Stranger in a Strange Land is the tale of the ultimate outsider - a man who was born and raised in a completely alien culture. While his abilities seem strange and magical to ordinary people, the actions of ordinary humans seem bizarre and incomprehensible to him. It is through this device that Heinlein offers some of his most profound insights into humanity. Humanity is seen by turns as humorous, hostile, friendly, curious, greedy and loving. By doing this, Heinlein explores human psychology, sociology and philosophy from new and exciting angles. It is for this reason that I have included this book on my favorites list. It does, however, have a few faults that deserve mentioning. The women of the story are strikingly less deeply written than the men, resulting in characters that seem on the edge of stereotyping. They are nonetheless interestingly used stereotypes, but this cannot excuse the lack of imagination (or familiarity) that went into their creation. I believe that the good aspects of this book far outweigh the bad, but that is a decision that every reader must make for themselves. In any event, it is necessary to read the book before coming to a personal decision.
