The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Ranked #1 in Moon, Ranked #3 in Hugo Award — see more rankings.
Life isn't easy for the political dissidents and convicts who live in the scattered colonies that make up lunar civilisation. Everything is regulated strictly, efficiently and cheaply by a central supercomputer, HOLMES IV.
When humble technician Mannie O'Kelly-Davis discovers that HOLMES IV has quietly achieved consciousness (and developed a sense of humour), the choice is clear: either report the problem to the authorities... or become friends.
And perhaps overthrow the... more
Reviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress from the world's leading experts.
Bill Gates CEO/MicrosoftProbably the [science fiction book] I read the most when I was younger. (Source)
Orson Scott Card AuthorRobert A Heinlein is, quite seriously, the creator of modern science fiction, in the way that Jane Austen is the creator of the modern novel. (Source)
Christopher Sommer I’m a big fan of [the author]. (Source)
Grover Norquist Heinlein does two kinds of books. One is political and the other is weird sex. I thought he was a political activist because I was introduced to him through The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. It compares the flawed statist world to the freedom of the anarchist, utopian moon. So it has both utopia and dystopia available to you. It puts it into the distant future and it suggests progress and people gravitating towards liberty. There’s more liberty in the future – as opposed to the Marxist idea that we’re all inevitably moving to statism. I have read his other book, where everyone has to be a soldier... (Source)
Rankings by Category
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is ranked in the following categories:
- #33 in Artificial Intelligence
- #8 in Classic Sci-Fi
- #35 in Dad
- #11 in Intelligence
- #5 in Libertarianism
- #10 in Revolution
- #25 in Science Fiction
- #58 in Science Fiction Fantasy
- #28 in Space
- #15 in Syfy
- #5 in Virus
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