Rating: 
Summary: I have a better idea
Review: Instead of reading this evil militaristic propaganda by that kooky far-right hack Heinlein, why not go read the hilarious anti-war spoof by Harry Harrison, "Bill, the Galactic Hero." Your soul will thank you, if you have one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not like the movie
Review: Scary, not the story, but the predictions within the story. Heinlein wrote this book in the 50's yet alot of the things he says will happen in the 20th century do happen. This book is a must if you are into politics, and it is a must if you are into future societies. Highly suggested.
Rating: 
Summary: Guess Heinlein isn't my cup of tea
Review: Pro - Book is really short. My version was only 204 pages longPro - Great opening scene. Con - Things change after the opening scene...60% of the way through the book and very little if no action at all. Maybe two pages of summarizing what happenes in an "action" scene. Summary is boring! Con - More than half way through the book and I still didn't have a real connection with the characters. I actually felt that the Movie version of this story developed characters much better than the book does. If that is an indicator then you know that is pretty sad. Con - My second Heinlein book and I'm again overwhelmed with his preachiness. He doesn't know when a point is taken and when to get off his soapbox. Pages of philosophy which were interesting at first, got boring real fast. I just could not bring myself to finish this book no matter how short it is. I don't think I'll be reading Heinlein again with so many other good authors out there.
If I want to go to college and use this book for philosophical debate, fine. But I'm reading for escape and adventure and I'm not finding it here.
I'm going back and reading Armor by John Steakly again...now that was a book!
Rating: 
Summary: Heinlein's political philosophy is too wild to overlook
Review: Juan "Johnnie" Rico of the Philippines is a frank, pleasant, young man, who on a whim, joins the Army and winds up attached to the Mobile Infantry in this controversial novel set in the not-all-that-distant future. As he did so effectively in Farmer in the Sky, Citizen of the Galaxy, and Starman Jones, Heinlein uses his protagonist's education as a means of describing the structure and ideas behind what is in this instance a highly militaristic utopia. There's plenty of action for those who are fans of such, starting with a raid against the humanoid "Skinnies," and ending with a battle against the arachnoid "Bugs." In between we get a very detailed and personal account of Johnnie's training, both mental and physical, including plenty of the kind of philosophizing that Heinlein later became notorious for. If it's any consolation, the philosophy is at least very much to the point, since it helps us understand the political and Darwinian principles on which this distinctly militaristic culture is built. And of course, there's nobody in science fiction who can match Heinlein on matters military. The battle suits sound like a great idea; each soldier would be the equivalent of an armored tank, although one wonders how cost effective such equipment would be. The battle scenes are also first-rate and thoroughly believable (at least insofar as any battle with aliens can be). But best is Johnnie's training, which has a veracity that can only come from a writer who has a clear vision of not only what Mobile Infantry training would be like, and how it would differ from contemporary military training, but understands the whys and wherefores of both. Heinlein envisions a world where everyone has the right to serve his/her country, (yes, women, too), but only by doing so can one earn the right to vote. He maintains that only those who prove their willingness to die for their country can be trusted to make decisions for it. This is one of the very first books where Heinlein really gets on his soapbox and tells his readers how the world should be run and why. Regardless of how one views this philosophy, it makes a powerful statement that makes this book far superior to the earlier (and puerile) Space Cadet, which deals with similar material. Philosophy aside, the book is not without some problems. Heinlein's solution to the "characterization problem" is to have the same few people pop up again and again "by coincidence," giving the novel a more unified, family feel, but not without stretching credulity to the breaking point. And as usual, Heinlein is far more interested in making his case convincingly than he is in balance or complexity or even opposing viewpoints. If you disagree with him, you're wrong, and since he's writing the story, his results always bear him out. Young people who read this book and find themselves strongly swayed by Heinlein's rhetoric should remember that lots of things work better in theory than they do in actual practice, so please don't try this at home, kids. But for those interested in political or military philosophy, this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Really sets the stage
Review: While I don't agree with much of the book, but I still enjoyed it. It's a nice mix of Sci-Fi, action, and thinking. If you've ever seen the movie, you know the basic idea of this book. The book and movie follow almost two different paths, so they have quite different stories. The movie's focus seems more on action and effects, while the book is more on details and thinking. Having watched the movie several times prior to reading this book, I found the book's version of the story very refreshing. I really enjoyed the sci-fi themes and battles described in the book, and I didn't really mind the all the debates about morality, society, and etc. The trouble is that it is simply too much too often. I found myself just skimming or completely skipping whole pages, if not chapters, simply because I was sick of the endless rambling. I don't share a lot of the views that are frequently brought up in the book, so it's grueling to keep reading about it. The book sticks to a single view of things far too often. I don't think it's going too far to say it borders on blabbing when discussing morals and society. As for the story itself though, it is very entertaining. It is certainly very funny and witty, and almost always enough to make you want to read more. With the many nice twists and turns in the plot, great character development, and some very good humor tossed in this makes for a great book. - Rirath.com
Rating:
Summary: movie was better
Review: the movie had action, drama, and good characters. the book bored me. the book is all about the time in the military and the different facets of this military and the war with the bugs but there was little battle and action. it was one long book about being in the army with little or nothing interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Heinlein mixes politics and space
Review: In one of his earlier novels, before "Stranger," Heinlein explores many philosophical topics on citizenship, the draft, personal freedom, and how technology might improve lives. He hypothesizes a class in "History and Moral Philosophy" taught by a former Colonel who retired from the military after losing some body parts. Much of the book deals with the moral philosophy that might be taught in such a class. Citizenship, and voting, is limited to those who have volunteered for and completed government service. Probably half the book is the story of a young man's career in the Mobile Infantry. The other half is moral philosophizing. Heinlein has always been two steps ahead of the rest of the crowd on morals and philosophy as well as being out front of technology. Do humans have a right to conquer space and take it from other species? Should people who won't volunteer to do government service have a right to vote for government leaders? Can government be codified into established scientific principals? Should generals be required to lead their troops into battle as even kings once did? The moral questions addressed are many and diverse. I have always enjoyed Heinlein's moral attitude, freedom is fundamental, not government control. There are no women to speak of in the book. There are no female troopers. Unlike later Heinlein novels that have lots of flagrant sexuality you'll find none here. Aboard ship there are armed guards posted at the separation between women's quarters and the men's quarters. Even when the troopers go to a "district" for R&R he says nothing of what they do there. It's still the one-dimensional women typical of 1950s sci-fi genera. Despite half a book of moral philosophy, none of it deals with male/female relationships. I read it first forty years ago and re-read it again now. Unlike the recent movie where the troopers went against the "bugs" with ineffective guns that had to shoot each one a hundred times before it was killed, Heinlein's troopers were well armed with deadly weapons. "Shoulder to shoulder" was 300 yards apart killing everything between with "flamers" and hand held explosive projectiles. The bugs fought back with weapons too, also unlike the movie. Almost 50 years after it was written there is very little that is technologically wrong. Perhaps he underestimated the speed of computers recalculating courses, which would take less computing than running the trooper suits, but most of it still reads like plausible future tech. I wonder at the $.. price shown. Is it really that expensive? And don't buy that silly movie version book. The movie leaves out most of the good parts and makes the troopers into ineffective dolts with no guns.
Rating:
Summary: Most of these reviews are in error
Review: Military service is not required to attain full franchise as a citizen. Federal service of some sort is, and applicants do not get to choose how they serve. They are just as likely to pick up garbage for 2 years as they are to end up in the military. Protagonist Juan Rico's best friend does his public service as a research assistant. If an applicant is blind, deaf, and dumb, he may be assigned to "count the hairs on caterpillars by touch," to paraphrase Heinlein. No one is turned down, even if they have to come up with a new job just to fit someone. That said, this is an amazing book. If you read just one book by R.A. Heinlein, make it this one. Hell, if you only read one scifi novel in your life, this would be a good choice.
Rating:
Summary: Action-packed and thought-provoking reading
Review: For me, Starship Troopers is all the proof you need in order to name Robert Heinlein science fiction's greatest writer. I am getting in the bad habit of naming specific Heinlein books to be his very best, only to find that the next novel I pick up is even better than the last one. This particular novel is fascinating on a number of levels. There is nothing really special about Johnnie Rico; he's a normal lad who decides to join the military, ostensibly at the time in order to gain citizenship. In this future Terran confederation, only those who serve in the military are awarded citizenship and granted the privilege to vote. The government actually discourages volunteers and makes boot camp so difficult that only men with proper soldier qualities get through it. On the broadest level, we see Rico's progression from harrowed recruit to active service in the Mobile Infantry to combat against the Klendathu. I have no military background at all, but I found Heinlein's descriptions of military life and actual combat to be detailed and thrilling. We watch Johnnie Rico become a soldier. Along the way, he figures out why he actually did volunteer, developing a whole new outlook on duty and responsibility. I don't want to delve too deeply into the politics of this novel. Some have pinned a fascist connotation on it, but I try to examine this future society philosophically. Only those who serve in the military can vote, but the vast majority of people choose not to serve and live happy lives as civilians, so I don't see anything fascist about this society. What intrigues me most, and it is this that sets this book apart from the vast majority of science fiction, is Heinlein's thought-provoking ideas about ethics, morality, duty, responsibility, etc. Mr. Dubois, Ricco's high school instructor in History and Moral Philosophy (a required course for all) gets in the ring and dukes it out with Plato, John Locke, and a host of other political thinkers. He argues that man has no natural moral instinct; morality is acquired by the individual and is an elaboration of the instinct to survive. If an individual is not taught the lessons of living in society, he will not learn that the basis of all morality is duty. In this way he criticizes the democracies of the late twentieth century and explains their ultimate failure. The promotion of the idea that certain natural rights are necessarily due each person caused young people to neglect their duties--by concentrating on the rights they think are due them. Liberty and freedom must be earned and paid for, and democracies failed because they did not understand this basic tenet. These kinds of ideas are the source of most of the criticisms directed toward Starship Troopers. I found many cogent arguments in the novel; criticism of democracy is not an endorsement of totalitarianism. Many would agree with some of the ideas Mr. Dubois puts forth (and which find their way into various places elsewhere in the book), but any agreement or disagreement should be purely intellectual. Great fiction is supposed to make us think deeply about important concepts, and Starship Troopers succeeds admirably in that regard. Thus, Starship Troopers provides science fiction fans the best of both worlds. On the one hand, we have the well-told, gripping story of one man's military journey from boot camp to battlefields of war light years away from home, replete with several intense combat scenes. On the other hand, we have ideas of a political and philosophical nature laid out extremely well by the author, which is all but guaranteed to make you seriously think about society, government, and warfare. In the end, duty and responsibility are stressed if not glorified, and I find nothing at all subversive in that. Heinlein tells a fascinating story, and he makes you think, whether you want to or not. Few are the writers who can claim such lofty credentials.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding--well-written and makes you think.
Review: This is possibly Heinlein's biggest novel, prolific though he was. The story is heavily influenced by World War II politics, but is not bad for all that. The basic premises of the book are that: 1) the science of governance is an exact science; 2) interstellar travel exists and the colonization of the galaxy by humans has commenced; and 3) Earth is at war with very hostile and very alien Aliens (the "arachnids). The first premise is most important. In the novel only persons who have served a term in the armed forces are permitted to vote (such persons are called "citizens"--everyone else is a "lawful resident"). This has led to a society in which "laws are few and the standard of living is about as high as productivity permits." Many modern-day liberals have called this book "fascist" for advocating this qualification for voting. Untrue. Heinlein makes an interesting case, and his future society features freedom of speech and other basic rights. And no draft. The novel is well-written, although some may not like Heinlein's tendency to preach his political point of view. Remember that this novel won the Hugo Award in 1959 for good reason: the book is a darned good read. This book is almost 5 stars. Read it and keep it.
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