Rating: 
Summary: A definite must read for heinlein fans, and soldiers.
Review: This is the first Heinlein book I ever read, and it hooked me on R.A.H. for life. It is not one I would recommend necessarily for turning people on to Heinlein, But definitely a must read for his fans and especially for persons in the military, as Heinlein puts into words many of the feelings that soldiers don't have the words for. The hero of the book is wonderful, for the mere fact that he's not really a hero. He's just an ordinary guy, he didn't distinguish himself in any particular matter to get where he is (although a boy who got a C in television appreciation can't be all bad). He didn't even know what he was doing when he joined the service. He is a regular joe like the rest of us, rather than a larger than life MAN of heroic proportions, with intelligence and skills far above normal. This book has been the focus of much controversy, because people think it shows R.A.H.'s "true" political beliefs: i.e. they say he was a libertarian (which I believe he was) or a nazi(which he wasn't) or even a communist( most emphatically no). Whether you agree with what you think Heinlein was saying with this book or not, it will make you think, which is what he wanted most of all
Rating:
Summary: Classic Science Fiction
Review: Robert Heinlein was simultaneously a member of the far-right and and a believer in individual freedom. Starship Trooper describes a future in which the ultimate "right"--the right to vote--is only available to those who serve. The hero has no special skills and is only offered a position in the Mobile Infantry (futuristic Marines). The combination of action and political philosophy is superb. Classic Science Fiction and Classic Heinlein
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book , all categories.
Review: In Starship Troopers, Heinlein tells the story of Johny Rico, a young man who joins the Mobile Infantry, defending earth against the Bugs (Spider-like aliens). Below the surface, though, this book is a social commentary, primarily about responsibility for one's actions, and while it might go to some extremes here, RAH does have a few very good points. A must read for anyone. Yes, anyone :)
Rating:
Summary: An absolute must buy!!!
Review: In this short novel, RAH examines the conflict of a person's "rights" versus "responsibilites" and it's many tangents. This is not only a novel about a young man's struggle to understand the complexities of war and resolving his relationship with his father, but also of understanding one's self and re-evaluation your moral code, ethics, and social behavior, both with yourself and the outside world.
Thought provoking and VERY hard to put down, I myself have gone through three copies over the years. Even if you don't enjoy science fiction, this is an excellent book incorporate into your personal library.
Rating:
Summary: Obligations in democracy
Review: This book was one of RAH's first real political statements, and touches on the entire issue of what obligations citizens have to their country, if they wish to have influence over it.
While seen as "right-wing" by some, it is really an attempt to match up privilage with responsibility, and is both fascinating to read as SF and as commentary.
This book seems to be a clear view of what would later emerge in all of RAH's books, which is the TANSTAAFL idea, or there aint no such thing as a free lunch.
worth reading by anybody.
Rating:
Summary: Why do we fight, and what is freedom? from SF's Grandmaster.
Review: Robert A. Heinlein hides a critical examination of the necessity of war in a rousing adventure novel set in the far future. While fighting a war against alien arachnids, the protaganist, Juan Rico, learns not only how to be a soldier, but also decides that while war is not desirable, it is a necessary part of the human condition. Heinlein's novel is clearly influenced by both his World War II service and his dislike of communism, but the "Starship Troopers" is still an interesting read, especially when contrasted to the post-Vietnam works of Joe Haldeman ("The Forever War") and David Drake ("Hammers Slammers")
Rating:
Summary: A Science Fiction Classic
Review: The book Starship Troopers is an idealised ultra right future where no citizen has a vote without having fought
to defend that vote.
Each citizen must serve two years in a branch of
public service before they can "Enjoy all privileges of Federation citizenship" which include the
"privilege of exercising sovereign franchise", which ends up meaning "to be equal".
It is the far right version of what the future should be like.
The issue's of military service and the obligations of citizens are tackled in a way that many feel was less
than even-handed.
A classic Science Fiction novel that used the genre to comment on Democracy and basic Democratic rights, in a way that shattered the idea that SF was all
space opera and ray guns. Originally published in 1959, it used many of the standard idea's of SF at that time, but it used them
to make a point not just to entertain.
The exact opposite view is offered by Joe Haldeman's equally brilliant
"The forever war" in which war has no meaning, no honour and no point.
Rating:
Summary: Both action-packed and thought provoking, one of RAH's best.
Review:
Politics and controversy are no stranger to readers of
Heinlein novels. But in this relatively short story (compared to Stranger in a Strange Land or The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress), the author tackles several often unexplored
aspects of human society, while at the same time keeping it
fast paced and fun to read.
If you are a fan of Heinlein, or just want to expand
your perspective on humanity, this story of one man's search
to find meaning in the midst of war is a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Quality Heinlein
Review: Here's one way of looking at it. Science fiction is the situational inverse of historical fiction, the interpolation of a fictional narration not within the confines of a precise past but a theoretical future. Whenever I begin a new Science Fiction creative writing class, this is one of the first books I ask my students to pick up. What makes "Starship Troopers" so qualified as a resource? Plot-wise, this novel is nothing but stock quality, something my students could scribble out without breaking a sweat, but that is not the purpose or the goal intended. This book is contextually similar to perhaps a thousand Sci-Fi novels written in the past fifty years, and half a hundred of which written by this most prolific author. No feature of the scenes, setting, or - most especially - character development in this novel will strike you as ingenious or unique, but Heinlein has penned here a book only superficially based on such elements. His motive is something grander, the ambition of all good Science Fiction writers: to interpret one's breed of history and future history, social setting, and perhaps even global expectations in the time period or environment discussed. Inspecting the actual term "science fiction" reveals a co-importance of both science fact and fictional activity. One of the most famous sagas of our genre is the ongoing series of Star Wars - but how much scientific attention have you witnessed here? Novels (or movies) like these may seem to fit the field, but they are nothing more than the fantasy genre's technological subfield. "Starship Troopers," on the other hand, commonly puts individual characters and action on the back burner to focus on political theory and sociology. Early on in this novel Heinlein makes the point that, according to his future, "History and Moral Philosophy" are classified right along Math, Biology, and Physics as sciences, and his book serves through character debates, philosophizing, anecdotal supplements, and numerous other means to describe just what his vision of the subject is. He sees his present society (via 1959), and extrapolates onto this a teleologically final social order of mankind. The ideas he pulls out might seem tinted with age in particular regards to psychological theory, but they are undoubtedly thought out to the last detail. Like Aristotle, we cannot and do not fault him for his historical perspective. This is not to imply, however, that a book with a name like "Starship Troopers" is all theory and no action. Heinlein knows balance and ease of communication, and it is not his ideas but his integration and high placement of these into a storyline that keeps readers, and therefore wins the novel. The result is a work most highly thoughtful, imaginative, and engaging, and not without its due share of adrenalin-pumped activity. All in all, I find this to be a model study on Science Fiction writing - something my students are happy to read as a pleasure, but something that will leave you thoughtfully questioning our own military and societal superiority.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, terrible movie
Review: One of the best examples ever of a great book turned into a terrible movie. If you only had the misfortune to see the movie, please do yourself a favor and read the book. The book is much more subtle and powerful than the glossy special effects teeny-bopper version of a movie.
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