Stranger in a Strange Land

Full review at sff book review

I liked this book a lot, but for different reasons. While other Heinlein's gripped me for their story line as much as for the ideas and the way they're integrated into the plot, this one mostly convinced me because of its ideas and the character of Jubal Harshaw.
If I judged purely for plot, I wouldn't rate it this highly because, honestly, it felt a little stitched together and I was missing a driving force in the plot. Altogether, this was a great novel that deserved its Hugo award and I understand why it is still so widely read and loved.

What a load of crap. The first few sections were entertaining, the last two were downright boring and painful to read. By the end I was quasi-skimming, desperate to be finished. Went from a four-star book to a three-star and then almost to a two-star by the end. Even the beginning, while it was interesting, felt like an overly elaborate setup with little payoff.

The writing is bad and the characters are bad (one character is basically a mouthpiece for the author, can do no wrong and his sole role in the story is to show how smart the author is). The book is racist and sexist. And the philosophy espoused was just not that interesting or compelling.

One quote did stop me in my tracks: “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

Meh. I can grok it.