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  • The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

  • Written by: Robert A. Heinlein
  • Narrated by: Lloyd James
  • Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (105 ratings)

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The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Written by: Robert A. Heinlein
Narrated by: Lloyd James
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Publisher's Summary

In what is considered one of Heinlein's most hair-raising, thought-provoking, and outrageous adventures, the master of modern science fiction tells the strange story of an even stranger world. It is 21st-century Luna, a harsh penal colony where a revolt is plotted between a bashful computer and a ragtag collection of maverick humans, a revolt that goes beautifully until the inevitable happens. But that's the problem with the inevitable: it always happens.

Winner of the 1967 Hugo award, this novel marked Heinlein's partial return to his best form. He draws many historical parallels with the War of Independence, and clearly shows his own libertarian political views.

©1965 Robert A. Heinlein (P)1999 Blackstone Audio Inc.

What the critics say

  • Hugo Award, 1967

"Adrenalizing, mind-stretching, conviction-testing...unmatched by any contemporary!" (Theodore Sturgeon)

What listeners say about The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Enthralling science fiction with a compelling story about the pursuit of liberty, dangers of statism, and the question of personhood.

Bonus - triggers tyrants and socialists.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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heinlein'w best book and a classic of sci fi

science fiction, as separate from fantasy, should be a speculative story which explores some idea or technology. although many of Heinlein's books were bland vapid affairs more in the fantasy-in-space direction, this book explores a number of both.

you may like this book if you are interested in ideas around anarchy/libertarianism, anticolonialism, revolution including some ugly associated topics such as propaganda, and/or technological exploration around self sustaining communities, life on the moon, artificial intelligence, and linear accelerators for transport in space.

the story is about a moon colony used as a prison colony by all the various earth regimes because, after a time in the low gravity, the people sent there cannot physiologically return to the gravity of earth without extreme disability and risk of death. of course their innocent descendents can't either but that's ok they can just stay there growing grain to feed the masses back on earth. there is no real law on the moon but a society forms based mostly on individual accountability and risk of being thrown out a airlock to die if you offend your neighbors. eventually the moon people realize that as they keep sending grain to the earth but receive no water or nutrients back, they will eventually run out of the moons short supply and they will all die. so they find a way to rebell against the massively greater power of the earth.

there are many flaws with the "libertarian paradise" described in this book but to be fair, Heinlein does go out of his way to show some of the questionable ethical problems and behavior (for instance, the propaganda and constant threat of violence) of various characters. the society is not actually portrayed as an ideal but rather as a flawed attempt that has failed due to the moral or intellectual imperfections of humanity.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic and definitely worth it!

Jumps right into the setting, so it can be difficult to follow right away, but gets you hooked! Very enjoyable and recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

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Narrator’s Performance is Excellent!

I’m familiar with this story (& many other Heinlein’s) through the years from teenager to old age pensioner.
It had been a long time between, & my thinking the story promotes about a number of different issues has changed with time, I still enjoy contemplating the different ways the moon colony people approach things.
Since purchasing the Audible audio book narrated by Lloyd James, I’ve re-listened to it many times. I love the way James portrays the main character Manny, couldn’t be more ideal. I listen often because I find “his voice & the way he is” calming when I feel the whole world has gone crazy.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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messed up English

if you dond wanna think about what sentences mean font get this book. sux because reading it it was great.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

Read book from library many years ago, instantly loved it. Purchased paperback copy soon after and love it every time I read it. Purchased from audible and love it some more. Great, believable story, and having it read with a slight Russian accent makes it even better.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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AI in its best

How do I write the review without revealing too much of a story? Well… Reading a book from 1966 year about the machine being able to demonstrate human qualities such as sense of humor, ability to empathize and take just the right side and me living in 2019 where AI is getting quite real feeling about it is surreal. Fifty years ago, RH was able to come up and deliver the story about the most eccentric way the machine and the human can co-operate delivering the revolution…

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Strap on your #6 arm! It’s time to Free Luna!

This is my favourite Heinlein novel by far.
An excellent tale of revolution taking place on the moon in 2076.
The story, while being sci-fi, is detailed and believable.
The characters are wonderful, relatable, loveable and feel like real people.
This book is about as far from the pro-military propaganda that is starship troopers (do not misunderstand, I really love that book but I call it like it is).
As for performance, the main character has a Russian accent, but is very understandable. And felt natural after a chapter.
A++ will listen again.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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this was god awful...

total libertarian trash. I attempted to get past that for maybe a nugget of entertainment but it's so painful.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

An Orwellian projection

I've read alot of Heinlein's more popular SciFi back in the 80's and never this one. It's more of a "how to" book with a story tied to the instructions. I found the story somewhat bland but the "how to" was very intriguing and enough to keep me going. This read more like 1984 in its foreshadowing of future in our current path.
These Golden Age SciFi masters were freaking genius. You'd swear that the tech companies of today were following their "predictions". Hubbard, Heinlein, Niven, Asimov, EE Doc Smith and even Orwell. Love the Golden Age and find myself going back to these books and writers to escape the woke nonsense being demanded in our era.
I expect book burning and bans any day (wink)

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