Making Sci-Fi Men Out Of Sci-Fi Boys

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	• Starship Troopers Robert A. Heinlein Ace, 1987 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 688 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Thought provoking

Robert Anson Heinlein was a master storyteller. The way to write a great story is to be controversial, to arouse passion in the reader. You don't have to agree with the philosophies or morals stated, they are in the story to make you think. Heinlein was someone who detested violence, yet, who recognized the occasional need for it. This is made clear in this book, yet Heinlein had to keep the story shorter, as this book was intended for a juvenile audience.

I first read this book in ninth grade, and still re-read it from time to time. The book is not really about war or warfare, it is about becoming a man. That's it, simple. Yet to read the various reviews posted here, you might think that this book is either trash or very profound. I tend to vote more with the profound group here.

The central character, Juan Rico, a Filipino living in Buenos Ares decides to enlist in the service to impress a girl. This service does not have to be a combat arm, his friend Carl becomes an electrician in a factory on Pluto. He signs up for a two year term, the minimum required to become a citizen. All citizens are veterans of this system. Heinlein states that this system grew out of a time where society had become fractured, and the veterans united, due to more of a feeling of "if you aren't a veteran, don't bother us" attitude. Veterans could trust other veterans, but didn't trust others as much. This system simply grew (in Heinlein's mind) because this system separated the wolves from the sheep, or the "warriors" from the pacifists. With the polarization of our society today, and the problems we are incurring, this might actually be a possibility.

The book deals with our character Johnny coming of age, growing up as we watch, in this background of being a soldier at war. He reflects on his History and Moral Philosophy class (which no one was required to pass, only attend), and thinks of the decisions and events which lead him to become what he is becoming. This is the simple meat of what is happening in this book. The philosophical background is neither conservative, nor fascist, if anything this book is built on individual liberty and freedom of choice, which is rather a libertarian point of view. But fascist? Please!! I lived in Spain under Francisco Franco who was installed in power by Adolf Hitler. I know fascism; I have lived under its rule and threats, and know it well. Fascism is a very misused word today, living under a dictator with no freedoms and under threat of jail or death is the meaning of the word. Fascism is a country under rule of one person with all of its citizens working for the good of the state. It is very similar to the works of communism under Joseph Stalin, who ruled with much the same system, albeit with a slightly differing philosophical background, the primary mechanisms used were very much in line with Hitler's National Association of Socialist Workers Party, or Nazi's. Another very misused term in describing Heinlein. Both of these Socialist Utopian visions cost the deaths of millions and millions of their own citizens, and I don't just mean in war. Pogroms were common in both of these societies.

Now that I have made this book sound utterly boring and mundane, please, reconsider. Read the book for yourself, with an open mind. It will read much like something written today. His thoughts on the military are very ahead of its time. Female pilots, often on all female ships, in 1959? The reason for Heinlein not having female soldiers are due to a couple of reasons. One is females, by and large, are not as strong in the upper body as the average male. Not all of them, just by and large. Heinlein was very well aware that the female of our species is by far the more dangerous, but I think he felt that 1959 just wasn't quite ready for female soldiers, or maybe he worried about 1959 not being ready for his version of them. Hard to say, but interesting to think about. Anyone who has read the Moon is a Harsh Mistress will attest to Heinlein's thoughts about female fighters, or Friday for that matter.

All in all, this is the best book I have ever read, whatever its faults. I am sorry that it was made into such a crummy movie. The movie might have been okay, had it been done without the Starship Troopers name. Read the book, then let us all know what you thought of it, what can be more fair than that? 631 reviewers ought to tell you something....

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Excellent military sci-fi

Heinlein has written a timeless classic with Starship Troopers. It doesn't read like it was first published in 1959, if anything it reads like it was written yesterday. The book is simply outstanding, very intelligent and very entertaining. If you love sci-fi at all get this one. You will not be disappointed.

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Why we fight

This 1959 novel was sparked controversy since it first appeared. It was held up as a personification of what a citizen/soldier should be or denounced as a glorification of a fascist state depending on who was describing it. The irony is that both are missing the point since RAH was writing about the coming of age of one man, Juan (Johnnie) Rico, the pampered only child and heir to business empire.

Johnnie Rico's life is just about perfect. He is a confident young man one week from his 18th birthday and high school graduation. His life is set, Harvard in the fall and then entry into the family business that he will someday run but on an impulse Johnnie throws it all away and enlists for a two term in the military for an excellent reason, he wanted to impress a girl. Johnnie's opinion of himself quickly changes as he is deemed unqualified for every job in the military except for his last choice of Mobile Infantry. Even though he has the option to leave, a choice that would please his family, Johnnie decides to complete his term and then war breaks out. As the war continues Johnnie matures, from a raw recruit, to a combat soldier through the ranks to Officer Candidate School.

As with much of RAH's work a bit of editing would have made a better story. He goes into far too much detail about training, battle scenes and ship board routine, skim over those bits and get to the good stuff, the ideas that RAH so casually tosses out that will stay with the reader for years. He postulates a society that requires those who wish to shape it (vote) to first serve it in the military, where it is possible to get through high school without learning anything and reveals that the hero is not white but Filipino. All these themes will return in later RAH novels.

There was a film based on this novel it really only has the title and the basic premise of this story, and in fact, completely misses RAH's point.

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Fires the imagination

This book is one of my favorites. Why? It fires my imagination. The world portrayed in this story is full of things that can only be imagined, from the powered-armor, orbital assault described in the beginning, to the description of the society of the time, to the discussions on history and moral philosophy.

Like many of Heinlein's works, Starship Troopers is not so much a military action novel as it is a conduit for a sociopolitical commentary. Heinlein gives his views on topics such as suffrage (the right to vote), the necessity of punishment, authority, military training and operations, violence, and others. A history or government class could use this text as the soure for many fruitful discussions. You may not agree with everything Heinlein has to say (I certainly don't), but it does make you think. For example, should suffrage (voting) be a right (as it is in American society, based on citizenship and age), or should it be earned, and given only after a person has demonatrated a sacrifice for the benefit of society?

Thought-provoking, and perhaps more accessible than Stranger in a Strange Land.

Give it a read, and give it some thought.

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Making Sci-Fi Men Out Of Sci-Fi Boys

This classic by Heinlein surely deserves its status as a crucial influence, because in 1959 it ushered sci-fi from simple escapism to deep social themes. But even so, the novel is more of a vehicle for Heinlein's philosophical and political ideas, and the sci-fi portion of the story is little more than a thin backdrop, with little to add to the reader's enjoyment of the book. While the story is nominally about far-future armed forces fighting a grueling war with hive-mind insect aliens, there are very few battle scenes or even nominal action. Instead, the story deals with the military training and political machinations faced by main character Johnny. Heinlein's very complex themes about the futility of war and the weaknesses of human society were definitely a milestone for science fiction, and his philosophy is also unique for its hard Libertarian slant, as most other sci-fi utopia (or dystopia) builders tend toward Leftism. The reader can agree or disagree with Heinlein's philosophy as they see fit (charges or Aryanism or Fascism, while surely exaggerated, are not really that far off the mark). But the problem is that it should still be possible for a novel to offer empathetic characters and engaging action, while the author inserts his personal views through the underlying themes, or the thoughts and conversations of the characters.

Unfortunately, Heinlein does not always accomplish that here, as characters go on and on and on with political ramblings that are didactic, condescending, and increasingly tiresome. The action of the storyline stalls for significant portions of the book, as Johnny's horrifically long-winded teachers in a class called History & Moral Philosophy (real subtle, sir) pile on Heinlein's cranky and unyielding views in a fashion that is infinitely removed from believable (or enjoyable) dialogue. That's how Heinlein's politico-sociology comes across, while ruminations on the futility of war, though occasionally compelling, come across in boring tales of Johnny and his fellow soldiers trying to figure out who outranks whom, and who has responsibility for screw-ups and tough decisions. This book is surely important, and it deserves respect for its vast influence on all the science fiction that will ever be written again. It really is that crucial, but influence and readability do not always go hand in hand. [~doomsdayer520~]

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reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

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