One of the greatest novels of all time: disturbingly prescient

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	• The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein Orb Books, 1997 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 233 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One of the greatest novels of all time: disturbingly prescient

One of Robert A. Heinlein's greatest works, "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" marks the end point of a major transition in his career: where his style and thinking had evolved from novels that were aimed primarily at younger audiences, to the much more complex, darker (and longer) works of his later career.

All of Heinlein's works reveal a sophisticated knowledge and attention to detail on the "science" end, as well as strong, engaging characters almost always cast as self-sufficient and highly intelligent individuals facing morally and often physically challenging situations.

The plot of "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" centers on a computer technician named Manuel ("Mannie"), who was descended (as most "Loonies" were) from inmates of the Lunar prison colony; and his relationship with a computer named Mike, who had become self-aware.

At the time of the story, all humans on the moon lived in a situation very similar to that of sharecroppers: trapped in a life they could not escape for a variety of reasons, and so were virtually enslaved to the "Lunar Authority": a political entity originally set up by an equivalent of the United Nations to oversee the Lunar penal colony, and which had subsequently evolved into a mechanism for the oppression and exploitation the Moon's inhabitants solely for the benefit of Earth.

In the book, both Mannie and Mike evolve and grow: with Mike's help, Mannie becomes more and more aware of the consequences of the Lunar Authority's policies, and a reluctant leader of his people. With Mannie's help, Mike seeks to become a "real person" and to learn what it means to be alive. Together, they come to realize that the Authority's policies mean inescapable disaster for Luna, and so seek to motivate their largely indifferent fellow colonists to overthrow the Lunar Authority and establish a "Free Luna" before it is too late.

The story is sophisticated, complex, and discusses many controversial themes, including: racism, the meaning of life, immortality, sex, sexism, marriage, multiple identities, slavery, the evolution of language, the merits and flaws of various political systems, how to structure "underground" revolutionary organizations, the nature and consequences of war, environmental destruction, and how technology can be a negative or positive factor in all of these areas.

This book was designed to make its readers think, and succeeds in doing so. Although not much longer than many of his earlier novels, the depth, originality, attention to detail, and attention to scientific fact in this story are astounding: written before the first man walked on the moon, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" stands up well in light of modern technological advances; the growth of modern societal, economic, and political structures; and anticipates many of the issues the world faces today.

A major focus of the plot is Heinlein's structuring of the cell-based revolutionary organization that Mannie and his compatriots build with Mike's help. The structure is very close to how modern terrorist groups have organized themselves, and the usage of Mike to facilitate communication between "cells" is similar to how modern terrorist groups take advantage of the internet. The parallels are disturbing, and makes one seriously consider how the difference between being terrorist and revolutionary often depends on your point of view (and which side eventually wins) - a point Heinlein himself makes in this and other novels.

Above all else, this is a great story that moves along at a good pace, and works on many levels. You will become deeply involved in the lives of Mannie and his family, Mike, Wyoming Knott, the Professor Bernardo De La Paz, and others. You will feel the intensity-of and identify-with the challenges they face, and will see it all through their eyes. It is a hard book to put down, as my own nearly falling apart copy can attest. Each time you read it, you will find new layers of meaning and new concepts and ideas to relish and think-about.

As another reviewer of this book has said: if you are new to Heinlein (or science fiction in general), this isn't the first novel I'd read: it would be better to follow Heinlein's own evolution of thought and style by starting with some of his earlier works, such as "Space Cadet" (1948); "The Rolling Stones" (1952, which shares some common themes and one character with this book); "Tunnel in the Sky" (1955), and "Have Space Suit, Will Travel" (1958).

Other books of his that are equally good, and as (or more) controversial include "Starship Troopers" (1959, of which the movie of the same name is a very poor and lightweight ripoff), and especially what is probably his greatest work: "Stranger in a Strange land" (1961). The later "Lazarus Long" novels, such as "Time Enough For Love" (1973) are also a great read.

From a historical point of view, those of you who are RAH fans will find his first novel, "For Us the Living", to be a fascinating work. Though written in the late 1930's, it was only published posthumously (in 2004): in it you will find all of the themes found in his other novels. What appears to have sunk it in the eyes of potential publishers of the time was that it was obviously written mainly as a platform for the exposition of Heinlein's (for then) rather radical theories and convictions: it had too many ideas, too thin of story, and too little character-development to be a good novel. I agree with Spider Robinson (the writer of the Forward), that from this Heinlein learned if he was to successfully put his ideas across, as well as make a living as a writer, he first and foremost had to tell a good story: "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is a shining example of how well Heinlein learned that lesson.

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Excellent

I really enjoy Heinlein's work, and this book was not a letdown. This story is mentioned in passing in some of his later works, and it was a great story.

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TANSTAAFL

Best book I ever read! I don't know exactly why. I guess it just did it for me.

A true SF classic

Although some of the technical details do seem dated, this book stood the
test of time very well. It is essentially a retelling of a number of revolutions
in recent and not so recent history. As with a lot of good SF, it really seems to
say more about the present and the past than it does about the future. Telling
the story of a lunar colony, rather then setting it somewhere on Earth in the
present or past allowed Heinlein a lot more freedom - his comments on
marriage and other societal norms, for instance, don't seem as wild in this context.
They certainly do make great reading, however.

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The Heart of Heinlein

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is the definitive statement of Heinlein's libertarian philosophy. A crisply-told tale featuring four of Heinlein's most memorable characters (not normally a particular Heinlein strength), the book tells the story of how down-and-out lunar colonists successfully revolt against the control of an Earth-based oligarchy.
Heinlein had experience both as a practical politician and as a military officer, and this book displays his expertise to the best advantage. The individual plot devices are novel, but always believeable.
Although less well-known than Stranger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is the one Heinlein that must be read to fully understand the author.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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