This book club discussion is in Burlington, but I'm driving there, so there are carpooling possibilities. It's next Thursday, August 24, starting at 6:30 pm in the cafe at City Market South End (on Flynn Street).

We'll be talking about Robert Heinlein's 1966 novel, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." Heinlein is sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers," and "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" is one of his most praised books. It's set on the moon in 2076, the US tricentennial, and the Luna colony wants to declare its independence from Earth.

The reason it's been on my mind lately is that a main character is Mike, a lunar computer that achieves sentience (unbeknownst to everyone but a single astute computer techie, initially) and helps the rebels. It's able to confound their enemies' politics and frustrate their knavish tricks, with the ability to mimic someone else's voice and image on telephone and video calls, and to devise a cunning plan to attack Earth and overwhelm its defenses with the very tools of colonial expropriation Earth created. Since we're living in a time that future historians will surely describe as an inflection point for AI, I think it will be fascinating to discuss the disturbing implications of this fictional near-omnipotent AI and how closely its abilities track recent developments.

Plus, it's an amazing novel on many levels. For example, the Lunar dialect of English used throughout is so convincingly rendered that I've read of people who find it hard to resist adopting while reading the book and for a time thereafter.

If you have trouble getting a copy of the book in time for the discussion, you can read it online for free here:
https://archive.org/details/moonisharshmistr0000hein

Let me know if you are interested in carpooling, or just show up! More info at
https://www.meetup.com/forever-38/events/293161383/

Event Info

Sep 26, 2024, 11 AM to 12:30 PM

Sep 28, 2024, 9 AM to 1 PM

Sep 28, 2024, 12 to 4 PM