Starship Troopers

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: One of the best Sci-fi novels of war ever made. Also one of the best examples of what war means.

Rating:
Summary: This book is one of my "guilty pleasures"
Review: You see, I'm still to some extent the peacenik I was during the 'Nam years, and this book is war, war, war. Two different interstellar enemies. A society where you have to be a vet to vote (even most hawks I know don't quite agree with that). This doesn't result in disenfranchisement along lines of gender--the Space Navy is made up of women! But the core of the story is based on the rites of passage of a real human being in the Herman Wouk style, not that of the writers who do Rambo-clones. Our hero Johnnie Rico is an easy dude to like. He feels. He hopes. He suffers. He triumphs. As a recruit, he fears and resents his superiors, only to later on count his service under them as making him the soldier he has become since. So he learns, too. I first read this book in junior high--it's one of a string of Heinlein books aimed at youth. But today, I'm only a few years younger than my grandfather was back then, yet the thing is still in my collection. Go figure.

Rating:
Summary: Morale Debates that cannot be put aside
Review: After seeing the movie, I expected the book to be just as violent, and to only about violence, but what I saw in that book has forever changed my life. Heinlein's theroies about the government, the military, punishments, religion, and almost all aspects of life are certainly something that is worth looking into, and if our government was run that way, all of our problems would be solved. This no non-sense book reminds me that there people in this world who still believe in a world government, which brings peace by violence. There is also a great deal of action for the thrill-seekers, but the action is quite real, and is nothing like rambo and his "one man kills all " figure. This book is a must read for anybody that is thinking about joining the service, is in the service, or is a verteran. We could all benifit from his ideas. IN MY OPINION THIS IS ONE OF HEINLEIN'S GREATEST WORKS, AND MAYBE EVEN ONE OF THE GREATEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD.

Rating:
Summary: Good book...
Review: I read the book after seeing the previews for the movie....and was very much surprised. I was ready for some action-shoot 'em up book, and was hit with a rather deep book that I enjoyed a lot more than I would have enjoyed some gory thriller. I recommend it to anyone who thinks.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: Although I didn't read all the other comments, I noticed one reviewer mention lawyers ("who needs them") and another criticize Heinlein's use of corporal punishment against children. I think that the discussion of juvenile justice (on pages 112-120 of the re-issue paperback) is the heart of the book: the real world is a hard place, not some namby pamby social worker's fantasy. The book, and that passage in particular, is about the fine line that must be drawn in society between the rights of one individual and the rights of everyone else. Why should one individual have the right to trample over all the others, with no fear of punishment, and worse, little or no remorse? The moral issue extends from the juvenile issue to war in general - what is the right balance? Where is the line drawn between the good of the one and the good of the many? Although some of Heinlein's examples in the book are hyperbole (it seems to me that Earth is a dystopia in this narrative), the conceptual framework for addressing the balance seems like one of the few I've seen which could work in the real world. I don't know. Maybe I just liked it because I am a lawyer, and a former prosecutor who dealt with juvenile offenders on a daily basis. But I think anyone would agree that Heinlein, when writing the book in 1959, was at least dead-on right about the continual worsening of juvenile crime over the last 40 years.

Rating:
Summary: This Book is the best book I've read!
Review: Robert A. Hienlein's Starship Troopers is a wonderful book that outlines the soliders job and the reasons behind man most terrible creation - war. I've read this book 9 times and every time I read it I find something new that I missed the last time. This book is a must buy for you Heinlein fans!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel, just wish it was longer....
Review: An excellent novel, truly one of the top ten I've ever read. My only complaint is that I wish there was more action in the field and less of the book devoted to Rico's training. Anyone who is a fan of military science fiction should buy this book immediately, it's an indispensable addition to anyone's library.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Work of '50s Science Fiction
Review: A classic of '50s science fiction, Starship Troopers is one of the most misunderstood books in pop science fiction, it is as much a comment on 1950s America as anything else. In 1959 sci-fi was considered only fit for adolescent males, and no sex or violence could be included--the greatest critisim of this book. It is book to read once a year, as every time there is something new. Eventually you will see that Heinlein is his own biggest critic. Most people either like it (for the wrong reasons) or hate it (having read half and getting to mad to see the finer points).

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating political philosophy
Review: This is one of the books that are easily dismissed after seeing the movie. The book, however, is exellent. It's incredibly interesting, especially the line that says war and morality derive from the same genitic stock. That made me stop and think. Plus, there were some really cool battle scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Only Veterans have the vote? Yeah!!!
Review: A good book. You may not agree with all Heinlein says but you cannot disagree with the fact that the book is well written, tells a good story about a young (very young) boy turning into a man an citizen. Being a veteran I'd like to try a society where politicians must be veterans and not lawyers (who needs them anyway?) I also approved the swift dispensation of justice described in the book. I'm in my fifties and I first read this book more than 30 year ago and, after re-reading it, I realize that I find it enjoyable and thought provoking. Did anyone else pick up on the fact that you read more than 3/4 of the book before you find out Johnny's last name?