Robert Heinlein: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

[sparkchaser]

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress marks the end, for now, of my classic sci-fi binge.

Luna (the moon) is a penal colony where the inmates grow wheat to send back to an overpopulated Earth. After serving their sentence, the inmates are free to return to Earth (provided they can pay for a ticket back) or stay on Luna. Having no money and the effect of low gravity on the body, all end up staying and continue working for the system for extremely low wages.

Enlisting the assistance of the main complex computer who has become sentient and the computer repairman, a rebellion is planned and executed. Don't worry, I won't tell you how it ends.

The book is very heavy with Libertarian theory and I suppose it could be considered a treatise on the subject.

A lot of people who don't like this book put the blame on the way the Loonies talk and scream 'bad grammar, bad grammar' at the dropped pronouns. The style did take a while to get used to but it wasn't distracting to the story.

I give it a 3.5/5

 

[joderu95]

I got used to the narrator's strange speech pretty quickly and overall I liked the book really well. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first as things really get going. The ideology is not very subtle and that's fine, I found myself thinking "that's ridiculous we have to have that portion of government" and two seconds later "you know that's a really good idea." These conflicting thoughts made the book more enjoyable for me.

Clearly Heinlein very much cared what form government should take (if any) and it shows up in this book. I've read that similar ideas show up in several of his more famous works too. If you like sci-fi with a strong political message this is a good one to read.

 

[fluffy bunny]

It's been some time since I read this one, but I do remember loving it the 2nd time around (game up halfway through the 1st time because of some project or other I needed to get finished and the style took some time to get into). I still remember some very good concepts such as

Spoiler

the concept of ID cards being abhorrent, and the way the resistance recruiting mainly from those who refused to be bullied by the authorities and refused to take up the cards

. The ending seemed a tad rushed if I recall but the book does sit up there with SF that make you think.

Will have to read this one again and get back to you.

 

[sparkchaser]

What I really liked about it was that the outcome was uncertain until the end. Well, we knew the narrator would survive since he was telling the story but how it would end was up in the air.

 

[sparkchaser]

I think Arnuld needs to read this book.

 

[joderu95]

I think SFG would like it too, if he hasn't read it already.