Stranger in a Strange Land

Robert A. Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land Cover

Stranger in a Strange Land

Sushicat
1/4/2015
Email

Valentine Michael Smith, the Man from Mars, knows nothing of his home planet when he arrives there. Not the language, not the customs, not what it means to be human, since he was raised by Martians. Circumstances lead him into the strange household of Jubal Harshaw, where he adapts to life on earth and learns all there is to be known to this strange future world. As he does, so do we learn about the strange abilities he acquired on Mars.

This was a very strange read. Not focused – as I had expected – on Mike's discovery of our world. But a lot of the story is about his abilities and how he uses them to shape his life on earth and start transforming humanity according to his own ideals. Very irritating is his description of women and their role in the story. I wanted to give up on this at many points, yet there were so many fascinating ideas I kept coming back to continue reading. I'm left fascinated, irritated and a bit baffled. Not at all what I had expected.