Stranger in a Strange Land

De: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrado por: Christopher Hurt

Stranger in a Strange Land is the epic saga of an earthling, Valentine Michael Smith, born and educated on Mars, who arrives on our planet with “psi” powers—telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, telekinesis, teleportation, pyrolysis, and the ability to take control of the minds of others—and complete innocence regarding the mores of man.

After his tutelage under a surrogate father figure, Valentine begins his transformation into a kind of messiah. His exceptional abilities lead him to become many things to many people: freak, scam artist, media commodity, searcher, free love pioneer, neon evangelist, and martyr.

Heinlein won his second Hugo Award for this novel, sometimes called his “divine comedy” and often called his masterpiece. This Blackstone audiobook is the “as published” version, read from an Ace paperback published in 1987. The full, uncut text was not made available until 1991.

©1961 by Robert A. Heinlein (P)1996 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

• Hugo Award, 1962

If you know the story of Jesus.

Good substance and story telling through out book. Disappointed in ending. Feels like an obvious conclusion, I guessed it before I Finished so was upset that author didn't live up to the quality of the rest of the book. Very let down.

Grok this one in fullness.

Excellent. It is a great goodness to read this book. Highly recommended to fans of Tolstoy's The Law of Love and The Law of Violence.

Voice Fom the Past

What made the experience of listening to Stranger in a Strange Land the most enjoyable?

This is a wonderful piece of classic speculative fiction, which I enjoyed without reserve. The antiquated (definitely not politically correct!) language and reading perfectly evoked mid century life in North America for me. I remember when most men really spoke just like the reader does, particularly when voicing the character of Jubal, mysogynistic as he would sound if he was speaking today.Remarkably, despite that, it still is fresh and pertinent to our lives today. And this work has aged beautifully, a mark of true excellence!

What did you like best about this story?

I love the exploration of God and religion and particularly the views expressed through the characters on love and sexuality, the destructive nature of jealousy, and of course the rich symbology and metaphor used throughout. On top of all of this, it was delightful to simply listen and enjoy a superb performance of a fabulous, still avant garde, work of literature.

For those who don't feel like they fit in.

This classic by Heinlein is well worth reading. Can't be any stranger than a human raised by martians going to earth for the first time. We should all learn the lesson that Valentine Michael Smith both learns and shares.

“AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

Showing its Age, but Still a Good Read

Grabbed this book because I read and enjoyed Starship Troopers so much. I figured an author that managed a successful marriage of real-world military experience, leadership lessons, and science fiction deserved more of my attention. I readily identified with Starship Troopers because much of it mirrors my experience (except fighting bugs - I never fought bugs).

SIASL is a different animal. This book moved far away from the personal military narrative that was Starship Troopers and began to delve into personal relationships, religion, sexuality, and intergalactic law. This may be familiar territory for some, and granted, the entire story takes place on earth, but the story doesn't cover the same timeless ideas that Starship Troopers does. Summarily, SIASL is showing its age.

It is worth saying that many of Heinlein's predictions about these areas have come true, and it is amusing to read them through the eyes of the story's main character. However, the main character's ties to Mars are essentially the only science fiction aspect, and the gist of the story reminds me of many "character out of place" stories pushed out by Hollywood, and the resulting confusion/ hilarity that ensues. This story is heavy on the confusion, and low on the hilarity.

Bright points include the author's assessment of megachurches, which figure prominentely in the story, and the main character's assessment of the effectiveness of tying one's shoes together vs. tying them correctly: "One way holds the shoes on the feet. The other way is only good for lying down." The performance is also a high point - the reader personifies a wide variety of characters with a high degree of effectiveness.

Wonderful - not to be missed

Decided to listen to this old favorite after reading the reviews and am enchanted with both the story and the narration. I read the book while in high school and once after that as a young adult, now as a mature adult I'm finding that the political and social themes are much more meaningful. It is a true classic, one to be savored and listened to again.

Classic Sci Fi. Expertly written and performed

Loved and cherished this book from word one. Learned to grok it from start to finish.

brilliant and enlightening!

loved it. love the language, the characters, the way the Martian developed.... just loved it! the narrator was excellent as well! recommend it to everyone!

Doesn't age well

seems very outdated now for social norms. read it first 35 years ago. some of his other books seen more relevant today

Neat!

Interesting take on the human condition! Fun in a very dry humor kind of way!