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Summary: Will it be read now there is a film ?
Review: I've said it before , read the book.It's about a young man who has to think about war.That's it. How American to discover that the film is confused with a novel. Read the book without baggage.It's not bad,and makes you think.
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Summary: Responsibility for ones actions will empower you
Review: I first read this book as a child of 10 years and I still return to it from time to time. Everytime I hear about some heretofore normal action causing damage to someones self-esteem or hear of some henious crime being explained away as understandable due to the criminal's deprived childhood, I yearn for Johnny Rico's World
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Summary: one of the best books i have ever read!
Review: a really great book. i took it with me when i went out to an officer course in the army, and it had an answer, even if sometimes strange, to about everything they tought us there. it makes you angry, it makes you laugh, it makes you think, and the story it self, even if you take all the rest away, is great. heinlein at his best!
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Summary: You take the good with the bad....
Review: I'll not deny that Starship Troopers is a great read - fast-paced, exciting, fun stuff. But It is also impossible to deny that it is blatant right-wing propaganda. R.A.H. is obviously and unashamedly biased towards the society he creates. There is a abject lack of criticism of the society and a total failure to depict any significant flaws. Now I have many friends and some relatives who have served in the armed forces and while they are mostly good and decent people, they are human like everyone else and no more likely to create a utopia than any other group of individuals.(Perhaps a bit less so, given their penchant for, shall we say, "confrontational" problem solving.) In ST, Heinlein presents us with a society that is simplistic and peoples it with shallow, ill-defined characters who serve only as scantily-camoflaged vehicles to deliver his "message". I won't attempt to argue against the validity of that message here - I'll only say that I wouldn't want to live in the world depicted in ST. Try reading ST, then read The Forever War by Haldeman - a Vietnam Veteran and a better, more thoughtful writer than Heinlein could ever hope to be. You'll be amazed at how two writers, starting from the same basic premise, can achieve totally different ends - both in quality and subject matter.
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Summary: Too much review and too little book
Review: If we keep up our reviewing rate we will very shortly have a review that is longer than the book in question. I've read SST several times, and I still haven't seen any sign of fascism. About the worst I've seen is an overdose of brutality which is strongly justified by the arguments of the H&MP class: Punishment must be cruel and unusual or else it serves no purpose. Unusual in that you don not punish everyone regularly or without cause, and cruel so that it sticks in their mind that their offense is truly something bad. The society envisioned by Heinlein may not be perfect but it knows how to deal with it's problems. One more thing for those who thought the book to be preachy and it's end result despicable. You ought to be afraid. Whether you accept it or not Heinlein's criticisms of modern society are real and if we do nothing to stop them we will have a society worse than that of SST. Final Note: You ought to read this just to see what all the commotion is about.
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Summary: Good Right Wing Literature
Review: What a refreshing change of pace from the bleeding heart liberal dross that they are force feeding students these days. This is one of the best books I've ever read. We need more authors who challenge the way we've come to view society.
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Summary: Highly recommended.
Review: This is an exciting, thoughful book. For a book written so many years ago, the technology depicted is quite interesting. Heinlein also shares some refreshing libertarian views through his story. I don't read sci-fi very often, but this author was recommended and I wasn't disappointed. I also enjoyed the movie, even though it was only loosely based on the book. The armor suit reminded me of the book Armor which I read many years ago. That's a good book too. My only gripe with ST is that I enjoyed reading the battle sequences so much that I wanted to read more of them. But that's my problem, not his.
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Summary: A controversial novel about coming of age in the future.
Review: Starship Troopers is Heinlein's best work. Supposedly written for a juvenile audience, I doubt many of them understood the philosophy and morals emphasized by the book. We follow the military career of Jaun Rico from recruit to seasoned officer. Along the way we learn about societal changes through future "history". Published in 1959, Heinlein acurately predicts the downfall of our youth, due to a lack of discipline and the failure to teach morals in school. The "history and moral philosophy" class discusses street gangs, youth violence, and many other problems of our time that had not happened in 1959. Some might think the philosophical aspect too right-wing, but many will overlook politics and see the truth in Mr. Heinlein's strong moralistic novel. Combat action aside, Mr. Heinlein points out that those who are not willing to die for freedom should not be allowed to take advantage of all freedom has to offer. There is plenty of action for those wh! o seek it. The battle scenes are intense. Don't judge this book by the poorly done film of the same title.
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Summary: R.A.H. creates a society that worships death.
Review: Right-wing dross is what this book is. The author doesn't even attempt to criticise the society he has created. R.A.H. was irresponsible in writing this book - too bad he spent so much time harping on questions of responsability in the story. Ironic, isn't it?If this is really the best book you've ever read, I suggest you try to read a wider selection of books.
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Summary: Juan Rico thinks he joins the Federal Service for two years
Review: What's your fondest wish when you're eighteen? To graduate from high school, go to college, attend the service academies, or go right into the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, and come up through the ranks? Joining the Federal Service was furthest thing from Juan Rico's mind. He thinks he's joining the Federal Service for two years and then it's an easy ticket to citizenship. Right? WRONG! When we first meet him, he's in the drop room of the troop transport Rodger Young, with Sergeant Jelal, the acting commander of their platoon. Make that Career Ship's Sergeant Jelal. Rico's a member of "Rasczak's Roughnecks," he resents the Rodger Young's Captain calling "Jelly", which is Jelal's nickname off-duty, "Lieutenant," though he concedes that he'll get his promotion someday. They head down to an unidentified planet that the Bugs had gassed. Dizzy Flores, one of the drop troopers, goes temporarily missing and Rico goes after her against Je! lal's orders. They show up at the rendezvous point on time and on the bounce. They return to the Rodger Young. Rico only joined the Federal Service so he could see his girlfriend, Carmencita Ibanez. Rico's ship, the Rodger Young returns to base to pick up new personnel. Upon arriving, Rico goes to Jelal and tells him he wants to become an officer in the Mobile Infantry. Sergeant Jelal gives him a form for Officer's Candidate SChool. While he's waiting for the boat that will take him to another ship bound for Earth, and OCS, he meets his father. They have a brief reunion before he has to report to the Rodger Young. His father had joined up a year earlier. His aunt had sent him a letter telling him that his mother had died while visiting Buenos Aires. The boot camp scenes are realistic. At the end of their OCS training, they prepare to make their first tour of duty, or "pip tour." The commandant says that his teacher, Mr. Dubois, wanted him to wear his pips! but he says he can't do that because they were lost two ye! ars ago. He offers him his own. Rico's assigned to Captain Black, the commander of Blackie's Blackguards, as they drop on Kelenthdu, the Bugs' home planet. The Bugs ambush Rico's patrol, which acts like the Tunnel Rats of the Vietnam War, as they try to drive the Bugs out. We then see Rico and his father in the drop room of the Rodger Young. (His best friend, Carl Jenkins, had died when the Bugs attacked the Federation's research station on Pluto.) Rico addresses his men and his father says they should get buttoned up. He tells the Captain of the Rodger Young that Rico's Roughnecks is ready to drop. The Captain wishes them luck and says "This time we get them." She then plays "To the Everlasting Glory of the Infantry."
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