Stranger in a Strange Land vs Synthetic Men of Mars: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Martians, Science Fiction, Fiction
Stranger in a Strange Land
Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the…
vs
Synthetic Men of Mars
John Carter desperately needed the aid of Barsoom's greatest scientist. But Ras Thavas was the prisoner of a nightmare army of his own creation -- half-humans who lived only for conquest. And in their hidden laboratory…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Synthetic Men of Mars is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Stranger in a Strange Land.
- Stranger in a Strange Land has the widest readership — 330408 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Stranger in a Strange Land | Synthetic Men of Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (330408) | 3.8 (3342) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 3.7 (14) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (843) | 4.5 (34) |
Reception
| Stranger in a Strange Land | Synthetic Men of Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 330408 | 3342 |
| Editions | 80 | 115 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 239511 | 3210 |
| Reading it now | 9821 | 238 |
| Written reviews | 11441 | 122 |
| Wikipedia attention | 17406 | 749 |
| Pages | 418 | 192 |