Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.80 You Save: $5.19 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.26 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Starship Troopers
Book Review: A Morality Tale on the Responsibilities of Citizenship
Summary: 4 Stars
STARSHIP TROOPERS takes place in Earth's distant future. All the countries we know today disintegrated, and Earth was reorganized into a Terran Federation. In this federation only citizens have the right to vote, and only veterans can be citizens. The book itself is about Johnnie Rico, an infantry soldier. The reader follows Johnnie from high school to boot camp to war against "bugs," aliens with a collective mind.
The book has a good deal of action, but it's more interesting for its political philosophy. It's controversial because it's hard to tell how much of this military statism Heinlein was endorsing. The message I got was that Heinlein wanted his reader to think carefully about the responsibilities that come with citizenship and not just dwell on the benefits.
I liked the book, but I didn't love it. Some of the lectures on Moral Philosophy get a little tedious. What's more, I often felt like Heilein could have done better in his analysis of political science and human nature. He often ignores first principles and dwells too much on materialism, which I think doesn't get him where he wants to go. So, it was thought provoking, but the reader won't find any answers to political science's (or life's) deepest questions here.
Book Review: A Nazi's dream of social order
Summary: 5 Stars
Often proclaimed as the best and most contraversal science fiction books ever written. Starship Troopers takes us to a nightmare ultra right wing future where war is eternal and rights are handed out based on one's willingness to become a part of the war machine.
It is a tale of individuality warped and corurpted to serve violent ends or crushed altogether under the iron fist of conformity.
Yet it is compelling reading which facinates as it horrifies. Truely a book that will leave an indelible mark on it's reader.Book Review: A Political Essay, Guised thinly as Science-Fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
I must admit I read the book only because I saw the film. I found the film to be very good (By my standards), however, in comparison to the book it was awful. I believe that the film and the novel should be rated on different standards. The only real similarities are the title ("Starship Troopers"), the character names (Although not genders!) and the vile alien foe, the Arachnids. All said and done, I though the film was interesting, although totally devoid of plot.
My theory on Starship Troopers (Keeping in mind all the other reviews about it "Lacking action" Or "Having no Plot") Keep in mind that the book was indeed written in 1959, where the use of the word "Damn" was barely legal. The book didn't need action. The plot was acceptable. My theory is that SST was not a sci-fi novel at all. Perhaps R. A. Heinlein started writing it as a sci-fi novel, but discovered he had a veritable political phenomena on his hands. It was changed, and became the essay it is today. Heinlein's ideas are brilliant. (...). Heinlein suggests that by sacrificing a few freedoms (...) We can attain a level of peace, security and well-being never before attained. The novel did place emphasis on Militarism, allowing the ignorant to immediatly draw conclusions that R.A Heinlein was a Nazi, Fascist, Totalitarian. The society outlind in SST was a socialist democracy, with hints of Fascism, yes, but the vital elements of it. I believe that SST was simply a manner of getting a wonderful way of though out in the world: I have heard it be called "Civitas"; that is: Civitas, the willingness to take personal responsibility for the safety and continuation of one's civil society. Is that a bad thing?
(...)There are many characters in this book that have facets that one would think unnaceptable in a "Fascist" society, as many have called it.
Johnny's name Juanito Rico, and Captain Frankel exhibits homosexual practices (True, check page 84. He asks Zim out to dance).
The world of SST, of the 'Terran Federation', is a wonderful one, one that I personnaly would love to inhabit. I have read this book more times than perhaps is healthy(!), and enjoyed it each time, discovering something new, a new debate or idea. It is the best "Science Fiction" Novel, ahem, Political Sciences essay, I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Book Review: A Sci-Fi Classic.
Summary: 5 Stars
Arguably Robert Heinlein's best work, STARSHIP TROOPERS is a classic piece of science fiction displaying an Earth of the future in a galactic war against a sentinel race of giant bugs that are set on destroying humankind. The story is told through the eyes of Juan Rico, a member of the Mobile Infantry. Rico explains how he joined MI, some of his adventures, and how he rose through the ranks. STARSHIP TROOPERS is actually more a book of philosophy and military thought set against the backdrop of a society in which the only people who can vote are those who have served in the military (makes one think of the term "citizen soldiers" completely different).
As far as an action story, STARSHIP TROOPERS doesn't have much to offer. Much of the book is given to dialogues explaining the philosophy the book promotes. Also, many of the action scenes are more concerned with military strategy than describing action. However, I have found that the most meaningful works of sci fi are those that deal with deep philosophical issues or social ills.
STARSHIP TROOPERS isn't for everyone. However, it is a piece of classic sci-fi and is worth reading if you don't mind not having to read about a lot of action sequences.
Book Review: A Science Fiction Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
The book Starship Troopers is an idealised ultra right
future where no citizen has a vote without having fought
to defend that vote.
Each citizen must serve two years in a branch of
public service before they can "Enjoy all privileges of Federation citizenship" which include the
"privilege of exercising sovereign franchise", which ends up meaning "to be equal".
It is the far right version of what the future should be like. The issue's of military service and the obligations of citizens are tackled in a way that many feel was less than even-handed. A classic Science Fiction novel that used the genre to comment on Democracy and basic Democratic rights, in a way that shattered the idea that SF was all space opera and ray guns. Originally published in 1959, it used many of the standard idea's of SF at that time, but it used them to make a point not just to entertain.
The exact opposite view is offered by Joe Haldeman's equally brilliant "The forever war" in which war has no meaning, no honour and no point.