Rating: 
Summary: It's been said
Review: As a veteran Marine, I believe this is the only utopian book ever written that I can stomach. That's right....UTOPIA. Forget the war, focus on the society. Everyone getting up in arms about this book is someone who is anti-military, anti-service, and anti-American. (And more than likely a coward) :)
Rating:
Summary: Universal truths about the military
Review: "Violence, naked force, has solved more issues in history than any other factor, and the contrary thinking is wishful thinking at its worse. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms."I am not a big fan of science fiction, but I heard this novel was excellent. This novel is still applicable today. The Cold War is not the End of History. Human nature being what it is, we will always have war and strife. Heinlein explains the role of the military in defense and support of civilization. The story follows the metamorphosis of a "civilian" into a "citizen", a boy who joins the military to impress a girl and becomes a man in the mobile infantry. Society is divided into civilians, citizens, and the military. Civilians volunteer for the military, which is the only route to becoming a citizen. The citizens, the only voting class, run the government. "Since sovereign franchise is the ultimate in human authority, we insure that all who wield it accept the ultimate in social responsibility-we require each person who wishes to exert control over the state to wager his own life-and lose it, if need be-to save the life of the state." Don't expect a plot-driven novel. There are few action scenes. This is more of a character-driven story with Heinlein outlining his views. Heinlein interweaves strong viewpoints on politics and the military into an excellent story without too much technical explanation. The story skips around a bit, making the plot hard to follow at times, but I highly recommend it for its interesting theories.
Rating:
Summary: 'Find the cost of freedom . . . '
Review: The screen version of this classic SF novel is less an adaptation than a counterargument. In a way that's appropriate; Heinlein was certainly trying (or at least expecting) to generate loads of controversy with this work. But if you're about to read _Starship Troopers_ for the first time, it's only fair to warn you that _whatever_ you think of the film, you'll be disappointed if you expect the book to resemble it very much. (Director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Ed Neumeier took incredible liberties with, and sometimes even directly contradicted, the book on which their film is 'based'. It's a fine film on its own terms and I think it's been unjustly maligned. But it's not this novel; it's the next round in an ongoing dispute with this novel. And whatever else the movie has going for it, its _military_ action is incompetent to the point of silliness.) I've been reading Heinlein for nearly forty years now. I don't think this is one of his best three or four novels, and it's never going to be one of my personal favorites either. Nevertheless, it _is_ a genuinely great work of SF and raises issues that genuinely deserve to be raised. Whether you buy Heinlein's own _answers_ is a different matter. The 'arguments' presented by the characters in the novel are mostly aimed at straw men. ('My mother says violence never settles anything', indeed.) This is perhaps forgivable since so much of Heinlein's positive case is so good. But I'm not persuaded that the society he imagines in this novel would be as functional as he seems to think. At any rate, its essential socio-political point -- that authority and responsibility are a coordinated yin-yang pair and an imbalance between them puts the world out of whack -- is extremely well taken. (It applies more broadly, too.) Its account of what it means to be a human being (as opposed to an economic animal) is darned good too. And this is where the real meat of the novel lies. You see, the _story_ here isn't about the war with the Bugs; it's about Juan Rico's coming of age. As a character (not Rico) remarks at one point: 'I had to perform an act of faith. I had to prove to myself that I was a man.' If you grok that, you'll grok the novel. (Yes, Heinlein tells this story in the context of military service, but its theme applies much more widely. And lest you think the novel is too autobiographical here, note that Heinlein -- a Navy man -- locates his story not in his own branch of the service but in the 'poor bloody infantry'.) The stuff about the Bug War is a different deal. This aspect of the novel was very much a product of the anticommunism/Cold War era; I don't think it's survived all that well and I'm not even persuaded it was all that terrific at the time. But it's background, not main plot -- and at any rate Heinlein is surely right that a cap trooper in the Mobile Infantry isn't going to be involved in setting the Federation's diplomatic policy; Rico's own story doesn't depend on whether the politicians are 'right' to send him into combat. One of Heinlein's greatest, then, but not the absolute cream. Anyway, don't get scared off either by the movie or by comments from readers who didn't grok it. Whatever you think of the Old Man, he was no fascist.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining story.....thought provoking commentary.
Review: This book, written in 1959 in Cold War America, follows young Juan Rico during his military service in the Mobile Infantry of the Terran Federation. RAH uses the evolution of Rico from spoiled rich kid to responsible soldier as a backdrop for musings on society and government. In this society of the future,the right to vote is granted only to those who have served a three year (or more) hitch in the service of the government. RAH uses the lectures of Mr. Dubois and the Officer Candidate School instructor to emphasize the old issue of rights vs. responsibility. Although I don't consider the book fascist, as some readers do, I can see why it was considered radical. Calling for a restricting of suffrage goes against our democratic sensibilities, but it's an intriguing idea nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and wildly entertaining
Review: Being a big fan of all things sci-fi, I had long wished to read what is perhaps the most famous of Heinlein's books: Starship Troopers. I was expecting a sci-fi/adventure. What I got was incredible. It's no wonder Heinlein is considered one of the masters of science fiction. Whereas other authors might try to develop one idea over the course of a novel, Heinlein throws ideas at you so fast that sometimes you may need to reread a passage once or twice. A change of political system, a change of justice system, interplanetary warfare and the evolution of the human race are all merely TOYED WITH in this book. The real core of the story is about a young man who comes from a wealthy background and thinks he knows what he wants out of life who finds himself way over his head in for the ride of his life, after deciding on a whim to spend a few years in the armed forces (to join his best friend). Getting back to what I said before, there is action in the first chapter of this book. After that, most of the book is dedicated to describing the technology, social system, and life of our protagonist in the future. But don't let that get you down. The way that the situations are described and conversations are carried out is incredibly entertaining, and more than once I was laughing histerically at things that the hero of our story was saying to himself. If you love cool sci-fi technology you certainly won't be bored, as all manner of cool weaponry and gear (not to mention the AWESOME battle armor) of the future are described in a way that really gets your imagination going. The real story here is about the training combat that our hero goes through, and the change that it has on him as a result. It's a story of tragedy and triumph, joy and despair, fear and valor. This is not only a great sci-fi, but a great book in general. If you like science fiction (and especially if you like Heilein) you owe it to yourself to give this book a read.
Rating:
Summary: Liberty does not come cheaply
Review: In a world fraught with moral decay and increasing decadence and moral relativism, Starship Troopers espouses such noble, yet somehow forgotten, values as duty, honor, discipline, selflessness, & civic virtue. The classroom lectures of Col. Dubois in his History and Moral Philosophy class vibrantly resonate the most sacrosanct pursuits in life, namely those of liberty & freedom, and the fact that they do not come cheaply. As Dubois so incisively states, "Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost." As the MI is constantly reminded, one must always be "on the bounce" and eternally vigilant. Instead of Juan Rico and his MI troopers nonchalantly waiting for the Bugs to attack them, they take the fight to them. As Col. Dubois invokes the cogent example of Carthage, he espouses, and rightfully so I might add, that no war was ever won by sitting back and waiting to be attacked; to do so is quixotic at best, suicidal at worst. Overall, a great book that proves both entertaining & provocative - much more so than the watered-down movie.
Rating:
Summary: Classic social commentary
Review: Maligned by a movie with which it shares a title and some character names but little else, Starship Trooper remains one of the classic works of a giant of the sci-fi genre. Like most of the great titans who turned it from a pulp genre to serious literature, Heinlein used his work to develop complex and often thought provoking critiques on society. Starship Trooper is no exception. Like many of Heinlein's works, this novel's lead character is a young man (to his fault Heinlein could not write women but to his credit before the end of his career he rarely tried) who makes a decision on a lark (joining the Mobile Infantry) and then learns about the universe and becomes a man. In the hands of a lesser writer, the novel would become a kind of interstellar version of British 19th Century gone to sea novels. Heinlein, however, uses it as a platform from which to engage in a biting and thoughtful commentary on the state of society in 1959. Here we are offered an interesting theory of citizenship, the relationship between violence and political power, and the idea of rights. Interestingly, many assume this novel was written in the 1960s or 70s because of its apparent preoccupation with the idea of runaway crime and fear. Heinlein at the end of the staid 50s was prescient in what he saw as the coming threats to society. A rabid anti-communist, readers will also find interesting in the sort of society that Heinlein presents as the ideal opponent of a perfect communist system. What makes this work exceptional is that all of these subjects are rolled neatly into a riveting read. I first read this novel in my early teens and it opened my eyes to a whole range of questions while still keeping me entertained. Controversy still rages among many about what the author intended with this book. Was he presenting an idealistic utopia of civic virtue or a militaristic dystopia bent on conquest? Read it and join an argument that will continue to rage for years to come!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!! but Scary!
Review: I read Starship Troopers first when I was 12 years old and I loved it! It was action packed exciting and well written. Later I read about and from Heinlein his Anti-Communist views and a few things began to go together in my mind. Firstly I did not even at twelve much care for the Human society Heinlein created; it struck me as rather rigid and doctrinaire. Frankly the story is written from the point of view of a rather callow young man who is quite effectively made into an instrument of his society. In other words he is brainwashed. The Philosophical arguments for this new "Scientific" morality are pretty silly. It reminds me that both Communism and Nazisism claimed a "Scientific" basis for their undemocratic rule. The stupidity about disputes being settled by force neglects the obvious rejoinder that what force proves is only that you are stronger than your opponent not that you are right. It seemed to me obvious that this "Democracy" was modeled after Ancient Sparta where a military caste ruled over a large subject population which they regarded with basic contempt. In Heinlein's society the ruling Military elite "votes" like the Spartans, after being suitably "indoctrinated", and therefore very unlikely to upset the status-quo and they are quite programmed to obey orders. That and their sense of "Class" solidarity with each other is hardly democratic. (I¡¦m aware that Heinlein provides avenues for a few non-military to enter the elite, but like Spartans promoting Helots it doesn't change the nature of the System). The old Communist parties that ruled the Soviet Union and other states proclaimed that the unique "selflessness", "sense of duty", etc., entitled them to rule. I take the official propaganda of the State in this book about as seriously. Our hero swallows the whole thing indicating he isn't very bright. Regarding the books celebration of war. I can only quote the following "A military man is in the only profession where he hopes not to use his skills". I just found it fascinating how an Anti-Communist replicated a Communist society in so many ways as somehow "ideal". When I was 12 I got the idea, that I still hold that the "icky" bugs were the good guys. All in all a wonderful read, especially the battle scenes, getting through boot camp, and the wonderfully conceived battle suits. So do read it just don't take the society described seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Read the Book, Forget the Movie!
Review: Starship Troopers may be the best science fiction piece ever published. Too bad the idiots at Hollywood couldn't take the time to read the book and follow Heinlein's genius. The first chapter is an adrenalin-packed air(space)borne operation that starts with troopers jumping into a hostile planet through the atmosphere, laying waste to a major metropolis (with an arsenal ranging from guns to nukes), and rallying to come back to the mother ship. Just one of these guys would dessimate an entire ship of the movie wimps. Following the raid, Heinlein manages to incorporate an outstanding story line with some deep meditations on society, citizenship, service to the nation, and the root of violence. Read it when you are in junior high for the rush, in college for the deeper meanings, and as an adult for some true inspiration. I've read my copy about five times and its still one of my favorites. No wonder its required reading at the military academies...
Rating:
Summary: A very thought-provoking military novel
Review: Most people think of the ill-conceived movie when they think of Starship Troopers, but out of curiousity I decided to read this book anyway. To my own surprise, the movie and the book were like night and day, more so than one would expect. This novel is not action-paced thriller. Instead what you get is a very engaging book about military life, and Heinlein's theories on Utopia. What really surprised me most was how well he argued his theories through the characters in his book. Before long, I found myself wishing I was in the military! But in all seriousness, this book is very intelligent, and really forces readers to think about modern society. After reading this, you cannot help but question things we take for granted in Western Democracies, and whether they really help or hurt us. I truly enjoyed reading this book and I strongly recommend it to any politically minded people, as well as people interested in military life and war. It truly is a science fiction masterpiece. Enjoy!
| 
