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Stranger in a Strange Land Audiobook
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(3.00) - 140,446 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"Don't give to much credence to the nay- sayers. This is an excellent specimen of the quirky and explorative sci-fi that has inspired countless other works in the genre for generations. An engaging and thought provoking read, well ahead of its time."
— Logan (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Wonderfully humanizing.”
— Kurt Vonnegut -
“A brilliant mind-bender, a thought-provoking book.”
— New York Times -
“Disturbing, shocking and entertaining…It sparkles and crackles and produces goose bumps of apprehension and dissatisfaction with the human race…The best of his many books.”
— Washington Post -
“The book was destined to become a bestseller, shaping the sensibilities of a generation.”
— Boston Globe -
“Stranger in a Strange Land is one of the master’s best entertainments, provocative as he always loved to be.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“[A] landmark in more ways than one…A truly masterful SF story…Christopher Hurt reads with authority, nicely drawing the characters via barely perceptible changes in intonation, harshness, and pacing. Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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Winner of the Hugo Award in 1962 for Best Novel
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One of Modern Library's 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century
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An Apple iBooks bestseller in Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Stranger in a Strange Land Listener Reviews
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" grokked it "
— Pedro, 2/20/2014 -
" great book, a little dated (air cars but no cell phones)but fun with good characters "
— Dave, 2/15/2014 -
" overrated and drawn out "
— Brandon, 2/14/2014 -
" My idea of ultimately satisfying science fiction work. "
— Stu, 2/7/2014 -
" A great read for an intellectual coming of age. "
— Steve, 1/23/2014 -
" This book is definitely written in the 60's. If you can get over it's sexism and psychedelic hippiness; it was an interesting read. "
— Stacy, 12/27/2013 -
" this book is definitely a classic. "
— ., 12/23/2013 -
" I must like it, I've read it three times. I think I just about Grok it. "
— Larry, 12/7/2013 -
" I picked this book up to understand the genesis of the word "grok". The story is fascinating, but it didn't suck me in, I kept putting the book down. My 16 year old son however couldn't put the book down. "
— Debbie, 10/26/2013 -
" I would have given this book five stars, but the author let the other half of his split personality take over writing the last third of the work. The final portion of the book was bad enough to make me feel like I was wasting my time finishing it. I got through it begrudgingly. "
— Bernadette, 10/16/2013 -
" first two-thirds was enjoyable, but it, unfortunately, loses momentum toward the end. The "grokking" concept is profound though. "
— Drew, 7/20/2013 -
" A disturbing read. The book was highly recommended but I found Heinlein to be a homophonic misogynist. I will never read another book by him again "
— Ania, 1/20/2013 -
" Another rare book I have read more than once. It opens your mind like a tin can and stirs things up. Stunning and life changing. "
— Paul, 1/9/2013 -
" I have been slowly trying to get through this audiobook for weeks. I just can't do it. This book is a level of sexist that makes my brain hurt. I give up. "
— Cassandra, 12/28/2012 -
" One of my favorite books of all time. I have read it many times and always enjoy it and something more out of it. One of those books that always feels like coming home. "
— Jennifer, 4/14/2012 -
" While everyone raves about this book as a classic, I can see why. I just didn't get into it that much as I thought I would. Good read though. I'm glad I checked it off my list. "
— Matthew, 3/25/2012 -
" I grokked it. "
— Nancy, 9/30/2011 -
" 4 1/2 stars - although Mike is "the man from Mars", this story is really about human culture & religion. Mike just provides a fresh set of eyes to see Earth & humanity. "
— Leslie, 9/22/2011 -
" Either you grok it or you don't. "
— Rich, 5/27/2011 -
" I remember really liking this book when a friend handed it to me in high school (over 10 years ago... >.>) The story is engrossing, although heavy-handed with it's assertions about morality. A fun fantasy/sci-fi read. "
— Virginia, 5/23/2011 -
" I did not like this book at all. It is a great concept but the author obvoiusly hates religion and thinks peopl that believe them are stupid. This might be a classic and a must read, but that doesn't mean I have to like that book. "
— Mike, 5/18/2011 -
" A must read for anyone interested in the sci-fi genre. Even more amazing is when this book was written. Great story and great characters - this book makes you "think". "
— Stephanie, 5/14/2011 -
" weird science fiction from a time when people actually believed in the future. "
— Bmcnett, 5/13/2011 -
" Awesome book...but it's creepy and certain things in the book is just....illogical....and it left me with a really bad feeling "
— Ares, 5/12/2011 -
" It's a classic, but I recall not being 'wowed' quite as much as its reputation seemed to demand. I'll have to re-read it and reassess it. "
— Eric, 5/12/2011 -
" I'm not sure why this book has reached such cult-classic acclaim. I found it to be rather juvenile and simple. It didn't have any great message and other than introducing the term "grok" into modern vernacular, it doesn't have much redemption. "
— Dawn, 5/11/2011 -
" Though a hit with the counterculture, not my favorite of Heinlein's books... "
— Ross, 5/9/2011 -
" I think this book is waaaay overrated and a bit homophobic. I'd pass if I were you.<br/> "
— Jim, 5/9/2011 -
" I do not yet grok this book in fullness. But waiting will bring fullness. I grok that waiting is.<br/><br/>Thou art God. "
— Ian, 5/7/2011 -
" Interesting premise about a human born on Mars who is brought to Earth. Established Dr. Jubal Harshaw as one of my favorite literary characters. Loved the first half of the story; it trailed off in interest and creativity and seemed a little dated in the second half. "
— Steve, 5/7/2011 -
" I tried this book years ago. I couldn't get past the first chapter. Yet, Robert Heinlein has thousands of fans. "
— Cindy, 5/3/2011
About Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) is widely recognized as one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time, a status confirmed in 1974 when the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America gave him their first Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. A four-time Hugo Award winner, he is best known for such works as Starship Troopers, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, and the sensational bestseller Stranger in a Strange Land. Several of his books were New York Times bestsellers, and his worldwide bestsellers have been translated into twenty-two languages.
About Christopher Hurt
Christopher Hurt is an accomplished narrator with a lengthy résumé of popular titles for Blackstone. A graduate of George Washington University’s acting program, he currently resides in New York City.