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Summary: Heinlein's Best Tenets Shine Through
Review: Constantly in Heinlein novels is the theme that the fewer powers that the national government has the better for society. This novel is no different. It follows his shining theme of the individual's responsibility of his own actions, his contribution to his society, and his responsiblity to his neighbors, co workers and comrades rather than have a Goverment Agency be responsible for welfare, education, or taking care of you and making decisions for you. "You get what you pay for" is a Heinlein by word and is reflected most notably in this novel when the main character, Juan Rico, reflects on the "History and Moral Philosophy" course he monitored in High School. Heinlein also highly prizes the ability of an individual to think for themselves, to be able to do mathmatics and have a knowledge of history and geography; and all this is presented in passing, the author not bothering to enlighten the reader of his references because you should either 1) understand them or 2) be able to look them up. He assumes you to be an educated, adult human and that attitude is extremely refreshing in modern novels.
B Company, 1st Battalion 148th Infantry still exists and you can find a placard recounting Roger Young's actions outside the orderly room in the National Guard Armory in Bowling Green, Ohio.
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Summary: One of the best military SF novels ever
Review: First, forget the movie. It's loosely based on the book. How loose? Man fights killer bugs in space. The political scene on Earth, and the *basic* character outlines. That's it. No huge bugs that spit glowing balls of killer goo from their nether-regions. No flying Kamikaze insectoids that decapitate without warning. The movie was fun, but a dim shadow of the book. The movie should have been called "fashion models in space vs the killer bugs from the belt."RAH was a master at socio-political setups and the details that make great SF. I find it a little insulting that the publisher slapped a scene from the movie on the cover just to grab more sales - the book can stand on it's own merits! If you are a fan of SF, RAH or future-looking novels of society and war, get this book. It's one of his best!
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Summary: Sociology meets War
Review: This book has made me think twice about the world we live in. An Earth were if you want to be a citizen, you have to enter the armed forces foe at least two years. For anyone interested in military history, Sociology or just War, read the book. Its worth the time and money. Starship Troopers is a must have for a cadet in any military institution, the Wargamer and all teachers of History, Sociology or the study of the mind.
Starship Troopers explores the human mind in War, and the future of the human race. If your a fan of the movie, read the book, it is much better. In conclusion the book is excellent, you will start reading it and finish before you know it.
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Summary: Morals
Review: One thing everyone must know. The movie butchered the book's good name. Actually, butchered doesn't quite describe it. While the movie was extremely gory and action oriented, the book is more philosophical. I've read this book several times, and I must say, some accusations leveled against it just seem... untrue. The first accusation is that the government in the book is fascist. While I don't want to reveal any plot elements, this "fact" may keep potential readers from enjoying this book. In fact, the government is democratic, with elected officials. This is demonstrated in the book, and Heinlein himself stated this very fact. Also, while this book may feature some fairy tale government that is selfless, Heinlein has a perfect rationale for this. The society featured in this book is post apocolyptic, completely rebuilt to insure that morals prevail so that what caused society to fail in the first place doesn't happen again. It's an interesting read, with some interesting philosophy regarding selflessness.
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Summary: Don't judge a book based on it's movie!
Review: Great book, every flaw I had with the movie was happily not in the book. Great read.
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Summary: Famous Novel is a Very Mixed Bag
Review: Standard Heinlein Disclaimer: Heinlein is a frequently-polarizing figure in American literature. The people who dislike his work (e.g., A. Panshin) seem to *really* dislike his work, and often for reasons that seem to me spurious. The people who like his work are in many cases blind or too forgiving of Heinlein's problems as a writer. I like Heinlein's work quite a bit, and find all but two of his novels consistently enjoyable, but I would not rate any but one or possibly two of his books as being the "best of the SF genre." They are for me, however, always enjoyable, and that is no small thing to find in an author. Still reading? This novel is almost the quintessential definition of "mixed bag." Heck, not only is it a mixed bag, but if you don't like Heinlein/think he is a fascist/think he is a libertarian/think he glorifies war/think he wishes he were Hemmingway/think he is unbelievably egalitarian, by God this book will give you plenty of ammunition (sorry) for your point of view. Which is, I'm sure, part of its enduring appeal. This book is really two books rolled into one (and in less than 200 pages!). The first book is, as the author himself admits, a celebration of military service, a glorification of the common G.I. (although in the book he's more of a space Marine than an Army regular). As such, it's a slam-bang adventure story told in a first-person, very spare style. It follows the by-now classic arc of aimless civilian, harsh boot-camp (think Louis Gossett in "An Officer and a Gentleman"), and difficult-but-rewarding service in a tough war. It's a hell of a yarn. The other book is really the problematic part; an argument in favor of (indeed, pretty much a polemic for) the franchise being earned rather than granted gratis to everyone. In the case of the book, this is earned through "federal service," and there are lengthy discussions and debates as to why this is a good system. And in the end, it is this assumption--that a better government would arise out of requiring federal service prior to being given the vote--that causes all the outrage (or plaudits) from readers of this book. But the question is, does it make for a good book? And the answer is, not always. The blend of political jerimiad and coming-of-age war story is often jarring, and occasionally irritating. The blatant speechifying by "older and wiser," whether you agree with it or not, frequently comes across as thinly-viewed authorial lecturing. And is that what you want in your books? It's up to you, honestly. That said, *I* like this book, and I have re-read it a number of times, but I am certainly not blind to its faults. Not Heinlein's best, but perhaps one of his more influential books, and certainly one of the two (the other being, of course, "Stranger in a Strange Land") that generates the most discussion. The choice is yours.
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Summary: Powerful Novel with Piercing Ideas
Review: I find myself returning to chew on many of the ideas that Heinlein proposes in his "Starship Troopers." While "Starship Troopers" may be read for purely entertainment purposes and be thoroughly enjoyed on that level, I find that it is Heinlein's radical ideas that make this novel a classic. Heinlein's ideas on citizenship, warfare, humanity, and militarism are extremely powerful and compelling in their arguments...while radical, his ideas definitely get me wondering about the possibilities! The story is premised on a young man joining the Mobile Infantry (in the future) during an Interstellar War. It follows him from early enlistment through bootcamp and his journey in becoming an officer. Starship Troopers is also a sort of unexpected love story between "father and son", "man and mankind", and "soldier to soldier." Heinlein's look into the future is fascinating! (e.g. Nationalities and Ethnicities being unimportant in contrast to Humankind Vs. Bugs) I find that Heinlein's narrative style for the main character, Rico, so relatable...that I felt as if I had gone through the journey with him myself. It's an excellent novel, and I highly recommend it not only for an entertaining read but also for a good dose of philosophy. Starship Troopers is definitely one of those classics, I'll be rereading over and over again.
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Summary: Classic Military Sci Fi
Review: The book is about a juan who joins the mobile infantry and alienates himself from everything except the military. The insights into the militerized utopia brilliant. Too bad its name was trashed by a horrible movie bearing the same name. The book was anti climactic because it shows how incrediable horrible the war was. You want some sappy ending with him killing all the bugs and made a hero? if you do this is not a book for you. This is not so much a novel as a detailed account of a soldier in the future joining the army and learning about society and the military. The movie lost sight of this and thus everyone who souldnt read the book thought it was some action novel and read it. The movie was lacking in detail about the society, totally omitted all of the technology used by the MI they were taken from using energy weapons with powered sci fi armor to using unbelievably stupid rifles and latex vests and why did they use flashlights when going into a cave? we have night vision goggles NOW(why coudlnt they waste their time on another robo cop iswear his movies are made for 5 year olds) and lost sight of the mentality of the MI instead it took a classic philisophical sci fi and made it into a hollywood action pile of poooooo. A great book by one of the greatest sci fi writers ever
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Summary: that's the first time a movie is better than the book
Review: Watch the movie, it's much better
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Summary: Great action, great sci-fi, and interesting politics.
Review: Most people have now seen Starship Troopers, the movie, filled with tongue in cheek action scenes, charting the rise of Jonnie Rico through the ranks of the Mobile Infantry. The book is so much more. It is strong on the military sci-fi elements, and gives a great run through boot camp and subsequent training. The description of the first drop on the Skinnies world is excellent, filled with well thought out technology and tactics. But throughout the book Heinlein uses his story to question our assumptions about the way we look at politics, universal sufferage, corporal punishment etc. For instance, he points out that you cannot possibly have such a thing as a "juvenile delinquent" since delinquency requires a sense of duty, and the thing that divides juveniles from adults is the appreciation of duty. You can only be a delinquent once you accept your duty as an adult, and then fail to perform it. The society on earth, ruled by "Citizens" who have the power to vote because they have demonstrated a concern for mankind above concern for the self is an interesting one. It smacks a bit of military dictatorship, except of course, the veterans can't vote while in uniform. The need to "Earn" the right to vote is not a bad concept. Probably the most contraversial propositon is the use of corporal punishment to "Train" children and to punish adults. Heinlein becomes totally simplistic when he likens the training of children to that of puppies, but even here he makes us question current structures that are clearly not working. This was much more than the Military Sci-Fi novel that I was expecting. It turned out to be a really good read, well worth a look.
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