Starship Troopers

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Summary: By how far can you miss the point?
Review: I am constantly amazed at those who denounce Heilein as fascist (even bearing in mind the noble tradition in American political debate to let libel substitute for discourse). Because he postulated a mildly totalitarian society in ST, why is he pilloried for it? Anyone who has read a cross section of RAH's other books (including the charmingly idiosyncratic travelogue Tramp Royale) knows that Heinlein was adamantly opposed to all forms of governmental coercion. So here he poses a possible society in which the franchise is only awarded to veterans (who incidentally are volunteers - no draft) and briefly discusses how that came about, it's just setting the stage for the real point of this novel, which is the relationship between the professional soldier and the society he protects. Duty, honor, integrity... that's what this book is about, not the glorification of war. Heinlein pulls no punches, even with the powered armor and pocket nukes this war is no walkover, it's nasty, brutal, and ugly. People (that is, humans - "our" side) get maimed and killed, where anyone would find glorification in the descriptions of combat is beyond me. What Heinlein is saying is that some things must be defended, even at the risk of our own lives. So the society he postulated is not an idyllic one by our own standards... it wasn't by his, either. Others have commented adversely about the unsympathetic nature of the enemy and wanted more development of them, but Heinlein deliberately and artificially created an adversary who was entirely unhuman and a war which was flatly unambiguous - this isn't Vietnam, you can't feel empathy for the aliens, or wonder if this is the right fight, or even concede the justice of their cause. This is a pure crusade, something which seldom if ever comes along in human history. That simply distills the story to its essentials - the soldier's relationship to his society, remember? For a true political manifesto, read his "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," where he espouses his libertarian philosophy. He is realistic enough there to have it miss realization in the end, because while libertarianism makes an admirable ideal it's an unworkable utopian reality - face it, we can't trust each other all the time, and there are some of us who need government support to varying degrees, and sometimes natural disasters overcome our individual abilities. But please don't make RAH responsible for your own prejudices - reread this book, jettison your "cold war paranoia" putdowns and think about what Johhny Rico is fighting for and why. Observe his evolution from aimless teenager into professional soldier fighting for his people's survival. And for those reviewers who obviously are basing their comments on the film - shame on you! Let's display at least a modicum of intellectual honesty here, please!

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Summary: Virile Nietzschean Instinct All The Way!!
Review: Gentlefolk, One reviewer earlier wrote that ST should be required reading for Political Science students--- an excellent point (I myself am slogging through a Ph.D. in the subject). The text operates on several more or less distinct levels at once, all of which are useful for students of government. On one level, it is about the maturation of a young man as he finds purpose and awakens to the realities of life. On another level it is about a war of ascendance between two incommensurably different species. On a third level it is about political philosophy, especially the reciprocal nature of 'rights' to 'obligations'. This last level is what seems to provoke the most controversy. The morality of this future society is almost completely free of Christian values. It is a society where honor and virility are worshiped. Where inequality is recognized with clarity as an ineradicable element of existence. A society with hardly any elements of Christian weakness (or its redistributive secular political correlate, leftism). The whole book is an unqualified exhaltation of Man at his best and most potent--fighting for a noble cause, unyielding and heroically enduring massive losses without nary a blink. The weak (--those unable or unwilling to endure the test of citizenship--), while given freedom in a prosperous society, are not stake- holders in such a society. Birth means little in the Terran Federation--it is what one does that counts. In a word, the text puts strength and virtue (the martial virtue of pagan Republican Rome, not the Vatican!) once again at the center of man's world. Of course, strength and martial virtuosity have always 'counted'--but in Heinlein's post-Christian world, where men are liberated from life-sucking & self-negating anti-values, honor is unabashedly accorded where it is due: to the best of men. From each according to his ability, to each according to his ability! As Alexander the Conquerer said on his deathbed, in response to a query about who shall get his empire: "To the strongest".

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Summary: Starship Troopers, a great book
Review: Starship Troopers was one of the best sci-fi books I have read in my entire life. Though, you may think that the movie is like the book it isn;t. The book is much, much, much better. I think you should read this book if you like science fiction.

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Summary: Hispanic?!? Rico's Filipino
Review: Alright, first of all Heinlein writes his books to entertain people and to make people think as can he explains through Jubal Harshaw in "Stranger in a Strange Land". With this book, love it or hate it he accomplishes that purpose. Though eventually the plots seem to repeat themselves in his books its the ideas that keep you coming back. And finally to prove my title point on the very last page Juan Rico says something in TAGALOG the national language of the Phillipines (did I spell that right?) An archipelago Southeast of China. Don't believe me? look it up.

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Summary: Excellent book with a thought provoking view of the military
Review: True Heinlein fans are going to hate the movie. The book shows a society that has found an interesting method of weeding out the irresponsible from full citizenship. Only those who have served a term in government service have the right to vote or serve in public office. A lot of people assume this to be a facist society (The ridiculous movie helps this belief) But in fact the society Heinlein depicts has more personal freedom than our own. Government service is made as hard as possible so only the truly committed can get through a term. Rico the young hero enlists for obscure reasons even he does not understand and winds up in a war. Through his service he learns more about himself and responsibility than he ever thought possible. I really wish the people who made the movie would have read the book first. There was a lot of potential there. The movie resembles the book in name only.

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Summary: Hardly a Classic
Review: I must agree with a recent review - not at all what I thought it would be, especially after watching the trailers for the movie. And agree with another - it is like a lecture, as if Heinlein was afraid we wouldn't get it. He certainly was afraid we would get distracted if there were too much action or too much technobabble. Make me feel something, make me care, make me hate, but most important of all - make me figure it out on my own.

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Summary: Deep in places, but often shallow
Review: This book is an in-your-face exposition of a future in a fascist state-over-all society. I feel the book does not promote or romanticise such a society : it simply sets it out in detail and leaves the reader to judge. The greater part of the book builds up a feel for the society, waxing lyrical in places about the failure of twentieth century democracies. It is a highly political book and puts forward a valid possible future. Having done that, it pits these developed soldiers against bug like aliens which by comparison are so undeveloped that the effect is almost corny, like giant ants. These shoddy aliens demean the story and cheapen the true to life elements. Heinlen ought to have, if he wanted the story to be serious, either had people fighting each other (far more likely) or against aliens with more character and development of their own. But to create such a realistic society, then tag on this silly war with aliens little more convincing than the little green men from Mars which predates it is a shame.A wasted opportunity.

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Summary: A great novel of a war with science fiction characters
Review: A wonderful tale of war. Robert Heinleins best book ever.

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Summary: I can't stop reading this book!
Review: I bought this book when I was a teenager and have read it so many times I have lost count. But each time I read it, I come away with different ways of looking at how complacent we have become, in our lives. I recommend it to any science fiction reader. This book should be required reading for political science student.

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Summary: I liked the movie better
Review: First of all, I have to say I don't really like Heinlein's work in general: he sounds to me as a teacher, and when I read I like to think, to have fun, but not to have someone telling me how to live (see "Time enough for love", for instance). I totally agree with "kaseido"'s review. But most importantly I have to say I really appreciate this "customer comments" thing about Amazon.com: it gives you the opportunity of sharing thoughts with hundreds of people who read your same books, which is already pretty uncommon, but most of all you have the chance to know what people that maybe don't like to talk so much actually think about the books they've read.