Fallen Caraytid,

Are you an art enthusiast? Of course you are, how silly of me to even ask such a ridiculous question. What good worldly person of this new age of internationality and digitalism would be so far removed as to not know the works of the greats? Rodin, Matisse, Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne, and the like are common household names, are they not? Also, I have discovered I can only really list a bunch of French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. I mean Van Gogh obviously is not of the Francophone persuasion but I digress.You are familiar with this work, non?

Quoi? Regardless of your awareness to this lovely work, if you had any doubt about the 'Written Word' I will discuss today, you can lay it to rest. For I implore you to read Stranger in a Strange Land. I am no huge fan of science fiction. In fact, I am not even certain I am huge fan of truly fictive fiction itself, but that is for another time and another day. 

This book ranks among one of the few that I feel profoundly changed my life. I can honestly say I would not be the man I am today without having read Heinlein's masterpiece. Whether this assertion is good or bad, is for you to decide. Perhaps you wish to be nothing like me, and I do not blame you for this, and so you avoid this book. Denying this book would most certainly be a huge mistake on your part.

I do not want to ruin any part of this book, but I feel in order to force you to read it I have to do so. Yes, it contains Martians. Yes, it contains sex. Yes, it contains a scathing review of religion. At the same time, it espouses the idea of religion, and re-evaluates the social mores of the entirety of Western society. All of this, is contained within a novel that does not exceed 500 pages. 

Doing my research for this entry and refreshing my memory of the lesser character's names has led me to discover that there are actually two different editions of this novel. One heavily edited at the request of the publisher, and one that is not so. I am unsure of which version I am familiar with, to be honest. I have read and re-read this book more than any other novel on my shelves, and while reading I usually gush endlessly to some close friend or family member. Then, I urge them, as I urge you, to read this book. They rarely take my advice, so I tend to end up giving them my copy when I am finished.

As of right now, I am stranger-less. This condition is a really depressing one, and one I feel like rectifying soon. In that case, I demand of you to buy a copy too, so I do not have to pay postage to send each of my avid readers a copy. I mean, there cannot be more than a hundred of you or something. 

Also, it's not every novel that introduces a new word into English lexicon. Remember to grok dear friends, so that one day we might be water brothers. One of the demands of my last Will & Testament will require my friends and family to finally grok me in fullness.

Just remember, Thou art God.