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asimgasimzade's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
perilous1's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars
Alternate Title Suggestion: A Series of Unscrupulous Bureaucratic Events
I picked this up after a very pleasant binge of 3 of Heinlein’s short stories—all of which involved some redemptive aspect and/or theme of overcoming a disability set within his Future Histories series. This was an altogether different experience.
Very aptly named, The Man Who Sold The Moon is a 14 chapter book about a rich man named Delos D. Harriman who becomes obsessed with the idea of going to the moon. (Gaining possession of the moon seems to go hand in hand with this fixation.) Along with his business partner, he sets about gathering investors, finagling legalities, negotiating red tape, pushing the boundaries of engineering, and manipulating the media to his advantage. He essentially abandons all else in his shameless, single-minded quest.
I generally liked the writing style, and there are a number of pithy quotes... but I couldn’t connect with this nearly as well as I did with some of Heinlein’s other works. Harriman, while incredibly clever and business-savvy, has a large-scale used car salesman quality to him that voids relatability and empathy. It’s difficult to find bureaucracy interesting, particularly when I don't have much reason to care about any of the characters and whether or not they succeed. Aside from this, the pacing is slow and the tension is low nearly throughout the book. And consistent with some of the author’s other works, physical descriptions are sparse--sometimes non-existent.
Not Heinlein’s best work, in my limited opinion.
Favorite Quotes:
-"Intangibles are the most honest merchandise anyone can sell. They are always worth whatever you are willing to pay for them and they never wear out. You can take them to your grave untarnished."
-"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong. It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak."
-“There is nothing in this world so permanent as a temporary emergency."
Alternate Title Suggestion: A Series of Unscrupulous Bureaucratic Events
I picked this up after a very pleasant binge of 3 of Heinlein’s short stories—all of which involved some redemptive aspect and/or theme of overcoming a disability set within his Future Histories series. This was an altogether different experience.
Very aptly named, The Man Who Sold The Moon is a 14 chapter book about a rich man named Delos D. Harriman who becomes obsessed with the idea of going to the moon. (Gaining possession of the moon seems to go hand in hand with this fixation.) Along with his business partner, he sets about gathering investors, finagling legalities, negotiating red tape, pushing the boundaries of engineering, and manipulating the media to his advantage. He essentially abandons all else in his shameless, single-minded quest.
I generally liked the writing style, and there are a number of pithy quotes... but I couldn’t connect with this nearly as well as I did with some of Heinlein’s other works. Harriman, while incredibly clever and business-savvy, has a large-scale used car salesman quality to him that voids relatability and empathy. It’s difficult to find bureaucracy interesting, particularly when I don't have much reason to care about any of the characters and whether or not they succeed. Aside from this, the pacing is slow and the tension is low nearly throughout the book. And consistent with some of the author’s other works, physical descriptions are sparse--sometimes non-existent.
Not Heinlein’s best work, in my limited opinion.
Favorite Quotes:
-"Intangibles are the most honest merchandise anyone can sell. They are always worth whatever you are willing to pay for them and they never wear out. You can take them to your grave untarnished."
-"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong. It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak."
-“There is nothing in this world so permanent as a temporary emergency."
hawkeyegough's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Heinlein's short story The Roads Must Roll was excellent. I'm still somewhat new to Heinlein - I've read Starship Troopers and Let There Be Light - and he continues to impress. He truly seems to be one of those rare folks who gets intuitively both people and complex science. The realistic behavior of his characters (if a little hilarious due to outdated dialogue from the '30s) really meshed well with his ability to imagine, envision, and describe some truly innovative ideas and machines.
This story is narrated from the 3rd person perspective of Director Larry Gaines, who's in charge of an expansive section of "roadtowns" in the American Southwest. He's an engineer who manages a large portion of the mechanical horizon, as well as a large number of employees who maintain the rolling roads which have effectively replaced cars. He encounters a worker uprising led by a charismatic but unhinged man that threatens to endanger the whole country. I was truly impressed by Heinlein's inventive plot events that led to a very satisfying and surprising resolution. Heinlein liberally sprinkles in humor and some great supporting characters, and what felt like exactly the right number of twists to make for a delightful yarn. I recommend this story to all who enjoy sci-fi or the exploration of a Big Idea."
This story is narrated from the 3rd person perspective of Director Larry Gaines, who's in charge of an expansive section of "roadtowns" in the American Southwest. He's an engineer who manages a large portion of the mechanical horizon, as well as a large number of employees who maintain the rolling roads which have effectively replaced cars. He encounters a worker uprising led by a charismatic but unhinged man that threatens to endanger the whole country. I was truly impressed by Heinlein's inventive plot events that led to a very satisfying and surprising resolution. Heinlein liberally sprinkles in humor and some great supporting characters, and what felt like exactly the right number of twists to make for a delightful yarn. I recommend this story to all who enjoy sci-fi or the exploration of a Big Idea."
sisyphista's review against another edition
4.0
An unexpected collection of stories that build out a compelling whole. Heinlein shows off his prescience here with solar power, lunar travel, high-speed transit and thorny energy concerns. A really good read.
leorejoanne's review against another edition
3.0
My favourite story was the one about the roads.
I enjoyed this story collection, but I found it in need of a bit of touching up, the grammar is tangled at points and the story hard to entangle. I suspect that this is because these are earlier writings of his. The writing was much better in one of his novels which I read 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'.
I enjoyed this story collection, but I found it in need of a bit of touching up, the grammar is tangled at points and the story hard to entangle. I suspect that this is because these are earlier writings of his. The writing was much better in one of his novels which I read 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'.
spacecomics's review against another edition
5.0
Great anthology with stories you can get into, and that inspire interest in the developing space program - written before it all began.
I first read this about 35 years ago, and didn't remember a lot of details, particularly how much the separate stories are related by common characters (D. D. Harriman and others) and gadgets like solar energy invented in one of the first stories ("Let There Be Light") and the road cities described in "The Roads Must Roll." These are also mentioned in "Blowups Happen" and "The Man Who Sold The Moon," which are closely related by plot as well, and "Requiem" is almost a direct sequel. Reading the whole thing straight through is a great idea with this one, much more so than most anthologies.
It's Good! Very Good!
I first read this about 35 years ago, and didn't remember a lot of details, particularly how much the separate stories are related by common characters (D. D. Harriman and others) and gadgets like solar energy invented in one of the first stories ("Let There Be Light") and the road cities described in "The Roads Must Roll." These are also mentioned in "Blowups Happen" and "The Man Who Sold The Moon," which are closely related by plot as well, and "Requiem" is almost a direct sequel. Reading the whole thing straight through is a great idea with this one, much more so than most anthologies.
It's Good! Very Good!
bookwormerica's review against another edition
4.0
I like how all the stories lead into the other and the end ...when they tried to refuse him the moon :(
feastofblaze's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5