They find it in good condition, with intact pages and minimal staining. The book is trustworthy and never gets old for them.

"...(or enjoy it as I did) then you will see why this book has survived as one of the greats." Read more

"Plot ok. Quality decent" Read more

"...Valentine Michael's innocence and trusting nature, especially early in the book, is a welcome change from so many more cynical characters in..." Read more

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

46 customers mention "Beauty"41 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the book's beauty. They find the hardcover with tasteful embossing to be a beautiful fixture. The book is well-fashioned for its time, with a seductive and memorable title. Readers appreciate the variety of tones and styles as they explore different visions for the future. The book is bold for its day in taking on the established.

"...as free love, which here means that the women are beautiful and actually become more beautiful, and are enthusiastically..." Read more

"...in my 20s when I first read Stranger in a Strange Land and loved its brilliance...." Read more

"What a seductive and memorable title this book has. It created, I think, a mystique that still surrounds the book...." Read more

"I have greatly enjoyed the Penguin Galaxy series. They're beautiful hardcover editions with a nice foreword by Neil Gaiman explaining how these..." Read more

119 customers mention "Wordiness"42 positive77 negative

Customers have different views on the book's wordiness. Some find it brilliant and explore many concepts, from politics to love. Others feel the writing is wordy and pontificating in circles for whole chapters. The story is not well told and inscrutable in some places.

"...But with that comes some errors in grammar, & spelling, and on at least one occasion a while word just thrown into a sentence where it doesn't belong..." Read more

"...He intermixed shock value, logic, and plain good storytelling to get his points across, and I think he did so quite wonderfully...." Read more

"...any absolute truth or true final judgment of evil, and perfunctorily dismisses biblical views that might be germane to cogent biblical discussion...." Read more

"...rich and unique in the beginning, but in the end, he felt flat and inscrutable...." Read more

54 customers mention "Pacing"27 positive27 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing of the book. Some find it fast-paced with lots of action and drama. Others mention that the middle of the book becomes slow and preachy, detracting from the pacing.

"...And it stayed true to its timeline. Even if you don’t see the mastery in the film the story still holds up. Stranger is Very Disappointing...." Read more

"...but one the novel becomes a long lecture by Harshaw, it just begins plodding along and feels more like listening to your senile grandfather..." Read more

"Plot ok. Quality decent" Read more

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

Great story but terrible publishing
3 out of 5 stars
Great story but terrible publishing
This book's cover started to peel from the first time I started to read it. it peels more and more with every use.Sadly this is the only 1991 unedited edition on the market otherwise is suggest getting a different print.This book will not survive multiple readings and will not look good on your shelf after the first reading.All that said, the STORY is great! About 33% more content that the original release that the editors originally didn't think would be sellable in the 60s. But with that comes some errors in grammar, & spelling, and on at least one occasion a while word just thrown into a sentence where it doesn't belong. I had to reread the sentence twice before figuring out that the word didn't belong.nonetheless, I highly recommend this story, just maybe not this printing.
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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.
    93 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2007
    In the wide-ranging genre of science fiction, there are plenty of classics, but only a few true CLASSICS. In this elite group are such works as the Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. It may be one of the revered science fiction books ever, but does it really deserve that reputation? Maybe, maybe not: personally, I like the book, but I don't think of it as one of the best sci-fi novels ever.

    The Stranger in a Strange Land of the title is Valentine Michael Smith, the son of two of the initial colonists of Mars. The original colonists all died soon after landing, but the infant Michael survived and was raised by the native Martians. Around twenty-five years later, more colonists come to Mars and bring Michael "home" to Earth.

    Michael is completely naïve to the ways of humans, which makes him the target of all sorts of people. Legally, he has incredible wealth including "ownership" of Mars itself. The government wants to keep him locked away, but the nurse Jill Boardman breaks him free and brings him to attorney/doctor Jubal Harshaw. Harshaw extricates Michael from the worst of his legal problems, but new issues develop.

    Michael has all sorts of mental powers developed through his Martian schooling, including the ability to vaporize any enemies with a thought. His unique powers and his introduction of Martian culture to Earth - including the ideas of water brotherhood and grokking - help transform Michael into either a prophet or a messiah; he gains a following of other water brothers who have the potential to usher in a new age of mankind.

    All this is just the briefest of synopses of this satisfyingly complex book. While many might think that Michael is the central character in the novel, I feel it's really Jubal Harshaw. While it's always dangerous to closely link the author with a particular character, I tend to think that Harshaw is the mouthpiece for Heinlein. And if there's a weakness in this book, it's Harshaw's pontificating. He may have good points, but at times, it seems that Heinlein (through Harshaw, and to a lesser extent Michael and other characters) is preaching more than storytelling.

    This is also the difference between Heinlein and the other two members of the so-called "Big Three" of science fiction, Clarke and Asimov. The other two focus more on science, while Heinlein seems more interested in social issues. (That's not to say that Clarke and Asimov ignore these issues - or Heinlein ignores science - but just where the focus is.)

    Revisiting my original question, while this 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. Well-written and thought-provoking, this is Heinlein's masterpiece.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • R. Nightingale
    5.0 out of 5 stars Changed My Life
    Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2024
    I first read this in undergrad and I am reading it for the last time at 75. It still has power and wisdom and the ability to make me think new thoughts. As far as I am concerned, it is THE best story in any genre that I have ever read.
  • 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.
  • H Ozinga
    1.0 out of 5 stars slechte verpakking, goed boek, jammerlijke combinatie
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on October 21, 2024
    Leuk en goed boek. De manier van verzenden (de verpakking) voorkomt niet dat het met ezelsoren arriveert.
  • 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.

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