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Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land
This beautiful, leatherbound edition brings together two of the most groundbreaking works from pioneering science-fiction author Robert Heinlein: Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land.
In Starship Troopers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most alarming enemy.
Stranger in a Strange Land presents 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 messiah figure. His introduction into Earth society, together with his exceptional abilities, lead Valentine 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 earthly “divine comedy.”
In Starship Troopers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most alarming enemy.
Stranger in a Strange Land presents 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 messiah figure. His introduction into Earth society, together with his exceptional abilities, lead Valentine 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 earthly “divine comedy.”
820 pages, Leather Bound
First published June 4, 2014
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292 people want to read
About the author
Robert A. Heinlein
1,056 books10.5k followersRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.
Heinlein became one of the first American science-fiction writers to break into mainstream magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post in the late 1940s. He was one of the best-selling science-fiction novelists for many decades, and he, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke are often considered the "Big Three" of English-language science fiction authors. Notable Heinlein works include Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers (which helped mold the space marine and mecha archetypes) and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. His work sometimes had controversial aspects, such as plural marriage in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, militarism in Starship Troopers and technologically competent women characters who were formidable, yet often stereotypically feminine—such as Friday.
Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.
Heinlein was named the first Science Fiction Writers Grand Master in 1974. Four of his novels won Hugo Awards. In addition, fifty years after publication, seven of his works were awarded "Retro Hugos"—awards given retrospectively for works that were published before the Hugo Awards came into existence. In his fiction, Heinlein coined terms that have become part of the English language, including grok, waldo and speculative fiction, as well as popularizing existing terms like "TANSTAAFL", "pay it forward", and "space marine". He also anticipated mechanical computer-aided design with "Drafting Dan" and described a modern version of a waterbed in his novel Beyond This Horizon.
Also wrote under Pen names: Anson McDonald, Lyle Monroe, Caleb Saunders, John Riverside and Simon York.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 25, 2017
For this review I am reviewing each component work separately and then the volume as a whole.
Starship Troopers
It's not often that I say everyone needs to read a book. Everyone needs to read Starship Troopers. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it should be required high school reading.
Most people probably know of Starship Troopers via the 1997 film. Whomever adapted the screenplay did not understand the point that the book was making. Starship Troopers, before anything else, is a book about politics and civic responsibility. Why would Heinlein care about that, you ask? Well, he worked on multiple presidential campaigns, for both parties, and then was one of the cofounders of the Libertarian Party. To describe him as "politically active" would be an understatement.
The main action of the novel is driven by the narrator, Johnnie Rico's, experiences in the Terran Federation's Mobile Infantry forces during a conflict which "...historians can't seem to settle whether to call this one 'The Third Space War' (or the 'Fourth'), or whether 'The First Interstellar War' fits it better. We just call it 'The Bug War' if we call it anything..." However, the portions of the novel which force the reader to sit up and take notice don't take place on a battlefield, but in a high school (and later college) level course called "History & Moral Philosophy". Cadet Rico explains it thus:
The political system which underpins this whole discussion is not the one that we are used to. In the Terran Federation, there is a distinction between "Citizens" and "Civilians." In order to gain suffrage, a person must serve a term of military service. This is where the film went horribly off the rails. The director of the film, Paul Verhoven, grew up in Holland under Nazi occupation and he saw this system as fascist and proceeded to make an unintentionally hilarious movie where the good guys wore Nazi uniforms. He may have a point as to the nature of the political system in the book, but it's important to distinguish between an author's endorsement of a view and the simple use of it as a vehicle to deliver a different view.
The point isn't the form of government proposed as an ideal state. In fact, a character echoes my American Constitutional Order professor from last semester. What my teacher said was, "Our Constitution is only one in a long line of experiments in ordered liberty." The novel expands on that on the voting end. "Throughout history men have labored to place the sovereign franchise in hands that would guard it well and use it wisely, for the benefit of all." I would call this the most important quote in the entire book, elaborated greatly by the speech which follows it. We in the United States enjoy universal suffrage upon reaching age eighteen. The question posed by Starship Troopers is, "Do we know what that means?"
If we are to participate in the political process, there is a necessity not only that we reach the legal age and register, but that we be informed as to current events and be able to think critically and morally, hence the name of the course that is so important to the novel. There was a time in this country when high school civics was required for all four years in order to prepare young men and women to use their right to vote. Now, in the State of New York, there's something called Participation in Government (PiG) which is a half year course, or it was 10 years ago and I can't think that they've upped the requirement. Want to know why voter turnout is 35% in a good year? Because many of us who have the right to vote are unprepared to use it. Quite frankly, the fact that Donald Trump is currently leading the Republican Primary race proves that point only too well. I'll close this review with one final quote about how big a responsibility voting is.
Starship Troopers is military science fiction, but it is also a call to arms. Not the arms of war, but the arms of knowledge and responsibility which make effective, politically engaged citizens. If we are to exercise our right to vote it must be because we see ourselves not as lone individuals looking after our best interests, but as a part of a much greater whole which must benefit all that live as part of it, whether they vote or not. Our responsibilities in voting are not to party or ideology, but to state and nation.
Stranger in a Strange Land
When I was in high school I had an English teacher who insisted that every book we read was either about sex or Jesus. I considered, and still do consider, this to be an absolutely ridiculous view of Literary Criticism, and thus I very rarely explain books in the contexts of either religion or sexuality. So when I say that Stranger in a Strange Land is about Jesus and that sex plays a key role, I mean it very seriously.
The version of Stranger in a Strange Land that I'm discussing is the expanded edition which was rejected by publishers in 1960 and was only seen by the public after the author's death. In the words of Virginia Heinlein from the forward "...Robert was asked to cut the manuscript down to 150,000 words- a loss of about 70,000 words. Other changes were also requested before the editor was willing to take a chance on publication."
As a reader, I am frankly at a loss as to how such drastic cutting was achieved. Having never read the book before, I have no idea what was left out in the original publication, but I'm willing to bet that what Heinlein was going for was lost in the effort.
This is a very philosophical novel, as Heinlein's works tend to be, and there are a couple of big concepts that need to be understood in order for the novel, and this review, to make any sense. The first is Heinlein's own invention, the idea of "grokking." Because it is so important to the other themes in the novel, I will let Heinlein provide his own explanation.
I realize that this is an insane amount to quote, but it is necessary. Also, it shows that you do not, in point of fact, grok Spock. Keep in mind, as well, that this explanation comes close to half way through the novel.
The second concept that is pivotal to understanding this book is sacramentality. This is also where the focus on sex comes into play. In exploring this concept, Heinlein uses its most primal expression as an illustration, possibly contributing to his reputation as something of a pervert.
Sacramentality is the act of growing-closer as described above. There are many misconceptions about human sexuality, and there is not room here to discuss them, but the above paragraph describes exactly what Holy Mother Church teaches on the subject. That is that sex is both unitive, "a growing-closer," and procreative, "a quickening of eggs." The most detailed Church teachings on the subject come from the writings of Pope St John Paul II and post-date this novel by about thirty years, for the most part. But they pick up on the same themes. I assert that, contrary to a surface reading, Heinlein does not advocate for some "free love" society, but rather for a proper understanding of the profundity and sacramentality of the sexual act.
Why go into all this analytical detail for a simple review on Goodreads? As I said previously, Stranger in a Strange Land does not make any sense without these two concepts. Heinlein wrote the book in the late 1950's, the beginning of what we now call televangelism and the Prosperity Gospel. This can be called a "consumer model" of religion. Instead of being challenged to grow in one's spiritual life, this type of religious appeal is simply designed to make the consumer feel good so that he will come back for more. Joel Osteen is a prominent contemporary example of this type of mass market religiosity, and it is exactly this model which Heinlein challenges.
The plot of the novel follows the previously named Valentine Michael Smith, the only survivor of the first manned mission to Mars. He was born near the end of the vessel's journey, and then raised by Martians. He is referred to throughout the novel as "The Man from Mars." Since, before his retrieval from Mars around age 25, Smith had no contact with other humans whatsoever, the first half or so of the novel depicts him learning what humans are and how to be one. Most important to this is understanding spiritual ideas which are debated among humans, but were settled facts among Martians. For example, Smith's Martian definition of God is "God groks." This bears a striking resemblance to St Jerome's rendering of Exodus 3:14 "Ego sum qui sum." Literally, in English, "I am who I am," but this is insufficient to explain what the statement actually is. There is at one point in the novel a discussion of how different languages are able to express different concepts and this is an example of something which English is simply incapable of expressing in its entirety. This may explain Heinlein's heavy reliance on the word "grok" in philosophical discussions.
At the novel's climax, the parallels between Smith and Jesus the Christ are so obvious that their literary use is not worth discussing here, but wrapped up in the entire depiction is the idea of a sacramental communion. What does that mean? As a Catholic, when I receive the Eucharist I am, in a very literal sense, grokking Christ. In every sense of the word described at the beginning of this review, I "drink" of Christ that He may become a part of me, and I of him. A married couple in the sexual act enter a physical and spiritual communion; they grok each other.
Heinlein was a very private person and he worked very purposefully to keep himself from being assigned any philosophical or ideological label. After reading Stranger in a Strange Land, however, I feel confident in saying that Heinlein was either Catholic, or understood philosophically the things that the Church teaches doctrinally. I'll sum up with a final quote. "We're not trying to get people to have faith, because what we offer is not faith but truth- truth they can check; we don't urge them to believe it."
I personally found Stranger in a Strange Land to be a work of brilliance and one that understands the core realities of human spirituality. The book, while being what many would consider racy, even by modern standards let alone those of the time of its original publication almost sixty years ago, is attempting to understand what religion is and why we have it. In expressing the idea of sacramentality that must under gird any spiritual development, Heinlein shows his readers what must be component parts of the search for religious truth.
Collection
I call these the "Barnes & Noble Sexy Editions" because of the wonderful leather binding and the artwork that is often included. They also have a knack for compiling works which everyone should read at least once. That being said, I noticed quite a few typos in this volume, especially in Stranger in a Strange Land. There were a lot of "l"s that were supposed to be "t"s, among others which I may have skimmed over. For such a handsome edition I find this to be a real drawback. That being said, it contains what are easily Heinlein's two most famous works, each of which deals with one of those two things which should not be discussed in polite company, politics and religion. Aside from looking good on the bookshelf, this is certainly the kind of thing that I would read again.
Starship Troopers
It's not often that I say everyone needs to read a book. Everyone needs to read Starship Troopers. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it should be required high school reading.
Most people probably know of Starship Troopers via the 1997 film. Whomever adapted the screenplay did not understand the point that the book was making. Starship Troopers, before anything else, is a book about politics and civic responsibility. Why would Heinlein care about that, you ask? Well, he worked on multiple presidential campaigns, for both parties, and then was one of the cofounders of the Libertarian Party. To describe him as "politically active" would be an understatement.
The main action of the novel is driven by the narrator, Johnnie Rico's, experiences in the Terran Federation's Mobile Infantry forces during a conflict which "...historians can't seem to settle whether to call this one 'The Third Space War' (or the 'Fourth'), or whether 'The First Interstellar War' fits it better. We just call it 'The Bug War' if we call it anything..." However, the portions of the novel which force the reader to sit up and take notice don't take place on a battlefield, but in a high school (and later college) level course called "History & Moral Philosophy". Cadet Rico explains it thus:
History and Moral Philosophy works like a delayed-action bomb. You wake up in the middle of the night and think: Now what did he mean by that? That had been true even with my high school course; I simply hadn't known what Colonel Dubois was talking about. When I was a kid I thought it was silly for the course to be in the science department. It was nothing like physics or chemistry; why wasn't it over with the fuzzy studies where it belonged? The only reason I paid attention was because there were such lovely arguments. I had no idea that "Mr." Dubois was trying to teach me why to fight until long after I had decided to fight anyhow.
The political system which underpins this whole discussion is not the one that we are used to. In the Terran Federation, there is a distinction between "Citizens" and "Civilians." In order to gain suffrage, a person must serve a term of military service. This is where the film went horribly off the rails. The director of the film, Paul Verhoven, grew up in Holland under Nazi occupation and he saw this system as fascist and proceeded to make an unintentionally hilarious movie where the good guys wore Nazi uniforms. He may have a point as to the nature of the political system in the book, but it's important to distinguish between an author's endorsement of a view and the simple use of it as a vehicle to deliver a different view.
The point isn't the form of government proposed as an ideal state. In fact, a character echoes my American Constitutional Order professor from last semester. What my teacher said was, "Our Constitution is only one in a long line of experiments in ordered liberty." The novel expands on that on the voting end. "Throughout history men have labored to place the sovereign franchise in hands that would guard it well and use it wisely, for the benefit of all." I would call this the most important quote in the entire book, elaborated greatly by the speech which follows it. We in the United States enjoy universal suffrage upon reaching age eighteen. The question posed by Starship Troopers is, "Do we know what that means?"
If we are to participate in the political process, there is a necessity not only that we reach the legal age and register, but that we be informed as to current events and be able to think critically and morally, hence the name of the course that is so important to the novel. There was a time in this country when high school civics was required for all four years in order to prepare young men and women to use their right to vote. Now, in the State of New York, there's something called Participation in Government (PiG) which is a half year course, or it was 10 years ago and I can't think that they've upped the requirement. Want to know why voter turnout is 35% in a good year? Because many of us who have the right to vote are unprepared to use it. Quite frankly, the fact that Donald Trump is currently leading the Republican Primary race proves that point only too well. I'll close this review with one final quote about how big a responsibility voting is.
"To vote is to wield authority; it is the supreme authority from which all other authority derives-such as mine to make your lives miserable once a day. Force if you will!-the franchise is force, naked and raw, the Power of the Rods and the Ax. Whether it is exerted by ten men or by ten billion, political authority is force."
"But this universe consists of paired dualities. What is the converse of authority? Mr. Rico."
He had picked one I could answer. "Responsibility, sir."
"Applause. Both for practical reasons and for mathematically verifiable moral reasons, authority and responsibility must be equal-else a balancing takes place as surely as current flows between points of unequal potential. To permit irresponsible authority is to sow disaster; to hold a man responsible for anything he does not control is to behave with blind idiocy. The unlimited democracies were unstable because their citizens were not responsible for the fashion in which they exerted their sovereign authority...other than through the tragic logic of history. The unique 'poll tax' that we must pay was unheard of. No attempt was made to determine whether a voter was socially responsible to the extent of his literally unlimited authority. If he voted the impossible, the disastrous possible happened instead-and responsibility was then forced on him willy-nilly and destroyed both him and his foundationless temple."
Starship Troopers is military science fiction, but it is also a call to arms. Not the arms of war, but the arms of knowledge and responsibility which make effective, politically engaged citizens. If we are to exercise our right to vote it must be because we see ourselves not as lone individuals looking after our best interests, but as a part of a much greater whole which must benefit all that live as part of it, whether they vote or not. Our responsibilities in voting are not to party or ideology, but to state and nation.
Stranger in a Strange Land
When I was in high school I had an English teacher who insisted that every book we read was either about sex or Jesus. I considered, and still do consider, this to be an absolutely ridiculous view of Literary Criticism, and thus I very rarely explain books in the contexts of either religion or sexuality. So when I say that Stranger in a Strange Land is about Jesus and that sex plays a key role, I mean it very seriously.
The version of Stranger in a Strange Land that I'm discussing is the expanded edition which was rejected by publishers in 1960 and was only seen by the public after the author's death. In the words of Virginia Heinlein from the forward "...Robert was asked to cut the manuscript down to 150,000 words- a loss of about 70,000 words. Other changes were also requested before the editor was willing to take a chance on publication."
As a reader, I am frankly at a loss as to how such drastic cutting was achieved. Having never read the book before, I have no idea what was left out in the original publication, but I'm willing to bet that what Heinlein was going for was lost in the effort.
This is a very philosophical novel, as Heinlein's works tend to be, and there are a couple of big concepts that need to be understood in order for the novel, and this review, to make any sense. The first is Heinlein's own invention, the idea of "grokking." Because it is so important to the other themes in the novel, I will let Heinlein provide his own explanation.
"'Grok' is the most important word in the Martian language and I expect to spend the next forty years trying to understand it and perhaps use some millions of printed words trying to explain it. But I don't expect to be successful... Now take this one word 'grok.' Its literal meaning, one which I suspect goes back to the origin of the Martian race as thinking, speaking creatures- and which throws light on their whole 'map'- is quite easy. 'Grok' means 'to drink.'"
"Huh?" said Jubal. "But, Mike never says 'grok' when he's just talking about drinking. He-"
"Just a moment." Mahmoud spoke to Mike in Martian.
Mike looked faintly surprised and said, "'Grok' is drink," and dropped the matter.
"But Mike would also have agreed," Mahmoud went on, "if I had named a hundred other English words, words which represent what we think of as different concepts, even pairs of antithetical concepts. And 'grok' means all of these, depending on how you use it. It means 'fear,' it means 'love,' it means 'hate'- perfect hate, for by the Martian 'map' you cannot possibly hate anything unless you grok it completely, understand it so thoroughly that you merge with it and it merges with you- then and only ten can you hate it. By hating yourself. But this also implies, by necessity, that you love it, too, and cherish it and would not have it otherwise. Then you can hate- and (I think) that Martian hate is an emotion so black that the nearest human equivalent could only be called a mild distaste."
I realize that this is an insane amount to quote, but it is necessary. Also, it shows that you do not, in point of fact, grok Spock. Keep in mind, as well, that this explanation comes close to half way through the novel.
The second concept that is pivotal to understanding this book is sacramentality. This is also where the focus on sex comes into play. In exploring this concept, Heinlein uses its most primal expression as an illustration, possibly contributing to his reputation as something of a pervert.
Valentine Michael Smith had grokked, when first he had known it fully, that physical human love- very human and very physical- was not simply a necessary quickening of eggs, nor was it mere ritual through which one grew closer; the act itself was a growing-closer, a very great goodness- and (so far as he knew) unknown even to the Old Ones of his former people. He was still grokking it, trying at every opportunity to grok its fullness. But he had long since broken through any fear that heresy lay in his suspicion that even the Old Ones did not know this ecstasy- he grokked that these his new people held spiritual depths unique.
Sacramentality is the act of growing-closer as described above. There are many misconceptions about human sexuality, and there is not room here to discuss them, but the above paragraph describes exactly what Holy Mother Church teaches on the subject. That is that sex is both unitive, "a growing-closer," and procreative, "a quickening of eggs." The most detailed Church teachings on the subject come from the writings of Pope St John Paul II and post-date this novel by about thirty years, for the most part. But they pick up on the same themes. I assert that, contrary to a surface reading, Heinlein does not advocate for some "free love" society, but rather for a proper understanding of the profundity and sacramentality of the sexual act.
Why go into all this analytical detail for a simple review on Goodreads? As I said previously, Stranger in a Strange Land does not make any sense without these two concepts. Heinlein wrote the book in the late 1950's, the beginning of what we now call televangelism and the Prosperity Gospel. This can be called a "consumer model" of religion. Instead of being challenged to grow in one's spiritual life, this type of religious appeal is simply designed to make the consumer feel good so that he will come back for more. Joel Osteen is a prominent contemporary example of this type of mass market religiosity, and it is exactly this model which Heinlein challenges.
The plot of the novel follows the previously named Valentine Michael Smith, the only survivor of the first manned mission to Mars. He was born near the end of the vessel's journey, and then raised by Martians. He is referred to throughout the novel as "The Man from Mars." Since, before his retrieval from Mars around age 25, Smith had no contact with other humans whatsoever, the first half or so of the novel depicts him learning what humans are and how to be one. Most important to this is understanding spiritual ideas which are debated among humans, but were settled facts among Martians. For example, Smith's Martian definition of God is "God groks." This bears a striking resemblance to St Jerome's rendering of Exodus 3:14 "Ego sum qui sum." Literally, in English, "I am who I am," but this is insufficient to explain what the statement actually is. There is at one point in the novel a discussion of how different languages are able to express different concepts and this is an example of something which English is simply incapable of expressing in its entirety. This may explain Heinlein's heavy reliance on the word "grok" in philosophical discussions.
At the novel's climax, the parallels between Smith and Jesus the Christ are so obvious that their literary use is not worth discussing here, but wrapped up in the entire depiction is the idea of a sacramental communion. What does that mean? As a Catholic, when I receive the Eucharist I am, in a very literal sense, grokking Christ. In every sense of the word described at the beginning of this review, I "drink" of Christ that He may become a part of me, and I of him. A married couple in the sexual act enter a physical and spiritual communion; they grok each other.
Heinlein was a very private person and he worked very purposefully to keep himself from being assigned any philosophical or ideological label. After reading Stranger in a Strange Land, however, I feel confident in saying that Heinlein was either Catholic, or understood philosophically the things that the Church teaches doctrinally. I'll sum up with a final quote. "We're not trying to get people to have faith, because what we offer is not faith but truth- truth they can check; we don't urge them to believe it."
I personally found Stranger in a Strange Land to be a work of brilliance and one that understands the core realities of human spirituality. The book, while being what many would consider racy, even by modern standards let alone those of the time of its original publication almost sixty years ago, is attempting to understand what religion is and why we have it. In expressing the idea of sacramentality that must under gird any spiritual development, Heinlein shows his readers what must be component parts of the search for religious truth.
Collection
I call these the "Barnes & Noble Sexy Editions" because of the wonderful leather binding and the artwork that is often included. They also have a knack for compiling works which everyone should read at least once. That being said, I noticed quite a few typos in this volume, especially in Stranger in a Strange Land. There were a lot of "l"s that were supposed to be "t"s, among others which I may have skimmed over. For such a handsome edition I find this to be a real drawback. That being said, it contains what are easily Heinlein's two most famous works, each of which deals with one of those two things which should not be discussed in polite company, politics and religion. Aside from looking good on the bookshelf, this is certainly the kind of thing that I would read again.
November 26, 2019
This story is about a Martian from Mars named Mike who comes to Earth as an adult knowing absolutely nothing about humans. What makes him interesting is he has a human body - human parents - but born and raised on Mars, only knowing the culture of that planet. So when he comes to Earth he’s basically an infant learning how to adjust to, speak, understand everything in our human experience. It goes over the differences between the two and Mike slowly begins to “grok” the human experience as he goes out into the world.
I went into this story knowing 1) it’s science fiction and 2) it’s written by the author of Stormship Troopers and so I made the assumption that it would be another book about warfare.
This was none of those things. It’s more of a book on philosophy more than anything and has nothing to do with war.
It began with Mikes early experiences and those around him and was almost a story about a government conspiracy - and I really enjoyed it. Thought I would end up giving this one a high rating. But then it switched to philosophy and religion. Not that I’m opposed to either but I hadn’t been expecting it. It’s a Sci-Fi after all! But, nope! This book is alllllllllllll philosophy.
While Mike attempts to grasp the concept of God and religion, we are taken through all of the authors mental gymnastics to come to understand how an outsider - as outside as you can get - would view it. Of course he finds none of them to be correct and he begins his own religion. But it’s more of a school teaching the Martian language than it is a real religion and when people begin learning his native language they also begin possessing his abilities - telepathy is one of many, for example.
In the end, Mike basically sacrifices himself - knowing he will be killed - in order to fully “grok.”
While this book is a philosophy disguised as a sci-fi novel, I’ll go one further and claim it’s disguised in a way as a Christian narrative. I saw sooo many similarities. He comes to earth, there are no true religions, begins his own, through deeper understanding learns that he must die for others to understand.... And a Martian ritual is to eat their species after they die. Might sound weird but it’s very symbolic of partaking of the Sacrament. So all of Mikes followers who “grok” eat him and Mike becomes and angel to look over them.
While interesting to reflect on, I truly wasn’t interested. I found the middle to be quite dull and drawn out (this isn’t a short book). I wish it had just been a government conspiracy story about a Martian having legal rights to owning Mars. That in of itself is a fascinating idea and I would’ve loved to see it completely play out. But overall I guess I’m more irritated that I read a philosophy novel disguised as Sci-Fi. I feel tricked. And it wasn’t even a fascinating and unexpected adventure - it was just a road trip I didn’t realize I was on until it was too late.
I went into this story knowing 1) it’s science fiction and 2) it’s written by the author of Stormship Troopers and so I made the assumption that it would be another book about warfare.
This was none of those things. It’s more of a book on philosophy more than anything and has nothing to do with war.
It began with Mikes early experiences and those around him and was almost a story about a government conspiracy - and I really enjoyed it. Thought I would end up giving this one a high rating. But then it switched to philosophy and religion. Not that I’m opposed to either but I hadn’t been expecting it. It’s a Sci-Fi after all! But, nope! This book is alllllllllllll philosophy.
While Mike attempts to grasp the concept of God and religion, we are taken through all of the authors mental gymnastics to come to understand how an outsider - as outside as you can get - would view it. Of course he finds none of them to be correct and he begins his own religion. But it’s more of a school teaching the Martian language than it is a real religion and when people begin learning his native language they also begin possessing his abilities - telepathy is one of many, for example.
In the end, Mike basically sacrifices himself - knowing he will be killed - in order to fully “grok.”
While this book is a philosophy disguised as a sci-fi novel, I’ll go one further and claim it’s disguised in a way as a Christian narrative. I saw sooo many similarities. He comes to earth, there are no true religions, begins his own, through deeper understanding learns that he must die for others to understand.... And a Martian ritual is to eat their species after they die. Might sound weird but it’s very symbolic of partaking of the Sacrament. So all of Mikes followers who “grok” eat him and Mike becomes and angel to look over them.
While interesting to reflect on, I truly wasn’t interested. I found the middle to be quite dull and drawn out (this isn’t a short book). I wish it had just been a government conspiracy story about a Martian having legal rights to owning Mars. That in of itself is a fascinating idea and I would’ve loved to see it completely play out. But overall I guess I’m more irritated that I read a philosophy novel disguised as Sci-Fi. I feel tricked. And it wasn’t even a fascinating and unexpected adventure - it was just a road trip I didn’t realize I was on until it was too late.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2017
Really the perfect pairing of Heinlein novels - sci-fi hippie Bible and sci-fi fascist Bible together in one mortifying tome. I like to think that Heinlein was just postulating, not advocating, but who knows? PhD treatises will never stop being written.
July 26, 2015
I'd give Starship Troopers 4 stars, and Stranger in a Strange Land 2 stars.
April 15, 2022
In places there are signs of poor editing.
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December 10, 2024A very modern book on space politics and war. Highly recommend to anyone who loves Science-Fiction !
November 18, 2015
Two stories in one book. I suppose this is a good representation of Heinlein, but I want to give him another go. Starship Troopers was good military sci-fi with good concepts, but Stranger in a Strange Land felt more like a religious text that used sci-fi as a means to comment on the state of religion. Wasted opportunity in my mind and the ending felt a bit abrupt and flat. The star rating will be an average of the two stories and they are discussed in more detail below:
Starship Troopers
Life of a Mobile infantrymen (MI) in the future. From high school to the decision to join up, through boot camp, a drop or two, OCS training, and finally leadership. This novel applies more or less current army process to the future when the planet Earth is a) not the only planet inhabitied by humans and b) not the only planet to spawn intelligent life. In fact there are a few races and the humans are at war with the Bugs, a hiveminded species intent on destruction.
I suppose fighting an enemy akin to bugs and insects is always easier as humans are naturally prone to dislike the creatures. It also presents an interesting take on battle due to the hivemind. The queen or brain caste members are the ones controlling everything behind the lines but contrary to human army generals, what the bugs think, actually happens.
Quite a bit of time is spent training the main character, John Rico. The novels opens on a drop and then he gets another combat mission as part of OCS, but this novel is not about warfare but about the mindset of the individuals fighting: their brotherhood in the MI, what they go through on a daily basis, the acceptance of death, the burden of command etc.
A well written novel about all of this, but as a reader we do not ever find out too much regarding the universe. The state of humanity, the reasons for war, the ins and outs of the fighting campaign. I would have liked to have read something detailing this. Either through another novel or to flesh out this one. But it is what it is, and that is nothing bad. [4 stars for the relatively short page count and lack of surrounding details about the war and the Bugs/Skinnies]
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Man from Mars living on Earth. The background is laid out in straight facts: an expedition went to Mars, no one came back. A follow up went out, found that the previous crew had a son, brought the man back and insanity ensues.
The Man from Mars, Valentine Michael Smith (referred to as Mike or Michael) was raised by Martians with very interesting traits and concepts. Socially, physically, everything is different about this man. The book follows his life in chunks as Mike "groks" things - "understands". And in the beginning I could not get enough of this. Following Mike in his journey as he learns to interact with humans, how he can control things differently etc. But then it became a book about the world, about how someone from the outside would experience everyday life and how to grok religion, people, places, motives etc.
Religion is a big focus and Mike ends up starting his own in an attempt to get people to live a perfect life: all love, no hate, no jealousy, all sharing. By the end of the book, it just feels like some prophet and his followers trying to change society. There are a few short chapters where a "chorus" is used by ways of angels in a heaven, which would have been interesting to explore, but ultimately doesn't help the story along much.
Overall, I thought this book was extremely long. Heinlein is very wordy and by the end I was ready for it to be done. It makes Starship Troopers look like a short story, and truth be told, I wish ST was the longer of the two. [2 stars overall due to length and lack of sci-fi elements given that the character was born and raised on Mars. It started as a 4 star novel with 1 star being taken away just due to its relevance when considered with today's mindsets]
Starship Troopers
Life of a Mobile infantrymen (MI) in the future. From high school to the decision to join up, through boot camp, a drop or two, OCS training, and finally leadership. This novel applies more or less current army process to the future when the planet Earth is a) not the only planet inhabitied by humans and b) not the only planet to spawn intelligent life. In fact there are a few races and the humans are at war with the Bugs, a hiveminded species intent on destruction.
I suppose fighting an enemy akin to bugs and insects is always easier as humans are naturally prone to dislike the creatures. It also presents an interesting take on battle due to the hivemind. The queen or brain caste members are the ones controlling everything behind the lines but contrary to human army generals, what the bugs think, actually happens.
Quite a bit of time is spent training the main character, John Rico. The novels opens on a drop and then he gets another combat mission as part of OCS, but this novel is not about warfare but about the mindset of the individuals fighting: their brotherhood in the MI, what they go through on a daily basis, the acceptance of death, the burden of command etc.
A well written novel about all of this, but as a reader we do not ever find out too much regarding the universe. The state of humanity, the reasons for war, the ins and outs of the fighting campaign. I would have liked to have read something detailing this. Either through another novel or to flesh out this one. But it is what it is, and that is nothing bad. [4 stars for the relatively short page count and lack of surrounding details about the war and the Bugs/Skinnies]
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Man from Mars living on Earth. The background is laid out in straight facts: an expedition went to Mars, no one came back. A follow up went out, found that the previous crew had a son, brought the man back and insanity ensues.
The Man from Mars, Valentine Michael Smith (referred to as Mike or Michael) was raised by Martians with very interesting traits and concepts. Socially, physically, everything is different about this man. The book follows his life in chunks as Mike "groks" things - "understands". And in the beginning I could not get enough of this. Following Mike in his journey as he learns to interact with humans, how he can control things differently etc. But then it became a book about the world, about how someone from the outside would experience everyday life and how to grok religion, people, places, motives etc.
Religion is a big focus and Mike ends up starting his own in an attempt to get people to live a perfect life: all love, no hate, no jealousy, all sharing. By the end of the book, it just feels like some prophet and his followers trying to change society. There are a few short chapters where a "chorus" is used by ways of angels in a heaven, which would have been interesting to explore, but ultimately doesn't help the story along much.
Overall, I thought this book was extremely long. Heinlein is very wordy and by the end I was ready for it to be done. It makes Starship Troopers look like a short story, and truth be told, I wish ST was the longer of the two. [2 stars overall due to length and lack of sci-fi elements given that the character was born and raised on Mars. It started as a 4 star novel with 1 star being taken away just due to its relevance when considered with today's mindsets]
June 26, 2016
Unfortunately, I found this rather uneventful and boring. I was really disappointed because I thought I was going to enjoy it.
January 9, 2016
Nah. A so so start, then a bunch of doctrine that drags on and on.
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