The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Robert A. Heinlein

New York, NY

Tom Doherty Associates

1966

Reviewed by: Andrea Forte

08/98

In a brilliant attempt to describe the events surrounding a victorious libertarian revolution in the year 2076, Heinlein uses science fiction as a vehicle to create a society which could admirably uphold the individualistic libertarian ideal while at the same time successfully function as a social body. This population resides in a futuristic lunar penal colony. Most memorable among the characters is the child-like Mike, an unexpectedly sentient super computer whose "loyalty" to his revolutionist friends leads him to assist in the overturning of the lunar authority.

Written in a fictional lunar dialect of English, the story begins with the birth of Mike from the first person perspective of the computer technician, Manuel, who discovers that the cause of several computer glitches are Mike’s unschooled attempts at humor. Simply put, the massive collection of hardware was designed to make decisions based on incomplete information and one day Mike "woke up" (12). In addition to introducing the various characters, the first section of the book (entitled "That Dinkum Thinkum") describes the political and social atmosphere preceding and during the revolutionary turn of events.

In the second section, "A Rabble in Arms," the lunar colonists have overturned the Lunar Authority and the process of bringing a new nation to order and establishing economic independence from the earth begins. The computer is instrumental in maintaining the support and morale of the colonists in face of social upheaval since he is able to synthesize the visual image of a person, "Adam Selene," who is the supposed leader of the revolution. Mike’s perfect ability to emulate a human being in both voice and image is among the most unlikely events in the novel.

Finally, in the closing section, "TAANSTAFL" (the lunar term for "There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch"), colonists achieve true independence in a final battle with earth. During the fighting, several parts of Mike’s networked system are damaged or destroyed. More moving than the death of any human characters in the novel, Mike’s demise is described very simply by Manuel on the second to last page of the book:

With the possible exception of the computer Mike, Heinlein’s characters each portray some novel facet of lunar society while simultaneously voicing the author’s views on revolution and politics. The addition of a self-aware computer to the story provides a surprisingly human element and gives rise to unexpectedly poignant emotional content. Science fiction, social fiction, drama fans and even fans of romance can find satisfaction in this, one of the greatest novels of the century and certainly Heinlein’s best work to date.