(1966/2008) Robert Heinlein, Gollancz, £7.99, pbk, pp382, ISBN 978-0-575-08241-0
This is 1966 story is one of Robert Heinlein's classic SF novels and now (2008) reprinted as part of Gollancz SF Masterwork series. On the Moon, in an open penal colony, a revolution is being plotted. With a steady supply of solar power the Moon's tunnel farms have begun generate a sustainable source of food for Earth down in its gravity well. However with each shipment valuable water is transported one way to Earth. Losing water, in just a few years the colonists (whose lunar adjusted bodies can never withstand Earth's gravity) will be doomed. An odd assortment of a jack-of-all-trades, his blonde girlfriend and a computer (that only the revolutionaries know is an artificial intelligence) plan the take-over of the century. But not only do they have to confront the authorities, they have to live with the lunar conditions, and the Moon is, as they find out, an uncompromisingly harsh mistress. This is classic authoritarian, meritocratic Heinlein; the politics is laid on with little subtlety. The novel is noted for turning 'TANSTAFL' (there aint no such thing as a free lunch) into a slogan, and for the concept that water ice might be found on the Moon sheltered beneath rock (lunar water ice was, in fact, only first remote-sensed in the late 1990s). The Moon is a Harsh Mistress won the Hugo for 'Best Novel' in 1967 as well as being voted into the Concatenation top 20 all-time favourite SF poll and as such a place in our guide Essential SF.
Special mention needs to be made of this particular edition. It is part of Gollancz's SF Masterworks series but, importantly, the hardback run (as was its recent Dune) and at £7.99 is very good value. This has a laminated colour cover with the illustration printed as part of the cover board and not as a loose fly-sheet. Its size is A-format paperback and so should fit on your normal paperback shelves. This hardback series is one of which every public librarian should be aware and every public library should have the complete run of now 72 titles if it to begin to capture the SF classics.
Jonathan Cowie
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