Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Orb Books (1997), Edition: 1st, Paperback, 384 pages
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML: Revolution is brewing on twenty-first-century Luna, a moon-based penal colony where oppressed "Loonies" are being exploited by a harsh Authority that controls it from Earth. Against all odds, a ragtag collection of dissidents has banded together in revolt, including a young female radical, an elderly academic, a one-armed computer jock, and a nearly omnipotent supercomputer named Mike, whose sentience is known only to this inner circle and who is committed to the revolution for reasons of his own. Drawing many historical parallels with the War of Independence, Heinlein's fourth Hugo Award�??winning novel is a gripping tale bursting with politics, humanity, passion, innovative technical speculation, and a firm belief in the pursuit of human freedom. Robert A. Heinlein was the most influential science fiction writer of his era, winning the Hugo Award for best novel a record four times. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress was the last of these Hugo-winning novels and is widely considered his finest work.… (more)
Media reviews
None of these complaints are to say that Harsh Mistress is a straight-up bad book. As with any Heinlein book, it offers a lot of food for thought and fodder for argument.
User reviews
LibraryThing member uvula_fr_b4
Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is an anarcho-libertarian manifesto thinly disguised as a science fiction novel; it also happens to be one of his better later works (published as a novel in 1966, it was serialized in a shorter form beginning in 1965 in The Worlds of If magazine):
In 2075, Earth's Moon (usually called Luna) is a combination penal colony and Wild West populated by various outcasts, criminals and political prisoners (some three million in total) that also serves as a bread basket (grain is grown in underground hydroponic farms and catapaulted to Earth to feed that planet's teeming billions, though India's billions in particular are the primary beneficiaries); Luna has a similar status to Antarctica in that it doesn't belong to any one nation, but rather to the entire Earth (at least in theory), as represented by the Federated Nations, or F.N., the offspring of the United Nations so reviled and feared by many on the political right. (In RAH's novel, the F.N. appears to be slightly more effective an actor than the U.N. has managed to be, although political chicanery is still required.) The confluence of a skilled computer and electronics technician named Manuel ("Mannie") Garcia O'Kelly-Davis, Professor Bernardo de la Paz, and a self-aware supercomputer on Luna that Mannie dubs "Mike" (short for "Mycroft Holmes": the computer is a HOLMES FOUR: High-Optional, Logical, Multi-Evaluating Supervisor, Mod. L"; it should be noted, however, that Manny conflates the fictional Dr. John H. Watson of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories with Thomas J. Watson, Sr., the man who presided over IBM from 1914 to 1956), as well as a sexpot revolutionary named Wyoming "Wyoh" Knox, soon makes apparent that Luna's residents -- "Loonies" -- are in fact ripe for rebellion against the F.N.'s hated Lunar Authority, whether they realize it or not....
Anyone who's read at least a couple of Heinlein's books will have a fair idea as to how The Moon is a Harsh Mistress unfolds: lots of emphasis on real-world science extrapolated to the not-too-distant future; lots of socio-political (and, since this is an RAH work of the 1960s, sexual) theory; a modicum of action, much of it related second-hand; a bit of not-too-obscure symbolism, particularly as regarding the characters' names (Mike calls Manny "Man"; "Paz" is Spanish for "peace"; Mike constructs another identity for himself named "Adam Selene"; etc.); and a colloquial, jokingly cynical, sometimes corny, style liberally seasoned with dialogue to make it go down better.
What's relatively unique about RAH's style in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is the fact that Manny, the book's first person narrator, had Russian for his first language: the lack of definite articles colors his speech as much as the various Russian cultural references (including some descendants of the stilyagi); the Professor has to admonish him to use "standard English" at one point, and it is only then that Manny uses "the." (One wonders if Heinlein adopted this style partly in response to Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, whose English hoodlums speak in a Russian-English pidgin.)
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is one of the earlier works using the term "cyborg" (which was coined in 1960); it's also cursed with the repeated misuse of the word "pidgin" (as in, "that's my pidgin" instead of "that's my pigeon," i.e., "that's my specialty," "that's of special interest to me": compare with "that's my meat," "that's right up my alley"), save for one shining instance.
As usual with Heinlein's "big ideas" novels, some of his interpretations of history, extrapolations of current events and trends, and proposals for political and social engineering are more likely than others (the Professor's dubbing of Thomas Jefferson as "the first of the rational anarchists" seems particularly specious, given Jefferson's conduct as president); RAH's description of Manny's line marriage comes off as a case of wildly wishful thinking, much as did his smaller-scale variations on this theme in Friday.
Also typical of RAH is his treatment of women: nominally just as intelligent, tough, strong and independent as men (he actually credits women with greater potential for vindictiveness and ferocity than men here), they nonetheless are universally ready to make molti bambini and are suspiciously shoved into the background (as well as conveniently weepy at all the right moments for the male characters' gratification). Heinlein's predilection for pedophilia is also in evidence here (as in most of his work from the 1960s onward, as well as in some of his 1950s work): women, always in short supply on Luna (and thus putatively at the top of the social hierarchy there, rather in the manner that female stars in heterosexual porn movies are better paid than the male stars), routinely become sexually active immediately upon the onset of menarche, and it is not unusual for them to marry at 13 or 14 years of age. (Manny himself was 14 when he married into his line family.) As for LBGTs: fahgeddaboutit.
If the modern reader of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress finds himself wondering how many of the current "Tea Party" groups look to it as a sort of bible, he might also find some passing amusement in wondering as to which parts of its political and social schemata the various groups would choose to discard. One suspects that many, if not most, of the self-styled anarchists or libertarians would find the arbitrary, life-or-death nature of life on RAH's Luna -- a deadliness not entirely due to the harsh realities of living on an airless, waterless planetoid -- not at all to their liking.
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it's more coherent and cohesive than even the uncut version of Stranger in a Strange Land (originally published in 1961; the restored version -- roughly 60,000 words longer than the version originally published -- appeared in 1991) or Friday (1982). In 2075, Earth's Moon (usually called Luna) is a combination penal colony and Wild West populated by various outcasts, criminals and political prisoners (some three million in total) that also serves as a bread basket (grain is grown in underground hydroponic farms and catapaulted to Earth to feed that planet's teeming billions, though India's billions in particular are the primary beneficiaries); Luna has a similar status to Antarctica in that it doesn't belong to any one nation, but rather to the entire Earth (at least in theory), as represented by the Federated Nations, or F.N., the offspring of the United Nations so reviled and feared by many on the political right. (In RAH's novel, the F.N. appears to be slightly more effective an actor than the U.N. has managed to be, although political chicanery is still required.) The confluence of a skilled computer and electronics technician named Manuel ("Mannie") Garcia O'Kelly-Davis, Professor Bernardo de la Paz, and a self-aware supercomputer on Luna that Mannie dubs "Mike" (short for "Mycroft Holmes": the computer is a HOLMES FOUR: High-Optional, Logical, Multi-Evaluating Supervisor, Mod. L"; it should be noted, however, that Manny conflates the fictional Dr. John H. Watson of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories with Thomas J. Watson, Sr., the man who presided over IBM from 1914 to 1956), as well as a sexpot revolutionary named Wyoming "Wyoh" Knox, soon makes apparent that Luna's residents -- "Loonies" -- are in fact ripe for rebellion against the F.N.'s hated Lunar Authority, whether they realize it or not....
Anyone who's read at least a couple of Heinlein's books will have a fair idea as to how The Moon is a Harsh Mistress unfolds: lots of emphasis on real-world science extrapolated to the not-too-distant future; lots of socio-political (and, since this is an RAH work of the 1960s, sexual) theory; a modicum of action, much of it related second-hand; a bit of not-too-obscure symbolism, particularly as regarding the characters' names (Mike calls Manny "Man"; "Paz" is Spanish for "peace"; Mike constructs another identity for himself named "Adam Selene"; etc.); and a colloquial, jokingly cynical, sometimes corny, style liberally seasoned with dialogue to make it go down better.
What's relatively unique about RAH's style in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is the fact that Manny, the book's first person narrator, had Russian for his first language: the lack of definite articles colors his speech as much as the various Russian cultural references (including some descendants of the stilyagi); the Professor has to admonish him to use "standard English" at one point, and it is only then that Manny uses "the." (One wonders if Heinlein adopted this style partly in response to Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, whose English hoodlums speak in a Russian-English pidgin.)
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is one of the earlier works using the term "cyborg" (which was coined in 1960); it's also cursed with the repeated misuse of the word "pidgin" (as in, "that's my pidgin" instead of "that's my pigeon," i.e., "that's my specialty," "that's of special interest to me": compare with "that's my meat," "that's right up my alley"), save for one shining instance.
As usual with Heinlein's "big ideas" novels, some of his interpretations of history, extrapolations of current events and trends, and proposals for political and social engineering are more likely than others (the Professor's dubbing of Thomas Jefferson as "the first of the rational anarchists" seems particularly specious, given Jefferson's conduct as president); RAH's description of Manny's line marriage comes off as a case of wildly wishful thinking, much as did his smaller-scale variations on this theme in Friday.
Also typical of RAH is his treatment of women: nominally just as intelligent, tough, strong and independent as men (he actually credits women with greater potential for vindictiveness and ferocity than men here), they nonetheless are universally ready to make molti bambini and are suspiciously shoved into the background (as well as conveniently weepy at all the right moments for the male characters' gratification). Heinlein's predilection for pedophilia is also in evidence here (as in most of his work from the 1960s onward, as well as in some of his 1950s work): women, always in short supply on Luna (and thus putatively at the top of the social hierarchy there, rather in the manner that female stars in heterosexual porn movies are better paid than the male stars), routinely become sexually active immediately upon the onset of menarche, and it is not unusual for them to marry at 13 or 14 years of age. (Manny himself was 14 when he married into his line family.) As for LBGTs: fahgeddaboutit.
If the modern reader of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress finds himself wondering how many of the current "Tea Party" groups look to it as a sort of bible, he might also find some passing amusement in wondering as to which parts of its political and social schemata the various groups would choose to discard. One suspects that many, if not most, of the self-styled anarchists or libertarians would find the arbitrary, life-or-death nature of life on RAH's Luna -- a deadliness not entirely due to the harsh realities of living on an airless, waterless planetoid -- not at all to their liking.
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LibraryThing member melydia
My first taste of Heinlein was Stranger in a Strange Land a few years back. It was, in a word, bad. So I gave up on Heinlein all together, figuring if his most famous and critically acclaimed book was no good, what chance did the others have? This conviction was met with protests from Heinlein
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fans, saying I need to read some "good" Heinlein before making the call. So I did, though it took me an unusually long time to finish. I just couldn't get into it. The characters were two-dimensional and shared too many qualities with those in SiaSL: the brilliant innocent (here, a self-aware computer named Mike), the levelheaded and elderly teacher/father-figure (Prof the anarchist philosopher), and the beautiful, "smart" woman whose most highly praised attribute is her ability to keep her mouth shut when the men are talking about important things (Wyoh, a revolutionary with a thing for older men - another SiaSL staple). Another recycled idea (though I don't know which book came first) was the group/line marriages, where the women are said to be in charge but actually spend most of their time at home worrying about their men. These characters weren't that great the first time around; the second time was just tedious.The idea behind the story is fine: the moon is more or less a penal colony under totalitarian rule. With the help of Mike the computer, Mannie (a computer tech who talks - and narrates the story - in an obnoxious dialect that sounds like someone faking a Russian accent very poorly), Prof, and Wyoh engineer a revolution. There is some interesting discussion of political ideals and governmental structure, but without sympathetic characters to bring it to life the story is about as gripping as your average high school civics class. I simply could not bring myself to care one way or the other. Now I wonder, how many more of his books do I need to read before I can officially say I don't like Heinlein? Show Less
LibraryThing member OldRoses
I read a lot of science fiction in high school. I was deep into teenage angst, certain that my life was “the worst life ever!!!” and therefore sought escapist literature. Although my homelife was indeed worse than most, entering adulthood, I discovered that one could escape the shackles of a
When Goodreads offered Robert Heinlein’s "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" in a giveaway, I entered on a whim. I had read his "Stranger in a Strange Land" so many years ago that I barely remembered it other than the fact that he was a fabulous writer.
Excellent writing aside, one of the entertaining things about revisiting science fiction written in the 1960’s, is seeing how the writer envisioned life more than a century hence in 2075. The author in this case was surprisingly prescient creating a world where China is a superpower, surrogate motherhood is routine and Artificial Intelligence in computers is possible. Of course, he did get some things terribly wrong. Instead of cell phones, there are landlines with very, very long cords and typewriters instead of printers.
One non-technical detail that was also off was language. In the story, the moon is a penal colony for planet Earth. The convicts sent there are from all over the Earth and should have been speaking different languages. Instead, everyone speaks English. Studies have shown that in the situation where a society is made up of peoples with mutually unintelligible languages, a new language is born composed of words and phrases from all the languages present. I learned that in a linguistics class in the 1970’s although if I recall correctly, the original studies were done the previous decade so the information should have been available to Heinlein.
Science fiction is and was never primarily about technology, however. It is social commentary, positing different cultures and traditions, some improvements and others degenerations of the cultural norms we know. In all cases, the purpose of the story is to allow us to consider issues without the distractions of our own societal rules and laws. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is the story of a rebellious colony fighting for independence and the effect of that rebellion on all of the participants including a computer that has “come alive”, speaking and acting seemingly like a human being.
Heinlein is pitch perfect. His story, his characters, and their motivations all ring true. The ending is satisfying. I enjoyed this book so much that I want to re-read "Stranger in a Strange Land". I’m sure that I will appreciate it much more as an adult than as my former “angst-y” teenage self.
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dysfunctional family and establish healthier relationships with other people. I put aside science fiction for more “grown-up” books on history and politics. When Goodreads offered Robert Heinlein’s "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" in a giveaway, I entered on a whim. I had read his "Stranger in a Strange Land" so many years ago that I barely remembered it other than the fact that he was a fabulous writer.
Excellent writing aside, one of the entertaining things about revisiting science fiction written in the 1960’s, is seeing how the writer envisioned life more than a century hence in 2075. The author in this case was surprisingly prescient creating a world where China is a superpower, surrogate motherhood is routine and Artificial Intelligence in computers is possible. Of course, he did get some things terribly wrong. Instead of cell phones, there are landlines with very, very long cords and typewriters instead of printers.
One non-technical detail that was also off was language. In the story, the moon is a penal colony for planet Earth. The convicts sent there are from all over the Earth and should have been speaking different languages. Instead, everyone speaks English. Studies have shown that in the situation where a society is made up of peoples with mutually unintelligible languages, a new language is born composed of words and phrases from all the languages present. I learned that in a linguistics class in the 1970’s although if I recall correctly, the original studies were done the previous decade so the information should have been available to Heinlein.
Science fiction is and was never primarily about technology, however. It is social commentary, positing different cultures and traditions, some improvements and others degenerations of the cultural norms we know. In all cases, the purpose of the story is to allow us to consider issues without the distractions of our own societal rules and laws. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is the story of a rebellious colony fighting for independence and the effect of that rebellion on all of the participants including a computer that has “come alive”, speaking and acting seemingly like a human being.
Heinlein is pitch perfect. His story, his characters, and their motivations all ring true. The ending is satisfying. I enjoyed this book so much that I want to re-read "Stranger in a Strange Land". I’m sure that I will appreciate it much more as an adult than as my former “angst-y” teenage self.
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LibraryThing member santhony
This Robert Heinlein classic has been described as science fiction with a political slant. In my opinion, it can be more accurately described as a political work set on the moon. In a nutshell, the Moon is developed as a penal colony. After three or four generations, the inhabitants have begun to
There is excellent hard science fiction here and the development of artificial intelligence is outstanding, but more impressive are the sociological and anthropological aspects of the story. An example of this is the family constructs which have evolved from the very “male heavy” environment. Of course, polyandry is an obvious solution, and one of those employed, however the idea of “clan marriage” and the far more original and fascinating “line marriage” (a continuous marriage arrangement in which new marriage partners are added with time) are also introduced.
Of course, the political statements contained within the story are front and center and are what set this science fiction work apart from many others of its genre. This novel was written in the 1960s, so some of the technology and scientific principles might seem dated, or off the mark, but I didn’t find them to be so erroneous as to detract from the story. A landmark work to be sure, and a blockbuster at the time it was written. It has aged better than many of its contemporaries, but falls just below what I would consider to be a current, five star experience.
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chafe under the yolk of the repressive Authority, which controls all aspects of their lives. This novel follows the Lunar movement to achieve independence and self sufficiency.There is excellent hard science fiction here and the development of artificial intelligence is outstanding, but more impressive are the sociological and anthropological aspects of the story. An example of this is the family constructs which have evolved from the very “male heavy” environment. Of course, polyandry is an obvious solution, and one of those employed, however the idea of “clan marriage” and the far more original and fascinating “line marriage” (a continuous marriage arrangement in which new marriage partners are added with time) are also introduced.
Of course, the political statements contained within the story are front and center and are what set this science fiction work apart from many others of its genre. This novel was written in the 1960s, so some of the technology and scientific principles might seem dated, or off the mark, but I didn’t find them to be so erroneous as to detract from the story. A landmark work to be sure, and a blockbuster at the time it was written. It has aged better than many of its contemporaries, but falls just below what I would consider to be a current, five star experience.
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LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
I don't know that I have anything new to say in praise of this novel. So instead, I will say, I would never have imagined myself so heartsick over the loss of a computer until now. Goodbye, dear Mike. I shall miss you, too.
Heinlein is able to explore a world of politics, revolution, love, family,
His ideas about never allowing yourself to get trampled by the standard way of life was refreshing, and I wish that more politicians could embrace this philosophy.
Heinlein is able to explore a world of politics, revolution, love, family,
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and dedication in an intricate and enjoyable way. Life is complex, and so is his story, weaving multiple aspects of what it means to be a sentient creature into the tale. From humor to love, the good parts of life must be explored fully. From rebellion to war, fighting for you and yours, the sticky parts must be waded through.His ideas about never allowing yourself to get trampled by the standard way of life was refreshing, and I wish that more politicians could embrace this philosophy.
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LibraryThing member alchymyst
Flat. That's precisely the word I would use to describe this book. It reads like one of those bad Soviet-era novels that exist solely to describe some political concept. I dislike books that are obviously technical manuals on how to build societies, they just don't make good fiction. It's a
Another issue is the blatant sexism in this book. In the context of the society described in this book, it seems very odd to me that even though women have 'the choice' and a lot of power, they all seem to choose to stand next to 'their men' and keep quiet, or to stay in the kitchen and pop out babies. Even Wyoming is part of this revolution only because she thinks the Authority irradiated her ovaries and therefore she cannot have normal babies (and therefore be a good wife).
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blow-by-blow account of a revolution, full of random details nobody cares to know. The characters I found pretty uninteresting. I honestly didn't care if their revolution would succeed or fail. Another issue is the blatant sexism in this book. In the context of the society described in this book, it seems very odd to me that even though women have 'the choice' and a lot of power, they all seem to choose to stand next to 'their men' and keep quiet, or to stay in the kitchen and pop out babies. Even Wyoming is part of this revolution only because she thinks the Authority irradiated her ovaries and therefore she cannot have normal babies (and therefore be a good wife).
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LibraryThing member andreablythe
The lunar colony has been treated like a dumping ground for criminals and delinquents by the people of Earth for decades, overlooked by a "Warden" who mostly sticks to his home. There are no laws on Luna, and yet the conflux of prisoners, miners, and free borns from many nationalities and
Manny is an apolitical type and a mechanic, who works to repair the main computer that runs the entire systems of the lunar colony. Only, Manny has discovered that the computer, known as Mike, has developed a personality and fond of good practical jokes.
When Manny witnesses a riot during a revolutionist political rally, he quickly gets wrapped up in helping Wyoh, a political activist, and the Professor, an anarchist with a desire for revolution. The three of them, together with Mike the computer, end up setting out on a complex plot to enact revolution and earn Luna her freedom.
The novel unfolds over the entire course of the revolution, which includes thousands of people making up the plot and spans several years. Thus at times, the narration becomes distanced from the personal as Manny relates events as he remembers them, kind of like a historical account.
The characters are great, though sometimes they do get lost in the epic sweep of the revolutionary narrative. I also loved how Heinlein developed a slang unique to Luna, a kind of mishmash of abbreviations and words from many languages. The lingo is easy enough to follow and fun to read, while being entirely plausible sounding. Great book.
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backgrounds has created a sort of ordered anarchy in which all "rules" are simple, unspoken and enforced by the populace who must take responsibility for their own actions. Manny is an apolitical type and a mechanic, who works to repair the main computer that runs the entire systems of the lunar colony. Only, Manny has discovered that the computer, known as Mike, has developed a personality and fond of good practical jokes.
When Manny witnesses a riot during a revolutionist political rally, he quickly gets wrapped up in helping Wyoh, a political activist, and the Professor, an anarchist with a desire for revolution. The three of them, together with Mike the computer, end up setting out on a complex plot to enact revolution and earn Luna her freedom.
The novel unfolds over the entire course of the revolution, which includes thousands of people making up the plot and spans several years. Thus at times, the narration becomes distanced from the personal as Manny relates events as he remembers them, kind of like a historical account.
The characters are great, though sometimes they do get lost in the epic sweep of the revolutionary narrative. I also loved how Heinlein developed a slang unique to Luna, a kind of mishmash of abbreviations and words from many languages. The lingo is easy enough to follow and fun to read, while being entirely plausible sounding. Great book.
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LibraryThing member Unreachableshelf
This is quite possibly Heinlein's greatest work, and certainly the least preachy of his great works that I have read to date. Heinlein's characters have never truly had human flaws, and this book is no exception, but these characters at least seem to be operating within more reasonable areas of
I would have given this book four and a half stars if I had not docked it slightly on a matter of personal taste. Heinlein's attempt at creating a modified language for a civilization a hundred years in the future and influenced by a mixture of convicts transported from various countries is admirable, but along with the new slang and imported words, did he have to drop articles and other "little words" irregularly? Rationally, it is effective in showing another method by which language might evolve, but I'm one of those readers for which the rhythm of language is as important as anything else, and dropping words irregularly throws off the rhythm. How much this bothers or doesn't bother anybody is a matter of personal preference, of course, which is why I wouldn't let it count for more than half a star.
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expertise. Best of all is Mike. Heinlein has written interesting A.I. characters elsewhere, but Mike may be the greatest computer-character I have encountered, anywhere.I would have given this book four and a half stars if I had not docked it slightly on a matter of personal taste. Heinlein's attempt at creating a modified language for a civilization a hundred years in the future and influenced by a mixture of convicts transported from various countries is admirable, but along with the new slang and imported words, did he have to drop articles and other "little words" irregularly? Rationally, it is effective in showing another method by which language might evolve, but I'm one of those readers for which the rhythm of language is as important as anything else, and dropping words irregularly throws off the rhythm. How much this bothers or doesn't bother anybody is a matter of personal preference, of course, which is why I wouldn't let it count for more than half a star.
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LibraryThing member publiusdb
When a book has stood the test of time, has been deemed a "classic," reviewing becomes something of a futile effort. Like an art critic reviewing the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel with anything short of awe and respect, reviewing a classic novel feels a little arrogant. How does one critique what
One doesn't.
And so we come to the book: Robert Heinlein's "The Moon is Harsh Mistress." In the world of science-fiction, Heinlein is a giant, called the "dean of science-fiction" and seeing four of his books win the Hugo (a record, if I am not mistaken). Published in 1966, before Kennedy's moon shot had succeeded, it is clear that "Mistress" is looking far ahead in time, and I can only imagine how forward and revolutionary it was at the time, even if there are elements of it that feel dated now. As a classic, it's beyond me to critique, but I'll at least lend a few thoughts.
"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is the story of a revolution, the rebellion of the lunar penal colony against the master nations of Earth told through the voice of a computer engineer who inadvertently finds himself at the center of events. Along with an aging professor, a beautiful agitator, and a computer that becomes self-aware (and is seeking a sense of humor, decades before Star Trek: The Next Generation had Data trying to understand humor), he leads the prisoners and free people of the Moon to attempt first the overthrow of a warden ruling the colony, and then the Earth's worldwide government that tries to put down the rebellion.
In contrast to the Gene Roddenberry idyllic version of the future--where worldwide government has resulted in perpetual peace and the end of economic tumult (or any visible economy at all, for that matter)--Heinlein's world of 2075 is gritty, dangerous, and free on the frontier (the moon), while the Earth is ruled by a large, bureaucratic government that is bloated and corrupt. Indeed, Heinlein's novel has rightly been called a novel of libertarian revolution. On the moon, laws are limited, government small, and only the strong survive.
Seriously. Like a penal colony in any frontier land, be it was the New World or Australia, the environment is harsh, the rules are only those that are created by common consent. In one scene, a cultural norm is broken when a tourist from Earth propositions a woman in a bar, misunderstanding the cues. Rather than push him out an airlock or compete in a duel to the death, both completely acceptable options in the lunar culture. Instead, a third option is proposed and followed--an impromptu jury with a respected member of the community serving as the judge. It hearkens back to medieval England and the power of the jury to nullify laws and set people at liberty to serve justice.
It's a little unnerving, but Heinlein's libertarian republic is by no means perfect, but sees elements that seem to echo the Russian communist revolution and the rise of a small, secretive group that manipulates the rest of the country to their own ends. Seeing the mix between a libertarian society and communist-like principles of revolution seems a little odd and occasionally out of place, but the integrity of the characters themselves lets the story carry to a simplistic conclusion where the heroes remain uncorrupted by the secret power they hold.
At the heart of the story is the phrase "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch," or TANSTAAFL as it is commonly known among the Loonies, or the natives of the moon. It's the idea that nothing is free, and to everything there is a cost. It's the idea that everything is negotiable, it is why the cost for freedom is high, and describes why in the end freedom is more available on the frontier where those who are strong enough are able to win the rewards of their labors. To his credit, Heinlein endorses the right to bargain ones efforts and resources with a simplicity that others, most particularly Ayn Rand, spend thousands of pages attempting: “It is ridiculous—pestilential, not to be borne—that we should be ruled by an irresponsible dictator in all our essential economy! It strikes at the most basic human right, the right to bargain in a free marketplace.”
Ironically, this does not lead to great wealth. Quite the contrary. His protagonist, not unlike every other lunar libertarian, describes himself as “Not wealthy, not weeping.” He has enough to be comfortable, but he’s not wealthy. What really matters is not lucre, but freedom to do as one chooses, to be responsible for ones choices, and to succeed or fail on the merits.
The problem is the state. While a necessary evil, its needs are secondary to the individual. A trip to Earth shows endless bureaucracy, lines to stand in, forms to be completed, licenses to be sought and obtained, taxes and fees to be paid. On the other hand there “are no circumstances under which State is justified in placing it’s welfare ahead of mine.” If the individual’s needs are subsidiary to the state, the individual is no longer free to choose.
Even if it does occasionally seem dated, Heinlein's genius is in looking ahead down the road of human history and imagining what might be. Without using technology that is so far advanced that it is more magic than science, Heinlein is able to focus on a story that just happens to take place over a hundred years down the road, though that story might just as easily have been set in the past or on our own planet. Whether it is creative family structures, a land with no laws but is crime free, or a jargon that bastardizes Russian, Chinese, and English, “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” retains a timelessness that while perhaps not the most exciting read, is guaranteed to provoke thought and conversation for decades to come.
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is universally acknowledged?One doesn't.
And so we come to the book: Robert Heinlein's "The Moon is Harsh Mistress." In the world of science-fiction, Heinlein is a giant, called the "dean of science-fiction" and seeing four of his books win the Hugo (a record, if I am not mistaken). Published in 1966, before Kennedy's moon shot had succeeded, it is clear that "Mistress" is looking far ahead in time, and I can only imagine how forward and revolutionary it was at the time, even if there are elements of it that feel dated now. As a classic, it's beyond me to critique, but I'll at least lend a few thoughts.
"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is the story of a revolution, the rebellion of the lunar penal colony against the master nations of Earth told through the voice of a computer engineer who inadvertently finds himself at the center of events. Along with an aging professor, a beautiful agitator, and a computer that becomes self-aware (and is seeking a sense of humor, decades before Star Trek: The Next Generation had Data trying to understand humor), he leads the prisoners and free people of the Moon to attempt first the overthrow of a warden ruling the colony, and then the Earth's worldwide government that tries to put down the rebellion.
In contrast to the Gene Roddenberry idyllic version of the future--where worldwide government has resulted in perpetual peace and the end of economic tumult (or any visible economy at all, for that matter)--Heinlein's world of 2075 is gritty, dangerous, and free on the frontier (the moon), while the Earth is ruled by a large, bureaucratic government that is bloated and corrupt. Indeed, Heinlein's novel has rightly been called a novel of libertarian revolution. On the moon, laws are limited, government small, and only the strong survive.
Seriously. Like a penal colony in any frontier land, be it was the New World or Australia, the environment is harsh, the rules are only those that are created by common consent. In one scene, a cultural norm is broken when a tourist from Earth propositions a woman in a bar, misunderstanding the cues. Rather than push him out an airlock or compete in a duel to the death, both completely acceptable options in the lunar culture. Instead, a third option is proposed and followed--an impromptu jury with a respected member of the community serving as the judge. It hearkens back to medieval England and the power of the jury to nullify laws and set people at liberty to serve justice.
It's a little unnerving, but Heinlein's libertarian republic is by no means perfect, but sees elements that seem to echo the Russian communist revolution and the rise of a small, secretive group that manipulates the rest of the country to their own ends. Seeing the mix between a libertarian society and communist-like principles of revolution seems a little odd and occasionally out of place, but the integrity of the characters themselves lets the story carry to a simplistic conclusion where the heroes remain uncorrupted by the secret power they hold.
At the heart of the story is the phrase "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch," or TANSTAAFL as it is commonly known among the Loonies, or the natives of the moon. It's the idea that nothing is free, and to everything there is a cost. It's the idea that everything is negotiable, it is why the cost for freedom is high, and describes why in the end freedom is more available on the frontier where those who are strong enough are able to win the rewards of their labors. To his credit, Heinlein endorses the right to bargain ones efforts and resources with a simplicity that others, most particularly Ayn Rand, spend thousands of pages attempting: “It is ridiculous—pestilential, not to be borne—that we should be ruled by an irresponsible dictator in all our essential economy! It strikes at the most basic human right, the right to bargain in a free marketplace.”
Ironically, this does not lead to great wealth. Quite the contrary. His protagonist, not unlike every other lunar libertarian, describes himself as “Not wealthy, not weeping.” He has enough to be comfortable, but he’s not wealthy. What really matters is not lucre, but freedom to do as one chooses, to be responsible for ones choices, and to succeed or fail on the merits.
The problem is the state. While a necessary evil, its needs are secondary to the individual. A trip to Earth shows endless bureaucracy, lines to stand in, forms to be completed, licenses to be sought and obtained, taxes and fees to be paid. On the other hand there “are no circumstances under which State is justified in placing it’s welfare ahead of mine.” If the individual’s needs are subsidiary to the state, the individual is no longer free to choose.
Even if it does occasionally seem dated, Heinlein's genius is in looking ahead down the road of human history and imagining what might be. Without using technology that is so far advanced that it is more magic than science, Heinlein is able to focus on a story that just happens to take place over a hundred years down the road, though that story might just as easily have been set in the past or on our own planet. Whether it is creative family structures, a land with no laws but is crime free, or a jargon that bastardizes Russian, Chinese, and English, “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” retains a timelessness that while perhaps not the most exciting read, is guaranteed to provoke thought and conversation for decades to come.
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LibraryThing member aquinaught
This is my first book review in nearly fifteen years; forgive me if it appears shallow and naive. I'm sure this will evoke cringes from my high school lit teachers but first steps (or first again, in this case) are always cumbersome.
The novel describes the events leading up to and the aftermath of
The language and jargon used by the characters skirt that boundary between casual familiarity and situational exclusion and force the reader to recognize that he is meant to feel as a foreigner in this environment. Family interactions and structures have faint resemblances to social norms but are evolved enough to seem strange as a whole. It is shown through various ways that citizens of Luna and citizens of Terra have grown distant enough that reconciliation at even the basest physical level is tremendously difficult; daily life on one planet is thought of as myth or propagandized lies on the other. The reader, of course, is assumed to be most familiar with the Terran values but sympathetic to Lunar differences and when such a character appears in the story, he is unfortunately underutilized.
I enjoyed the book overall but not as much as I would have liked. I can admire the language barrier as an attempt to make me understand that while I may have been there, this wasn't my fight -- something akin to an embedded reporter in today's world. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was simply too dumb to understand some of the underpinnings of the novel and the political machinations (again, abhorrent to me on an everyday basis to begin with) seemed to solidify that. I'm certain that I miss otherwise obvious elements in other books, but they have the common decency to camouflage them for me. I would certainly recommend this to readers interested in some thought-evoking science fiction, to social scientists interested in a different setting, or to sci-fi fans getting back to the roots of the genre, but only as a "read once to say you have."
The novel describes the events leading up to and the aftermath of
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a revolution aiming for lunar independence. While the outcome is preordained in the author's mind, Heinlein presents a very good illusion of gaming theory and toys with the probabilities of an ever-branching chain of events. The preparation for the revolution was exciting in that conspiratorial way but all good things come to an end as the inevitable doldrums of political positioning began to seep into the seams. A personal bias but one that nonetheless slants my review.The language and jargon used by the characters skirt that boundary between casual familiarity and situational exclusion and force the reader to recognize that he is meant to feel as a foreigner in this environment. Family interactions and structures have faint resemblances to social norms but are evolved enough to seem strange as a whole. It is shown through various ways that citizens of Luna and citizens of Terra have grown distant enough that reconciliation at even the basest physical level is tremendously difficult; daily life on one planet is thought of as myth or propagandized lies on the other. The reader, of course, is assumed to be most familiar with the Terran values but sympathetic to Lunar differences and when such a character appears in the story, he is unfortunately underutilized.
I enjoyed the book overall but not as much as I would have liked. I can admire the language barrier as an attempt to make me understand that while I may have been there, this wasn't my fight -- something akin to an embedded reporter in today's world. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was simply too dumb to understand some of the underpinnings of the novel and the political machinations (again, abhorrent to me on an everyday basis to begin with) seemed to solidify that. I'm certain that I miss otherwise obvious elements in other books, but they have the common decency to camouflage them for me. I would certainly recommend this to readers interested in some thought-evoking science fiction, to social scientists interested in a different setting, or to sci-fi fans getting back to the roots of the genre, but only as a "read once to say you have."
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
Set on the moon, where a Lunar colony has been established for years, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress explores what happens when a society is left to determine its own rules. What began as a working prison of sorts has now become a true society. Years earlier, convicts were shipped to the moon from
One such individual is a computer technician named Mannie. While working on the colony’s supercomputer, he realizes that it has become aware of itself. It’s now a sentient being that calls itself Mike and is desperate for friendship. With Mike’s help, Mannie and a few other “Loonies” begin a revolution. They’ve been treated like slaves for their whole lives and want to free themselves from the governments on Earth.
When sci-fi is done right, we learn how the most absurd situation boils our personalities down to their most elemental nature. This book does just that. A rebellion against an established government is basically the same no matter where it happens. Heinlein combines elements of politics, sociology and Artificial Intelligence all in one satisfying stew. It’s also really funny in a lot of ways. Heinlein’s sense of humor reminded me so much of Ray Bradbury.
The way they talk in the book is a bit hard to get used to at first. Here are a couple examples:
“Don’t think I can, I admitted. Best can offer is extensional definition.”
“So I minded own business.”
I was never as attached to the characters as I would like to have been. Wyoming, one of the only female characters, started off as a strong woman, leading part of the revolution. But by the second half of the book she’s faded to the background. It’s still immensely readable, but it’s not one that I would call a favorite.
“Women are scarce; aren't enough to go around – that makes them most valuable thing in Luna, more precious than ice or air, as men without women don't care whether they stay alive or not.”
“When faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again.”
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earth to farm for wheat, similar to the penal colonies established by England in Australia. Now, those convicts have gone on to start families and the lunar colony is populated with people born on the moon. One such individual is a computer technician named Mannie. While working on the colony’s supercomputer, he realizes that it has become aware of itself. It’s now a sentient being that calls itself Mike and is desperate for friendship. With Mike’s help, Mannie and a few other “Loonies” begin a revolution. They’ve been treated like slaves for their whole lives and want to free themselves from the governments on Earth.
When sci-fi is done right, we learn how the most absurd situation boils our personalities down to their most elemental nature. This book does just that. A rebellion against an established government is basically the same no matter where it happens. Heinlein combines elements of politics, sociology and Artificial Intelligence all in one satisfying stew. It’s also really funny in a lot of ways. Heinlein’s sense of humor reminded me so much of Ray Bradbury.
The way they talk in the book is a bit hard to get used to at first. Here are a couple examples:
“Don’t think I can, I admitted. Best can offer is extensional definition.”
“So I minded own business.”
I was never as attached to the characters as I would like to have been. Wyoming, one of the only female characters, started off as a strong woman, leading part of the revolution. But by the second half of the book she’s faded to the background. It’s still immensely readable, but it’s not one that I would call a favorite.
“Women are scarce; aren't enough to go around – that makes them most valuable thing in Luna, more precious than ice or air, as men without women don't care whether they stay alive or not.”
“When faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again.”
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LibraryThing member MoonshineMax
Well, what can I say? It starts off brilliantly, and goes uphill from there. It's a manual as to how to plan and execute a rebellion as much as it is a book. From the futuristic language, a mixture of Russian, German and English as best I could tell, to the complex and wonderful landscape of Luna
In essence, this is a true classic, arguably better than [Dune], and certainly one of the best SF novel's I have read.
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society, to the deep characters of Prof, Mike and Wyoh, this book has it all. I don't know, therefore, what it is that prevents me from giving it 5*s - perhaps that it had to end more than anything. I wanted it to carry on, I wanted a more secure ending, but it was never designed for that.In essence, this is a true classic, arguably better than [Dune], and certainly one of the best SF novel's I have read.
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LibraryThing member KarlNarveson
This story, had it been published in the New Yorker, would have kept their celebrated fact checkers busy.
Computermen sent up to install Mike were on short-term bonus contracts—get job done fast before irreversible physiological change marooned them four hundred thousand kilometers from home.
But
Result: … thirteen gunners with radiation burns above 800-roentgen death level, partly from flash, partly from being on surface too long.
A more sophisticated narrator might have spoken simply of “lifelong exile”, “higher ground”, or “lethal exposure”; but the numeric constants help to confer a kind of authority: the narrator was an engineer before he was asked to put some of his experiences into a story.
This book appears to have a cult following among certain libertarians. Heinlein does plainly admire the lawless but ordered society that he imagines developing among ex-convicts who have served their time but can never go back where they came from, and he has his mouthpiece Professor character expound plenty of anarchist theory. But it is also made clear, in the very opening sentence, that this lack of regulation and policing was viewed by the majority as one of their grievances against the neglectful Lunar Authority, to be remedied once they had won self-government.
I liked the narrator. Be warned: he writes in Lunar dialect. There's a sprinkling of mainly Russian loan words resulting from the Moon colony's origin as a gulag (although gulag itself is missing, The Gulag Archipelago not having yet been published). Anybody can make up a distinctive vocabulary, but Heinlein goes further and imagines (quite plausibly if you've ever met a Russian) that definite article has fallen out of use. Also disused are dummy it (“in giving him instructions was safer to use Loglan”) and there (“I see also is to be mass meeting tonight”) and referential pronouns whose reference is clear from context. If sounds confusing, in practice really is not. I for one was charmed.
Was not equally charmed by dialogue. As usual in Heinlein, unrelentingly snappy. Made me imagine laugh track in background.
But I perked up every time the snappy one-liners were interrupted by naïve queries from Mike the computer, who has become my favorite artificial intelligence. Unlike Hal in Clarke's 2001 or Helen in Powers's Galatea 2.2, Mike did not have a conversational user interface put in by design. A technician (or better, analyst) just happened to notice one day that the computer was using its spare cycles to wonder “Who am I? What shall I do?”
Computermen sent up to install Mike were on short-term bonus contracts—get job done fast before irreversible physiological change marooned them four hundred thousand kilometers from home.
But
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Luna also has energy of position: she sits at top of gravity well eleven kilometers per second deep and kept from falling in by curb only two and a half km/s high. Mike knew that curb; daily he tossed grain freighters over it, let them slide downhill to Terra.Result: … thirteen gunners with radiation burns above 800-roentgen death level, partly from flash, partly from being on surface too long.
A more sophisticated narrator might have spoken simply of “lifelong exile”, “higher ground”, or “lethal exposure”; but the numeric constants help to confer a kind of authority: the narrator was an engineer before he was asked to put some of his experiences into a story.
This book appears to have a cult following among certain libertarians. Heinlein does plainly admire the lawless but ordered society that he imagines developing among ex-convicts who have served their time but can never go back where they came from, and he has his mouthpiece Professor character expound plenty of anarchist theory. But it is also made clear, in the very opening sentence, that this lack of regulation and policing was viewed by the majority as one of their grievances against the neglectful Lunar Authority, to be remedied once they had won self-government.
I liked the narrator. Be warned: he writes in Lunar dialect. There's a sprinkling of mainly Russian loan words resulting from the Moon colony's origin as a gulag (although gulag itself is missing, The Gulag Archipelago not having yet been published). Anybody can make up a distinctive vocabulary, but Heinlein goes further and imagines (quite plausibly if you've ever met a Russian) that definite article has fallen out of use. Also disused are dummy it (“in giving him instructions was safer to use Loglan”) and there (“I see also is to be mass meeting tonight”) and referential pronouns whose reference is clear from context. If sounds confusing, in practice really is not. I for one was charmed.
Was not equally charmed by dialogue. As usual in Heinlein, unrelentingly snappy. Made me imagine laugh track in background.
But I perked up every time the snappy one-liners were interrupted by naïve queries from Mike the computer, who has become my favorite artificial intelligence. Unlike Hal in Clarke's 2001 or Helen in Powers's Galatea 2.2, Mike did not have a conversational user interface put in by design. A technician (or better, analyst) just happened to notice one day that the computer was using its spare cycles to wonder “Who am I? What shall I do?”
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LibraryThing member gilroy
This classic has been on my list for a bit, so I figured it was a good time to give it a go.
Very interesting read. The reader makes Manny sound like a cross between an old fashion Russian and a Latinx person. Which fits, since he's as much genetic mutt as most US citizens. Of course, that also
I loved the growth of Mike through the first two parts of the book. I even enjoyed his definition of orgasm and how he experienced it.
The more I read the book, the more I SWEAR I've seen this story line before. Obviously, whoever wrote it that I read before followed Heinlein's plot but changed the characters. For some reason, I keep going back to a Orson Scott Card book, [The Worthing Saga] but I know that's not right.
The professor reminds me of someone in life that I don't much care for. Maybe that was why when we reach the end, his story line didn't catch me as much. Manny definitely reminds me a lot of myself. He doesn't really want to be in charge, just wants to do his job, yet people keep forcing him to the front to lead. He keeps dropping back, they keep shoving him forward.
Very good book. I'm tempted to buy it in all its forms now...
Very interesting read. The reader makes Manny sound like a cross between an old fashion Russian and a Latinx person. Which fits, since he's as much genetic mutt as most US citizens. Of course, that also
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factors into what the colony on the moon would be after so many generations as well.I loved the growth of Mike through the first two parts of the book. I even enjoyed
The more I read the book, the more I SWEAR I've seen this story line before. Obviously, whoever wrote it that I read before followed Heinlein's plot but changed the characters. For some reason, I keep going back to a Orson Scott Card book, [The Worthing Saga] but I know that's not right.
The professor reminds me of someone in life that I don't much care for. Maybe that was why when we reach the end, his story line didn't catch me as much. Manny definitely reminds me a lot of myself. He doesn't really want to be in charge, just wants to do his job, yet people keep forcing him to the front to lead. He keeps dropping back, they keep shoving him forward.
Very good book. I'm tempted to buy it in all its forms now...
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LibraryThing member Othniel
All of my computers have been named Mike.
This book had a profound effect on me when I first encountered it and I have come back several times to the Free Luna Revolution. Heinlein's social framework involving multiple types of marriage arrangements has recently informed my imagination in the
Wy Knot?
This book had a profound effect on me when I first encountered it and I have come back several times to the Free Luna Revolution. Heinlein's social framework involving multiple types of marriage arrangements has recently informed my imagination in the
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current Earth-side Gay Marriage Wars. So what if my civil right leads to line marriage and other plural arrangements posited in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress? Humans adapt.Wy Knot?
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LibraryThing member threadnsong
Yes, I know, it's classic sci fi and classic Heinlein. But the immense amount of political grafting and libertarian-ism grows cold after a while. The language, of course, makes sense - there is no defined grammar in Manny's speech, and it does take some getting used to the lack of words in a
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sentence. The fun part at the beginning when they are cooking up the revolution, the takeover from the Authority, the humanization of Mike, are all classic and brilliant. Towards the end of Section Two, with the detail that just keeps growing and growing and becomes fuzzier in reality is just too much for me to bear. So it is a great classic, and I'm sure there are readers who love it, but this was a group read and a second read for me, and maybe someday I'll finish Section Three. Show Less
LibraryThing member BobNolin
A classic use of a sf setting to explore political and economic concepts. In later books, RAH became much more heavy-handed. Here, the RAH character (the Prof) is secondary, and gets on his soapbox only occasionally. The book was published in the mid-60's, and I read it for the first time over 40
The other part that struck me was the end, when the Moon begins to lob large objects at the Earth during the fight for independence. It takes days and perhaps hundreds of impacts each equaling an H-bomb in devastation before the Earth backs down. Think what America was like on 9-11 when three buildings were hit. It felt like the world was coming to an end. I can't imagine that it would take more than one or two "rocks" hitting before we gave up the fight. After all, the Moon is a small concern in the book, hardly worth losing thousands of lives over. But RAH had lived through WWII, and had seen England and Germany endure months of heavy artillery and missile bombardment. He assumed America would tough it out, as well, but I wonder, after 9-11.
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years later (2009). I found a few interesting points. One, the AI character "Mike." Mike is a computer that attains consciousness. No one seems to be aware of this other than the narrator, Manuel. Forty years later, the idea of a computer becoming sentient has spawned a whole subcategory of sf, based around the complete paradigm shift this event will cause. (The event even has a name: the Singularity.) Gone are the quaint old chatty chums of Heinlein and Clarke and Asimov. In TMIAHM, the computer becomes sentient more as a plot device than anything else. Mike is not explored as a character. His "birth" is quickly established and he is moved offstage pretty much for the rest of the book. The book is not, after all, about AI. It's about economics and systems of government. The other part that struck me was the end, when the Moon begins to lob large objects at the Earth during the fight for independence. It takes days and perhaps hundreds of impacts each equaling an H-bomb in devastation before the Earth backs down. Think what America was like on 9-11 when three buildings were hit. It felt like the world was coming to an end. I can't imagine that it would take more than one or two "rocks" hitting before we gave up the fight. After all, the Moon is a small concern in the book, hardly worth losing thousands of lives over. But RAH had lived through WWII, and had seen England and Germany endure months of heavy artillery and missile bombardment. He assumed America would tough it out, as well, but I wonder, after 9-11.
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LibraryThing member clong
For me The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is Heinlein's best book. Don't read it if you are looking for profound insight into the human psyche, timely commentary on the challenges of developing artificial intelligence, or an inspiring vision of the future evolution of society. Do read this book if you
The four protagonists who lead a lunar revolution are likable and sympathetic (if not particularly deep) characters. Mike, the newly self-aware supercomputer (whose top priority seems to be trying to understand humor), is a particularly intriguing character. Similarly the complex society envisioned for the lunar colony is fascinating but not really remotely likely.
My biggest complaint is that I found Heinlein's habit of omitting the subject of sentances to be mildly irritating. I guess this was supposed to be moonspeak. But that is a minor quibble. Overall, this is a fun story which has influenced many later writers, and is definitely worth your time.
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are looking for an faced paced and entertaining story. The four protagonists who lead a lunar revolution are likable and sympathetic (if not particularly deep) characters. Mike, the newly self-aware supercomputer (whose top priority seems to be trying to understand humor), is a particularly intriguing character. Similarly the complex society envisioned for the lunar colony is fascinating but not really remotely likely.
My biggest complaint is that I found Heinlein's habit of omitting the subject of sentances to be mildly irritating. I guess this was supposed to be moonspeak. But that is a minor quibble. Overall, this is a fun story which has influenced many later writers, and is definitely worth your time.
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LibraryThing member iayork
Should be required reading annually for all politicians: This is a great book and really should be required reading for anyone even considering a career in politics. I hope colleges use it in both Literature and Poly-Sci courses.
LibraryThing member 5hrdrive
Took me almost four months of stop and start reading to finally finish. Loved the idea, but the oddball dialogue was way too ponderous.
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Themes: space, freedom, artificial intelligence, colonialism, family, war, politics
Setting: the Moon, late 21st century
What happens when you mix an extremely intelligent computer, an elderly anarchist, a beautiful revolutionary, and an independent apolitical family man? In Heinlein's hands, you get
The first 5 or so pages were so hard to read that I really wasn't sure I was going to stick with it, but I liked the idea and the characters, so I pushed through. The grammar and syntax are very different, with no articles and few possessive pronouns. There's all kinds of new jargon and a lot of Russian slang. It was super confusing at first.
Even after the first 50 pages, I still didn't know if it would be worth reading. Fortunately, I did a bit of research online and was convinced that it would make sense in the end. I really enjoyed it more than I thought. By the end, I was completely caught up in the story, in the culture, and in the characters. It became an emotional and satisfying read. 4 stars.
Setting: the Moon, late 21st century
What happens when you mix an extremely intelligent computer, an elderly anarchist, a beautiful revolutionary, and an independent apolitical family man? In Heinlein's hands, you get
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all the ingredients for a revolution. In this tale of the future, the Moon has become a one way penal colony, where a sentence there means all your descendants will be unable to return to Earth and you'll be entirely on your own. Where even the air will cost you and "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch."The first 5 or so pages were so hard to read that I really wasn't sure I was going to stick with it, but I liked the idea and the characters, so I pushed through. The grammar and syntax are very different, with no articles and few possessive pronouns. There's all kinds of new jargon and a lot of Russian slang. It was super confusing at first.
Even after the first 50 pages, I still didn't know if it would be worth reading. Fortunately, I did a bit of research online and was convinced that it would make sense in the end. I really enjoyed it more than I thought. By the end, I was completely caught up in the story, in the culture, and in the characters. It became an emotional and satisfying read. 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Miro
A revolt on Earth's lunar colony in year 2075 aided by the computer Mycroft Holmes (Mike), "... a fair dinkum thinkum, sharpest computer you will ever meet." A great book with the final mystery of Mike.
It's also a puzzling book for exactly the reasons given by wenestvedt below.
It's also a puzzling book for exactly the reasons given by wenestvedt below.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
I don't know what I had expected from this Hugo award-winning science fiction novel but it was so much better than I had anticipated! The main reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that Heinlein's personal views on politics (as voiced by Prof) were a little too pushy & some of the Earth politics was
Lloyd James does an excellent narration & I particularly liked his Russian accent for Manny (though I don't know if a character who is 3rd generation Luna with a name like Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis is supposed to be Russian!).
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dated. However, it remains an insightful look at colonialism & revolution despite those flaws. And I loved the look at how the Luna colonists handled marriage as well as other aspects of life there. To top it all off, there is Mike -- the computer who has become sentient though nobody except Manny knows it at the start of the book!Lloyd James does an excellent narration & I particularly liked his Russian accent for Manny (though I don't know if a character who is 3rd generation Luna with a name like Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis is supposed to be Russian!).
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LibraryThing member DeweyDecimaul
This was one of the first science fiction novels I ever read. I instantly fell in love with the relationship between the main character, Mannie, with the computer, Mike. The narrative style, done so in broken English, was really great. I love this book.
LibraryThing member wenestvedt
One of my favorite books ever, though I can't quite say why.
The jargon is painfully contrived, the interpersonal relationships impossible, and the dialogue didactic -- but I still re-read it every few years. Maybe it's the spectacle of "throwing rocks" that keep me coming back, or Mike the
(Source of TANSTAAFL, standing for "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.")
The jargon is painfully contrived, the interpersonal relationships impossible, and the dialogue didactic -- but I still re-read it every few years. Maybe it's the spectacle of "throwing rocks" that keep me coming back, or Mike the
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computer's surge of consciousness.(Source of TANSTAAFL, standing for "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.")
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1966)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 1966)
Locus All-Time Best (Science Fiction Novel — 4 — 1987)
Original publication date
1966