Robert A. Heinlein

In 2075, the Moon is no longer a penal colony. But it is still a prison…

Life isn’t easy for the political dissidents and convicts who live in the scattered colonies that make up lunar civilisation. Everything is regulated strictly, efficiently and cheaply by a central supercomputer, HOLMES IV.

When humble technician Mannie O’Kelly-Davis discovers that HOLMES IV has quietly achieved consciousness (and developed a sense of humour), the choice is clear: either report the problem to the authorities… or become friends.

And perhaps overthrow the government while they’re at it.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress has been called Robert A. Heinlein’s crowning achievement. His best-known novels include Starship Troopers Mistress and Stranger in a Strange Land.

Twenty-five years ago, the first manned mission to Mars was lost, and all hands presumed dead. But someone survived… Born on the doomed spaceship and raised by the Martians who saved his life, Valentine Michael Smith has never seen a human being until the day a second expedition to Mars discovers him. Upon his return to Earth, a young nurse named Jill Boardman sneaks into Smith’s hospital room and shares a glass of water with him, a simple act for her but a sacred ritual on Mars.Now, connected by an incredible bond, Smith, Jill and a writer named Jubal must fight to protect a right we all take for granted: the right to love.