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Summary: new culture
Review: In Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, the moon is colonized and a new culture is born. But people are exiled to Luna, they don't move there by choice; it is a penal colony. And as you can imagine, a civilization made entirely of ex-cons and the relatives of criminals would be more exciting and different.Luna is run by Authority ... which offers no freedoms. But the people of Luna have their own unwritten laws which they obey. Told from the point of view of Mannie, an average man who fixes computers. An old teacher of his, a computer with emotions named Mike, and a new friend, (a political woman name Wyoming), join together to start a rebellion to overthrow Authority. Since the entire story is told from the point of view of Mannie, Luna slang and talk is used. Loonies have seemed to taken out all the unnecessary words. The, I, than, was, there ... etc., are eliminated. For example: "Followed a long time during which would have been possible to forget anything as unlikely as revolution had not details taken so much time." Huh? Read it again. After the first couple chapter you get the hang of reading like that, and you don't even notice the missing words. One of the more stunning differences in Earth culture and Luna's culture is marriage. Woman One marries Man One. Woman One has second husband, Man Two. Man One and Man Two are co-husbands. Man Two marries Woman Two. Woman One and Woman Two are co-wives. Marriages are no long two person partnerships, but rather closely bound clans. In this casual binding each person is allowed freedom. Children are cared for deeply by everyone, and in Heinlein's lunar colony a large family equals safety. When you read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress you enter a new civilization that has developed from Earth.
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Summary: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
Review: Creative telling of a true war of independence -- Loonie style. Remember that this was written in 1966 and admire the author's vision in creating a society entirely free of racism. His take on marriage and society are thought-provoking and amusing. And while computers haved come a long way, we haven't quite developed a "Mike" yet -- so far as we know.
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Summary: Free Luna! One of Heinlein's best novels
Review: The setting of "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is the Moon, which is Earth's penal colony in 2076, something along the lines of Australia. Transportees get a one-way trip for vagrancy, juvenile deliquency, criminal activity or just being in the way in over-populated areas. Other choose to freely emigrate, a permanent decision, as the muscle atrophy that occurs in the low gravity make re-establishing a life on Earth difficult. The Warden presides over the colony, he is a political appointee (and one would imagine, a previously powerful pol who found himself on the wrong side of the aisle at one point and won himself a permanent sinecure.) The people on Luna are free to do what they want; there are no laws except mandates set down by the Warden. And in this environment, a libertarian society has evolved. Politeness and caution in dealing with others is a valued trait because unpleasant "chums" can be eliminated with no questions asked. Instead of being ruled by gangs or a mafia, the Moon has become a very free and pleasant place to live, that is, if you understand the principle of TANSTAAFL, or "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Women are scarce (as one would expect, fewer are transported than men.) Instead of being chattel to men, women are prized, and polyandrous marriages are common (mulitple husbands, one woman.) But all is not well in this airless paradise; someone has figured out that Luna is in trouble. Water is running out, and no one seems to care. Against this backdrop, a motley cabal forms to rebel against the careless authority and set up a Free Luna. The characters are smart, lovable and entertaining; a jack-of-trades, a beautiful blonde, a crusty professor and... a sentient computer with a warped sense of humor. The revolution begins, and if you haven't read this book, you are in for a real treat. The struggle is exciting and the end, well, I cried and maybe you will too. I rate this as one of Heinlein's three best books, along with Starship Troopers and Time Enough for Love.
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Summary: TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
Review: This isn't a lunch, it's a banquet. I've read just about all of Heinlein's books - many of them several times - starting at about age nine, and this is easily my favorite. If you want lots of adventure, this details a revolution by Lunar prisoners/colonists (think of Australia's origins). If you want character development, how about a computer that, in a believable way, comes to life?! If you want depth, how about the thinking and planning of a group of intelligent men and women, who review (and mostly discard) numerous theories of how to successfully revolt against an oppressor, as well as how to build a rational post-revolution government that emphasizes freedom AND responsibility. And, behind it all, you have the Loonies with their Anglo-Russian dialect and their wonderful customs and mores (many of which we should adopt immediately). This book is fast, fun reading, and yet there is a richness that is not always present in Heinlein's writing. Contrast this with "Methuselah's Children" which impresses me as a quickie that Heinlein wrote to satisfy the market and his publisher. Heinlein put thought into "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," and it will make you think. You will also come away cherishing freedom more than many do (we tend to take it for granted). P.S.: The men's attitudes toward women is chauvinistic at times. Keep in mind when the book was written and when the author grew up.
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Summary: Heinlein's tale of lunar revolution in 2076
Review: When the colonial Lunar Authority's main computer, MYCROFT (Mike) becomes self-aware, the first to realize it is native loonie and computer technician Manuel Davis. He soon hooks up with his old teacher (Prof)and rabblerouser Wyoming Knott, and the four begin plotting Lunar revolution. How they motivate a nonpolitical populace into a necessary revolution (for, otherwise, the population faces disaster), is the tale. And how a computer which runs most things can be a big help to revolution is integral to the story. As usual in Heinlein's better works (pre-1970), he mixes science and political science into the story in generous measures. His depiction of a lunar society which evolved from a "Botany Bay" style prison camp, where people learned to be inoffensive within the society or else died, is very believable. Richly drawn, without the paranoia and hate Heinlein would exhibit in most of his later books, it is well worth reading and possibly Heinlein's best.
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Summary: Possibly Heinlein's Best
Review: Lately I've been reading a lot of older science fiction, especially Hugo award winners and nominees, so I've come across some pretty great books. In my mind, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress ranks right up there with The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself for best SF novel written prior to 1980. A lot of people have commented on the politics in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. While the role of politics does play a major part of this novel, it was hard for me to get very interested in. Despite that, there's enough of Heinlein's typically brilliant hard science speculation to keep any sci-fi fan interested. Even better, the characters seem real, the kind of people you immediately like and want to root for. The computer aspect of this novel is really dated, but it didn't pose a problem at all for some reason. I suppose it's because I've never really been exposed to huge, mainframe computers since they're kind of before my time, so it just didn't distract me very much. There's really not much to say that hasn't already been said. Compared to other Heinlein novels I've read, I would rank this one slightly ahead of Stranger in a Strange Land and Time Enough for Love. I also really enjoyed Starship Troopers and The Puppet Masters, though I don't they're quite in the same league as the ones I just mentioned. One other thing I love about Heinlein is his writing style, especially when it's in the first-person as this novel is. The narrator's style is very original. As others have mentioned it's written in a kind of stripped-down, "pidgin" style, and while it's mildly distracting for the first few pages, it flows just fine once you become immersed in the novel. Compared to similar (in some ways) narration styles in books like A Clockwork Orange or some of the novels written by Irvine Welsh such as Trainspotting, it's actually much easier to get used to. In fact, I found The Moon is a Harsh Mistress much easier to understand than novels by Neal Stephenson, for example. Heinlein's down-to-earth writing style shines through, even when adapting the language to suit a future dialect, something that I think a few modern writers could learn a lesson from with their pretentious "look, mom, I'm writing" style of writing. All in all, this was a great book and I look forward to reading more RAH novels. For fans of hard science fiction, you can't go wrong here, and for fans of literature in general, I think this is a pretty safe recommendation. I certainly enjoyed it more than 95% of the "literature" I was assigned to read in high school.
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Summary: Best of his works
Review: I think that this book is the best of all of his published writings. The characters and the scope of his imagination in this book have kept me reading and re-reading this masterpiece. A truly great book and should be recognized as one of the jewels of American Literature.
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Summary: Heinlein is not your typical sci-fi writer.
Review: Robert Heinlein is always hailed as one of the great sci-fi writers of all time, and I suppose that's true. His novels do generally fall within the guidelines of what constitutes the sci-fi genre-i.e., books set in a space and time far removed into the future from present times. And, clearly, lot of his early work is truly sci-fi fare and little more. However, what Heinlein is at heart is a social and political philosopher and commentator of the "homespun" variety with his politics being a weird blend of ultra serious patriotism mixed with a strong dose of libertarianism at times bordering on anarchism. In a lot of ways Heionlein remids me of an old, rich oil man from Ft. Worth who used to use his radio ads as a sort of editorial platform. One of his most often stated tenets is that the government should "deliver the mail, defend our shores and leave us the hell alone!". Heinlein would have loved this guy. This is not to say his views were simplistic, for the were not. And Heinlein had a knack for developing interesting, complex stories around his world view including, among others, The Puppet Masters, Stranger in a Strange Land and the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The other thing that sets Heinlein apart from the sci-fi genre in general is his character development. I know of no other author whose work consistently provides characters of the complexity, color and interest that are the norm in a Heinlein novel. This book is a sort of American Revolution and Australian history lesson on the Moon in 2075 concept. The Australian history component arises from the fact that the moon has been converted into a giant penal colony run by the powers that be on earth as a dumping ground for actual criminals as well as political dissidents. The colony is run for profit for earth in a brutal and disinterested fashion by the Lunar Authority, a petty, disengaged bureaucracy. A band of unlikely insurgents arises to ferment a revolution, a Jeffersonesqe professor of history, a Washintonesque man-of-all trades, a radical dissident-and an "aware" computer named Mike. The story concerns the conduct and development of the revolution, with plenty of Heinleinesqe political commentary thrown in. This commentary is never intrusive, however, as it is integrated into the story as the moral basis for the actions being undertaken. In the end you have a complex and thoughtful novel of social alienation and revolution which involves characters of a sympathetic and charismatic nature. It's hard enough to find all that in any sort of novel, much less sci-fi. This is a book well worth reading.
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Summary: Wonderful work of science fiction, plus more
Review: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is one of the few works of science fiction that I have read. I don't typically read science fiction because I don't like it. I usually find the characters wooden and the story way too drawn out. My friend lent me The Moon is a Harsh Mistress insisting that it would solve my sci/fi woes. I was skeptical, but she was right! I found The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to be a delightful tale of people and rebellion. The characters were well drawn and highly believable. The story was well structured with just the right amount of entertainment value balanced with letting the reader think about things. I found the setting and technology to be very realistic for the story. There was no feeling of being bogged down in technology explanations that were too detailed and complicated (something that seems to happen in scifi books sometimes). The themes of how humans cope and change in new environments, the politics of a people living too far from their government, political rebellion, and social evolution may seem heavy. However, the author does such a wonderful job of laying down the story through the experience of people that you hardly notice the serious themes that you are exploring because you are so entertained! If you have never read scifi, you must read this book. If you don't like scifi you must read this book. If you have never read this book for any reason what-so-ever, you must read this book.
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Summary: I have to admit, I was disappointed!
Review: After reading all the incredibly positive reviews here, I thought this book would be fabulous. Well, it may be a classic of science fiction but unfortunately it's very dated and more of a political statement than a sci-fi book. It's essentially a book of endless pages about how a revolution is set up (but only if you have an omniscent computer running your entire society). Even if I had been looking for a book on how to stage a revolution, I don't think I'd find much of use here. There is an engaging story in here, but it's bloated with endless detail on the underground revolution. Technologically, it's really outdated. I guess that's not surprising in old sci-fi, but I couldn't accept a humongous, unmoveable computer as part of a near future. But, if my 2 complaints aren't likely to bother you, you'll probably like it.
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