The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Rating:
Summary: This may be the best SF book ever written
Review: Now, how to defend that sweeping statement? It's kind of hard to pin down WHY I like this so much.

Is it the story of a horribly oppressed people rising up against the whole world, and winning? Maybe.

Is it the fact that 3 of the characters (Professor De La Cruz, Wyoming Knott and Mycroft Holmes) are among the most memorable in all of SF? Maybe.

Is it the whole-cloth realization of the Libertarian ideal without being overbearing, pedantic or intrusive? Maybe.

Is it that Heinlein manages to have hit the sweet spot of his "it's not the plot, it's the gestalt fabric of the story" method of writing? Maybe.

Is it that he pulls this off with a dialect that appears to be English transliterated from Russian (no definite articles are used). Maybe.

Can't really say. But I've re-read this more than any other book I own, and I read maybe 5,000.

Oh, sure, there's "Ender's Game" and "Dune" and "Snow Crash", not to mention Heinlein's own quiet masterpiece "Double Star." But for some reason, I can't put any of them above this one.

Note that I'm writing this about 3 years after my last reading, and it's all still fresh in my mind. Maybe that's it. Certainly not a lot of books I can say that about.

Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed
Review: Forced to pick a favourite book by Heinlein, one of my favourite writers, I would have to choose this one. Even leaving aside the (not inconsiderable) benefit of the excellent explication of solid political philosophy in the book, it's a great read.

First of all, the entire book is written in Lunaspeak. This pigdin English certainly takes some getting used to at first but one is able to read it after a chapter or so without even noticing. How simple it seems until you stop to consider the effort involved in accomplishing such a feat. And there's no doubt that Lunaspeak is vital to the success of the book.

Then there's the story: fun and important both. Hugely entertaining, so you don't notice that you're also learning something. As usual, Heinlein has populated the book with richly drawn and highly entertaining charcters who matter to the reader as individuals. The highest compliment I can pay a book is that I'm sorry when it ends b/c I want to spend more time with the people in the book. Having read it numerous times, I'm still a bit sad every time I get to the last page b/c my time with these people is done. How much more difficult it is to accomplish this task - very few writers, even good ones, ever even approach it. Heinlein did it consistently and this is no exception. To do so while also acheiving so much else makes this the best of his impressive collection of work.

Rating:
Summary: Well written if somewhat dated...
Review: Although originally written in the 60's, this book was still interesting to read even in 2004. Obviously, some of the technology seems a little out dated - but the book is mostly about politics, and politics never really change.

Rating:
Summary: It's Pretty Harsh Right Here on Earth
Review: In light of the Election 2000 disaster, maybe this is the perfect time to discover (or rediscover) Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." The year is 2076 and the time is ripe for a revolution of the residents of the moon against the controlling Authority of Earth. Such a revolution for independence seems impossible. Yet, the hero of the book, Manuel (with the assistance of a computer named Mike) slowly begins to see that revolution just may be possible.

Years ago I read several Heinlein books, but this is the first one I've read in a long time. The book works on many levels. As a science-fiction novel, I would say the books succeeds quite well. While definitely not a space-opera, Heinlein packs the novel with plenty of action and adventure. The book also works well as a mystery, satire, character study, and even as a diagram for political revolution. As always, Heinlein has some very interesting (if not a little wacky) ideas about how a society should be run. Sometimes it's fun trying to figure out whether Heinlein is stating part of his world-view or simply making fun of us as a society.

This is a great book to read right now. Ever since the Presidential Election fiasco has been in the forefront of the news, many people have said that our way of voting may be changing. Maybe even more than our voting practices will change. Heinlein's book is basically all about change. Sometimes things need to change. Sometimes we think that things must change and we try to force change. Reading this book made me think a lot about the changes that might take place in the country in the coming months and years. After you read the book, do some thinking. Every change brings with it consequences and the chance that the change may not be exactly what we thought it would be. Happy reading.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read Supplying Some Heavy Hits
Review: I have read three other Heinlein books, two of which are considered his masterpieces. Moon is a Harsh Mistress really outshines them all. Mike the intelligent computer is an interesting character, the godlike child who helps the libertarian revolution. Professor De La Paz is a radical with a heart of gold, typical Heinlein "old man with philosophies that no one in the bood ever truly understands." And Manuel O'Kelly makes a great unwilling narrator and participant. The book is about American ideas (attempting, of course, to debunk them), morality, love, friendship, and most importantly, what it is to be human. It is also about what it is that a just society has to be based on. Here are the Loonies, far away from home, starting something new, and in that new beginning they have a chance to truly find the basic needs and rights of a society. Heinlein, through the Prof, explores their options thoroughly, thought-provokingly, and humorously. He has a light touch when needed and is heavy when that is needed. Read this book and you will definitely be hit by the moonrocks!

Rating:
Summary: A stunning achievement in hard-science and hard-politics
Review: Written at the peak of Robert A. Heinlein's creative powers in the mid-sixties, "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" ranks with "Stranger in a Strange Land" as his most popular and acclaimed novel. Heinlein was furiously ingenious at this stage in his career, and this novel is an incredible feat of imagination, intellect, and writing talent. It is, however, a difficult and heavy novel (much like "Stranger in a Strange Land"), loaded with hard science and even harder politics: Heinlein at his best is a writer who attracts and repels the reader at the same time, and no one could read "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" without forming some very strong opinions about it.

The story follows a revolution on the lunar colonies against Earth authority. The lunar colony was originally a penal colony, but even though the lunar residents ("Loonies" as they call themselves) are no longer technically prisoners, they have become economic slaves of the Earth. Also, because of their adaptation to the Moon's lower gravity, they cannot safely return to live on Earth, so their exile is a permanent one. Amidst growing but unorganized discontent amongst the Loonies, four remarkable individuals begin the meticulous planning of a revolution to free the Moon: Mannie, an engineer and our narrator; Prof. de la Paz; fiery Wyoming "Wyoh" Knott; and a newly sentient supercomputer named Mike. Starting from this small group, the resistance spreads across the Moon. But how can the nearly defenseless colonists and miners face down the juggernaut of the nations of Earth? Mike has an ingenious solution: "Throw rocks at 'em"...literally!

Told through Mannie's point of view, the novel is written in a clipped, abbreviated style that represents the Loonie version of English: many pronouns and articles are dropped, leading to sentences like: "Stomach was supposed to be empty. But I filled helmet with sourest, nastiest fluid you would ever go a long way to avoid." This takes a few pages to get accustomed to, but soon you won't notice the odd style at all and accept it as part of the book's revolutionary spirit.

Heinlein unfolds the revolution in a meticulously detailed style, using lengthy conversations between the characters about how to step-by-step overthrow the authority of an overwhelming power. Heinlein not only provides in-depth details on the technology, but also of the philosophy of revolution and the unusual customs of the Loonies (such as their group marriages). Like most of Heinlein's great novels, this is a trip for the mind, and you have to be prepared to do plenty of thinking along with the passages of action. The novel does tend to drag somewhat in the middle, but the last hundred pages are feverish with both action and ideas.

Where Heinlein really triumphs in this novel is in the characterization of Mike the computer. Mike, along with Hal from "2001," is one of great artificial intelligences in science fiction. You will quickly forget, as Mannie does, that Mike is a disembodied voice from a machine, and instead think of him (or sometimes 'her') as another character. Mike's growth from his shaky beginnings as a thinking being is fascinating and one of Heinlein's great achievements as an author.

However, if you are new to Robert A. Heinlein (or science fiction in general), this isn't the novel to start with (and neither is "Stranger in a Strange Land"). You should ease yourself into Heinlein's brilliant mind first through his novels from the 1950s, most of which were aimed at teenagers but are nonetheless wonderful books that anyone can enjoy: "Have Space Suit -- Will Travel," "Starman Jones," and "Citizen of the Galaxy" are good places to start. Also recommended: "The Puppet Masters" and Heinlein's short stories from the 1930s and 40s collected in "The Man Who Sold the Moon" and "The Green Hills of Earth." You should definitely read "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" -- it's an essential classic of the genre -- but you may need to build up to it. After all, as Loonies say: "TANSTAAFL!" ("There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!")

Rating:
Summary: Cast the first stone
Review: I am not much of a science fiction reader or film watcher but when my friend bought THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS for my birthday, it instantly became one of my favorite books. Not one of my favorite science fiction books, one of my favorite books period. And what makes it such is its sturdy character development and plot development. All the characters are believeable and likeable. This includes Mike the computer. His desire to understand humor and humans must have been revolutionary for the time the book was written.

I have heard of Heinlein's political leanings and how they affected his writing. However, I did not sense that the novel was a veiled attempt at spewing a manifesto. The story is simply about humans wanting to be treated as such, and having to fight for that treatment. Mike's suggestion to "throw rocks" at the oppressors was absolutely brilliant. It made me think of the Biblical line: "Let he who is without sin throw the first stone". Maybe there's a link, maybe not. I'm sure there are dozens of master's theses out there on this subject. In any event, this is a brilliant work of fiction of any kind! Read it!

Rating:
Summary: Revolutionary SF
Review: With over 35 years of SF culture between us and this novel, it is difficult to see it for the ground breaking work that it is. Through books and film we've since been exploring new worlds, galaxies and even dimensions for almost 4 decades. Thus a very human story of revolution on our little neighbor may not be that thrilling to the seasoned reader.

Although the story takes place in 2076 the idealism and cynicism of the 1960s is ever present in the background. And even though we're now a third of the way closer to that date than when the novel was written I am amazed at how well the science in this fiction has held up.

The story presents a logical and somewhat predictable pathway for "the liberation of the moon" yet I was in suspense as to the success or failure of the venture until the final pages. Heinlein held my attention throughout and weeks later I have to admit I still miss Mike.

Rating:
Summary: One of Heinlein's Best
Review: Like the title says. Heinlein wrote at least 40 books in his career, not to mention a slew of short stories. I have read more than half of his works, so I know a thing or two about Robert A. Heinlein. This book, along with Stranger in a Strange Land, Red Planet, and the short story "We Also Walk Dogs" are, in my opinion, his best works. Moon is a great tale with good, likeable, characters, an engaging story full of twists. Unlike many books, the plot twists feel good. By this I mean that after you have been thrown for a loop, you come back and say "Yes, that makes sense now that I look at it" and that is always a good thing. Even if you do not like all of Heinlein's work, you have to respect his vision, his feel for the future and for what may happen. He was one of the fathers of modern sci-fi, and that is no accident. Check this book out.

Rating:
Summary: I like Mike.
Review: With TANSTAAFL for a screen name, how could I not review this book. ;-)

TANSTAAFL (There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) is the theme of this book and here Heinlein, unlike some of his other works, manages to intertwine his plot and theme without being too preachy.

Heinlein who, preachy or not, is always a great storyteller is at the top of his game with this one. The people of the moon, populated primarily by prisoners and their decendants a la Australia, rise up for a hopelessly outmanned and outgunned battle with Earth. The story is told through the eyes of an everyman hero, Manuel Garcia O'Kelly, jack of all trades and even master of a few of them. An everyman protaganist is, of course, helpful for the reader to identify with but Heinlein makes the book great, rather than good, with the inclusion of three of the most memorable characters in SF literature. Professor Bernado de la Paz, a veteran revolucianario full of contradictions, Wyoming Knott, who I do not want to describe here because you should discover her for yourself in the book, and Mycroft Holmes, not Sherlock's smarter brother, but rather the smartest computer who we know has reached sentience because he wants what we all want - to be loved.

If you have never read Heinlein, read this book.

If you have read Heinlein and haven't yet read this, read this book.

If you have already read this book, read it again, I have been re-reading it every few years for more than 30 years now, and I still love to read it.