The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is typically held forth as a classic book of the SF genre by a master writer at the peak of his literary powers. Certainly it is a book that helped form the literary and political tastes of many people during the generation of it's publication. The story itself is a pseudo-retelling of the American revolution, where the moon(or Luna) serves as a penal colony of Earth that throws off the shackles of it's master. The prisoners, and their extended families that were born there, are tasked with fulfilling every increasing demands for grain from the overpopulated Earth, while also being subject a corrupt and lackluster governing body. The narrator of the book, an engineer, discovers that the computer mainframe of the entire planet has developed sentience. His friendship with the computer, who he names Mike, proves to be vital to the revolution that he begrudgingly helps to foment.

The strongest part of the book in my eyes is Heinlein's detailed description and exploration of the 'cell' structure used for covert revolutionaries, and the complications that must be addressed to have a revolution be lasting and successful. This exploration was interesting and thought provoking if a bit dull. I also enjoyed the computer character Mike. He provided some much needed comedic relief for an otherwise very self-important book, and the development of his personality over the course of the revolution was fulfilling. I think that Mike's disappearance at the conclusion of the story made some much needed ambiguity after such a straight forward story. It's a shame that the AI element of the plot wasn't explored more thoroughly.

Beyond these points, I admit I don't have much positive to say about the book. Mostly I found it to be a tedious and long-winded story compared to its peers of the era. For a story about a revolution it sure is boring as hell. There's a nearly 70 page section towards the beginning of the book where the three titular characters sit in a hotel room and converse at length about how to structure the revolution. The budding of an entire movement, and yet it's a total slog to get through. Heinlein writes in a very matter-of-fact way that is amplified by the story being told by the narrator after the events described. There is simply no excitement or tension created by writing this way. There's never any doubt about how things are going to turn out. I simply do not understand how some people are drawn in to this story when Heinlein does everything he can make it a drag.

A lot of people talk about how they love or hate the Russian accent that the book is narrated in. Personally, I found it to be simply unremarkable and after awhile completely unnoticeable. Having recently read A Clockwork Orange , where slang language is used so broadly and masterfully, the slang and voice that is written here seems tepid. Honestly, why even include it? It doesn't add anything to the story, the narrator's personality, or the world itself. I feel like it only serves to detract from the reading experience as a mild annoyance. An odd choice to be sure, specifically because of the way that it was executed.

I'll also note that I found the treatment of women to be especially distasteful. Lots of SF writing from the pulp era through the new wave have poorly written women. Women that largely go forgotten until they are described as having value for their sexual appeal. Don't get me wrong, this is also the case in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Women are constantly talked about just for their looks, but Heinlein takes this a step further by actively demeaning women while simultaneously feeling smug that they have 'power' in Luna society by the virtue of their rarity in the population. The main character Wyoming is actively dismissed by other characters because they feel that she isn't able to understand complex problems. Multiple times women are described as having a good sense of their place, and when not to run their mouth. There's an alarming amount of "females should stay in the kitchen where they belong" energy in this book that I frankly found disgusting if not exactly surprising.

Finally I'll say that the political opinions of the book - and the creation of a 'libertarian utopia'- are not inherently a plus or minus even though I may disagree with them on a personal level. However, I found it odd that we don't really end up seeing the society that the revolution so hopes to create. We see a society that tosses people into the vacuum of space for small infractions against a strict and unspoken ethical code. We see a shadow government installed by un-elected leaders in order to enact their will upon the populace. We see massive amounts of censorship and propaganda used to buttress the ideals of that government. Heinlein doesn't take time to show us how the conservative ideals outlined by the revolution create a better society for all. Instead, it's simply assumed that either the reader already agrees already with him, or that the political speeches made by the characters are enough. All of the 'positives' of Luna society that we are shown already existed prior to the revolution (line marriages that included children among them). The one political argument that was a surprise was the element of monarchism that was present in some of the characters. It was jarring and seemed at odds with everything else that Heinlein seemed to be preaching.

What can I say? I guess that Heinlein isn't for me. I'm glad to have read it if only to feel comfortable steering away from his work in the future. Obviously Heinlein has a vast bibliography of work, and lots of it is highly praised, so I may find myself returning to him at some point in the future. I can only hope that those works prove they deserve their praise much more than The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.