Rating: 
Summary: One of Heinlein's Best...
Review: This was only the second Heinlein novel I'd ever read, and to me, it was the most moving. I have read Starship Troopers, The Cat that Walks Through Walls, and Stranger in a Strange Land thus far. This novel is part science-fiction adventure, part social commentary, and part political philosophizing. However, that seems to be the formula for most of Heinlein's novels (or at least the ones I've read) The story is of a computer repairman, who is the first person to realize that the large central computer which the Lunar Authority uses to control most everything has become a sentient being. Through this realization, as well as meeting with a couple of agitators who are dissatisfied with the way things are run on the Moon, Manny (the repairman) becomes one of the founding fathers of the revolution that allows Luna to gain its independence. Throughout the book, Heinlein explores different notions of politics, marriage customs, culture, and human nature, all of which is thought-provoking at least. The end of the book, and its inevitable climax, left me emotionally drained. Never has any book been able to do that to me the way this book has. While Starship Troopers remains my favorite Heinlein novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a very, very close second. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in science-fiction, political science, or just plain looking for a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: Though I'm not a Heinlein fan, this book is one of my favorites. I loved the storyline, the setting (an off-kilter, cobbled-together society of criminals and cast-offs from Earth, that is more civilized than that of Earth in many ways), the humor, and the characters. Two reservations: to me, Heinlein's female characters seldom ring true, and I thought the story bogged down a bit in one of the early chapters. Minor flaws in an overall, outstanding book.
Rating: 
Summary: overrated
Review: The characterization was weak especially the female (Wyoh?). She has to be the most non-descriptive character I've read in SF books. (RAH was not good at writing female characters in my humble opinion) I'm a libertarian but still I find the book too wordy & preachy. Maybe my expectation was too high since this is one of the classics and it is rated so highly by most. Or maybe sentient computers & independence war of human colony were novel ideas in SF when it was written. But now they are not as new. Anyway, it was a disappointment for me.
Rating: 
Summary: What???
Review: Perhaps my expectations were a little too high. This book was recommended to me by a fellow Libertarian as a great book on political philosophy. What political philosophy? There seems to be some lassez faire-meets-utilitarian thing going on here, and shakily-based at that. If I had to pick the book's primary political statement, it's that it's okay to deceive the public to achieve your own ends and/or for "the greater good." In this chronicle of a nation's revolution, hardly a chapter goes by in which the revolution's leaders don't feed fictional news items to the media (or engage in some other deception) in order to villainize their opponents. Also, this novel is an excellent example of "show, don't tell." Throughout the first half, I was choking on meetings and plans and strategies...and being told HOW a character is GOING to do something isn't nearly as interesting as seeing it actually happen. There are battle scenes...but you'd hardly know it from the writing style. No suspense, no emotion, no character development. I didn't care about any of these characters one way or the other. Basically, a good read only if you're a fan of government corruption and weak utilitarianism.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent! Would give more stars if could cobber!
Review: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is quite simply the best combination of fiction and libertarian philosophy ever written. It presents an excellent story against a backdrop of powerful and compelling ideas. I have read it several times and have been interested/captivated each time. One of several books I consider to be a favorite.
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to Luna
Review: The description on the back of the book says it best: Libertarian revolution. If you're interested in this book at all, you should read it. It was brilliant, moving, thrilling.
What's it about? Well, there's a computer technician living on Luna, a prison colony where the lack of gravity causes irreversible osteoporosis that makes it impossible to move back to Earth after a few months. Earth is dealing with overpopulation and lack of food and shelter. Nations are still divided. And then the people of luna decide that they have had enough and want their freedom. They fight for it. This is their story, including the AI computer that helps them figure out a way to win against the mother world. But I won't tell you what that is or how it ends, because that's the best part.
As a standard caveat though, Heinlein uses a couple of obsolete concepts freely. Relish it, if you will, but be prepared. Sometimes that's what good sci-fi is all about.
My only real q!ualm with this book, and one that almost cost it a star is that it is narrated in the first person, and the narrator has a thick Loonie accent.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting, thought provoking and amusing tale
Review: I was very skeptical of this book after reading some of the reviews here. Overall, I feel I got my money's worth reading this book. Was it the best book I ever read? No, but it was amusing, worth the money I spent, and worth the time it took to read it. I found myself stopping and thinking about some of the points Heinlein made throughout the story. I found myself relating to Mannie time and again. As an idealistic libertarian who has grown cynical with age, this story seemed to take my ideas and beliefs, jump ahead 75 years and say "what if". The story is somewhat dated. We have already advanced technologically beyond parts of the story. Story includes Soviet Union. Nothing too distracting. Most of the controversy I have heard about this book is the "bizarre" marriages and sexual relationships in the story. Look, the author was trying to make a point about human nature and adaptation under extreme conditions. When men outnumber women 10 to 1, multiple husbands makes mathematical sense. As a Christian, yes, I find this view of marriage offensive, but hey, it is fiction. It was an interesting exploration of one possible future.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic of Sci-Fi that holds up well
Review: I just re-read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress after not having read it since I was a teenager. (Well, that was in the 60's, oof.) I must say, this book holds up well against science fiction written far after it, and also after the technological surges of the 90's that made computers a household item and not just a device at work that spewed out yellow punchtape. Heinlein attended Annapolis and was in the Navy; his experiences feed into many of his books (most famously, Starship Troopers.) And the theme of liberty, alternate marriage styles, animate computers also turn up in many of his works (Time Enough for Love.) Heinlein was kind of a libertarian; his ideas about society show up in many of his novels. The endearing part of this book is the wonderful relationship between Mannie, jack-of-all-trades and computer technician, and Mike, the self-aware computer that runs everything on the Moon from the air systems and transport to accounting and telephones. The moon has been settled by various countries (Russia, US, China) and has been turned into a penal-colony and excess population dumping zone. The government is lead by the Warden, who views the post as a sinecure, and aside from keeping general order, does nothing. Since escape is pretty much impossible, the convicts and transportees have been left to set up a semi-anarchic society ruled mainly by common sense. (As long as you leave your neighbors in peace, they'll do the same for you.) However, when Manny attends a Free Luna rally, he learns that the resources of the moon are being depleted and that without halting the one-way export of resources to the earth, the moon and its inhabitants will be soon be doomed to starvation. Manny joins an ad-hoc revolutionary cabal with his friend the Professor and blonde hot-head Wyoming Knott. Together with Mike the computer, who has an enviable insider view of everything that goes on and a puckish sense of humor, they found the Revolution with a novel cell structure depending on the savvy computer's abilities to remember everything and keep a secret. Mike takes on the alter-ego as Adam Selene, the revolutionary leader (and bit of a stuffed-shirt) and the struggle begins. How the Revolution is fought and won is an exciting tale. The end is bittersweet, as the moon must inevitably change and not everyone does survive the heroic struggle for freedom. This is a must-read science fiction book in my opinion, and one of Heinlein's best.
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Summary: politics, families, computers...and it's fun, too!
Review: I care deeply about the English language, especially proper grammar. If you asked my friends and family, I suspect they might even use the word "fanatic" to describe me. Therefore, believe me when I say the non-standard English in "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" is not hard to understand after a few pages, and that it is integral to the characterization of Mannie and Lunar society. There are times and places for linguistic purism. This is not one of them. Computer technician Manuel Garcia O'Kelley Davis is a free citizen of a Lunar penal colony, run for Earth's benefit. He discovers the master computer (it manages telephones, newspapers, electricity, air supply, etc.) is sentient, names it Mike, and befriends it/him. In his efforts to humanize Mike, Mannie introduces the computer to Wyoming Knott, a fiery member of a flawed revolutionary organization, and to Professor Bernardo de la Paz, a lovable rational anarchist. With Mike's help, they determine that under current management policies, famine will strike the Moon. Being Loonies, they gamble on a revolution. A real one. One pleasure of this book is learning about Lunar society, which Heinlein creates with great attention to detail. (Hence the language.) The other great pleasure is watching the revolution develop. The propaganda, misdirection, government machinations, and ingenious weapons (yes, throwing rice can be deadly - if you throw from the Moon!) are marvelous. I didn't notice much overt characterization, but by the end of the book, I cared about these people; I had traveled a long way with them. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" contains libertarian, or anarchist, philosophy, but one purpose of science fiction is to present challenging ideas. Whether or not you agree with the Loonies' political philosophy, or are offended by some of their social structures (such as their forms of marriage) I defy anyone not to sympathize with their quest for freedom. Note: While I find Heinlein's obsession with female bodies a bit annoying, and while he uses some sexual stereotypes, any society where a woman, as he says, "calls tune," and a man has to dance to it, can't be all bad!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Heinlein
Review: Revolution and/or war is a theme that pops up fairly frequently in Heinlein's works (Starship Troopers, Sixth Column, etc.) but he handles it a bit differently here. Instead of simply being a shoot 'em up the book focuses a lot on the planning stages of what goes into a revolution. The book is very well thought out and realistic (unlike a lot of RAH). You can believe the war put over the way it is. Also, the book is written in Lunar jive, which makes it a bit hard to read at first, but in time you'll be plowing through the chapters without even noticing it. The book is also heavily political. It would be a stretch to call this book a Rational Anarchist Manifesto, but it certainly lays down the foundation for a lot of RAH's ideas about government (or the lack thereof) and his political philosophy in general, particularly through his alter ego, the Professor. Who could forget "tanstaafl!"? There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Anything free costs double in the long run or turns out worthless. You only get what you pay for. A very sound philosophy, or as it is stated in the book "not philosophy, fact". Luna in 2076 is an interesting world for other reasons. First, there are the line marriages. Heinlein had introduced ideas like this in his novels before, but this is the place where it is the most well thought out. It is also interesting to see what he has people on the Moon doing for industry and agriculture, as well as their relations with Earth. This is one of Heinlein's more perpetually interesting novels, reccommended to any devotee or SF fan.
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