"It's absurd how orcs and elves (and Moonkin) can affect so many different faraway places."

A truly obsessed WoWHead would know that the proper term is "Boomkin."

I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a terrible recommendation in light of the similarly themed Red Mars. Not only does Kim Stanley Robinson put much more thought into the technology and practical implementation of colonization, he carefully lays out a brilliant analysis of social and political revolutions. Heinlein, despite the many contributions he made to developing the genre, had a simplistic and unrealistic way of delving into these complicated subjects. Maybe The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is more thrilling, but I believe Red Mars would provoke much more interesting classroom discussions of colonization/terraforming, culture, and social movements.