Science Fiction & Fantasy Award Winning Book Group discussion

This month's pick is The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. It won the 1967 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Other finalists that year include Babel-17, Too Many Magicians, Flowers for Algernon,The Witches of Karres and Day of the Minotaur.

I've read a few Heinlein works over the years. While I know he is a polarizing figure at least I've never been bored by one of his stories.

Beware of spoilers.

Jon wrote: "I've never been bored by one of his stories."

Very true! I've gone back and forth with Heinlein over the years as my political opinions have changed - but he's certainly never dull!

OK, I'm starting this one now, and Heinlein is straight into the action!

It's been many years since I read this. Curious to see what I think of it now.

With Heinlein, even if I'm disagreeing with everything that happens, I find I always enjoy reading it because the characters are always so admirable to me: the people are always optimistic, pragmatic, and honorable.

So I enjoyed this one! How did it stand up to your memory, Deb?

I loved it this time around. I had a hard time with the Russian dialect the last time, so I wasn’t really having fun with it. This time I really liked the characters.

I really enjoy it as well.

For me the biggest problem is how much of their success depends on having Mike - he's basically controls all of Luna, so really the Warden never had a chance.

But then sometimes I don't think I would want that to change. Heinlein's stories are all so optimistic, his heroes really get things done - if the story was more gritty and realistic it would take a little away from that.

Were you surprised when (view spoiler)[Mike didn't turn into a bad power hungry mad computer (hide spoiler)]? I was.

Haha, it is a cliche for (view spoiler)[the computer to be crazy and out-of-control. Just another instance where Mike is too good to be true, for me, not only in control of everything but naturally on the side of good guys. I was pretty touched when he died at the end though. He was a sweetie and Mannie's stoic grief was moving. (hide spoiler)]

So I really enjoyed this but it is not going to end up as one of my favorites of his. While I disagree with much (not all) of his politics, he always manages to say one or two things that make me stop and think and that I will think about long after I finish his book. This time I couldn't get past his proposition that violent criminals would self regulate just based on the fact that they could kill each other at will. That idea just poisoned the well for me and I didn't look seriously at any of the ideas in the rest of the book. Maybe I'll read it again in a few years. It was a very fun read though.

Nick wrote: the characters are always so admirable to me . . .
This is why as a teenager I really enjoyed Space Cadet and reread it several times. I will say that with people's love of grimdark today Heinlein's characters can seem almost pollyannish.

Deb when I read your comment (view spoiler)[ I immediately thought of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's interesting to me that they were both written within a couple of years of each other although Mike came first. Were you thinking of a particular story or just that cliche in general? (hide spoiler)]

I haven't read enough of or about Heinlein to know his political beliefs, so the prison being self-regulating doesn't read to me in any way other than as a plot device.

My comment about (view spoiler)[Mike not turning into a mad world dominating robot - yes, partially HAL was in mind. I did go right from the theater to find "the book" to explain the Starchild, but HAL did not need the explanation. Also many others over the years. (And watching The Orville recently. LOL (hide spoiler)].

Jon wrote: "This time I couldn't get past his proposition that violent criminals would self regulate just based on the fact that they could kill each other at will."
Every time I read this book I want to read more of the history of the wild west. I heard somewhere that Heinlein was inspired by American history, where people really did set up towns beyond the reach of the law, where there were very few women, and did manage to self-regulate pretty well.
But I suspect there must've been something different there. I also was pretty skeptical at the idea of a society of criminals being so orderly and polite.

I think the moon colony self-regulating falls somewhere between the wild west and Escape From New York.