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Summary: Real Men will love this book!
Review: The action is impeccably awesome, the technology is incredible and seems to be the direction modern ground warfare is taking, and at the end of the book the only thing you can think to say is, WOW. Ultra-cool military testosterone build up of a book will anger leftists and peaceniks, but who gives a Klandathu about them? That ridiculous movie they made out of it really burns my a**, though. If you like anything written by Tom Clancy, you will worship STARSHIP TROOPERS.
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Summary: Starship Troopers
Review: Excellent read, though it doesn't muster the "contreversial" label it's been given. Maybe for 1959:). Just some old ideas revisited with a twist and a couple of new thoughts. What this novel lacks in minor character development and plot it more than makes up for with the tale of the protagonist's journey from recruit Private to Lieutenant. A good yarn, and refreshingly thought-provoking philosophy woven throughout. The book combines realistic combat soldier experiences, sci-fi technology, and an interesting theoretical society. Good insights on soldiering from recruit training to taking command whether you want it or not. Social theory: compelling look at the place of corporal punishment and an entire society where citizenship requires military service. Especially recommend this to veterans. I'm glad I bought this book, I'll probably read it a few times, the pages on moral philosophy and history are dogmarked.
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Summary: My introduction to SF
Review: In my 13th year, my father handed me this book saying " check this one out, you might like it.". This was the start of what has been a 30 year (so far) love affair for SF. For a kid, this is possibly the best introduction to not only SF, but the concept of social responsibility. Having read it in 1970 during the Vietnam War, I still joined the Navy 5 years later, partially because of some of the concepts in this book. And yes, I make it a point to vote in every election as it is my right and responsibility that according to Mr. RAH!
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Summary: Boring, irritating, stupid
Review: The book is essentially for people who are interested in reading a lecture on Heinlein's philosophy. The action which one might expect from such a book is essentially not there. But wait! It gets less interesting still!Heinlein does a good job of killing his interesting points by not addressing them in depth. If he had actually taken an issue and talked about it at any length, I might have found it interesting, instead he gives a breif overview of absolutely everything, without talking about it beyond the level of black and white. But wait! There's more! Heinlein's characters are all one-dimensional perfect Heinlein-beings. There are two kinds: the good guys, who have it all figured out and the bad guys, who don't have it all figured out, and pay dearly for being wrong. I've read fairy tales with a more mature grasp of right and wrong! The only reason that the characters are there at all is so that Heinlein can pull the strings and have them realize something which he believes to be true. If you want a book about a war with an alien species, buy Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's got more action, the characters are more interesting, and the issues brought up are explored better. If you wish to read a book that's about as interesting as a technical manual, buy Starship Troopers.
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Summary: Despite reviews, not what I expected
Review: Before reading this book, I checked the other reviews on this page to get a feel for it. Many say that it has more to do with social theory that battling alien attackers. I figured, how bad could it be? They were right. I got my fill of that stuff in college. If I want to read ideas about social structures, I'll read Kafka or Benjamin. When I pick up a book called Starship Troopers, I want to read about starships and troopering. To this book's credit though, it did hold my interest throughout as the tirades were fairly brief and it did present the ideas and then move along. So, if you want to read about pitched space battles, stay away, don't let the first chapter fool you. It is not all like that. But if social and military theory are more your style, you'll probably enjoy this.
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Summary: RAH is a libertarian!
Review: I've read the book about 20 times, and I'm a psychiatrist who has done extensive prison work as well. The ideas of limit setting for children that RAH sets up are dead on. He does not advocate physical abuse of children, gang, just intelligent limit setting. There is no game playing in Heinlein's conception of child rearing. I would have had a lot fewer inmates to deal with if this had been implemented. Our current system is idiotic, and I'm an expert. In addition, the society is NOT a fascist one, nor is the vote limited to military vets. The idea is that to get the right to vote, you must show yourself willing to sacrifice for the common good -- like Cincinnatus. It is not necessary that the service be military, just that it entail hardship and risk for the common good, demonstrating that you are responsible enough to be given the ultimate power in the state -- the right to vote. He said that in one of the classroom scenes, by the way. Otherwise, free speech is protected, the right of trade is protected, and the society is safe. A more libertarian,egalitarian Singapore is probably a better concept of what this society is than "fascist." Fascism does not offer all the potential of political power as this society does. This society is actually a workable Utopia. Not perfect, but suited to the flaws of Man. Further, political power is maintained without rebellion against the government because everyone with the cojones enough to rebel is offered political power under this system -- the concept is subtle. In conclusion, a brilliant masterwork. Not his best, that was MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS. But not a "fascist," "ignorant," etc., but a masterwork of political philosophy. That's probably why a lot of people don't like it. A lot of people don't agree with THE PRINCE, either. But Machiavelli was right, too. Feel free to disagree; but enough of the name calling, already. And by the way, he did not intend for it to be a satire. Read his essays.
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Summary: Heinlein-The Visionary Genius
Review: What intrigued me most of this book, was Heinleins ability to look into future. To see what was on the horizon of technology today. The book was published in 1955, yet he was talking about technology yet to be invented at the time like Global Position Satellites (GPS), Heads Up Display (HUD)and a host of other things. If he wrote this book in the 50's, he must have been thinking of this in the 40's, if not the 30's. I wonder what other brilliant ideas were locked into the recesses of his mind that never made it to paper.
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Summary: Starship Troopers
Review: I think that this is definately a piece of literature worth reading. It struck me as thought provoking, with many controversy and inventive ideas about government and the way the future could be. I greatly enjoyed it.
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Summary: Speculation on Events Behind The Scenes; a Disagreement
Review: I'll bet Heinlein was very proud of this book, and I'll bet his agent told him it would be suicide to try and publish it: the book contains a grand wealth of bold social, psychological, and political ideas, but reads like a manifesto, with the plot coming across as almost an afterthought. I did my Thesis for senior English in High School on this novel, (in which I called Heinlein's government a "Fascist Democracy) and most of my points have been touched on in other reviews. I'm writing this review to comment on something another reviewer said. He suggested that Heinlein's requirements for citizenship also allow for forms of service including, among other things: "full-time service as a certified public-school teacher, guidance counselor or principal in under-served rural or inner-city communities - full-time service as a policeman, sheriff's deputy, state trooper, community corrections officer, prison psychologist, or Child Protective Service officer" The problem with such a setup is that it misses Heinlein's point: that people need to prove their loyalty and devotion to the public good BEFORE they are placed in these positions of trust and authority.
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Summary: Still timely, and as thought-provoking as ever.
Review: When I was in my early teens, I read nearly everything Heinlein had written up to that point. The themes of 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' ("TANSTAAFL") and Starship Troopers (citizenship must be earned) are among those I still remember most vividly. These themes led me to follow Heinlein's own example, and choose the Navy when I faced the war in Vietnam and the draft lottery at age 19. Left-handed, non-athletic and somewhat solitary, I'd have made a terrible cap trooper and an even worse Marine. But I did okay in submarines. Today I wear a ponytail and work in software, and my politics have swung leftward to cross the centerline. But I still agree with the basic premise of Starship Troopers: while the <<opportunity>> to earn full citizenship must be open to all, there is a lot to be said for expecting people to earn their right to hold elected office in some fashion. As a Heinlein character points out in Starship Troopers, military service needn't be the only means of earning this right. The key is for each candidate to have first spent significant time and effort contributing individually--and at some level of personal sacrifice--to the well-being of the nation and its people. To extend Heinlein's list of citizenship paths somewhat, I would add the following examples: - service in VISTA or the Peace Corps - full-time service in an American Red Cross disaster relief unit - as a full-time mother, successfully raising one child through completion of high school with a B average, no suspensions, and no arrests - full-time practice as a certified health-care professional (physician, registered nurse, pharmacist, etc.) providing low-cost service to under-served populations (examples include both inner-city and rural communities) - full-time service as a certified public-school teacher, guidance counselor or principal in under-served rural or inner-city communities - full-time service as a policeman, sheriff's deputy, state trooper, community corrections officer, prison psychologist, or Child Protective Service officer - military service in the Army (including the Corps of Engineers), Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, or any of their reserve or National Guard units - full-time service in the Environmental Protection Agency, in the NOAA uniformed service, as a ranger in the National Park Service or the USDA Forest Service, or in a similar public-service conservation role - full-time public service to under-served communities as a registered professional engineer (P.E.), working to improve water, waste disposal, public utility and transportation systems There could be many more such paths to an earned citizenship, but Heinlein's basic premise that it should be earned is still worth investigating. It's also worth noting that all four of the upcoming presidential election's currently credible candidates have--each in his own way--met Heinlein's minimum criteria for full citizenship. Alphabetically: Bradley was in the Air Force Reserve; Bush served as a pilot in the Air National Guard; Gore served as an enlisted Army journalist in Vietnam; and McCain's service as a Navy pilot included several years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. That's food for thought. I thought the movie did little justice to the book. But Starship Troopers is well worth reading again as we approach the presidential primary season, and I'm grateful to Robert Heinlein for writing it. Hmmm... Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota also meets Heinlein's criteria, since he served as a Navy SEAL. D'you suppose he ever read Starship Troopers?
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