I "read" an audiobook edition - if you could pick anyone in literature to give a swirly to, Heinlein's Bill would be the guy.



This protagonist and his narrative voice would be any voice actor's challenge because he is such a self-absorbed yet unself-aware, unlikeable guy that he grates on your every nerve.

plus the slang and curses and turns of phrase Heinlein creates to give the world its 50's on the moon flavor are enough to make you want to throttle the poor main character kid every time he opens his mouth or even thinks a thought .


all that aside, this story is still great speculative fiction, much of it put forward for young readers in such a way as to challenge myths of western expansion and manifest destiny while at the same time telling a story with some coming of age, tension & adventure. It's also an ode to engineers in a way which i always enjoy .

Perfect ? no . Perfectly entertaining & worth the read, yes !