Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert A. Heinlein, 1956
Science fiction FantasyContemporary fictionLiterary fiction
A man from Mars returns to Earth, encountering a planet utterly obsessed with customs, social rules, and abstract belief.
Feels like curiosity, wonder and defiance. About identity, morality and society.
A page from the book
The crushing weight of a moment that changes everything.
Jill put a hand to her mouth and screamed.Smith’s face had been completely blank. Now it became tragically forlorn as he realized that he must have chosen wrong action at the cusp. He looked imploringly at Jill and began to tremble. His eyes rolled up; he slipped slowly down to the grass, pulled himself tightly into a foetal ball and was motionless. Robert A. Heinlein.Heinlein often used his science fiction novels to explore contemporary social issues and philosophical paradoxes in a highly provocative manner.
Books that feel like this
Where to get it
Some of these links earn us a small commission, at no cost to you. It keeps BookFeed free.
Questions readers ask
- What is Stranger in a Strange Land like?
- Feels like curiosity, wonder and defiance. About identity, morality and society.
- What should I read after Stranger in a Strange Land?
- If you liked Stranger in a Strange Land, try Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes), Uglies (Scott Westerfeld) and The Blade Itself (Joe Abercrombie).
A taste of the feed
The grip that keeps us from dissolving into the storm.
As when men to keep from being swept overboard in the storm clutch at each other’s hands to resist being torn apart, so our bodies fused a link in the human chain that kept us from being swept into nothing.
Flowers for Algernon · Daniel Keyes
Every civilisation leans on one thing. What happens when it is taken away?
Maybe they didn’t want you to realize that every civilization has its weakness. There’s always one thing we depend on. And if someone takes it away all that’s left is some story in a history class.
Uglies · Scott Westerfeld
A piece of violence that doesn't hurt, but reveals everything about the secret language of power.
Something dug into the Bloody-Nine’s back, but there was no pain. It was a sign. A message in a secret tongue, that only he could understand. It told him where the next dead man was standing.
The Blade Itself · Joe Abercrombie
Read pages from books like this, one at a time
Keep reading in the feed