Rating: 
Summary: Response to microtherion
Review: It figures that some Swiss guy would be so vociferous in his objection to the line of thought in a book like this. This is a nation that has always done its best to avoid having to fight for anything ( with the possible exception of its bankers keeping as much stolen Jewsih loot as they can and its valiant fight for privacy of banking laws so that the Swiss can increase its already swollen average national income) and even with its "brave" militia, I know of few instances when the Swiss have repelled a determined enemy attack. I feel that it is somewhat ironic that our Swiss missy would object to some of the themes that "she" mentions, but when I take into account that most of Europe only likes the US when they need to repell an invasion from the determined Hun, it would figure. I have read this book too many time to count and have already reviewed it on this site. I still find the argument about the Nazi comparison to be completely off base. This is why: 1. The so called brutal treatment of the recruits is often mentioned. At this point there is a great deal of anxiety that we have "dumbed down" our training to the point that our troops may not be able to fight adequately in the next conflict. As a veteran myself of the Gulf War, the ROTC training that I went through could have been much tougher and I know now that more difficult training would have been helpful. Secondly, the MI seem to be nearly elite trops and the training methods for the elite are always more difficult. I am not advocating the beating of troops, but I do feel that if it were more demanding it can't hurt. What is prottayed in the book was reasonable to the men at bootcamp and they knew the risks of their behavior, so it was not excessive in the context of their organization. 2. The concept of earning citizenship status is mentioned. True, military service is only one of the areas mentioned. If you read the book carefully it is clear that the military wants to encourage other branches of the Federal Service to the young people who come to enlist. The argument that only the soldiers make the decisions is false. The character in the book is in the military so that is all that is explored, but it is clearly implied that there are other ways to gain citizenship. I might add that this might not be a bad idea for all of our young people to have to choose the military, peace corps, or some other service obligation to gain certain rights. 3. Our Swiss sissy also claims that this is not for young readers who are impressionalble. Let us asume that you are in complete opposition to the political premise of the book, how can reading about this hurt to make your point? First it is clearly a STORY and whatever the political views, it is a book that glorifies putting others first, teaches about duty and honor, shows men and women as equals and emphasizes the need for a life of education. If you like it there are things to take out, but it is still not a bad story. Again, you claim to fear a loss of freedom, then advocate restricting the reading of a book about what you disagree about. Didn't the Nazi's practice the banning and burning of books???? Perhaps the stolen Jewish fortunes in your banks will help ban more books. In conclusion, this book was in the cargo pocket of my DCUs while in the gulf. Johnny faces many of the same challenges that I faced as a new officer and I found the book to be a comfort, an old friend so to speak, and it was also helpful to think that being confuseed and not having all the answers can be ok at times. A great book and a complete 5 star in my rankings.
Rating:
Summary: "Ultimate cost for perfect value..."
Review: Starship troopers, as you may have noticed, is a love it or hate it book. There are hundreds of review here which either shower endless praise on it or decry it as a piece of fascist trash. But is it a good book? The answer is yes. Sure, that's a subjective answer, but there's very good evidence that this book could be considered objectively "good." Look at all the negative reviews. Many contain several paragraphs (or one big paragraph if the person can't punctuate) about what the reader hates about the book. Many even say things like, "It might be a good book, if..." Some say it's written very well but they hate what Heinlein has to say; others say the converse. With critics like this, who needs praise? Personally, I love the book. My second favorite Heinlein, besides The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and one of my favorites ever. I would say it should be read in schools, but I wouldn't want the little morons getting soured to Heinlein at such a young age (when I was a little moron I hated Huck Finn and Hamlet, until I read them on my own). I'd like to dispel some myths about ST, and I consider myself qualified to do so because of the sheer number of times I've read it. First, the main theme of the book is neither about militarism or beating children. It goes something like this: a society (or civilization, or individual...) that is not ready, willing, and able to fight for its rights is in danger of losing them. I'll agree with that. There's lots of justification for this (such as the above quote in bold) and even if you don't agree with it all it makes for good reading. All this and a bug war, with the first ever debut of mobile armor suits. The society in the book may or may not be facsist, depending on your definition of the word. An 11th grade history textbook (which is blatantly liberal and makes no apologies for it) defines fascism as "a system of government characterized by a rigid one-party dicatatorshipp, the forcible suppression of opposition, private enterprise under centralized government conrtrol (the book's full of oxymorons too), and belligerent nationalism, racism, militarism, etc." Well, I wouldn't call retired soldiers a political party, oppression is not suppressed forcefully and free speech is protected, private enterprise is--from what I could tell, private, there are no nations and thus no nationalism (world-ism? spieci-ism?), there are few differences between races in this unified future and thus no racism (althoug there are still many different religions, none of which seem to be discriminated against), and the society doesn't seem much more militaristic in a war than the US was during WW2. But I'm rambling; I should let the book speak for itself. There are nearly 500 reviews here, most containing strong feelings about Starship Troopers. You're obviously missing something by not reading it. Click the buy button, for the everlasting glory of the infantry.
Rating: 
Summary: Starship Troopers
Review: This book is DEFINATELY not the movie, so if you expect it to be, you will be dissappointed. I found the book readable, but I did not find it engrossing. It is mostly a narrative with little in the way of dialog or interaction between characters. It is written in the first person, and because of that, it seems to dwell almost completely on the main character's experiences with little discription of scenery or other characters. About half way into the work, I found that it did not keep my interest.
Rating:
Summary: Sheer excellence.
Review: Starship Troopers excels in several ways. First and foremost, it's a great action read. It's a thoughtful look at leadership, especially in the military. It's an insightful look at politics and command. It's a thought-provoking examination of society. And it's a rollicking boy-becomes-asskicker-becomes-leader, growing up the hard way tale. We follow Juan Rico from the impetuosity of his youth (enlisting in Federal Service because the girl he liked was too, thus being cut off from the cushy job with his father's successful company), through a gruelling boot camp (where they make it as tough as possible to stay and incredibly easy to leave), smack into humanity's first interspecies war (where he and his fellow new recruits are liabilities not worth mention until they see their first combat and become brothers-in-arms), through the crushing burden of leadership (where those in command must take responsibility for absolutely everything that they and their men do). Heinlein accurately portrays the esprit de corps of elite (volunteer) military units. One of the most insightful points of the book is that men fight because of their comrades-in-arms, not for politicians, citizens, or ideals. And despite all the high-tech toys the military may have, it's still the mudfoot putting himself in harm's way that decides a military action. Before attacking Heinlein's politics, one should look at our own culture and ask if we truly have all the solutions. If we do not, do we have the intellectual honesty to actually read this book without arbitrarily dismissing Heinlein's ideas as not being compatible with our own? Two excellent discussions that illustrate Heinlein's mastery of language and 'call a spade a spade' attitude come to mind. First is his discussion of the contradictory term 'juvenile delinquent.' He accurately points out that 'delinquent' means one who has failed in duty, but by very nature a juvenile is one not ready for duty. The second is his response to a 'violence never changes anything' argument: ask the Carthagenians and city fathers of Hiroshima if violence changed anything. An author who can make such clear, concise points of his beliefs is worth reading, whatever one's stance. Reflection upon a contrary opinion is never a wasted exercise. Agree or disagree with the specifics, the underlying, central foundation of Heinlein's politics is irrefutable: responsibility and authority are inexorably linked, and the severance of that link will never benefit society. Starship Troopers is very quotable; Heinlein's asides, much like History & Moral Philosophy teacher Jean Dubois' lessons, are a time bomb inside our heads. Some gems are visible immediately ('it is better to do something constructive at once than thing of the perfect thing to do hours later,' 'happiness consists chiefly in getting enough sleep': paraphrasing is mine) and some only through repeated readings ('once a basic truth has been stated it is never necessary to reformulate it; it retains its truth through translation and repetition': once again, my paraphrasing). I can never do more in a simple review than hint at what lies within Starship Troopers. There are too many levels to explore in one reading, much less this short review. Starship Troopers, ultimately, meets the acid test of the classics of science fiction: take out the sci fi, and it's still a great read. Add the sci fi, and it makes a great read phenomenal.
Rating:
Summary: An Allegory of WWII in the Pacific
Review: Heinlein does a lot of moralizing and philosophizing in this book. He talks about the duties of citizenship and the decay of Western civilization. His observations relating to use of force, child rearing, and social responsibility are not "politically correct" in this modern day and age. His views on the equality of women weren't "politically correct" when he wrote. Back in the late 50's and early 60's I read and re-read this book until I completely wore out two copies. I often skipped over the philosophical sections to get to the "good stuff"--the action. I didn't appreciated the philosophy, but I did love the action. I also didn't realize that the book was an allegory for WWII. Heinlein served in the Navy during WWII, and this might account for the decidedly Pacific flavor of the book. The Bugs are the Japanese. They fight every bit as tenaciously as the Japanese did, and in the end they are as thoroughly defeated. The bombing of Buenos Aires is, of course, Pearl Harbor. The Mobile Infantry is the Marine Corps. The world where they take R&R is Hawaii. The capture of the Brain Bug might correspond to the cracking of the Japanese code and the ambush of Yammamoto. Other parallels can be drawn, but you can push the analogy too far. The numerous landings correspond to the amphibious assaults of the island hopping campaign which was to culminate in the final amphibious assault on the Japanese homeland. That last assault was made unnecessary by Hiroshima. Heinlein ends his book with a thinly veiled criticism of Hiroshima. Toward the end of the war, the Earthly forces had perfected the "Nova bomb", which could simply destroy an entire planet. Although Earth had the technology to simply destroy the Bugs' home world, they decided to spend the lives necessary to capture the world by assault. Although I was too bone-headed to appreciate the Pacific War/Bug War parallels as a child, I did pick up on Heinlein's criticism of Hiroshima, and parrotted it to my father. Dad was a Marine during WWII and had been slated to participate in that last assault. Needless to say, Dad had an entirely different take on the bombing. After reading "Storm Landings", by John H. Alexander, I tend to agree with Dad.
Rating:
Summary: Starship Troopers-an ecxellent book
Review: Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein, is a unique masterpiece of science fiction, which tells us a simple story of a soldier, and yet takes it to new heights. The book was met well by readers worldwide. Sony made a hit movie (named similarly) based on it and there even was a computer game. However, despite this success, the book had created a controversial conflict. While millions of fans hailed the book, almost every book critic worldwide criticized the book. However, even constant critic attacks did not prevent Starship Troopers from becoming a bestseller in United States and winning the Hugo Awards in 1960. Starship Troopers tells a story of a soldier thrown into an epic battle which will decide the fate of human race. It is XXII century. Earth is now called Terra. Humans have already colonized other solar systems in the Galaxy. However, in the depth of space they meet a deadly new enemy. Arachnoids are intelligent insects, far larger than usual ones, and are possessed with a single idea: to destroy the human race. Heinlein's hero is Juan Rico, son of a rich businessman, who wants to serve in the Army in order to gain the right to vote. He gets into infantry and experiences shock and harshness of becoming a soldier. After Rico finishes his training he begins to fight against the Bugs and their plans to destroy humanity. Starship Troopers audience is targeted at people who like science fiction. The book contains all the elements which score well with science fiction fans. There are aliens, planets, starships and adventures.. Heinlein's world of the future is vivid and realistic but always stays as a background to the main story, and that makes the book easy to read, as it always stands on its course. Furthermore, Heinlein succeeds in reinventing certain science fiction cliques. He brilliantly chooses insects as the alien race which humans are fighting against. Insects, because of their loathsome appearance, are usually hated or treated with disgust by humans. Thus, reader hates the aliens, too, making the story much more believable. Also, such aliens are much more believable and realistic to today's reader, than some six legged creature with claws and an indiscernible features. Heinlein is ingenious in using various literary techniques to mesmerize the reader and make reading Starship Troopers a highly memorable experience. First, he uses first person narrative throughout the book. Not only this brings reader closer to the story, but it also emotionally connects the reader with the hero. Heinlein also uses chronological organization, and one reads the book and goes along the life of the hero. In addition, each chapter reveals more and more about the future world, and that makes reading much more interesting. The book's language is also simple and easy to read and comprehend Furthermore, book contains lots of dialogue, and one feels how the characters interact. Overall, throughout the book, Heinlein succeeds in creating a unique atmosphere, through which one is emotionally connected to the story and to its characters. To conclude, if you are a science fiction fan, Starship Troopers is an excellent book, definitely worth reading and rereading. If you do not like science fiction, you might want to read something else. However, if you are not a science fiction fan, but are interested in it, this would be a good book to start your journey into the exciting world of science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Not like the movie at all, a great book
Review: I saw the movie and decided that the book was worth reading. It was a pleasant surprise when I learned that it had won the Hugo Award (1960) and had been published in the 50's. So going into this I knew that Starship Troopers was a time-tested novel from the Golden Age of science fiction. Expecting a story similar in plot to the movie, I was again pleasantly surprised to find that this was a socio-political writing. Complete with power-suits, alien bugs (the bad guys), military space-training and political theory, this novel had everything but romance. I started this novel on a Sunday and called in sick on Monday so that I could finish reading it. After I had read it, upon reading the reviews, I noticed there were many people offended by the political theories presented in the book. I remember one person warning the potential reader "not to take the politics too far" or "not to take this book too seriously." That's because this book makes you think. It's about the value of citizenship in a democratic government based on a franchise derived from the military. Some even contend that the book parallels Nazi political thought; but this is most likely because it was written so close to the end of WWII. Whether or not you agree is completely up to you. So be careful, please. This book will not only entertain you, but make you THINK as well. There aren't many sci-fi books that do that. So in that regard, I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascist Garbage
Review: I should start out by saying that a) I have never seen the movie and b) as an army veteran in a militia state (Switzerland), I should presumably be receptive to one of the (supposedly) core ideas in _Starship Troopers_, that citizenship has to be earned by public service. Unfortunately, Heinlein seems to have very little use for the actual *exercise* of the citizenship: His characters refer to it on derogatory terms, all of them get killed or become career soldiers rather than voting citizens, and none of them evidences the slightest interest in actually *changing* anything in this oh-so-perfect society. Instead, we get treated to a view of a society which constantly brutalizes its members from childhood through military training to their slaughter in poorly motivated military tactics and to justify it all, harangues them in regular indoctrination lectures. Blatantly taking a page out of the Nazi playbook, the instructors keep referring to their poorly reasoned apologies for their brutal ideology as "exact science" and "mathematics" - with such a perverse use of "mathematics", it's no wonder that the protagonist keeps having difficulties in his math studies. Recommending the book for a "young adult" audience is a bad idea. Like Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_, another work of fascist science fiction, it's bound to poison impressionable minds with a pseudo-philosophy that it's going to take them years to grow out of. It might be interesting, however, to present this book in combination with two other books: Joe Haldemann's _The Forever War_, which presents a much more plausible scenario of the effects of intergalactic war on soldiers and society, and Hans Peter Richter's _I Was There_, an autobiographical account of what it's *actually* like to grow up in a fascist society (Nazi Germany; readers of _I Was There_ will find a chilling similarity to the society of _Startship Troopers_). Leaving aside the disturbing ideology (which is rather hard to do), the book is reasonably well written (which is why I gave it 2 stars), except for the dialogue, which is suprisingly wooden for such an acclaimed author.
Rating: 
Summary: Baaaaad hardcover
Review: I bought the hardcover because I thought it would be nice to have in my collection. However, the one I bought was an "econoclad" book which seems to mean a paperback with a poorly glued on card-board cover. Hardly what anyone would consider a real hardcover. Still a good story if you are not judging it by its cover... but not for the collector looking for a real hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: One of Heinlein's best
Review: Starship Troopers is one of those sci-fi novels which is described in such a way that you feel you are there with the characters, suffering their losses and basking in their triumphs. He has a political philosophy in this book, but it it well woven in the storyline, and doesn't come off as preaching. Also, this book isn't a right-wing treatise like some say it is. That fact that veterans were the ones that were truly free illustrates one point: you don't really appreciate something unless you fight for it. This doesn't mean that everyone doesn't deserve freedom, but that those who sacrificed the most for it will cherish it the most. I think Heinlein did an excellent job of conveying his message, and that he did it in a book as enjoyable as this one is impressive.
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