Scan barcode
remjunior's review against another edition
2.0
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the idea and the first half of the book, but then it just seemed to drag on in its own silliness. I liked it, but wish I could have liked it more.
shipwreck78's review against another edition
1.0
ok, Angela so called this one... He is a dirty old man! I gave up after a very hard attempt at finishing. It was slightly amusing the first 200 pages but the author was way too verbose on his societal commentary and it really lost my interest quickly. When the man from mars moves from childlike innocence to sexual icon, i had some serious problems... must be my good ol Iowa mores at work. sigh... off to find a much better book to read.
bulldog_guy's review against another edition
1.0
Award winner but ages poorly. Not too much fun to read because of this.
orangezest100's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
babyhandles's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
a_chickletz's review against another edition
DNF.
Honest to fucking god, this book is a chore. I just... don't get it or care?
Honest to fucking god, this book is a chore. I just... don't get it or care?
p_t_b's review against another edition
3.0
grabbed this more or less at random, knowing heinlein by name and reputation only. as prose it's a little stiff, a little dated, and a lot of the narrative ges advanced through one character telling another character about something that happened, which is not the most graceful plotting mechanism. there are some quaint/antique instances of soft misogyny. the main character, a human raised by martians who has magic powers, represents a kind of sex-money-morality christ figure. as fusty and intermittently clumsy as this book is, it says some interesting things about love, sex, power, etc. there are definitely some cringey, juvenile parts where it feels like mike (the name of the martian jesus) is just sort of a lens for male desire. glad i read this though. probably more fair to say 3.5 stars.
fun fact: this book is the source of the word "grok," which I have used for years without ever knowing the origin of.
fun fact: this book is the source of the word "grok," which I have used for years without ever knowing the origin of.
aliciasrealm's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed Heinlein's descriptions of future technologies, like stereo tanks and reading machines. Very interesting to see how a person from the 60s imagined the future. I appreciated the religious and social commentary throughout, though I felt that was the bulk of the novel as opposed to the science fiction aspect.
The prose is often dialogue heavy and it quickly became a chore to follow who was speaking (there are so many characters!) Ultimately, I switched to the audiobook to finish the second half of the novel.
A number of statements made by and about women are antiquated and often problematic (many references to women's 'maternal instincts' and such) and it's unclear to me whether these statements are intended to reflect the author's own opinions on these subjects. It's difficult to look past statements such as, "Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's at least partly her own fault." The context does not make that remark any less unsettling.
Some good, some bad, worth the read though a bit too long for what it was in my opinion.
The prose is often dialogue heavy and it quickly became a chore to follow who was speaking (there are so many characters!) Ultimately, I switched to the audiobook to finish the second half of the novel.
A number of statements made by and about women are antiquated and often problematic (many references to women's 'maternal instincts' and such) and it's unclear to me whether these statements are intended to reflect the author's own opinions on these subjects. It's difficult to look past statements such as, "Nine times out of ten, if a girl gets raped, it's at least partly her own fault." The context does not make that remark any less unsettling.
Some good, some bad, worth the read though a bit too long for what it was in my opinion.