Other Science Fiction Series

Stranger In A Strange Land

POSTED BY: fredgiblet
UPDATED: Monday, March 17, 2008 00:39
VIEWED: 6039
PAGE 2 of 4

Friday, March 7, 2008 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ecgordon:
He's my all time favorite writer.



A friend suggested Number Of The Beast- is that a good one? I would trust your opinion, Ec.

Chrisisall

"I supported Bush in 2000 and 2004 and intellegence[sic] had very little to do with that decision." - Hero, Real World Event Discussions

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Friday, March 7, 2008 1:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by deadlockvictim:

Fred...
did you know that the original version of SiaSL - that is, the one made available to the public - was censored..ok, edited from its original form because the publisher thought some parts were too shocking at the time - 1961 or 62... and the uncut version was not released until 1991 after Heinlein's death..? I imagine that you read the unedited version. I have both of them at home and finally read the uncut version a couple of years ago.



I think it was in the late 70's when I read SiaSL, so I must have read the censored version. What type of stuff did they edit out? It's been so long I don't remember much but I seem to remember a living room with real grass instead of carpet and a woman tying some awkward poseing.

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MSB
Friday, March 7, 2008 1:53 AM

It's a great book...

and it's Jimi (Riverismygoddess) favorite book...can't believe he hasn't posted in here

____________________________________________

Ain't Love GRAND!!!

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Friday, March 7, 2008 6:07 AM

Harsh Mistress was definitely awesome, I personally really like Citizen Of The Galaxy as well. I'm slowly meandering through his entire collection.

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Friday, March 7, 2008 7:22 AM

I've also rad practically every word RAH wrote.
Stranger wasn't exactly censored- the publisher thought it was too long, but didn't specifically request cuts for thematic reasons. Heinlein rewrote it himself, cutting a few words here, a paragraph there, and so on, about 1/3 of the total work.
I had read the original paperback edition several times, and the uncut was only slightly different- kinda like peeling a layer off an onion- it's still an onion underneath.

AS to The Number of the Beast, it's quite an enjoyable book. Without spoiling anything, the last chapter is absolutely mind-bending...

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Friday, March 7, 2008 1:35 PM

i agree, harsh mistress was great. kind of a bubmer for me because it was the first that i read, and my favorite, so after that nothing seemed quite as good :)
i liked stranger, especially jubal's character. glory road also very good.

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Friday, March 7, 2008 1:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MSB:
It's a great book...

and it's Jimi (Riverismygoddess) favorite book...can't believe he hasn't posted in here


Because I just saw this thread.

It is an amazing book. I recommend it to anyone I meet who I think will even sort of like it. It's actually changed the way I think about and do things.

*fills a glass with water and passes it to MsB* May You Never Thirst.


~jimi
Lt. Alexander - Chief Medic / XO Alpha Co. / Logistics & Transportation Specialist - 76th IAB

About drugs, about alcohol, about pornography and smoking and everything else: What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?

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Friday, March 7, 2008 1:48 PM

I read it back in high school (around '91 or so). Strangely enough; it was the same copy that my mom had checked out from the HS library over 20 years earlier. I hadn't known about the different edition until I read the first few pages of a copy I just got from SFBC a couple weeks ago.

It was a great read, and I was surprised that my rural HS had a copy(the entire SF section only took up shelf space about 6 feet wide by 5 feet high).

I could stand to hear a little more.

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Friday, March 7, 2008 2:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kirkules:
What type of stuff did they edit out?



Kirkules, sorry, to leave you hanging on that question - i probably should not have used the word 'censored' - edited would be more like it -

Newoldbrowncoat pretty much explains it in the post above.
According to Wikipedia the original was scaled back from about 220,000 to something like 160,000 words - i think there was a similar editing of Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars

I read Stranger in college in the early 70's - it was pretty much required reading for the counter-culture crowd.

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Friday, March 7, 2008 2:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by williamjamesw:
...my rural HS had a copy(the entire SF section only took up shelf space about 6 feet wide by 5 feet high)



William - my high school library was about the same in regards to science fiction - we had the standards, but that's about it. I remember reading Brave New World as a sophomore and was blown away - I turned in a very lengthly book report which i fully expected to get a low grade - but turned out to get the highest mark in that small class...

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