- Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
- Publish Date: 2006
- Print Publish Date: 1966
- Format: Audiobook
- Duration: 14 hours 12 minutes
- ASIN: B000JJRW80
- Author: Robert A. Heinlein
- Read by: Lloyd James
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein is a Hugo Award winner and a science fiction classic. If you haven’t already read this one, what is wrong with you? If you haven’t read it in a decade or two (like me), it is time to read it again.
TMISHM is set in 2075 on the moon, or Luna as it is known by its inhabitants. Originally, and still partially, a penal colony, Luna has developed its own culture based on this origin story and based on the environment. It has become one of the major grain producers for Earth, sending loads of grain via catapult to feed the hungry billions of Terra. Tightly controlled by the Lunar Authority ans its warden, the residents of Luna have long balked at this treatment of them. Many of them would like to overthrow the rule of the Lunar Authority, but with its backing by Earth and their armed forces and nuclear weapons, this seems unlikely.
Manuel Garcia (“Mannie”) O’Kelly-Davis, is a computer technician with no great desire to be involved in any sort of politics, but he has discovered that the central computer that controls much of the Lunar society’s infrastructure and day-to-day operations has gained sentience. Mannie is the only one who realizes the computer is self-aware and he becomes friends with the “HOLMES IV” (“High-Optional, Logical, Multi-Evaluating Supervisor, Mark IV”), aka Mycroft or Mike. At first their relationship is mostly about humor and jokes, but eventually moves on to planning a revolution.
TMISHM explores many concepts associated with Heinlein and his writings. Individual freedom and responsibility, Free market economics, Different forms of marriage, Polygamy and Polyandry, Line Marriage, etc. It is in this book that he introduces TANSTAAFL. “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” This may be Heinlein’s best known phrase. Anything that you receive for ‘free’ has hidden costs that may make it more expensive than just paying for it originally.
There are so many really great things about The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress that I don’t feel qualified to tell you about them all. You really must read this book, and think about it. Think about the relationships between populations and environment. Think about how rich and powerful societies take advantage of those with less power. Think about how propaganda and a sense of belonging may affect people who buy into a cause, and whether the causes that you have bought into are more than the propaganda used to promote them. Think about how much of your ‘beliefs’ and ‘priorities’ are really just a result of the place you were born and the society in which you live. Think about artificial intelligence and its affects. Think about the centralization of power and of media and how that can be used to manipulate beliefs and actions.
Think about all these things and more, but also, just enjoy a really good story. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress has important lessons, but it is damn entertaining as well.
Matt Truxaw’s newest book is Monster, which released on 1/12/2026. This urban fantasy, horror, thriller will keep you turning the pages.
He is also the author of the hard science fiction thrillers: “Plastiphobia/Plastivore” and “Anthrophobia: A Teacher’s Tale”
You can find them all on Amazon in Paperback, Hardback, Kindle and/or free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
When you read any of them, he would really appreciate a review/rating on Amazon or your favorite book seller/book reader site.
More about Matt:
He was born in Orange County California many years ago and he still lives there. He has been reading books for most of those years and writing up book reviews for the last few years. He gets most of his books out of the library so expect a lot of old science fiction classics book reviews and other science related reviews in addition to newer books he comes across.
If you want to be ‘in-the-loop’ on these and other works, you can follow his author’s page on Amazon or his Facebook page.
For more reviews and articles by Matt here on Amazing Stories (Click here).
Monster: A Novel by Matt Truxaw
