The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A Heinlein) - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

ray gower · 3rd September 2002, 12:47 AM

This is a typical Heinlein story.

Take a good range of well thought out characters, giving them all tweaks and foibles, a bored computer and an inspired political ideal. Shake gently with mild action and serve without frills

Tabitha · 3rd September 2002, 09:11 AM

This is on my 'to read' list. Am I right in thinking that it is generally regarded as one of Heinlein's best?

ray gower · 3rd September 2002, 01:09 PM

Don't think it would be described as his best.
Certainly the prose style is a little lumpy in places. Story wise it is very sound, the plot inventive and nothing is left out.

gr8scott · 19th March 2003, 09:45 PM

Currently reading it. Great book.

RG, is that what the style is called... "prose". I just thought he was writing it like he was an imigrant or something - broken english - strange congegations.

He's very talented at making up vocabulary like it would be in real life. He's also great at describing problems and solutions. Very good author.

ray gower · 2nd April 2003, 09:21 PM

Def- Prose: Ordinary nonmetrical language, i.e. the descriptive stuff between the speech.

Heinlein rarely describes things in floral or poetic terms, or at all if he can avoid it. A brick is a brick, he leaves it to the reader to decide if it is red or hard. In this book there is quite a mixture of descriptions and they often fall over each other.

I do agree about the way he contrives very realistic sounding dialogue, mashing Russian, English and Chinese phrasing into something quite coherent.

gr8scott · 10th April 2003, 06:31 PM

Just finished it. Very good.

Question: Does Heimlein have any other books that deal with "Mike" the sentient computer?

ray gower · 17th April 2003, 08:14 PM

Sorry you had to wait so long for the answer gr8. It has been difficult to get on for anylength of time for the last few weeks

The simple answer is: No.
Or at least not in my recollection, but it is a long time since I read all of his books

gr8scott · 18th April 2003, 04:20 PM

I miss Mike. I was just talking to a friend here at work and she said that one other Heimlein book she read alluded to Mike: "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls" (I think that's the title). I wish Heimlein had focused on Mike more. He's great. Oh well. Other authors have written good stories about sentient computers. It's just that Heimlein does such a good job at character development compared to other authors.

Tabitha · 5th January 2004, 01:26 PM

Yeah, Mike shows up - sort of - in The Cat Who Walks Through Walls - some other characters from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress also make an appearance.

Mike also has a cameo in To Sail Beyond the Sunset, but I wouldn't read it just for him, as not much of his personality comes through.

After finally reading MIAHM - about a year after I planned to - I have to say that I found it to be a right little page-turner. I was engrossed from beginning to end. I read this back in November, but I plan to revisit it when I can pick up a new copy (the one I read was borrowed), and will be back with more thoughts then.

In the meantime, on the subject of his writing style in this, and the dialogue in particular, I found Manny to be really interesting - as his speech patterns reflected not only a multi-cultural Luna, but also his profession. Working with computers that are programmed by voice led him to adopt an odd syntax in his everyday speech. It is little touches like this that make Heinlein really work for me. Can't wait to read it again.

3rd September 2002, 12:47 AM	#1 (permalink)
ray gower Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Gwynedd Posts: 3,579	The Moon is a Harsh Mistress This is a typical Heinlein story. Take a good range of well thought out characters, giving them all tweaks and foibles, a bored computer and an inspired political ideal. Shake gently with mild action and serve without frills

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3rd September 2002, 09:11 AM	#2 (permalink)
Tabitha Save Angel! Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 3,638	This is on my 'to read' list. Am I right in thinking that it is generally regarded as one of Heinlein's best?

3rd September 2002, 01:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
ray gower Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Gwynedd Posts: 3,579	Don't think it would be described as his best. Certainly the prose style is a little lumpy in places. Story wise it is very sound, the plot inventive and nothing is left out.

19th March 2003, 09:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
gr8scott Tal Shiar Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: San Diego Posts: 264	Currently reading it. Great book. RG, is that what the style is called... "prose". I just thought he was writing it like he was an imigrant or something - broken english - strange congegations. He's very talented at making up vocabulary like it would be in real life. He's also great at describing problems and solutions. Very good author.

2nd April 2003, 09:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
ray gower Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Gwynedd Posts: 3,579	Def- Prose: Ordinary nonmetrical language, i.e. the descriptive stuff between the speech. Heinlein rarely describes things in floral or poetic terms, or at all if he can avoid it. A brick is a brick, he leaves it to the reader to decide if it is red or hard. In this book there is quite a mixture of descriptions and they often fall over each other. I do agree about the way he contrives very realistic sounding dialogue, mashing Russian, English and Chinese phrasing into something quite coherent.

10th April 2003, 06:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
gr8scott Tal Shiar Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: San Diego Posts: 264	Just finished it. Very good. Question: Does Heimlein have any other books that deal with "Mike" the sentient computer?

17th April 2003, 08:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
ray gower Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Gwynedd Posts: 3,579	Sorry you had to wait so long for the answer gr8. It has been difficult to get on for anylength of time for the last few weeks The simple answer is: No. Or at least not in my recollection, but it is a long time since I read all of his books

18th April 2003, 04:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
gr8scott Tal Shiar Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: San Diego Posts: 264	I miss Mike. I was just talking to a friend here at work and she said that one other Heimlein book she read alluded to Mike: "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls" (I think that's the title). I wish Heimlein had focused on Mike more. He's great. Oh well. Other authors have written good stories about sentient computers. It's just that Heimlein does such a good job at character development compared to other authors.

5th January 2004, 01:26 PM	#9 (permalink)
Tabitha Save Angel! Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 3,638	Yeah, Mike shows up - sort of - in The Cat Who Walks Through Walls - some other characters from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress also make an appearance. Mike also has a cameo in To Sail Beyond the Sunset, but I wouldn't read it just for him, as not much of his personality comes through. After finally reading MIAHM - about a year after I planned to - I have to say that I found it to be a right little page-turner. I was engrossed from beginning to end. I read this back in November, but I plan to revisit it when I can pick up a new copy (the one I read was borrowed), and will be back with more thoughts then. In the meantime, on the subject of his writing style in this, and the dialogue in particular, I found Manny to be really interesting - as his speech patterns reflected not only a multi-cultural Luna, but also his profession. Working with computers that are programmed by voice led him to adopt an odd syntax in his everyday speech. It is little touches like this that make Heinlein really work for me. Can't wait to read it again.