Science Fiction at its best, by the Grand Master himself.

Superficially, this is the story of a band of rebels, living on the moon, who decide to declare independence from Earth. With echos of the American Revolution—and a smattering of other rebellions—it’s a joy to get to know these characters and see how they pull it off.

But The Moon is a Harsh Mistress goes so far beyond that. Heinlein introduced so many concepts that have influenced society, including individual liberty, private courts, and plural marriage, in various forms—a clear inspiration for today’s polyamory.

Perhaps most important for me, and many others, was the introduction of Mike, the first major AI character in fiction who is as fully fleshed out as any character can be—a self-aware entity with humor, curiosity, and friendship toward humans. He has been the inspiration for generations of AI researchers, boosting their imagination and giving their efforts direction.