Science Fiction: Welcome to my Worlds

Disclaimer: My Science Fiction reviews are about the BEST SF novels... not necessarily the latest out.

I first read Stranger in a Strange Land many years ago when it was originally published in the 60's. To this day, it remains my top pick for 'Best Science Fiction Novel of all time.' I've reread it at least five times over the years since its first publication and, at one time, I had three copies of different editions. Ironically, I now seem to have none. Let that be a lesson to booklenders everywhere. :)

If you would like to read a Stranger in a Strange Land book review with a completely different viewpoint than mine that, in my not so humble opinion, completely misses the essence of this wonderful book, feel free. It concentrates almost solely on how some of the technology in the book misses the mark according to current knowledge. But it really doesn't matter that we know now things like the complete absence of intelligent life on mars from our explorations with rovers on the surface.

What does matter is that the characters of Valentine Michael Smith, the human who has been raised in an alien environment, and Jubal Harshaw, a cantankerous old goat undoubtedly modeled on Heinlein himself, step out of the pages and become real as you read their story. Contrary to popular belief, Science Fiction-- at least really excellent Science Fiction-- isn't just about the techy background.

In fact, as with any genre, it's all about the people. Sure, the concepts involved and the science fiction background lend color and interest. My opinion has always been that Science Fiction has everything any other genre has-- including mainstream-- and more. I'm not going to mention any names, but there are certainly authors who have succeeded in mainstream, seemingly, by just 'dumbing down' their SF writing and making it blander to appeal to a broader audience. But that's another story.

Speaking of concepts, in addition to the strength of the story and the characters, there is, of course, the underlying questioning of the structure of organized religion which is at the heart of the story. The really not-so-naive Smith wonders at the reverence accorded 'spoiled meat', ie. corpses and delves into some of the not-so-savory seamy side of religion. Even though people are considerably more jaded now, so these ideas are not nearly as controversial as when the novel first came out, there is certainly still considerable food for thought.

I think it is almost ironic that this novel-- which did an excellent job pointing out the shortcomings and even the 'evils' of organized religion-- was directly responsible for spawning one of the most hierarchical and overly-organized of neopagan religions, The Church of All Worlds. To be clear, I certainly do not disapprove of polyamory or communal 'nesting', only of more organization than seems really necessary.

Some people reading this may think this a rather strange way to write a book review. My purpose here is not to give you a detailed description, but rather to let you know why I think the book is worth your time to read. But, if you'd like a good synopsis, they are certainly available.

In my opinion, Robert Heinlein was and-- even though deceased-- still is, the Grand Master of Science Fiction. He only wrote one really bad SF novel in his career-- Starship Troopers-- and, not surprisingly, that is the only one to date that has been made into a movie, as far as I know.

If you haven't read Stranger I hope you'll give it a try. You'll be glad you did.