the moon is a harsh mistress, by robert a. heinlein
science fiction, politics | teen audiences | 5 stars

god i love this book so damn much. it’s one of my favourite science fiction classics because it’s relevant today, it doesn't age and it doesn’t feel old even though it was originally published in 1966. and that's mostly because, yeah it's science fiction but a lot of the story focuses on the characters and their actions, goals and what drives them, even the supercomputer (actually, especially the supercomputer).

it’s a story of revolution and rebellion (can you tell i have a type) and friendly artificial intelligence you’ll grow to love called mike.

the moon is a former penal colony (a perfect prison, really - you can’t escape, though it’s also cruel because after a certain amount of time passes you can’t go back to earth due to changes the moon gravity does to your body) and the moon’s inhabitants (who call themselves loonies and isn’t that the most fitting title) decide to rebel against their earth masters. the culture on the moon is by default different with different dynamics than what we usually see because there are two man per one woman, so marriage and family are so interestingly developed, the novel is basically worth reading for the culture - polyandry and many forms of polygamy are the norm and it works well. women are also really powerful and i love that.

and another thing, nothing is free on the moon. there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, or tanstaafl, so the novel speaks about very libertarian views that, considering the history and development of the lunar colony, ends up making a lot of sense in that context.

the story is narrated by manuel garcia “mannie” o’kelly-davies (and mannie is a native russian speaker so the way his speech is written shows that really well but heinlein never uses it to put mannie down or to show him as being less-than), and he’s a computer technician who discovers that the moon’s supercomputer managed to achieve self-awareness and developed a sense of humour. mannie names the computer mike (after mycroft holmes) and develops a certain type of friendship with mike. and mike is damnably adorable.

mannie gets involved in the revolution, along with a young agitator, an aging academic and mike - whose sentience is only known to mannie and the rest of the leaders of the revolution, which ultimately results in the free state of luna instead of anarchistic hellhole that it might’ve ended up. and it becomes that by *throwing rocks* (sort of) which is so damn hilarious but valid, you’ll love it when you come to that part of the story.

i love books that have some undercurrent of philosophy and/or interesting ideology in them, especially if it’s really fitting for the context of the plot and where it’s set, so reading about the lunar culture and the loonies and their way of life will be a fresh read for everyone.

heinlein crafts badass characters, great dialogue, a fun and engaging plot that’s relevant even today and just, it’s a really fantastic read. he’s a master of science fiction and his works are well worth the read for sci fi lovers.