maeby_one_more_book 's review for:

Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

2.75

challenging informative slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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I REALLY wanted to love this book.  But even though it had infinite clever ideas, I found myself pretty bored for 75% of this book.  As fascinating as Valentine Michael Smith is, and how wonderfully realized his arc is, the constant diatribes and tangent about religion, philosophy, and politics, really tested my patience.  There’s also a major problem here. The character of Jubal Harshaw was as severe a misogynist hedonist as Lazarus Long was in “time enough for love“, and it was so severe, it was completely offputting. When all was said sudden done, I really loved the final exclamation point at the end of this too-long novel. But it was as much of a slog of a novel as I’ve read in quite some time.  Amazing ideas, pretty complex characters, but absolutely no excitement in the narrative.