Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking, fasinating, a fearful prediction.
Review: Within the pages of "Star Ship Troopers" is a vision of the future where man greatest virtues, and his darkest possiblities, come to fruition. Heinlein takes the reader into a world ladened with high ideals governed with strict purpose. The concept of citizenship is presented in the extreme, forcing the reader to confront responsibility to the corpus versus the common notions of personal liberties. Is it facsism? Yes, but painted in that all to familiar notion that the "good of the many out way the good of the few, or one". But is order worth this price? As history has shown through the many "great" wars, and as it is rewritten in those to come, human nature seeks simplicity and security, which in itself breeds ambitions of power and control. As we read or daily paper, either reporting of the atrosities in Kosovo or the oppression in Iraq, we are again and again reminded that the erosion of the self in a society, even for the precieved good of the body, leads to oppression. To quell the human spirit, and the natural creative spirit endowed to all mankind, is an act of war upon humanity itself. I do not know Robert Heinlein's personal politics, nor do I care. He has produced a richly detailed picture of one of our many possible futures. It is one that should scare us all. To live without freedom, without the human rights of free speech, nor the ability to quesrion the world in which we live is no life at all, an empty exsistence. Great men and woman have paid the ultimate price so that others might get a glimce of this wonderful and chaotic state of freedom. No doubt many more will pay such a price, but it is one that must be paid. Blood will again be spilt for the Tree of Liberty to florish, but it will be by the freeman, the individual, so that his fellow man might be granted such laural. "Star Ship Troopers" is a masterful novel, built upon an all too real world. So was "Triumph of the Will" as well as other great works of propoganda. But genious, no matter the content, is a fountain that supplies insight, in this case fore warning. Read "Star Ship Troopers" in this light. Not a shining light of redemption and world order, but as a dark reflection of mans possibilities, if given the chance.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular, Thoughtful Military Story
Review: I found this story to be one of the most amazing of all the military stories I have ever read. Heinlein manages to give the soldiers almost unlimited power (via the mechanical suits), yet still make them realistic and vulnerable. Though it does not have as much action as the movie, the movie lacked most of the lessons taught in the book. These lessons included responsibility to your family, your country, and yourself. All in all, I found this book to be stimulating and insightful.
Rating:
Summary: Saw the movie and then read the book: the book is excellent
Review: Impressive science fiction story of a young man in a military infantry unit. I am amazed on Heinlein's ability to have put together such a story in the mid-1950's. The characters remind me of typical soldiers: ordinary young men who develop into professionals and complete tough missions. I thought they were very realistic, probably to the point of being boring. However, I enjoyed their development into young leaders, led by the tough cadre of sergeants and officers of the Mobile Infantry. More startling is Heinlein's vision of warfare in the future, and I wish the movie had followed the book in this detail. I feel that if the producers and director had been true to the book - they would have a cult classic on their hands. Anyway, I recommend the book because it is very well thought out and faithful to soldiers.
Rating: 
Summary: how could anyone like it???
Review: By far the worst book ive ever read- and ive read a lot. There was no point to it, and it had no action. Want a good sci-fi book? Try Sphere or the Area 51 series, dont waste the money on this. If you were expecting it to be like the movie youll be even more dissapointed! DONT GET IT!!!
Rating:
Summary: It is NOT FACIST ! Get off it and look at what it says!
Review: This is one of the few books that belongs to my collection of literary friends. I first read this while I was in junior high school and I thought it was a great story. For some reason I could really identify with Johnny, ie fear of spiders, lousy with math and his realitive "averageness". I read it several times a year and kept it with me through college and ROTC. I couldn't get my ROTC instructor to require us to read it, but I now began to identify with it as I struggled to become an Army officer. Again, I really felt like Johnny was someone who would understand me. While deployed in Iraq during Desert Storm I read it numerous times while I was sitting in a sandstorm and it was a comfort and again, a sort of friend. I think that the people who don't like the ideas that are expressed, ie the review that is at the top of this page by some liberal at Amazon.com, and feel that it is not responsible, are missing the point. The book is about duty and what it takes to be a contributing member of society. No one wants to do the dirty work to keep a nation or society free. Our current president thought it was too tough, many of the rich and powerful didn't want to suffer through the Civil War or later Viet Nam and ran away or bought their way out. One of the quotes at the start of a chapter sums it up best for me, " The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time by the blood of patriots!" I would also add that the patriots must spill others blood as well. Ask the men who went ashore at Normandy, Iwo Jima, Gettysburg, or any other great battle, you have to kill and sometimes be killed to protect your society.It is not a job for everyone, but to imply that to be prepared for that job is to be some kind of Nazi or killer is simply stupid. Those that don't like this book find the harsh discipline, unwavering and selfless commitment to be a bit bitter to their taste. They simply enjoy the fruits of the sacrifice and don't want to get their hands dirty to plant the garden and keep it strong and healthy. If these ideas and many of the others expressed in the book are facist, then we need to redefine the word. My last comment concerns that dislike for the punishments that are handed out to the recruits. Flogging is cruel, but I wonder if a drunk driver got 10 lashes today if we would have the repeat offenders that daily kill innocent victims. I'm not saying we should do that, but I bet it would have an impact on their future decision making!
Rating:
Summary: coooool!!!!!!
Review: This book had a very good plot. I read it after I saw the movie and I was surprised that the book didn't concentrate much on the bug wars but overall an awesome book!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The movie is much better
Review: This is probably the worst and most boring book I had ever read. I watched the movie first and loved it. I couldn't wait to read the book, and boy was I disapointed. It was nothing like the movie. There was hardly any action at all. It had to much discriptions in it, and the story kept jumping around which made it very confusing on what was going on. I don't see how this book got so many high ratings. I don't know how they made such an awesome movie out of this book either. But save yourself the time, watch the movie and trash the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought Provoking Read
Review: I read this book when I was in high school, and have re-read it several times since then. The novel, in itself an interesting hard-science fiction story, is also a thought-provoking look at how a person transforms from a self-centered child into a responsible adult and citizen. I do not espouse the politics presented by Mr. Heinlein, but I do like the emphasis in the book on personal responsibility, and on putting the common good above your own. I agree with the comments that the dialogue is awful, the characters are poorly drawn, and the situations are at best improbable; however, the ideas presented are interesting, the technological advances are fascinating, and the story does draw one in. For all the flaws, I would still highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: Juan Rico, the hero, starts as a good-for-nothing kid, and ends as a leader of men, committed to protecting his home. The book is the story of his career, and how he becomes a man of conviction. I found the book inspiring and uplifting. This book speaks strongly of a virtue neglected in modern society: Civitas, the willingness to take personal responsibility for the safety and continuation of one's civil society. I've never seen a better description of the commitment that fuels a -moral- military man. So far from praising blood and glory, the book deplores it as a regrettable necessity, to be minimized (an attitude shared by every career officer I've met). Since Heinlein was a Naval officer until his forced retirement (for tuberculosis), the people ring very true. Truly, not to be missed by thoughtful people.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and well written...
Review: The main thrust of Starship Troopers is not the intrinsic value of guns, suits, robot armor, or bugs. Regardless of how much people in these reviews seem to praise the movie, it truly has no basis on the book. Whether you like the book and not the movie or the movie and not the book, at least agree that they are apples and oranges. This classic of small unit leadership truly evinces RAH's ability to draw from his expiriences as a cadet in the Naval Academy and give us an accurate representation of life in military service. His political theories are dubious at best, his ideas are controversial, his writing is exciting, and Starship Troopers is irrefutably the premier classic of small unit leadership.
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