Starship Troopers

Technofiction review of Starship Troopers

"Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein was the first science fiction story I ever read, way back in 7th grade or so (1960). That book was the first inspiring book I read by myself, and started me on a years-long devotion to reading science fiction. It was really inspiring. In 1990, I reread "Starship Troopers", and as I read it, I was surprised: it didn't feel like I was reading the same story. My impression the second time was of a "Sands of Iwo Jima in Space" instead of something entirely new and different. (and I was kind of shocked at how much living thirty years had changed my perspective!) Either way, the heart of the story was power armor, how to use it, and how its presence affected people's thinking. In this story Heinlein proposed that to become a citizen -- someone who voted on how to run the government -- a person needed to first demonstrate some responsibility to the community. .Sounded good to me, but for taking that stance many critics labeled this book as supporting fascism. In 1997 I saw the Starship Troopers movie, and saw that the director had missed the point of the story entirely by taking out the power armor. Without power armor, the soldiers were transformed into World War One "over the top" infantry who would be discouraged from asking "Why?" before they marched off into a do-or-die situation, and because of that, they lost any reason to be "responsible for the community" in the sense that Heinlein was emphasizing in his book version of the story. Unlike the book, the movie really was about a Fascist/Spartan "Come back with your shield or on it." mentality. These changes in what I read, and misinterpretations in what I saw depicted in the movie, inspired me to write my own version of the power armor story, and you can find it in my short story "The Ticket Out" in "Tips for Tailoring Spacetime Fabric Vol. 1" (Vol. 1 is about stories in space, and Vol. 2 is about stories on Earth). So in the end, I still found the book inspiring, but the movie a whole lot less so. Yeah, this is one of those "read the book, you'll like it a lot better"-cases.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Not at all like the movie

Although the movie was loosely based on this book, it is not the same. It is amazing to me that it was written in the 50's but is such a social commentary on our world today. When I was in the Army, I used to make my soldiers read it and give me a report about what it meant to them. Awesome read!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Excellent read

The epic science fiction novel ¿Starship Troopers¿, by Robert A Heinlein, is perhaps one of the most controversial books of its time. It follows Juan ¿Johnnie¿ Rico as he trains and fights his way across the galaxy with the Mobile Infantry, 'MI', attached to ¿Rasczak¿s Roughnecks¿. Though not a well written novel, in the literary or grammatical sense, ¿Starship Troopers¿ kept me hooked because of the political ideals that Heinlein introduces. These same ideals are also the main source of conflict between his critics and fans, 'I now identify myself with the latter group'. Johnny Rico is introduced after his High School graduation. As an 18 year old, he is faced with two choices, join the Armed Forces and become a citizen of Terra, 'an allied earth of the future', or live a normal and prosperous life, but never be able to participate in the government. In an effort to impress a girl, 'typically', our young hero signs up for the military. Though he lists many jobs and roles ahead of the MI when he enlists, fate was not with him. Stuck in a dangerous and seemingly glory- less position, he is sent to the hardest boot camp in all of Terra, with the highest attrition rate. Somehow, he survives through his hellish training, and becomes enthralled with his newfound occupation. So, when a war breaks out with the ¿bugs¿, or Arachnids from the planet Klendathu, he, along with the Roughnecks, is sent off to war, and the story unfolds from there. Throughout the book Heinlein promotes a governmental system where only veterans run the government. His reasoning is surprisingly sound. Veterans, in his, 'and my', opinion, are the obvious choice for leaders. They have already proven their dedication to the country by risking their lives to protect it. Heinlein reasons that Earth would be a more peaceful place if its leaders knew the costs of war. In Heinlein¿s system, all people had the right to free and happy lives. Crime however, was dealt with harshly. Instead of babying criminals in an ineffective prison system, first offenders are flogged, and second offenders immediately win a death sentence. Heinlein believes, 'correctly', that dealing harshly with crime will serve to eliminate it in most cases. In one instance, Rico has a flashback to his High School years, and they speak of our system as being inhumane, and make a surprisingly good argument. He also believes that revolutions would be non-existent in this system, because the most aggressive people, the ¿sheepdogs¿, 'if I may refer to LTC 'ret' Dave Grossmans article', are the leaders of the government. The¿ sheep¿, those people who would not be likely to take up arms against the government, are safely protected under the government¿s power. These are just a very few points that Heinlein brings out in his novel, I¿ll leave you to find out the rest, 'wouldn¿t want to ruin the book!'. Though his critics call him militaristic, Heinlein manages to weave a thought provoking tale of war, bravery, and tragic loss, and offers a novel that has gone down in history as one of the greatest of its kind ever written. Though your opinion may differ then mine, anyone can appreciate the Johnny Rico¿s and Terran Mobile Infantrymen that live on today through their real life counterparts. All in all, this book was one of the most powerful I have ever read, and it would do you good to pick up a copy and follow the adventures of the Roughnecks, as I have.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Timeless

Heinlein wrote ahead of his time and speaks from the past regarding many of today's social views. This book is timeless and the story spun by a master.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Military Sci Fi - Heavy on Military and Ethics

Recently, I've been reaching back through the decades to catch up on some classic Sci Fi. I reread Herbert's "Dune" which is as heavy and awesome as I remember. I discovered Miller's "Canicle for Leibowitz" and plan on reading H. Beam Piper's "Little Fuzzy" before John Scalzi's take on it is released this Spring.

I've never read "Starship Troopers". My only previous exposure to the story was from the 1997 action film with the same title. The book has only the BAREST resemblance to the film. I think the film is cool. It's not great, but it's kind of fun in a blow-em-up action film sort of way. But the book is very different.

The story follows Johnny Rico as he graduates High School and decides to enter the military. He doesn't have a great suite of skills to offer, besides strength, and as we find later in the book - leadership. So he ends up in the Mobile Infantry - sort of like the Marines. We follow him through basic training, a few battle interactions and then into officer training school before a final "bug battle". Each jump in his military career creates opportunity for Heinlein to introduce characters and events that provide a platform for his discourse on the evils, morals, and theoretic benefits of war, violence, punishment and education.

It was like a 250-page lecture on the ethics and morals of war, violence and race. It's beautifully written and appears to include very realistic and detailed descriptions of what life is like in the military - specifically, boot camp and officer training (I say "appears" because I've not been in the military to judge first-hand).

In terms of action, there's very little of it. The opening sequence shows off the capabilities of a futuristic battle suit that allows soldiers to run and "bounce" at speeds of 40+ miles/hour. It's cool. The last 30 pages or so is focused on a tactical battle exchange with the "bugs" that are the focus of the military's eye throughout much of the book. Both scenes are very detailed militarily.

Heinlein's "Troopers" is a classic and understandably so, but it's a bit of a product of the era in which it was created (cold war), and reads more heavy-handedly than a more fun and high action-oriented military sci fi story like John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

great story in orignal book

I read this book back in the late sixty's. There two books out, one is the Heinlein book. It is a lot of reading and takes some time to read and some staying with it. The other is a copy of the movie and in the print verson it doesn't come as much enjoyment as the movie does. Reading the orignal book is better, more about the mobile army and the people in it. If they had made a movie that followed the orignal book it would have a great movie. That is why Mr. Heinlein didn't like having his books turned into movies. I recomend the orignal book and would take back the movie version to how sold it to me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Book came first :)

I've read reviews stating, "The book is nothing like the movie" or "The movie is better than the book", etc...well, in my own way of thinking, as the book came first, everything should be in comparison to as how accurate "X" is to the original, i.e. the Book. The book has been and always will be a classic on military and ethics. When I first read it, it had only been around for 15yrs. It's still relevant today as it was back then. Now that it's in an eBook form, no worries about lending it out and never getting it back (lost 3 copies that way :/ ) Anyway, I give it 5 stars.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic read.

I enjoyed this book a lot. There is a lot of talk about government and political theory which i thoroughly enjoyed. This book appeals on many levels and i definitely recommend it to any military fiction fan or anyone else for that matter.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Exciting and thought provoking military sci-fi

I love this book. The attention to detal, his experimentation with future military operations and ideas, the politics, this is a real classic. The only downside is the kindle book price, are you frigging kiding me???!!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

My anchor to the writen word

This story spoke to me as a young child and related a sharp focus to personal duty. Now that I am older i reflect on the parts of Starship Troopers that i hadn't grasped in youth and they strike even coser to home. For this i will always hold Heinlein's books closest. As young man lost in the world this book provides focus to goals not yet realized.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

great sociopolitical view

the best thing about this book is its take on future government and culture. fantastic vision of future life, if only we could live like this.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Starship Troopers

I'm going to be honest. I didn't know this book even existed until well after I had first watched the film. I am happy to say however that the book far surpasses the film in every way possible. The book is about a young man, Juan "Johnnie" Rico who decides to join the military. The novel is set against a futuristic backdrop and could be very well described as science fiction. But unlike a lot of other science fiction that I've read, this book never becomes cheesy. Robert A. Heinlein never tries to bash you over the head with futuristic technology. Instead he brings up themes ranging from politics to military tradition. This tale should be a must read for science fiction fans or military fiction buffs. The book wasn't a particularly long read, but days after finishing it, I am still thinking about it, and that is a surefire sign of success.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER!

Robert Heinlein was in the middle of writing his seminal Science Fiction classic, "A Stranger in a Strange Land" when he happened to see youngsters on television protesting against serving in the Vietnam War. Furious, he wrote about what happens in a near-future pacifist society when they're attacked by an overwhelmingly hostile alien culture. His point: we need a strong military because some day we may REALLY need it. From this premis he crafted one of the most exciting hard sf novels of all time (which - alas - was made into a mediocre film). Heinlein is the only author who can put together space ships, battles, creepy aliens, mind powers, awesome technology, and great characters into a mind-blowing book that you will never forget. That's how you win a Hugo! - - Mary Tills, Barnes and Noble, Frederick, Maryland.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Starship Troopers is a must read for those who wish to discuss politics, the philosophy of accountability, and the rights of an individual. Do not read it for action, because it hardly exists.... but it is great literature for curing the disease of liberalism that is ruining the world.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

:3

STARSHIPS ARE MEANT TO FLY Y Y HANDS UP AND TOUCH THE SKY Y

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Exceptional Read.

For any reader whose IQ is better than average, this Sci-Fi classic is the Holy Grail. An in depth look at the perceptions of being human disguised as science fiction, this book touches on humanity and its reactions and interactions when challenged or threatened. The story follows the life and development of Johnny Rico as he transforms from spoiled rich kid to a leader of men in danger, exploring his growth along the way. The chapter that discusses "Crime and punishment in the later 20th/early 21st century" makes this book a must read! The rest is cake!
Several of Heinlein's books are in my library but THIS book is the Standard. Material is great to use in political/military debates as well as social norm's debates. I do hope you enjoy it as much I do! All 5 times I've read it.

The book is rather different than the popular sci-fi movie version

The 1997 Starship Troopers sci-fi action movie is likely want many contemporary readers might first think of rather than this 1959 original book by Heinlein. While the running background plot of the "Bug War" is common, they are very very different stories. Whereas the movie focuses on the action of the war itself (and is very entertaining!) this book follows the life of Juan Rico from his entrance into the training program of the Mobile Infantry through his initial deployment and involvement in the Bug War, and his maturation as a young officer under battle. This story is very much a biography of Rico, told in the first person. It's a good read and those who liked the movie will find this a nice -- albeit much more "cerebral" -- complement to the movie storyline. Bearing in mind it was written in the late 1950s, there are some socio-political commentaries tossed in along the way that are very interesting viewed some 50 years later.

Fantastic

Don't let the movie give you any ideas. This book is one of Heinlein's best commentaries on government. Should be required reading.

Like "Battle Cry" in Space

I enjoyed "Starship Toopers" but it was quite different from what I had expected. I was expecting more gripping sci-fi combat action, and what I got was a broad spectrum of what life in the MI would be like from boot camp and into battle with quite a bit of social, political and philosophical commentary along the way. It's been quite a while since I read "Battle Cry" by Leon Uris, but there was something about "Starship Troopers" that reminded me of it... with maybe a hint of "Full Metal Jacket". If you are looking for full combat action, this is not the book for you; like some of the other review say, there is not all that much except for the beginning and the end. If you want a good piece of classic science fiction writing by one of the masters, it's definitely an enjoyable read.

It was ok i guess

The title sums it up. The book wasn't really great and it wasn't really bad. It was about one mans limited experience from moments he deemed worthy to share. But it was well written