Another fine novel made into a lousy movie

books:


	• Starship Troopers Robert A. Heinlein Ace, 1987 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 688 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Paying for the Right to Vote

When Heinlein first penned this work in response to a call by some politicians to unilaterally disarm the United States, I doubt if he thought it would become one of his best known and most controversial works, a work which continues to have steady sales and whose influence on the science-fiction field has been enormous.

It's a simple story, one of the growth of Juan Rico from boy to man, as he enlists in the military of the future, and learns just what duty and responsibility mean, what his own capabilities are, and just what he wants out of life.

What is controversial about this book is the philosophy that suffuses it, is in fact the heart of this book, as Heinlein posits a future where, in order to vote or hold political office, you must prove your willingness to support and defend the society through either military service or service in one of the non-combatant auxiliary services. As part and parcel of this idea, no one can be refused entry into these services, even if blind or paralyzed, so political franchise is available to anyone who so desires (as opposed to some of the limitations that have been put on the voting franchise by various states at various times - and remember that this book was written in 1959, long before the Voting Rights Act of 1965). Heinlein further posits that such a society, even though the people who hold office were no better, smarter, or otherwise more qualified than our current leaders, would be a more stable society than our current one because their authority is balanced by their proven sense of responsibility and duty towards that society, a point that is certainly debatable, but in the absence of any real-world society so structured, must remain a conjecture.

Right alongside this idea are statements that rights must be earned (a critical failure of our current society is the inculcated belief that people have these rights just because they exist - that they are `owed' things without having to make any effort of their own), that correct moral attitudes are not inherent but must be taught (and a lack of corporal punishment in the early developing years does not help in this education), that war is a political statement whose level of violence must be geared towards what the political goal is, that the dictum that `violence never solves anything' is hogwash, that communism is based on faulty premises, and a whole host of other such ideas.

Now quite a few people have labeled this book as `fascist' because of this military service requirement, when it is no such thing (just look up the definition of fascist). Heinlein does glorify the military to some degree, but he also shows (often by counter-example) just how screwed up the military can be. And far from robotic adherence to commands, he clearly indicates that military people should question orders they think are suspect (at the right time and place - not while the bullets are whizzing over your head). There is a well-established court system, that like ours is pretty much insulated from political influence, and a political election process that is far away from any fascist government organization.

His depiction of boot camp and later military operations is excellent, comparable to similar descriptions in things like Leon Uris' Battle Cry. Rico is very well portrayed, a man that is very easy to empathize with and understand his thought processes. The plot seems to ramble a bit, as the story is not really about the Bug war, but about Rico's development. Once you understand this, it is very logical, coherent, and often exciting. The philosophy is presented with anecdotes, analogies, and concrete examples that make it easy to understand and far from being just `dry lecture', though perhaps that is the only real flaw with this book, as there is perhaps just too much of this `telling', rather than `showing'. But in general this is extremely readable, with Heinlein's typical unforced, near-folksy prose and clear thought processes.

This book has been, at various times, on the recommended reading list of all of our military service academies. I would go further, and recommend that this book be added to the list of `required reading' that our high school students are subject to. Whether you agree with ideas of this book or not, at the very least this book will make you think, and that's not a bad thing for students to learn how to do.

--Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

for more information click here

Interesting, if somewhat predictable

I found the book an interesting read. Though the storyline was somewhat predictable, it proved to be engaging enough, that I read it from cover to cover in just a few sittings. I found his vision of the military dated, and rather conservative, especially as the story line is set in the future. However, if you enjoy Sci-Fi, and/or enjoy military reading, this is a good book to read.
If you have seen the movie, there is little resemblance between the movie and the book, and, as is so often the case, the book is by far better.

for more information click here

Another fine novel made into a lousy movie

Starship Troopers was originally intended to be 1959's entry in the series of "Juvenile" novels written by Heinlein in the late 1940's and throughout the 1950's. Unfortunately for the publisher of that series (and fortunately for us), the author had outgrown the genre, and penned a tale that was much more intense and thought-provoking than Scribner's editors felt comfortable-with: resulting in the book's rejection, and Heinlein moving-on into the more mature and "hard science fiction" - focused latter half of his career, where he wove excellent storytelling skills and strong, deeply held convictions into a series of excellent novels, such as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Time Enough for Love, and others.

The book has long been criticised as being too militaristic if not downright totalitarian in its views. I would disagree.

The book certainly features militaristic terminology, settings, and attitudes on every page, but we're talking a very unique military organization here - one entirely different from the mass armies fielded by both the great totalitarian and great democratic states of the 20th century: Johnny Rico's "MI" is a very small organization, made up entirely of highly trained select volunteers. They are men dedicated entirely to their craft, and can quit at any time; drawn from an open society similar to our own, with free speech and not focused on conquest. What is different is that only those who complete their voluntary military service can vote, that the earth has attained the long-hoped for dream of a single government, and humanity is in the process of colonizing suitable real estate in our galactic neighborhood.

Like many of Heinlein's works, the story is narrated by our lead character, Johnny Rico, as we see him in a journey starting as a naive recent high school graduate with fuzzy ideas of his purpose and direction in life, to becoming a dedicated, skilled soldier, who knows that at any moment he might be called upon, and is willing, to give up his life for the good of humanity.

Johnny faces many hard choices along the way as he is converted from a citizen to a soldier by the MI's deliberately harsh training tactics - chances to give up, chances to fail - he doesn't. Like many of Heinlein's lead characters, Johnny is a resourceful, intelligent and self reliant individual, who knows that the most dangerous man in a fight is not the soldier with the fanciest weapons - a point Heinlein explicitly makes several times.

The pace of the book is quite fast - and once things get rolling, you are drawn into the story and really appreciate and understand Johnny's viewpoints, as well as travelling with him through his training, encounters with those who do (and do not) understand the nature of his metamorphosis into a solider, and into several action-packed battle scenes and a series of critical final scenes where he is faced with the decision to either remain a "term" soldier - implying a limited duration relationship with the military, or whether he'll pursue becoming an officer, meaning that the military will be an integral part of who and what he is for the rest of his life.

I've not even talked about the "Bug War" that is the central conflict that the story revolves around - and that is deliberate, as the real war is the war Johnny is fighting inside himself, the war to define who and what he is, what meaning his life will have. That is a challenge any young teen, such as I was when I first read this book, must face as they mature.

This book teaches us that we won't ever truly find the satisfaction and sense of meaning we all need in our lives, if we allow others to determine our path in life for us: Johnny struck out on his own despite the opposition of his father and doubts of his classmates and teachers. He succeeded in defining himself, chosing a course in life that had nothing to do with the plans his father had for him to be the eventual heir to the family business.

A riveting book, a thought provoking story with characters you care-about, and a story that grows on me each time I read it. The movie Starship Troopers that is theoretically based on this book is a sad and poorly done ripoff: throwing aside the concepts and themes that lie at the heart of this story in the name of some military action and box office dollars.

Like so many of Heinlein's other works, I rate "Starship Troopers" as 5 stars!

for more information click here

A Great Book

I was initially surprised to see so many negative reviews of this great book, but less so after considering how politically correct and leftist-leaning we've become (and of course The Government is always evil, malicious, and trying to quash individual rights isn't it!).

Everyone has a right to their opinion of course, so let me tell you that I think this is a great book. It is a coming of age story about honor, introspection, character, dignity and duty. If you watched the movie, and particularly if you enjoyed the movie, do NOT expect this book to be anything similar. IMHO, by the way, the movie was THE worst adaptation of a sci-fi novel that I've ever seen. Pretty boys and pretty girls fighting mean, nasty bugs with lots of special effects. Maybe I would have liked the movie if I'd seen it before reading the book, but unfortunately the book was first.

The book is an intellectual and thoughtful read, but entertaining and engaging as well. Find it in a used book store if you're not sure, but it's definitely a "keeper" IMHO.

for more information click here

Not Free SF Reader

Fight for your rights.

Or that is what it boils down to. A political exploration of a society where to have any say in what goes on requires you to enroll in the armed services, even if you are actually not capable of being a space marine, you will be placed in a support role that can make use of your more limited physical abilities.

The story follows a young man who decides to join up and does get sent out on a bug hunt, and his growing intellectual maturity to go along with it.

A bit on the dull side, really.

2.5 out of 5

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Fantasy and Sci Fi that changed my life (or at least entertained it)
Science Fiction & Fantasy: Past, Present, and Future
Greatest Science Fiction of All Time
Sci Fi Books To Read
Best Books

search for books
starship troopers, starship, troopers

Impressum / about us