The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966) is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about a lunar colony's revolt against rule from Earth. Once the sun did shine. The social structure of the Lunar society features complete racial integration, which becomes a vehicle for social commentary when Mannie, visiting the Southeastern United States, is arrested for polygamy after he innocently shows a picture of his multiracial family to reporters, and learns that the "range of color in Davis family was what got [the] judge angry enough" to have him arrested. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. This kept him busy less than one percent of time and Luna Authority never believed in idle hands. Professor Bernardo de La Paz describes himself as a "Rational Anarchist". Widely acknowledged as one of Robert A. Heinlein's greatest works, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress rose from the golden age of science fiction to become an undisputed classic—and a touchstone for the philosophy of personal responsibility and political freedom. I thoroughly enjoyed his young adult adventures, but found this one annoying. Mannie is part of a century-old line marriage, wherein new spouses are introduced by mutual consent at regular intervals so that the marriage never comes to an end. This is Heinlein's great political-economic masterpiece, told in a easy unpretentious manner by a computer programmer and repairman. When Earth finally learns the truth, Luna declares its independence on July 4, 2076, the 300th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, and heavily bases its own declaration of independence on it. Each responsible for his own acts. That I cannot judge, but _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ which is one of my favorate books and one I reread periodically, gains from Lloyd James's translation. Last updated by Cat on 14 Mar 01:38 Answers: 1. The rumor is circulated that Mike's alter ego Adam Selene was among the dead, removing the need for him to appear in person. Who is Manuel (Mannie) Garcia O'Kelly-Davis from The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress and what is their importance? has moved on since Heinlein died, but cannot have surpassed him for story-telling, or for penetrating detail. And it is the story of Mike, the supercomputer whose sentience is known only to this inner circle, and who for reasons of his own is committed to the revolution's ultimate success. It is later revealed that this arrest was anticipated and provoked by his fellow conspirators to gain emotional support from Loonies when the arrest is announced. Mannie's youngest wife sports the last name "Davis-Davis", showing she was both born and married into the line. So Mike started with “free will” and acquired more as he was added to and as he learned--and don’t ask me to define “free will.” If comforts you to think of Mike as simply tossing random numbers in air and switching circuits to match, please do.By then Mike had voder-vocoder circuits supplementing his read-outs, print-outs, and decision-action boxes, and could understand not only classic programming but also Loglan and English, and could accept other languages and was doing technical translating--and reading endlessly. An election is held in which Mannie, Wyoh, and the Professor are elected (possibly by the intervention of Mike). The first edition of the novel was published in April 1966, and was written by Robert A. Heinlein. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. You see--or perhaps not; times have changed. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is the winner of the 1967 Hugo Award for Best Novel. It is respected for its credible presentation of a comprehensively imagined future human society on both the Earth and the Moon. The idea of a computer come to life is not that alien to us now (this was written in the 1940s, I think), but the character development was constantly interesting. It is respected for its credible presentation of a comprehensively imagined future human society on both the Earth and the Moon. China is portrayed as plainly and unabashedly despotic, but no less technically advanced than the West. [17], Ted Gioia said that this might be Heinlein's most enjoyable piece of work. Joe Cocker - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (LIVE) HD - YouTube We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. [19], In 2015, it was announced that Bryan Singer was attached to direct a film adaptation, entitled Uprising, in development at 20th Century Fox.[20][21]. He said that he had never read a more believable computer character than Mike ("may in fact be the most fully realized individual in the story"). Senior wives teach junior wives how to operate the family, granting financial security and ensuring that the children will never be orphaned. When challenged by Wyoh, Professor de la Paz replies, "In terms of morals there is no such thing as a 'state'. 19810753. The setting of the Luna revolt is revisited by Heinlein in his late-period novel, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, which again includes Stone as a character. Nadsat slang from A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess). Nevertheless, the Federated Nations reject the proposals, and the diplomatic mission returns to Luna. Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2018. Something went wrong. [12] Reiterating that Mike manipulated the humans, in 1968 Budrys said that every review of the book, including his own, erred by not stating that the computer is the protagonist. Nyet. I recently-- well, 1994, but who's counting?-- read Alexei Panshin's Heinlein in Dimension, a book Heinlein devotees-- they're something of a cult on the Net-- … The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Mass Market Paperback) Published August 15th 1975 by Berkley Mass Market Paperback, 302 pages Author(s): Robert A. Heinlein. Divorce is rare, since divorcing a husband requires a unanimous decision on the part of all of his wives. Mannie and the Professor go to Earth (despite the crushing gravity) to plead Luna's case, where they are received in the Federated Nations' headquarters in Agra, and embark on a world tour advocating the right to Lunar self-government, while urging Earth's national governments to build a catapult to transfer water to Luna in exchange for wheat. It is suggested that the Western nations, including North America, have become corrupt and authoritarian, while holding on to the vestiges of the prewar democratic idealism in propaganda and popular culture. One of the best authors, one of the best stories! This Chinese aggrandizement is similar to that described in Tunnel in the Sky, and to a lesser extent, Sixth Column. It is a tale of revolution, of the rebellion of the former Lunar penal colony against the Lunar Authority that controls it from Earth. Computermen scarce. If you spoke English, results might be whimsical; multi-valued nature of English gave option circuits too much leeway.And Mike took on endless new jobs. Mike could laugh with voder, a horrible sound, but reserved that for something really funny, say a cosmic calamity.“Should have said,“ I went on, “’What do you know that’s new?’ But don’t read out today’s papers; that was a friendly greeting, plus invitation to tell me anything you think would interest me. Me. Some say I have reputation as left libertarian. In a public relations ploy, Mannie provokes a brief imprisonment by local religious bigots on charges of public immorality and polygamy, reaping widespread sympathy. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, No Import Fees Deposit & $9.48 Shipping to Singapore. Other grandmother was Tatar, born near Samarkand, sentenced to “re-education” on Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya, then “volunteered” to colonize in Luna.My old man claimed we had even longer distinguished line--ancestress hanged in Salem for witchcraft, a g’g’g’great-grandfather broken on wheel for piracy, another ancestress in first shipload to Botany Bay.Proud of my ancestry and while I did business with Warden, would never go on his payroll. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress was the last of these Hugo-winning novels and is widely considered his finest work. Some scoffers, as well as apocalyptic religious groups, travel to the sites and die, turning public opinion against the fledgling nation. )Remember Mike was designed, even before augmented, to answer questions tentatively on insufficient data like you do; that’s “high-optional” and “multi-evaluating” part of name. He computed ballistics for pilotless freighters and controlled their catapult. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2018. And bought it again in Kindle format even though I still have the paperback because I don't know how many times I would still read it again before I die. [15], Adam Roberts said of the novel: "It is really quite hard to respond to this masterful book, except by engaging with its political content; and yet we need to make the effort to see past the ideological to the formal and thematic if we are fully to appreciate the splendour of Heinlein's achievement here. Please try again. Mannie saves the life of Stuart Rene LaJoie, a slumming high-society tourist, who is assigned to turn public opinion on Earth in favor of Lunar independence. Somewhere along evolutionary chain from macromolecule to human brain self-awareness crept in. Due to the low surface gravity of the Moon, people who stay longer than six months undergo "irreversible physiological changes" and can never again live comfortably under normal gravity, making escape back to Earth impractical. I’ve read it many times and just finished the Kindle version. As a result, little theft occurs, and disputes are settled privately or by informal Judges of good reputation. In this respect, the revolution is more reminiscent of the Bolshevik October revolution than of the American, and this similarity is reinforced by the Russian flavor of the dialect, and the Russian place names such as "Novy Leningrad". The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, was serialized in the magazine Worlds of If in 1965 and published as a complete work in 1966. The remainder of the book recounts events occurring in the months after the revolution in May 2076, and a week or so of events in October 2076 leading up to capitulation by Earth. I now fully understand its award status. It has become a much … Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2018. Individuals. May not have been best micromachinist in Luna and certainly wasn’t cybernetics psychologist.But I knew more about all these than a specialist knows--I’m general specialist. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein and published in 1966. : An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants (Rutgers University Press Classics), The Green Hills of Earth & The Menace from Earth (Future History) (The Future History series), “We proceed down a path marked by his ideas.” ―. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. Meanwhile, the Professor sets up an "Ad-Hoc Congress" to distract dissenters. And then the darkness fell. The book shows that by 2188 the names of the signatories of the Lunar Declaration of Independence are studied, but Room L of the Raffles Hotel, wherein the revolution was plotted, is used as an ordinary hotel room, albeit with a plaque on the wall. It's hard to love her well. The song is especially associated with Glen Campbell, who performed the song on his farewell tour, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, and Joe Cocker, who first recorded the song in 1974. It is the year 2076, and the Moon is a penal colony for the rebellious and the unwanted of Earth. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations credits this novel with the first printed appearance of the phrase "There's no free lunch". [2] Originally serialized monthly in Worlds of If (December 1965–April 1966), the book was nominated for the Nebula Award in 1966[3] and received the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1967.[4]. Although it pre-empts their plans, the Loonies and Mike overcome the soldiers and seize power from the Warden. All this I missed as a youngster. are very interesting but then a lot that happens is just too convenient. I don't have the "shock horror" reaction that some reviewers have had about the choice of disguise for the lead female: it seems perfectly reasonable if you can pull it off and there is certainly nothing derogatory implied with it (no more than the choice used by the 'Prof' if dressing as a homeless man. I see also is to be mass meeting tonight to organize “Sons of Revolution” talk-talk.My old man taught me two things: “Mind own business” and “Always cut cards.” Politics never tempted me. A very unique style of writing that is reminiscent of Lee Child. L”--a HOLMES FOUR. The moon can be so cold. “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress” (sometimes titled as “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress”) is a song by American songwriter Jimmy Webb. And don't need libertarian insight from him. Back in bad old days many a con served his time, then went on working for Authority in same job, happy to draw wages. Unable to add item to List. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (1966) is a Science Fiction novel written by Robert A. Heinlein. Professor de la Paz names Carl von Clausewitz, Niccolò Machiavelli, Oskar Morgenstern, and Che Guevara as part of a long list of authors for revolutionaries to read. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein about a lunar colony's revolt against absentee rule from Earth. "[16], Andrew Kaufman praised it, saying that it was Heinlein's crowning achievement. 107,826 Ratings It is a tale of revolution, of the rebellion of a former penal colony on the Moon against its masters on the Earth. 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