In Print: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

I FINALLY got around to reading another book by Robert Heinlein: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.

Originally a shorter version of the book was released in a sci-fi magazine during the 60s. Later, Heinlein released it as a novel and expanded on the story.

The concept: In the future the moon is used as a penal colony for the entire Earth. However, after doing their time, inmates can not return to Earth because of physiological changes that occur in the body. The "free" residents of Luna (the moon) do not enjoy the rights of other Terrans (Earthlings). So the Lunatics decide to start a revolution to become it's own sovereign nation.

Of course, that overview is rather simplistic. There's really a lot going on. There are all sorts of family dynamics being discussed. There's the whole thing about the government trying to keep the people down. One of the main characters is a computer that becomes self -aware and joins the revolution. And there are all sorts of details that really are indicative of the time the book was written. Since this was from the mid 60s, there's still that romantic notion of humans inhabiting the moon. Of course, there are the references to a devastating world war that occurred roundabout the turn of the 21st century. What sci-fi tale from that era was without it? The language spoken on the moon is mostly English with some other bits peppered in there, mostly Russian. It had that distinct Nadsat flavor from A Clockwork Orange, in my opinion.

Anthropologically, the book is a very interesting read. It is very much a product of the times from which it came. It's interesting that women are still viewed through the glasses of the older generation, that they undulate and are to be whistled at as they go along a hallway, etc. Plus there are some very NOT politically correct terms used as well. I guess no one saw that coming back in the 60s!

In all, it was very interesting to read about the revolution, but I really felt that the book suffered from being extended from it's magazine version. Too many parts struck me as overly verbose and unnecessary. I really felt that the book could've driven the point home better with fewer words. Despite that, it was still a fun book to read, and certainly worth the while of any science fiction fan.