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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

by Robert A. Heinlein

4.12 · rating details · 17,335 ratings · 834 reviews

Robert A. Heinlein was the most influential science fiction writer of his era, an influence so large that, as Samuel R. Delany notes, "modern critics attempting to wrestle with that influence find themselves dealing with an object rather like the sky or an ocean." He won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, a record that still stands. The Moon is a Hars...more

Paperback, 382 pages

Published June 15th 1997 by Orb Books (first published 1966)

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Jul 25, 2007

She-Who-Reads rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sciencefiction, politicalfic, thoughtprovoking

This is an excellent novel, action-packed, exciting, and deftly-plotted, with fascinating, complex characters and some interesting science-fictional ideas. I also enjoyed reading about Luna's culture; I thought the marriage customs were particularly interesting.

One thing I noticed right off was the way the Loonies use language differently than people from earth do. In fact, it threw me at first -- I couldn't figure out what was going on or why the language was so rough and unpolished...moreThis is an excellent novel, action-packed, exciting, and deftly-plotted, with fascinating, complex characters and some interesting science-fictional ideas. I also enjoyed reading about Luna's culture; I thought the marriage customs were particularly interesting.

One thing I noticed right off was the way the Loonies use language differently than people from earth do. In fact, it threw me at first -- I couldn't figure out what was going on or why the language was so rough and unpolished and choppy. Eventually, though, I found the rhythm of it and settled in just fine -- I didn't even notice it after a while. It makes sense; Luna started off as a penal colony and has since developed completely separate from Earth and relatively unmolested. Of course they would have their own dialect and speech patterns! To my mind, their language seems to be as efficient as possible. They trimmed away any unnecessary deadwood -- they don't use articles, for example, and very few personal pronouns, and they seem to prefer to use fragments to complete sentences. Only the essentials remain, much the same as the original colonists/prisoners had to start their lives over with only the bare essentials and sometimes not even that.

This book was written about forty years ago, and it has stood the test of time quite well, but there are some aspects of it that do seem rather dated. For example, the idea behind the character of Mike -- the computer that is connected to everything and has "woken up" or become alive -- is one that is very familiar to modern readers, one that we accept easily. Apparently, we accept it much more easily than Heinlen expected his readers in 1965 to accept it, because he spends more time explaining it than he really needs to. When Mannie, the narrator, tells Wyoh about Mike and introduces them via a telephone conversation, she is shocked that Mike already knows what she looks like. He looked up her medical records and found a picture of her immediately after being introduced to her. To modern readers familiar with the internet, this is an obvious step and hardly shocking; we expect it, and Wyoh's shock and apparent need to have every detail and implication of Mike's "life" spelled out for her makes her seem a little bit stupid to us. If we don't remember that Heinlen is using Wyoh to explain things to his 1965 audience that his 2005 audience intuitively understands, then we'll get a little frustrated with Wyoh's denseness.

All in all, though, this is a novel about politics -- a very complex, deep, intellectual and sophisticated look at politics, government, revolution and war. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress has a very definite world-view and political philosophy, some of which I agreed with, and some of which I really, really didn't. My agreement (or lack thereof) with the politics espoused in this book didn't seem to have much bearing on my enjoyment of it. This is a book that requires the reader to think. And that, I think, is why I loved it so much.(less)

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Sep 26, 2008

Ron rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

HAL before HAL. One of Heinlein's best.

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Jan 18, 2012

mark monday rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: futuristik

do you play games where you know the outcome of the game itself is without question... where any fun to be had is not so much in the winning - that's predetermined - but in figuring out how exactly you will win, what moves you will make, how you will overcome all those minor hurdles along the way? that's sometimes how i feel when playing chess with some folks. for me, it's not the most exciting thing in the world; it's a little eye-rolling. i think others may have more excitement when playing a ...moredo you play games where you know the outcome of the game itself is without question... where any fun to be had is not so much in the winning - that's predetermined - but in figuring out how exactly you will win, what moves you will make, how you will overcome all those minor hurdles along the way? that's sometimes how i feel when playing chess with some folks. for me, it's not the most exciting thing in the world; it's a little eye-rolling. i think others may have more excitement when playing a game they know they'll win. my little nephews seem to have a really enjoyable time kicking my ass at their various new-fangled video games. personally i don't get it, but they seem to love illustrating how easy and exciting it is, the thrill of watching all their strategies and skills coming to predictable fruition. even when there is no real competition. their eventual win is obvious. and that's the impression that i'm left with after reading the enjoyable Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

the novel is about a revolution on Luna by its oppressed permanent labor force. far in the future, the moon is the newest Prison Island... once you are transported there, you can't come back. and there you work, mainly to export grain, and live a life of economic exploitation by The Lunar Authority. you will alway live in this proletariat society. overall, it is actually not a horrible existence. the "Loonies" are an enjoyable lot, unpretentious and down to earth, concerned mainly with beer, gambling, and the ladies. Heinlein creates an odd and i suppose semi-utopic world, with a pleasing lack of laws (a kind of libertarian anarchy of sorts) and a highly liberated view on women (basically, they are the social/family/romantic Boss of It All... not truly a matriarchal society per se, but rather one built around the need to make sure women are completely empowered. apparently due to the 2-to-1 status of men to women on the moon, and the need for women to be 'available' to much more than monogamy... fascinating!)

still, despite the basic lack of horror in this odd world (and personally, i'd be horrified if i had to live in a world completely without nature for the rest of my life. my God! no fresh air... ever!)... it's no fun to be exploited by bureaucratic overseers. and so must come REVOLUTION! we have our friendly & no-nonsense Everyman, we have our bewitching & passionate Lady in Hiding, we have our amusing & highly intellectual Idealistic Professor. and of course we have our sentient computer Mike, who likes to play games. and revolution is just another kind of game, right?

the writing is breezy, casual, and in a sort of pidgen english (a kind of cross between baby talk and our very own text messaging style) that should be annoying but actually isn't. much like with HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, we have a fascinating computer who provides all of the genuinely emotional and resonant moments in the narrative. and - perhaps because of the time period in which the novel was written, but certainly topical today - we have a step-by-step account of How To Make A Revolution Work. Heinlein's passions come across mainly in the world-building of this almost-utopia and in the very detailed expression of how exactly to overthrow the chains of oppression through revolution (and i suppose a bit of terrorism, at times).

so back to my original point. i liked this novel, but i would never consider reading it a second time. it was fun. but the outcome was never in question. Heinlein loads the dice by making sure that everything happens as projected, each step of the way. no tension... and a tension-free revolution is a curiously child-like enterprise. mind you, not childish. there is a sweet naïveté to it all. Heinlein jerry-built this revolution to be won and so i never felt any kind of nervousness, i never worried. the only stakes that were meaningful to me were the (rather slight) emotional stakes around Mike the computer: his past loneliness, his concern about whether he is actually sentient, and his need to have friends, to talk to people who are 'not-stupid'. awww... that's adorable! Mike, i'm not super-smart or anything, but i'll be your friend! cute little revolutionary computer minds are very appealing to me.(less)

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Dec 02, 2008

Kelly McCubbin rated it

· review of another edition

This is quite possibly Heinlein's most politically charged book. People speak of Stranger in a Strange Land as being socially revolutionary, but this book is both that (polygamous marriage to form extended families, murder generally allowed, but insults to women punishable by death) and politically charged (Libertarian, Libertarian, Libertarian, though not exactly that kind of loopy American Libertarian Party kind, but a kind based more strictly on a dismantling of governmental power).
It ...more

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Aug 13, 2007

S.A. Parham rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

A rare Heinlein that I enjoyed immensely, I will buying a copy of this to join my long-beloved Stranger in a Strange Land. I can only admire the skill it takes to come up with a believable slang and "voice" for the narrating character and to stick with it evenly throughout the novel. While on the surface, the story seems to follow a rather boring formula (a professor, a pretty blonde, and a jack-of-all-trades join with a master computer for a revolution), Heinlein spins enough creativi...more

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Aug 13, 2007

Tatiana rated it

Shelves: sciencefiction

My favorite book by Robert Heinlein, and he wrote some good ones. Like all Heinlein, this one is a page-turner with lots of engrossing action. Though we do get the standard Heinlein irascible opinionated character along with much political and social commentary, it's all integrated so seamlessly with the story, and is so clever and well-written that we hardly notice we're being preached at. =) The ideas and the technology are really fun. I love the lineal marriages. I totally want one. =)...more

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Oct 15, 2008

David rated it

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A brilliant science fiction adventure based on a libertarian theme. Although I like Heinlein, this is one of the few of his books that I've managed to finish. The reason I usually give up is because they tend to be episodic and one story ends before the next one has begun.

In this case there is a unitary theme about people in a colony (the Moon) who are being short-changed by their colonial masters and who realize that their only long-term hope is to "dissolve the political bonds...more

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May 31, 2011

Knowledge Lost rated it

Recommended to Knowledge Lost by: Kim

Shelves: hugo-award, sci-fi, political

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a political/sci-fi masterpiece. The book tells the story of Lunar (used to exile criminals and their families, once you adapt to life on the moon it was almost impossible to adjust back to the gravity of earth) and their struggle to become a free nation. Lunar while a place of criminals, political exiles or their descendants is like any other countries; yearning for liberty and to be free from the tyranny of their slaves. With the help of a supercomputer with a p...more

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Jul 29, 2009

Kim rated it

Quaintly libertarian. I'd forgotten how much Heinlein likes his characters to talk... and talk... But you gotta give the guy credit, he came up with some interesting ideas about how societies might evolve. The pacing on this was kind of slow for me - it's told like a diary or historical recounting, so there isn't much immediate action going on. Also, the narrator uses a kind of shorthand, so it's a little like having the entire book read to you by Rorschach (except without, you know, all the ran...more

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Jul 16, 2007

Dan rated it

Shelves: speculations

My favorite Heinlein novel - a great revolution story, a great AI story, and a great Hard Sci-Fi, if the science in question is political.

What I learned from this book:
1. History bends and melts over time.
2. The first AI we meet might not be intentional.
3. Throwing rocks can get serious over interplanetary distances.
4. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

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Jan 21, 2009

Joe rated it

· review of another edition

I couldn't help but compare Heinlein's fictional description of life in a Lunar Penal Colony to the way life was for these United States of America struggling for independence from England.

It is written from the perspective of a citizen of Luna (the penal colony on the Moon) who was born there, so it takes a chapter or two to get used to the dialect he uses. It's really just abbreviated English with some Russian words and words from a few other languages.

I was immediately...more

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Dec 15, 2008

Mark rated it

· review of another edition

Ah, Heinlein: SF's great paradox artist. I am fairly certain that I have personally held every possible wrong viewpoint on the man. Namely, that he was:

1) A radically forward-thinking visionary of libertarianism
2) A raging fascist, homophobe, and misogynist
3) Any point on the sociopolitical spectrum in between.

It's not my fault. Over the course of his career, Heinlein seemed to espouse every possible viewpoint on religion, government, and gender relations (...more

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May 23, 2009

Manny rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction, older-men-younger-women, older-women-younger-men

Robert Heinlein was a good friend of AI legend Marvin Minsky (check out his people page! It's interesting!), and I've heard that they often used to chat about AI, science-fiction, and the connections between them. Here's a conversation I imagine them having some time between 1961, when Stranger in a Strange Land was published, and 1966, when The Moon is a Harsh Mistress appeared:

"Bob, this book's not so bad, but I felt it could have been so much better! OK, love the idea of the ...moreRobert Heinlein was a good friend of AI legend Marvin Minsky (check out his people page! It's interesting!), and I've heard that they often used to chat about AI, science-fiction, and the connections between them. Here's a conversation I imagine them having some time between 1961, when Stranger in a Strange Land was published, and 1966, when The Moon is a Harsh Mistress appeared:

"Bob, this book's not so bad, but I felt it could have been so much better! OK, love the idea of the guy from Mars, who doesn't understand how people work and has to learn the most basic things about emotions, society, etc from first principles. You have some good stuff there. But I think you got a bit distracted with the super-powers and the sex. Sure, put in sex, all for it, but don't get Mike so involved in that part of the book. He should be more abstract I think. And I wasn't so thrilled by the fact that he never actually does anything much with his powers, except for start a minor cult and get martyred. Seems a bit negative. What does his martyrdom achieve, exactly?

Wait. I have an idea. Why don't you rewrite it so that he's an artificial intelligence? Really, that makes more sense. He's even more alien than a human raised by Martians. Oh, don't worry about that, I can help you with the technical details. Feel free to drop in at the AI Lab any time, we're all huge fans. People will be delighted. So, yes, as I was saying, he needs to do something. Maybe he's... the central computer in a future Lunar society? And he helps them start a revolution, and break free from Earth's tyranny? Even though what he's really most interested in is understanding how humor works? I don't think you need to change that much else. Call him Mike again by all means, so that people see the link. And you should absolutely martyr him at the end. Only, I think this time you should do it in a subtler and more ambiguous way. But sure, leave the door open about whether he's really dead."

"Hey, thanks Marvin! Terrific ideas! You know, sometimes I think you should be the science-fiction writer, and I should be the AI researcher. I'll definitely come by soon. With a draft, I feel inspired. Going to start as soon as I put the phone down. Take care!"
(less)

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Nov 27, 2010

Brad rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: faves, sci-fi, the-best, to-read-again, political, revolution

I’ve read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress twice in twenty years. Two decades between readings and it still holds up surprisingly well. Heinlein’s Lunar Revolution, his benevolent AI, Mycroft (aka Mike), and Professor de la Paz’s ideas for government were all exactly how I remembered them. Yet I found that my favourite part of the rereading experience was the tale it told about me.

When I read this book the first time, I was an idealistic youth who believed that change was possible and w...more

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Jan 31, 2008

_inbetween_ rated it

· review of another edition

2 stars, but I didn't like it. Can you answer my QUESTION in the end?

As I mentioned with Asimov, I had been so (stupidly) looking forward to this book, planing to get more of Henlein. I'm not sure how I got the idea he was on ok guy - maybe I confused him with what I'd read by Aldiss, maybe it was still "The Door into Summer" (which I always confuse with Willis "TSNOTD" because I can't remember anything but the ingenius first chapter for which I bought Henlein's n...more

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Sep 27, 2011

Johnny Virgil rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: scifi geeks

I really enjoyed this book. It deals with the ever-popular "sentient computer" and the question of whether or not a computer can achieve self-awareness and if it does, whether it is truly "alive." The computer becomes one of the main characters in the story, which is a tale of a moon colony and its eventual independence from earth. I am not a scientist, so I don't have any idea whether the science in this story is plausible or not, but the characters and the study of future ...more

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Dec 28, 2008

Corinne rated it

· review of another edition

Humans have colonized the moon. At first the moon was a penal colony - criminals were sent there instead of being executed. As time went by and as children were born - a lunar culture evolved as life became more sustainable, yet life on the moon was always under the thumb of the "Lunar Authority," which was headquartered on earth.

Enter Mannie, the one armed computer programmer, Prof, the aged but savvy professor and Wyoh, a political activist. These three, with the help of ...moreHumans have colonized the moon. At first the moon was a penal colony - criminals were sent there instead of being executed. As time went by and as children were born - a lunar culture evolved as life became more sustainable, yet life on the moon was always under the thumb of the "Lunar Authority," which was headquartered on earth.

Enter Mannie, the one armed computer programmer, Prof, the aged but savvy professor and Wyoh, a political activist. These three, with the help of "Mike", a super-computer who has managed to "wake up," decide that the time is right for the moon and the people on it to become a free nation. And thus begins the revolution that is at the crux of this novel, a fight against Earth's authoritarian rule and for the ability to govern themselves in their own way.

The book is very political. Really, if I wanted to start a grass roots revolution right now, this book is practically a starter manual. All the ideas are told in dialogue so it reads smoothly and is incredibly interesting. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that had me thinking so much about the consequences of political actions. It's also a very technical book, more so than other science fiction I've read. The battles involve massive amounts of computing and technical jargon that I finally just began skipping over because I knew I'd at least understand the outcome.

I believed it. I honestly did, though I had a harder time being sucked in than I thought I would. It wasn't until I got about a third of the way through that I knew I wanted to finish it. Heinlein has created an amazingly evocative and complex culture on the moon, with its own marriage customs and taboos, a multinational history and language. It took me a while to get used to Manny's version of the English language - it's more like the English of someone who spoke Russian first and learned English second, but once I did, it didn't phase me. The characters had heart and "Mike," the super-computer/human, was especially an interesting character. By the end of the book I was completely on the "loonie's" side, anxious to find out whether their plans would come to fruition.

I'd like to publicly thank my younger brother, Christopher, for urging me to try this one. I never in a hundred years would've picked it up on my own, but I found it to be an intelligent and thought-provoking read. (less)

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Dec 19, 2008

melydia rated it

· review of another edition

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 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-dimensi...more

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Feb 07, 2012

Pvw rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I think this is Heinlein's most controlled book. It shows great mastery in the language. The book is written from the perspective of a lunar colonist, who uses a gramatically simplified language with many invented slang words. After striking you as peculiar on the first page, you immediately stop noticing the special diction and the idiom just makes itself clear, without the necessity to explain the new words. On the other hand, the language keeps conveying the 'strangeness' of the Moon, the ide...more

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Feb 06, 2012

The Fza rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fiction

Pay your debts. Collect what is owed to you. Maintain your reputation and that of your family... In 2075, on the underground colonies scattered across Earth's Moon, that's what life amounted to.

I've been a Heinlein fan since I read Have Space Suit—Will Travel as a young man. After which I made a point of reading Heinlein books. He imbued his characters with a sort of 'Rational Anarchy' that made them both strong and venerable. This accompanied with his straightforward story tell...more

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Jan 25, 2012

Bruce Zheng rated it

· review of another edition

One thing that had always bothered me with Heinlein books are their tendency to be self-validating to an annoying degree. For example, Starship Troopers is one gigantic endorsement of aggressive military policy, and lends absolutely no credit to pacifists. The single differing opinion expressed in that book turns out to be a trick: a recruiter spouts anti-war rhetoric to weed out improper candidates. In that sense The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a bit relieving; surely, there are dominant ideas ...moreOne thing that had always bothered me with Heinlein books are their tendency to be self-validating to an annoying degree. For example, Starship Troopers is one gigantic endorsement of aggressive military policy, and lends absolutely no credit to pacifists. The single differing opinion expressed in that book turns out to be a trick: a recruiter spouts anti-war rhetoric to weed out improper candidates. In that sense The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a bit relieving; surely, there are dominant ideas and theories expressed, but they remain strictly in the realm of ideas and theories. When passed from thought to action, a compromise with reality must be made. At the end of it all, where the actions taken by the main characters worth it? Were the sacrifices made for the sake of revolution worth it? These are all questions left deliciously ambiguous, and something that differs in this book from Heinlein's more self-confident (and perhaps less cynical) works.

Heinlein paints a very believable Luna, one that may actually exist fifty to sixty years from now. His grasp of how technology may advance is adequate, but where he truly shines is in predicting social adaptations and changes. One curious idea (and I have no clue whether this was drawn from an actual historical precedent) is the informally enforced sexism of luna due to gender ratios; men outnumber women twofold, so social norms are much freer for women then for men. A woman can do what she wants, but a man must always restrain himself when dealing with a lady.

Perhaps the most charming aspect of the book is its star player: a self aware computer named Mike. Mike is neither a murderous entity with a hatred of humanity nor a benign helper. He acts very much as an intelligent being would, and I found myself sympathizing with Mike far more than his human companions.

Why four stars and not five? I felt that there were too many (human) characters and not enough personality to go around. Save for about five characters, most of the names mentioned have no soul attached to them, and are merely walking plot movers, but at the same time there is a large cast of secondary and tertiary characters. This is not a character driven novel, and if you dislike that fact you will have a significantly harder time getting through this. Otherwise, it's solid, even if you usually are not a fan of Heinlein's philosophical discussions.(less)

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Dec 22, 2011

Ken T rated it

· review of another edition

This classic sci-fi tale is as exciting today as when I first read it nearly twenty years ago. While I know that Heinlein is a bit of a controversial writer given some of his later work, he is a master story teller and in Moon he is at the height of his powers.

The book involves the revolution of the convict and former convict population of the Moon in 2076. Heinlein envisions a future in which the corrupt regimes of Earth use the Moon as a dumping ground for dangerous criminals and po...more

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Nov 18, 2011

Heatherwilliamson rated it

· review of another edition

This book makes you think. A lot. You think about who you are, why you are the way you are, how you developed your tastes, why you choose to be in certain groups or with certain people. In short: This book makes you think.
The plot: Luna is an open penal colony and the regime is a harsh one. Not surprisingly, revolution against the hated authority is planned. The key figures who end up leading the revolt are an unlikely team: Manuel Garcia O'Kelly, an engaging jack of all trades, the beaut...more

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Oct 16, 2011

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

(My reviews aren't intended to recap the story. You can read the book jacket for that. The spoilers are here by accident, only because I felt I wanted to comment on this or that aspect of the story. It's really just my random thoughts.)

Loved the actor who did the audio on this one. He did a great job differentiating all the characters and maintaining the various accents. Quite a challenge in this book!

This is one of those classics of sci-fi that was on my long list to rea...more(My reviews aren't intended to recap the story. You can read the book jacket for that. The spoilers are here by accident, only because I felt I wanted to comment on this or that aspect of the story. It's really just my random thoughts.)

Loved the actor who did the audio on this one. He did a great job differentiating all the characters and maintaining the various accents. Quite a challenge in this book!

This is one of those classics of sci-fi that was on my long list to read until the other member of my Super Secret Book Club suggested it. I would probably have never gotten to it otherwise so I'm glad he brought it up. I read a bunch of early Heinlein as a kid and thoroughly enjoyed him back then.

I had a little bit of a hard time knowing what to make of this. Sometimes I felt like I was reading instructions for mounting a revolution. And sometimes it felt like Heinlein's opinion on how a free society could operate. A truly free society, that is. And I really couldn't figure out what he was trying to say about marriage.

It was a little annoying that he introduced the Wymoming character and then promptly moved her to the backseat rather than letting her stay a strong character in the frontlines. But I suppose all the characters were, to an extent, fairly typical archetypes. Once they fulfilled their role, they weren't needed.

What I really found curious was what Heinlein didn't forsee. I mean, the computer PRINTS OUT stuff on paper for Manuel. Really? I would normally say that Roddenberry isn't someone to go to for solid sci-fi. It's more space fantasy. But in the area of seeing the future of technology, I have to say I was unimpressed with what Heinlein didn't come up with, especially compared to Roddenberry. I did, though, appreciate that he did attempt to address the various limitations of space travel. I don't like assumed gravity on board the vehicle in space travel.

This is worth reading, but more so for the person who considers themselves a serious sci-fi reader. If you are just dabbling in the genre, or in Heinlein, try Time For the Stars instead.(less)

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Aug 31, 2011

Fungus Gnat rated it

In the late 21st century, the residents of the Moon, all of them criminals and other personae non gratae banished from Earth (together with their descendants), rebel against the economic servitude imposed from the mother planet. As is often the case in Heinlein’s work, the hero of the story is Heinlein himself, disguised this time as an apolitical computer mechanic who is pressed by the rush of events and his own personal affections to play a major role in the revolution. It is this character ...moreIn the late 21st century, the residents of the Moon, all of them criminals and other personae non gratae banished from Earth (together with their descendants), rebel against the economic servitude imposed from the mother planet. As is often the case in Heinlein’s work, the hero of the story is Heinlein himself, disguised this time as an apolitical computer mechanic who is pressed by the rush of events and his own personal affections to play a major role in the revolution. It is this character who tells the story. Almost equally important, however, is his pal Mike, a sentient supercomputer who becomes a powerful ally in the struggle for freedom.

On the positive side, Heinlein creates a believable relationship between the two societies—one in which the conflict is developed and worked out in a manner satisfactorily informed by a realpolitik that seems to flow naturally out of the situation, and out of Heinlein’s cynical view of collective action. A similar cynical view drives the evolution of the rebellion—which turns out to be more the product of a manipulative clique than of any deep popular thirst for freedom. Heinlein also seems to exhibit a better grasp of the implications of the information revolution then just getting under way than do most of his contemporaries.

The pivotal narrator is a mixed bag. His cynicism is consistent, and it sometimes manifests itself in the form of an impish sense of humor; there is even an occasional touch of sweetness, and Heinlein sustains a credible Russian "accent" throughout the entire work. The character tends to grow on you, although neither his more macho side nor his sloppy side squares well with his ironic detachment. (And again, I’m not sure whether this is a complaint about the narrator or Heinlein.)

For the most part, Heinlein recognizes that the fiction in science-fiction should dominate the science. There’s plenty of science, but he also leaves a lot of his world incompletely explained and documented, much as a narrator talking to contemporaries some years after the events would do. He spares us much of the tedium of detailed explication.

But not all of it. For excess scientific detail, Heinlein substitutes excess political and organizational detail. The narrative gets seriously bogged down, particularly in the novel’s first half, with who gets what position and who votes how, speeches about the nature of a revolution, and so forth. Heinlein is a sucker for the didactic, and even when you make allowances for his apparent desire to create a definitive libertarian screed-novel and take on the mantle of an s-f Ayn Rand (“It strikes at the most basic human right, the right to bargain in a free marketplace.”), there is still plenty of the tendentious—often manifested as a tin ear for how people, including elites (journalists, for example), speak. Combine this with Heinlein’s prose style, which might be described as functional at best, and the only sense of wonder this book was bringing to me around the halfway point was marvel at anyone’s thinking this could be worth reading. Fortunately, events start moving a little in the second half, but even there, Heinlein would rather try to pump drama out of the cleverness of his computer and his “Loonies” than create any meaningful plot reversals.

Then there are the usual Heinlein sops to sentimentality—there’s no plot rut that can’t be rolled out of by having a 13-year-old boy murdered or an 18-year-old girl raped and murdered.

As I say, Heinlein gets an important part of the future right, although, like most of his colleagues, he had to think we were going to be freely winging to the Moon and setting up hugely complex colonies in the coming decades (that is, coming as of the mid-sixties). Even the info rev stuff—an empty memory bank has a 12-MB capacity, printouts are still being rendered on “computer paper.” There are no DNA tests, no GPS, and no mobile phones in this future 70 years further into the 21st century.

But of course, nobody’s going to get the future right, particularly looking out beyond a century. It’d be nice, though, just to tell a compelling story.
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Aug 16, 2011

Steven Cole rated it

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I started reading Heinlein novels back when I was a teenager, and managed to plow through the Heinlein library between the ages of 16 to 25. This set of thought has played a large role in shaping who I grew up to be. And re-reading those novels now makes me think how amazing it was that I *did* read those novels at the time, and happy that I did.

"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is one of my most favorite of Heinlein's novels, but one which I haven't re-read (until just now) sin...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Russell rated it

I read this years ago when I was a preteen and liked it then. In truth, I approached with some trepidation, what once was enjoyable when young doesn't always have the same appeal when older. However, I wasn't disappointed. Heinlein published this in 1966 at the height of his powers as a hard SciFi author. What is a fairly straightforward plot, the residents of the moon rebel, is just a cover for Heinlein's ability to expound to the reader with ideas Heinlein had been brewing on. The dialogue co...more

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Jul 16, 2011

Felix Dance rated it

· review of another edition

This is pretty much my favourite Heinlein book. I started reading this about two years ago before I headed off on my epic trip around the Indian Ocean having bought it from Readings on Lygon Street, but had to interrupt it until a few days ago. In the book, a band of rebel libertarians living in a penal colony on the moon organise and fight for freedom. Eventually they're liberated, but the battle to remain independent from Earth has only just begun. So many excellent concepts are introduced...more

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Jun 26, 2011

Kristin Crocker rated it

· review of another edition

This was my first experience with Heinlein, and it took me a bit to get used to his style. Fortunately, the story is interesting and the characters likable, so a reader can get lost in the words quickly. The basic premise: the moon is established as a penal colony that will supply water to Earth; however, after a few generations the inhabitants lobby for independence. One of the great things about the characters is that he includes SF mainstays like the sentient computer and the unassuming-but...more

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Jun 21, 2011

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

This book was a very weird reading experience. I would always get tired of reading about a page exactly before the end of a chapter and push myself to finish it, only to find myself eagerly turning the pages onward once I’d reached the goal. I was either completely engrossed in what was going on, or saying “huh?” There was a lot of action in this book. A lot of fighting and scheming, even a little romance. And there was a ton of politics and international relations talk-talk going on. That was w...more

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Sci Fi Aficionados: * January Themed Read: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress	21	39	Jan 17, 2012 08:27pm
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About Robert A. Heinlein

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American novelist and science fiction writer. Often called "the dean of science fiction writers", he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard science fiction". He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first writer to br...more

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