STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, A NOVEL BY ROBERT A.HEINLEIN (BOOK REVIEW)

Hello! In this post, I shall review  Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. Intentionally provocative with its ideas, this novel caused quite a stir back in its day. Published in 1961, this science fiction novel won the Hugo award the following year. However, it still ended up being banned from most school libraries due to its controversial writing. 

The author had worked on this novel for a decade. Heinlein claimed he hadn't been in a hurry to finish it as he knew the public wouldn't have been ready anyhow. Heinlein said he published it in 1960s because  he felt the times were changing- and it certainly seems he was right. Despite the controversy (that was expected) and possibly partly because of it, this novel has become a cult classic. Stranger in a Strange Land has had a profound influence on our modern culture, influencing many works of art. It even inspired a pagan church that still exists to this day. Not that this was ever Heinlein's intention. 

Stranger in a Strange Land is, in many way, a novel of ideas. Heinlein had often stressed that it was not his intention to give answers, rather to ask questions. Heinlein was genuinely surprised that some interpreted this novel as instructions on how the society should function, when it was a novel that was supposed to challenge the norms of society..

Heinlein didn't want to make a reader believe anything not even his ideas. He wanted his readers to ask questions and find their own answers. He also wanted to record the spirit of its time, including bigotry and what he personally felt was wrong. Some readers mistakenly read some parts of the book as Heinlein being a bigot. While there are certainly some questionable quotes one can draw from this book, it is important to read books understanding the historical context and the writer's intention. 

 Heinlein was pretty clear on the topic of this novel, often stressing how the intention is to make the reader questions societal norms. It's something more serious book often do, one way or the other. In that sense, I would say that this novels remains relevant in its examination of numerous (often controversial) topics. 

I OPTED FOR THE LONGEST VERSION OF THIS BOOK AND I DIDN'T REGRET IT

 In 1991,  Heinlein's widow authorized the publication of the original (significantly longer) version. This is the version I read or better to say- listened to. Yes, I've finally finished listening to the lengthy audio version of this novel! I've been meaning to read the full version of this book for twenty years now, so it's good that's finally out of the way. 

Honestly, I've read so much about this book before actually reading it that I was afraid that I will feel deja vu reading it. I was also familiar with a detailed summary of this novel! Not to mentioned knowing a number of quotes by heart. I worried about whether I will even be able to fully enjoy it, seeing that I read parts of it already.  Fortunately, my worries amounted to nothing. I immensely enjoyed Stranger in a Strange Land. I mean many of the ideas I encountered in this book weren't exactly new to me, but I still felt immersed in this strange and wonderful novel. 

FOREWORD FROM VICTORIA

This particular edition has a foreword from Heinlein's widow. She explained everything about this version. Robert wanted to write a story about a human infant raised by another alien race for quite a some time, but it was not finished until 1960. It was a book his publishers feared, so basically Heinlein was told he had to do a drastic cut if he wanted to see it in print. Robert had to cut out one quarter of the book, a nearly impossible task for such a complicated novel. Somehow, Heinlein accomplished this difficult task, he even claimed to prefer the short version. When he died, there was a new law that allowed the window to exercise more rights over the original manuscript. Fortunately, Heinlein had a copy of the manuscript preserved in the proper legal way (I forget exactly what that means, something about it being legally registered and kept in public records). Therefore, Heinlein's widow was able to reprint the book how it was originally intended to look like! Good for her and good for us.  

THIS IS A WRITER I HAVE REALLY READ A LOT FROM

I've really read an awful lot of Heinlein: nine of his novels, two of his novellas, and pretty much all of his short stories.  So, many ideas that I came across in Stranger in A Strange land, I've already read in another shape and form. I still enjoyed them, though. Will I continue reading Heinlein? Probably I will continue not just reading his works but also reviewing them. I'll share links to my reviews at the end of the post. Now, let me get to my review!

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, 4.9/5

HIS MACULATE CONCEPTION 

Michael Smith was as real as taxes, Heinlein assures us, introducing us to his protagonist. 

• ONCE UPON A TIME when the world was young there was a Martian named Smith.
  Valentine Michael Smith was as real as taxes but he was a race of one.
  • First lines "uncut edition" of Ace/Putnam 1991, Part1:Chapter1,p.5 (UC)

Stranger in a Strange land opens by with the history of an expedition to planet Mars, effectively introducing us to Michael Smith's background. While the Envoy expedition is still in planning,  Envoy is described as a rather primitive vessel and the physical danger of an eight year long trip to Mars more than tangible. The phycological danger is deemed as even greater and so an all male crew was out of the question. Therefore, it was decided (by the planners of the mission) that the best combination for the mission would be a crew consisting of four intelligent and skilled married couples. It was difficult to find the astronaut crew with the exact skills and perfect health needed. Machines constantly reviewed the data and new volunteers searching for the ideal combination. 

EVEN THE VERY BEGGINING OF THE STORY IS FULL OF TWISTS

 One ambitious pilot slash captain must had had inside information as he had suddenly flew off across the world to propose marriage to a woman who had the exact set of skills needed. Soon the two of them are paired with other three other couples to form the crew of the spaceship Envoy, with the newly wed man serving as captain. Envoy arrives on Mars but is never heard from again. If I recall well, it is implied there might have been some cheating involved, which might be what caused the deaths of the crewmembers. Anyhow, six years after the Envoy was lost, a robot mission brought photographs that showed prof of intelligent life. A man mission would be next but there was all the WWIII. After the war (some twenty and something years later), an all man crew finally landed on Mars, finding the single Envoy mission survivor, Valentine Michael Smith. 

CLEARLY, MICHAEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THIS NOVEL

Michael is the novel's titled stranger and the protagonist of the story. The title is quoted from the  Bible and the name Michael (who is like God) was carefully selected. Michael's background is quite unusual. As explained earlier, Michael's mother and father were two brilliant scientists who were travelling to Mars to make important discoveries. Unfortunately, they ended up dead, making Michael an orphan. There's also an ironical remark to his birth. Heinlein titles this part of the book Maculate conception, clearly referring to Immaculate Conception. 

 Born on the Envoy, Michael is in every way, but biological, a Martian. He was raised entirely by the Martians and he doesn't belong to a human society.  Michael is ordered by Martians to accompany the returning expedition to Earth for reasons that will be hinted on only towards the end of the novel. That's not the real plot of the novel after all! This book is more focused on examining human society through lenses of an alien culture than on direct collaboration of two alien species. 

HEINLEIN'S HEROES OFTEN TEND TO BE SUPERHEROES OF A KIND

 Many of Heinlein's heroes are superheroes of a sort. The female protagonists are usually drop dead gorgeous, brave and intelligent (sometimes scientists, sometimes just kick ass heroines) and the male protagonists are similar- usually geniuses of some kind. So, it's not surprising that Michael parents were super smart and accomplished individuals. It also makes for a funny contrast. People who assume Michael isn't too bright are the ones who themselves aren't that smart.  Accomplished as he might be intellectually, Michal is still in a difficult position. 

“There is no safety this side of the grave.”

However, once Michael finds himself on Earth, he is completely lost. He is put in a hospital. Unbeknownst to him, Michael is actually quite wealthy. Moreover, the government might want him dead for more than his money. 

Smith is not a man. He is an intelligent creature with the genes and ancestry of a man, but he is not a man. He's more a Martian than a man. Until we came along he had never laid eyes on a human being. He thinks like a Martian, he feels like a Martian. He's been brought up by a race which has nothing in common with us. Why, they don't even have sex. Smith has never laid eyes on a woman — still hasn't if my orders have been carried out. He's a man by ancestry, a Martian by environment. Ace/Putnam 1991 Part1:Chapter3,p.10 (UC)

 A JOURNALIST  WANTING TO SAVE MICHAEL GETS CAPTURED BY THE GOVERNMENT

A reporter Ben Caxton investigates the case. Soon Ben discovers that Michael is extremely wealthy and worries that he might be held against his will. Ben shares his concerns with nurse Jill, who happens to be his girlfriend. Ben worries that the  government might go as far as kill Michael.

 Reporter/ journalist Ben becomes one of the central characters, both through his relationship with nurse Jill and Michael. He also undergoes some character development, especially towards the end. However, he is not the typical hero protagonist. You might say that he gets himself captured early on, leaving his girlfriend to fend not only for herself, but for the innocent and naive Martian as well. 

A BEAUTIFUL NURSE STEPS IN AND SHE'S NO DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

A strong female character is introduced early on and she stays on the scene. Gillian (aka Jill), a nurse who works in Michael's hospital,  manages to sneak in and see Michael despite the strict rules. She is confused by his odd behaviour but they establish a connection.  Jill offers Micheal water, a gesture that unbeknownst to her has a profound spiritual meaning on Mars. Jill thus becomes Michael first "water brother", a sacred relationship in Michael's eyes. To Michael, Jill is now a member of family, a spiritual sister of sorts. She's also the first woman he ever lays eyes on.

“There comes a time in the life of every human when he or she must decide to risk "his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor" on an outcome dubious. Those who fail the challenge are merely overgrown children, can never be anything else. Jill Boardman encountered her personal challenge - and accepted it - at 3:47.”

When Ben is captured by the government, Jill realizes the danger Michael might be in.  Jill decides to risk her own life to save Michael's. Convincing Michael Smith to escape the hospital with her, they are successful,  but only with his help and under difficult circumstances. Michael seems to have powers that are hard to comprehend. The government isn't playing.

 After Gillian escapes with Michael, she seek refuge with Jubal Harshaw, a person of significant influence. He might be the only person who could help them. Jubal is an accomplished writer, businessman, physician and lawyer.  He can be very pleasant, but he can also start be (in his own words) nasty: “Sit back down—and for God’s sake quit trying to be as nasty as I am; you don’t have my years of practice.”

Maybe that is just what they need!

THE PLOT STARTS TO UNRAVEL JUST AS THE READER IS TRYING TO GET HIS HEAD WRAPPED ABOUT MICHAEL

Michael is in danger and things aren't looking up. The writer did a great job of demonstrating just how different Michael is to us at the start of the novel. Michael's utter ignorance of Earthen ways makes him as defenceless as a child. Gill is very protective of Michael, but what can she do? She already managed to do the mission impossible, escape with Michael with government on her heels. What can Jubal do against the whole government?

“....a government is a living organism. Like every living thing its prime characteristic is a blind, unreasoned instinct to survive. You hit it, it will fight back.”

“Government! Three fourths parasitic and the other fourth stupid fumbling—oh, he conceded that man, a social animal, could not avoid having government, any more than an individual man could escape his lifelong bondage to his bowels. But Harshaw did not have to like it. Simply because an evil was inescapable was no reason to term it a “good.” He wished that government would wander off and get lost!”

JUBAL IS INTRODUCED AND HE IS BOTH THE PLOT DRIVER AND A PHILOSOPHER

“Dr. Jubal Harshaw, professional clown, amateur subversive, and parasite by choice, had long attempted to eliminate “hurry” and all related emotions from his pattern. Being aware that he had but a short time left to live and having neither Martian nor Kansan faith in his own immortality, it was his purpose to live each golden moment as if it were eternity—without fear, without hope, but with sybaritic gusto.”

Just when things start to look very desperate for Michael, Jubal steps on the scene. He was one of my favourite characters in this novel. His monologues tended to be endless, but I enjoyed them. Some say he was written to reflect Heinlein himself, even though he was considerably older than our writer was at the time he was writing this character. Here are some of my favourite lines from this no nonsense character. 

“Oh, I’m not offended. But when they began handing out doctorates for comparative folk dancing and advanced fly-fishing, I became too stinkin’ proud to use the title. I won’t touch watered whiskey and I take no pride in watered-down degrees. Call me Jubal.”

“He did not expect reasonable conduct from human beings; he considered most people fit candidates for protective restraint and wet packs. He simply wished heartily that they would leave him alone!—all but the few he chose for playmates. He was firmly convinced that, left to himself, he would have long since achieved nirvana . . . dived into his own belly button and disappeared from view, like those Hindu jokers. Why couldn’t they leave a man alone?”

THE PLOT IS QUITE FAST PACING AT FIRST BUT THEN IT SLOWS DOWN

“I do know that the slickest way to lie is to tell the right amount of truth--then shut up.”

Juval sets to business, pulling all the strings he can pull and using his considerable intellect and wealth in a battle to save Michael's life. While the battle against government starts to unfold, we learn more about Michael and his unusual views and ways. Everything that is natural to us is strange to Michael and vice versa. Martians can decide when they die and even when they die, their spirits are present.

“Unexpected discorporation was always rare on Mars; Martian taste in such matters called for life to be a rounded whole, with physical death taking place at the appropriate and selected instant. This artist, however, had become so preoccupied with his work that he had forgotten to come in out of the cold; by the time his absence was noticed his body was hardly fit to eat. He himself had not noticed his own discorporation and had gone right on composing his sequence.”

The plot is quite fast paced initially, then it slows down considerably as Michael starts to feel out our world. We as readers get introduced to new characters and new philosophies. Yes, this is a novel of ideas.

THIS NOVEL HAS SOME REALLY MEMORABLE CHARACTERS

Juval doesn't live by himself. He has some interesting friends /employees. The novel doesn't stop there. As the crisis is near solution, the book starts in a totally unexpected direction with Michael becoming more proactive and discovering more about our planet. New characters are introduces and they are introduced to the existing  (already interesting) cast. I would say that the characters are the strong point in this novel. Not all of them are developed or researched in detailed, but they are all  credible and memorable!

JUVAL STARTS TO CARE FOR MICHAEL DEARLY

“[He] stopped long enough to remind himself that this baby innocent was neither babyish nor innocent — was in fact sophisticated in a culture which he was beginning to realize, however dimly, was far in advance of human culture in some very mysterious ways… and that these naive remarks came from a superman — or what would do in place of a ‘superman’ for the time being.”

Juval starts to fight this battle for more than one reason, but as the battle progresses, the reader can see how much he cares for Michael. Juval is often the voice of reason and conscience. Juval doesn't want Michael to be ruined or brainwashed by our culture. He truly seems to be want what is best for him.

“The second point I want to make is that you are right; the boy does indeed have to learn human customs. He must be taught to take off his shoes in a mosque and to wear his hat in a synagogue and to cover his nakedness when taboo requires it, or our tribal shamans will burn him for deviationism. But, child, by the myriad deceptive aspects of Ahriman, don’t brainwash him in the process. Make sure he is cynical about each part of it.”

ONE FEELS THAT HEINLEIN OFTEN SPEAKS THOROUGH JUVAL

Jival seems to think that people really do what they want to do. Is he wrong? 

“Jill, of all the nonsense that twists the world, the concept of 'altruism' is the worst. People do what they want to do, every time. If it sometimes pains them to make a choice - if the choice turns out to look like a 'noble sacrifice' - you can be sure that it is in no wise nobler than the discomfort caused by greediness . . . the unpleasant necessity of having to decide between two things both of which you would like to do when you can't do both. The ordinary bloke suffers that discomfort every day, every time he makes a choice between spending a buck on beer or tucking it away for his kids, between getting up when he's tired or spending the day in his warm bed and losing his job. No matter which he does he always chooses what seems to hurt least or pleasures most. The average chump spends his life harried by these small decisions. But the utter scoundrel and the perfect saint merely make the same choices on a larger scale. They still pick what pleases them.”

Juval is the kind of character that criticizes everything but is smart enough for his criticism to often make sense. This makes him a fun read: 

“Democracy’s worst fault is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents—a depressingly low level, but what else can you expect?

THIS NOVEL EXAMINES THE WAY EVERYONE IS INDOCTRINATED BY ITS OWN SOCIETY

We are all shaped by the society we are raised in, this novel stresses over and over again.

“All three of us are prisoners of our early indoctrinations, for it is hard, very nearly impossible, to shake off one’s earliest training.”

“It is almost impossible to shake of one's earliest training. Duke, can you get it through your skull that had you been brought up by Martians, you would have the same attitude toward eating and being eaten as Mike has.”

AS A NOVEL OF IDEAS, IT IS JUST DELIGHTFUL!

This novel manages to talk about so many different topics, from art to religion to language to culture. 

Take a look at these quotes about art: 

“Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist--a master--and that is what Auguste Rodin was--can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is . . . and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be . . . and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body.”

“What the self-styled modern artists are doing is a sort of unemotional pseudo-intellectual masturbation . . . whereas creative art is more like intercourse, in which the artist must seduce—render emotional-his audience, each time.”

“She’s not quite a mermaid—see?—and she’s not quite human. She sits on land, where she has chosen to stay . . . and she stares eternally out to sea, homesick and forever lonely for what she left behind. She’s everybody who ever made a difficult choice. [...] She doesn’t regret her choice, but she must pay for it; every choice must be paid for. The cost to her is not only endless homesickness. She can never be quite human; when she uses her dearly bought feet, every step is on sharp knives.”

THOUGHTS ABOUT LANGUAGE

Language is one of the topics examined in this novel. What is language? How does it influence us? Would learning Martian make us Martian? Would learning an alien language make us partly alien?

“If a word for a concept isn’t in a language, then its culture simply doesn’t have the referent the missing word would symbolize.” “Oh, twaddle, Stinky! Animals fight—and ants even conduct wars. Are you trying to tell me they have to have words for it before they can do it?”

“English swallows up anything that comes its way, makes English out of it. Nobody tried to stop this process, the way some languages are policed and have official limits . . . probably because there never has been, truly, such a thing as ‘the King’s English’—for ‘the King’s English’ was French. English was in truth a bastard tongue and nobody cared how it grew . . . and it did!—enormously.”

“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 as a color means to a blind man.”

SOME OF THE IDEAS IN THE BOOK WERE A BIT REPETITIVE AND SOME STRANGE

As much as I loved Juval's character, I found some of the ideas presented in his monologues a bit repetitive. At times I felt like I was listening to a sermon I heard before. This is without a doubt due to me reading so much of this author. Still, some ideas in the book were also a bit strange. There's this infamous line from Jill about rape that put many readers off and understandably so. Where was the author heading with it, I cannot really say.  It is possible that he was making a commentary of some sort. This novel is in many ways a societal commentary and a novel of ideas. 

LOVE IS IN THE AIR IN THIS BOOK

One of the themes explored in the book is also love. I don't think I will reveal too much if I say there is a lot of falling in (and consuming) love. Stranger in a Strange Land examines love in its many shapes and forms.

“Human bipolarity was both the binding force and the driving energy for all human behavior, from sonnets to nuclear equations. If any being thinks that human psychologists exaggerate on this point, let it search Terran patent offices, libraries, and art galleries for creations of eunuchs.”

MICHAEL STARTS TO ACT ON HIS OWN

Michael is this amazing creature of high emotions and spiritual states that humans are only starting to grok. However, this makes him seem a bit distant. He serves a magnet of sorts, connecting all the characters, bringing them together and making them better people. He also serves as a mirror that allows us to examine human ways. While we try to understand what Michael is feeling while he is learning about our world, we also learn about his. Nevertheless, he remains somewhat distant and passive for quite some time. Towards the ending, however, Michael stops being a sort of vessel of love and understanding, and starts acting on his own. Towards the end, he starts to feel like a more active character and becomes the driving force behind the plot.

“But goodness alone is never enough. A hard, cold wisdom is required for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.”

THE ENDING WAS WELL PLOTTED AND WRITTEN

There was a time in a novel when the story seemed to drag a little bit. Some small bits and details even felt a bit repetitive and immature. However, just when you get tired of all the philosophical talk, the story takes a sharp and unexpected turn towards the finish. The best thing about the end is that there is some real depth there. 

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

CONCLUSION: THIS BOOK IS A CLASSIC FOR A REASON!

To conclude, Stranger in a Strange Land is a brilliantly clever novel. It's a classic for a reason. 

MORE HEINLEIN WORKS TO READ

If you would like to read some of my old reviews, here's a list of his work I reviewed on my blog. The only one I wouldn't really recommend to read is The Number of the Beast. Supposedly his brain was short on oxygen when he wrote this one. No really, he had some kind of a problem. 

READ MORE OF MY REVIEWS AND FIND WHAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU:

SHORT STORIES: DELILAH AND THE SPACE-RIGGER, WATER IS FOR WASHING, SPACE JOCKEY, THE LONG WATCH, LOGIC OF EMPIRE

NOVELLAS: WALDO    MAGIC INC.

NOVELS: PODKANYE OF MARS ,   SPACE CADET  ,  THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST ,   BEYOND THIS HORIZON , STARSHIP TROOPERS, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, THE ORPHAN'S OF THE SKY, THE DOOR INTO SUMMER

I do recommend this strange and wonderful novel! The photographs are from my blogging archives. Thank you for reading.