By: Robert A. Heinlein
Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins

Nope, we didn’t turn it around with this one either. I did finish the book, though, so that’s something. I really enjoyed the beginning—it had me hooked right away, with the world building but started to lose me with the development of the Martian cult.

That said, as the story went on, it didn’t feel nearly as paradigm-shifting as Starship Troopers, which is the other Heinlein book I’ve read and one of my all-time favorites. By comparison, this one just didn’t hit the same way.

The exploration of Martian culture and language was fascinating at first, especially the concept of “grokking,” which dives into understanding and unity on a level that’s almost spiritual. It was an interesting idea, and I can see how it could resonate philosophical discussions of who we are and why are we here.

But as the story progressed, those deeper threads seemed to get overshadowed by the growing focus on the communal and free-love aspects of the Martian ideology. It felt less like a philosophical exploration and more like a manifesto for a hippie cult. While I understand where he was coming from with the exploration of counterculture in 1960s and 1970s, but it lacked foundation and thus ended up being an idea blown in the wind without a place to land.

The ending motifs were quite satisfying, though, tying back to the transformation of the main character and his influence on humanity. It had a certain poetic weight to it. So, while the book had its moments of brilliance and relevance, it ultimately leaned too much into the free love manifesto and less into the thought-provoking. For me, it didn’t measure up to the sharper, more focused commentary in Starship Troopers.