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Liked It “I enjoyed this a lot... but I think I was too young when I read it... at least too young to understand everything” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Wonderful book!”
Luc W wrote this review Saturday, November 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I enjoyed this a lot... but I think I was too young when I read it... at least too young to understand everything”
Greg M wrote this review Wednesday, July 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Mary B said: 4 stars
Play Book Tag Shelf wrote this review Thursday, June 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Not to be confused with the books of Lillian Jackson Braun, this is a comedy of manners tied into a sci-fi universe. Yeah, out there. And awesome. Within fifty pages there is an explanation of why it is socially acceptable to kill someone by drowning them in caterpillars but it would be cruel to leave them to the rats. Dr. Richard Ames is peacefully having dinner when a man comes to his table and effectively says that if he does not kill Tolliver, things will be very bad for everyone. The man is then shot, and Ames marries seemingly the only other witness to the crime, Gwen. They are then rudely evicted and leave with with little stuff they can toss into their suitcases, a bonsai tree affectionately called Tree-San, and a street person they sort of adopt (someone has to carry the luggage). Observant and hilarious.
Parts of this book were my favorite things I've ever read. Parts of it made me fall asleep (mostly the sci fi bits in the middle). Lots of it made me laugh out loud. I'm particularly fond of older science fiction because even 20 years later it's apparent just how wrong everyone is. They hadn't yet envisionee cellphones, didn't quite know about DNA, BUT apparently we've got to get to the moon soon because we've got a revolution scheduled in less than a hundred years. While the sci fi in the middle was confusing and weird, the end explanation was fantastic. Still weird and confusing, but I liked it. This book may not be for anyone who's a huge fan of continuity. Ok, any of Heinlein's books.
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“Considering this book justifies killing another human being for bad manners, I can't say anything bad about it. It's another example of the genius of Robert Heinlein.”
Rafael "Dave" Valdez wrote this review Monday, June 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Read my review for To Sail Beyond Sunset. I've said it all there.”
Patricia B wrote this review Wednesday, May 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another Future History novel. Re-reading his books is like visiting old friends. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress takes place 50 years earlier”
Michael L wrote this review Thursday, July 31 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Although I am a big fan of Heinlein's I have to admit that this one has let me down. I lost interest about half-way through and really couldn't get into the story. The characters weren't nearly as interesting as in some of his other books and a large part of the action didn't really progress the plot. Overall, I give this 3 stars because I love Heinlein but this is definitely not the place to start with his work. I suggest "Stranger in a Strange Land" or the "The Puppet Masters".”
MB wrote this review Thursday, July 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“having enjoyed "starship troopers" more than i anticipated, i chose this as my next heinlein book because it is an award winner. while not entirely turned off to the plot, the reading went slowly without ever catching my attention and i eventually couldn't resist the desire to move on to books i was more excited about.”
Matt H wrote this review Friday, August 15 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
