The Moon Isa Harsh Mistress

Created the phrase "TANSTAAFL" (ThereAintNoSuchThingAsaFreeLunch).

Postulates a completely capitalist sealed society living on the moon. Even the air gets charged for.

You forgot to mention that it is also essentially anarchistic in nature (due to forced lawlessness by a detached regime).

The use of LoglanLanguage as a language for unambiguous NaturalLanguageProcessing in HumanComputerInteraction (SpokenProgramming) is posited. A ConsciousMachine? is one of the protagonists.

I must have read it the first time when 12 or so, but didn't remember its title and only stumbled upon it 20 years later here on c2. I was astonished how much I remembered. I once considered using mycroftxxx as a password, but considering the renownedness of the book (which I didn't expect) not using it seems to have been wise. -- GunnarZarncke

One of his 4 HugoAward winners; Heinlein considered it his best book, and most agree; a classic; one of the best 100 ScienceFiction novels of all time in every such poll; I've read it at least a dozen times over the decades. Don't bother borrowing it before buying. Run, do not walk, to your nearest bookstore/amazon web page. -- DougMerritt

I can recommend it. -- .gz

The late "Gharlane of Eddore" / David Potter responded to a critic of this book: Of course, the fact that it's the single best historical novel, and analysis of the economics of revolution, ever penned, might have something to do with it.

Young Gharlane plainly never read Fraser's FlashMan books ...

CategoryBook CategoryScienceFiction