Es ven com una novel·la de ciència-ficció, però no ho és. És economia-ficció, o política-ficció, o societat-ficció... En tot cas, els amants de la ciència-ficció en quedaran decebuts. I la traducció d'Helena Valentí no és horrible, però no mereix un qualificatiu gaire millor. ( )

The stories in this book are a bit dated (published from 1939-50), so while the ideas in them might have seemed far-fetched back when they were written, they seem quaint and strangely-described today.

The roles of men and women, and the way they treated each other, are also old-fashioned, but I guess that's how things were back then.

Heinlein was an engaging writer, and the ending to the titular story is pretty sweet. ( )

Ever want to know how to fund an expedition to the moon? Read this! ( )

As I read this book I was reminded of why I appreciate Heinlein at his best: his ability to tell a believable and interesting tale without all the drawn out technical elucidations that often flood and drag under SciFi stories. Descriptions of how a rocket is built or why a power source works aren't always necessary to advance a plot.

I consider this one of this author's better short story collections. ( )

This novella tells the story of Delos Harriman’s creation of a corporation to build a rocket and land a man on the moon. He wants to be the first man to land on the moon and an important element of his scheme is to gain ownership of the moon.

Financing the project is the primary focus of the story. Harriman engages in numerous plots to raise money. Many of these are quasi-legal and all are deceptive. The exaggerated emphasis on deception and avarice stand as a quasi-humorous condemnation the business practices of major corporations and politicians.

The book is male-centric and sexist by contemporary standards, as evidenced in the following passages.
“Charlotte liked the house and it gave her something to do.”
“If Charlotte liked to play house in a castle, Harriman did not mind.”
“Being ‘up to something’ was the unnameable and unforgivable crime for which any America male could be indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced in one breath.
“half of the race must always behave to suit feminine rules and feminine logic, like a snotty-nosed schoolboy in front of a stern teacher.

The plot moves forward via dialogue. The passive characters either sit or stand, and their comments merely serve as a basis that allows Harriman to expound on his most recent strategy. Once the thesis is established “The Man Who Sold The Moon” becomes tedious. The individual plots are mildly interesting at first, but one followed another ad infinitum and I found myself becoming bored. ( )