Rating
8
INFO
Plot
Robert A. Heinlein was the most influential science fiction writer of his era, an influence so large that, as Samuel R. Delany notes, “modern critics attempting to wrestle with that influence find themselves dealing with an object rather like the sky or an ocean.” He won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, a record that still stands. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress was the last of these Hugo-winning novels, and it is widely considered his finest work.
It is a tale of revolution, of the rebellion of the former Lunar penal colony against the Lunar Authority that controls it from Earth. It is the tale of the disparate people - a computer technician, a vigorous young female agitator, and an elderly academic - who become the rebel movement’s leaders. And it is the story of Mike, the supercomputer whose…
Review
Robert Heinlein is like computer Mike, a main character, incarnated as a novelist who knows everything: economy, astronomy, warfare, politics and women*!
Any writing reflects the writer’s personalities. This book as a political science-fiction, is full of Heinlein’s ideas, beliefs and deep personalities. He did not hold back anything! And through the 20 hours / 400 pages journey, I find Heinlein’s ideals convincing and is still relevant 50 years after.
- Freedom does not come freely, you need to fight for it.
- Freedom is usually of an individual’s best interest.
- Propaganda is a powerful tool.
- Different government structures have their own strengths and weakness.
- In wartime, people changes and winning becomes the most important virtue, everything else is secondary or even can be ignored.
The novel itself is fun to read. But it also has some problems. The characters are robotic, only the true machine character Mike is somewhat lovable. The plot is predictable. The protagonist is too lucky. Some comments on women are now unnecessary.
The difficult path to lunar’s freedom revealed that, revolution is not easy. Even with the help of a super computer, the odds are low. The low odds explain why people tend to remain oppressed unless the consequences of revolution are comparable to not take any action at all.
Notes
- 小说一开始的场景很像我们现在和 LLM 之间的交流。
- The English used in this book is NOT helpful to me! Too many grammar errors!
- 听说这是 Heinlein 最好的作品，只是因为这一部书里的思想在这个时代最 不具争议。
- 打电话传递信息的设定倒是不算过时，因为 The Matrix 成功地把打电话变成了很酷的事情。
- 很多俚语都不是乱用的，比如互相称呼用的 Cobber, Chum… 我怀疑 Chum 还和 Cyberpunk 2077 里用的 Choom 有关系。
- Chapter 23 is a manifesto of authors political ideal. And it ended in a laughter!
- The third part TANSTAAFL means There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, is a slogan for free-market economy or libertarian.
- 最后我觉得书名就翻译成 “月亮是个严厉的女人” 就可以了