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

Wow, still great after all these years

Where does Stranger in a Strange Land rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my all-time faves - probably number 5

What did you like best about this story?

The book was written 50 years ago - half a century but still resonates with timely and pervasive themes. It's as if he had a view to the future. Heinlein thought we were rife with consumerism and in desperate need of guidance in the 50's, how he'd roll today.

What about Christopher Hurt’s performance did you like?

Christopher Hurt's performance was entertaining, his falsetto when changing the speaker's gender reminds me of storytelling remembered from my childhood.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Because is was a re-read, I had no huge reaction, but I found it intriguing that the society Heinlein is mocking in 1961 is much the same one we are living in today, despite huge 'advances' in technology and social conscience.

A classic, vintage Heinlein

Heinlein was interested in alternative ways of setting up societies.

In this book, a human arrives on earth from Mars, where he had been living since infancy.

As he learns our ways, he questions why things should be organised the way they are.

He is lucky to find a tough but kindly mentor who shows him the ropes and who helps him navigate the legal system and society in general.

This is the book that gave us the word "grok", which I find myself wanting to use again, like some ageing hippie of my mother's generation.

If you're interested in polyamory, human relationships or spirituality, you'll find this a really interesting read on many levels.

Great Book

This is a great book. Strangely contemporary considering it's over 40 years old! Completely unpredictable. A whole lot to grok. The narration is a bit flat, but not the worst I have heard.

Great Classic

Any additional comments?

This is one of my favorites from the '60s. I was pleased by how well it was narrated.

Very Rewarding

Had a little trouble getting into it in the very beginning. Stuck with it though, and was rewarded with a brilliant experience.