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Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land

ClassicsScience Fiction
Pages
502
Published
1961
Language
English

Synopsis

Valentine Michael Smith was born on Mars and raised by Martians. Now an adult, he arrives on Earth and must navigate a world completely alien to him. As he learns about humanity, he begins to change the very culture he's trying to understand.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

Thought-ProvokingPhilosophicalSatiricalIntellectual
Fish Out of Water

Genres

Classics Science Fiction Social Sci-Fi Space Opera

About the author

R
Robert A. Heinlein

Robert Anson Heinlein (1907-1988) was an American science fiction writer, born in Butler, Missouri. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1929 and served in the Navy until 1934, afterwards studying mathematics and physics briefly at UCLA. He sold his first story, "Life-Line", to Astounding Science Fiction in 1939 and became one of that magazine's leading contributors. In the late 1940s he was among the first science fiction authors to place work in general-interest magazines such...

Characters

Valentine Michael SmithProtagonist

A human born on Mars and raised by Martians who arrives on Earth as an adult, bringing Martian abilities and philosophy that unsettle everyone he meets.

Jubal HarshawSupporting

A wealthy, cynical writer, lawyer and physician living in the Pocono Mountains who becomes Smith's protector, mentor and father figure.

Gillian BoardmanSupporting

A nurse at Bethesda Hospital who becomes Smith's first human water brother and helps smuggle him out of government custody.

Ben CaxtonSupporting

A muckraking newspaper columnist and Jill's love interest who investigates Smith's disappearance and fights for his freedom.

Anne (Stranger in a Strange Land)Supporting

One of Jubal Harshaw's three live-in secretaries, and a professional Fair Witness trained to observe and report events with total objectivity.

All characters in Stranger in a Strange Land

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Stranger in a Strange Land have any adaptations?

    While there have been various attempts and discussions over the years, a definitive, widely released film or television adaptation of Stranger in a Strange Land has not been produced.

  • What is the significance of the title "grok" in the book?

    The word "grok" was coined by Heinlein in this novel and entered the English language, meaning to understand something so thoroughly that it becomes part of you, encompassing intuitive and empathetic comprehension.

  • How does Stranger in a Strange Land relate to Heinlein's other works?

    Stranger in a Strange Land is one of Heinlein's most famous and controversial works, often seen as a departure from his earlier juvenile science fiction and military-focused novels, exploring more philosophical and counter-cultural themes.

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