The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein is a futuristic tale about the past. Heinlein was well into his libertarian phase as a writer and this book was a look back at the American Revolution. It put the past into the future and talked about a similar revolution with moon colonies playing the part of the Americas. It’s an interesting view of a small group leading a revolution.

Manny Davis is a free man in a Lunar society which doubles as a jail for Earth prisoners. Manny also has a secret, he is the only person who knows about Mike. Mike is the name given to the Lunar Authority’s computer who has gained consciousness. And Mike is curious about a Revolutionary meeting that is gathering that night, so Manny agrees to go and record the meeting for him. This simple request leads Manny into the middle of a revolution based around the history of the American Revolution and the sentient computer Mike.

The story follows Manny and Mike as well as their cohorts Wyoming Knott and Professor Bernardo de la Paz as they turn a late night discussion of revolution into a true overthrowing of the Lunar government. The book covers an 18 month period from the initial discussion to the aftermath. We are introduced to Manny’s extended family and several characters that are brought back in future Heinlein novels.

Heinlein has created a handbook for revolutionaries and disguised it as a science fiction novel. He has also created a laissez-faire.society based off a prison society in a low gravity setting. There are technical problems, societal issues, revolutionary problems and personal issues covered in a quick 300 pages. Highly recommended.