Ein Mann in einer fremden Welt

I understand now why this gets too weird for some people. It's pretty different from what I thought it would be: I was convinced this whould be from the marsians POV, showing how he experiences earth pretty much on his own. Actually, this is more about the people that become close to him, starting with some people messing with a conspiracy around him. I also didn't expect that the book is basically split into two, one half being mainly about legal maneuvering and the other about religion. Both parts, however, and that was what I enjoyed most about it, have interesting philosophical discussions and characters with great relationships with each other. The main cast of characters is like a big family consisting of distinct and memorable personalities This character focus is something I expect more from modern SF, though the gender dynamics are of the book's time. While I loved the character interactions and appreciated the ideas, the actual story won't become my favourite any time soon. I preferred the plot of the second half, however you have to be open minded for that one. I wonder what the unabridged version published after the authors death adds to the experience, but I didn't love the book enough to find out myself. Though this is how I want a three star book to be: it didn't entirely fulfill all my needs in a book, but it was far from disappointing.