science fictions

I was not a born science fiction fan. Truth be told, I always thought it all a bit silly, but at the urging of a friend I sat down and read "Stranger In A Strange Land." Well, ten years later, I have read every book Robert Heinlein ever wrote. He is a science fiction writer, but his stories center around the human condition, using science only as a windowdressing to his fine dramas.

All detractors aside, Heinlein is a grand master, his prose elequently (and timeslessly I might add) speaking about what it is to be human. And "Stranger In A Strange Land" is a great example of this. The protagonist, Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians, becomes through the course of the book the most human character of all, despite is otherworldly upraising. And eventhough the book was written in the late '50s, it reads as though it came off the presses not too long ago.

As for those who would speak ill of Heinlein and his works, especially this book, you either did not fully understand what it was he was trying to say (unlike the millions of others who did), or you can't see past the science fiction trappings to the inner story. It sparked an entire generation of people to be free and to love, and it continues to do so to this day. In the end it is a book about true love, pure love, and every time I read it I am reminded of what it means to be human. If you want a reminder too, read this book. It isn't a dearly loved classic for nothing...

PS: And just so you know, I am a member of Generation X, and it is just as relevant to me as it was to those who came before me.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein is the story of a human, Valentine Michale smith, who was born and on raised on mars, and now on earth must come to understand the human race.

This is a wonderful classic that I cannot say enough good things about. It is captivating and quite exceptional. Full of philosophical, spiritual, social and religious ideas that are not only mind boggling but eye opening in many ways. This wonderful piece of literature delves deep into why humans act the way they do, and how society as a whole sees the world it has created.

I have very little complaints about this novel. I found some exceptionally sexist views in this book which were unsettling to me but not surprising for a book written in 1962. That is actually my only major complaint, and the passages in which this viewpoint seeps through are so short and so sparse that it did not detour me from reading the book. Oddly enough Heinlein seems to contradict himself in these viewpoints, he writes female characters that are Strong and would make any feminist proud, and then turns around and has them say something that contradicts that very character.

So overall this book was truly wonderful. Something I would suggest anyone and everyone read, simply because of the ideas expressed within it alone, if not for the wonderful writing and compelling story. (By the end of this book you will find need to incorporate the word "grok" into your daily vocabulary.)

I just finished The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (pretty good overall), and went to SIASL because it had been recommended it to me before.

Besides the good anti-gov't lines (mostly quips), there's not much to recommend the book. I'm glad I read it to say I read it, but I'm not ever going to read it again. Why?

1. Jubal. Supposed to come across as a wise, lovable old coot, but I found him annoying and I don't ever want to meet such a pompous person. He ruled every situation, and I don't think he deserved to. I can't stomach him again.
2. Free love. Against human nature. People will, in general, get jealous and get hurt.
3. Polylogism - the Martians have superior logic. Um, there can't be different logics. See Wittgenstein.
4. Anti-religion but all religions lead to the truth? I certainly don't buy that. The scenes in heaven...wow, I don't know what to say.
5. Characters overall. I didn't like any of them. I didn't care about any of them, and I hated how snappy the dialogue was. People don't talk like that ALL the time. I guess most of Heinlein's dialogue is like that, but it was a major flaw in this book.

I'm a woman but I didn't mind the sexist stuff. It wasn't all that bad. "Terrifyingly homophobic"? I thought it was rather pro-homosexual, as much as it could be, as Mike talked a bit about how wonderful the bipolarity of man and woman was. Homosexual sex doesn't really fit into that view.

My least favorite Heinlein book. Read Moon or Starship Troopers and skip this book if you can.