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130th out of 2,944 books
—
12,412 voters
Armor
The military sci-fi classic in a striking new package
Felix is an Earth soldier, encased in special body armor designed to withstand Earth's most implacable enemy-a bioengineered, insectoid alien horde. But Felix is also equipped with internal mechanisms that enable him, and his fellow soldiers, to survive battle situations that would destroy a man's mind.
This is a remark...more
Felix is an Earth soldier, encased in special body armor designed to withstand Earth's most implacable enemy-a bioengineered, insectoid alien horde. But Felix is also equipped with internal mechanisms that enable him, and his fellow soldiers, to survive battle situations that would destroy a man's mind.
This is a remark...more
Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Published
December 4th 1984
by DAW
(first published December 1984)
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Even before I finished Armor by John Steakley this morning, I began to laugh. It was maniacal laughter from the very depths of me. And it felt good.
Armor just became my hands-down favorite sci-fi novel. It’s utterly modern and classical simultaneously.
Steakley wrote his heart out in his genre, though he certainly didn't have to. He wrote the way he wanted, no pretense, no expectations.
Armor reads like an oil painting with deep characters at the center of a blurry canvas, where chaos is a smear...more
Armor just became my hands-down favorite sci-fi novel. It’s utterly modern and classical simultaneously.
Steakley wrote his heart out in his genre, though he certainly didn't have to. He wrote the way he wanted, no pretense, no expectations.
Armor reads like an oil painting with deep characters at the center of a blurry canvas, where chaos is a smear...more
An armored scout named Felix is dropped on the planet Banshee, a hostile alien world teeming with Ants. When Felix's team is wiped out on their first mission, only The Engine, his second personality, saves him. Can Felix (and the Engine) survive the war against the Ants? And does he want to...?
I read about Armor on John Scalzi's blog and decided to give it a shot. At first glance, Steakley took the parts of Starship Troopers he liked the most, power armor and aliens that resemble insects, and e...more
I read about Armor on John Scalzi's blog and decided to give it a shot. At first glance, Steakley took the parts of Starship Troopers he liked the most, power armor and aliens that resemble insects, and e...more
16 likes · like · see review
If you liked Heinlein's Starship Troopers & Haldeman's "The Forever War" here is a third to read. On the surface, the similarities are obvious - a future war in space with a young male soldier in powered armor. The similarities stop there, though. Where Heinlein is very pro military & Haldeman just the opposite (understandable considering their ages & military experiences) this book shows a better balanced view of war & its effects - more mature, IMO. The POV changes, unlike the...more
15 likes · like · see review
A lot of people here have criticized this book because of poor grammar. While it is 100% true that this book is definitely not completely grammar accurate, it should be noted that most of the book is told from the perspective of one of the characters. I didn't think one needed to be grammar accurate if telling the story from the point of view of a character, who is not necessarily an educated person.
If you are a grammar Nazi, you'll probably hate this book. I'm certainly not a grammar Nazi and I...more
If you are a grammar Nazi, you'll probably hate this book. I'm certainly not a grammar Nazi and I...more
14 likes · like · see review
4.5 stars, audio version
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
"...everything you were hiding from was in there with you. That's the trouble with armor. It won't protect you from what you are."
Felix is a loner, a broken man with a mysterious past. When he's dropped with thousands of fellow soldiers on a toxic planet nicknamed "Banshee," he's the only survivor of the battle with the 8-foot tall "Ants" that live there. That's partly because of the special armor he wears -- his black nuclear-power...more
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
"...everything you were hiding from was in there with you. That's the trouble with armor. It won't protect you from what you are."
Felix is a loner, a broken man with a mysterious past. When he's dropped with thousands of fellow soldiers on a toxic planet nicknamed "Banshee," he's the only survivor of the battle with the 8-foot tall "Ants" that live there. That's partly because of the special armor he wears -- his black nuclear-power...more
8 likes · like · see review
May 09, 2009
Jon
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jon by:
Jim MacLachlan
2.5 stars
I sympathized or empathized with Felix. I detested Jack Crow until the last part of the book. I understand some of the motivation and psychosis of Felix, but I'm scratching my head with respect to the Antwar. I must be missing the point with this plot.
Besides Old Man's War, this is the only military science fiction I've read to date. I like the former, I'm ambivalent with the latter. Two more titles await me on my to-be-read list - Starship Troopers and The Forever War. Perhaps they wi...more
I sympathized or empathized with Felix. I detested Jack Crow until the last part of the book. I understand some of the motivation and psychosis of Felix, but I'm scratching my head with respect to the Antwar. I must be missing the point with this plot.
Besides Old Man's War, this is the only military science fiction I've read to date. I like the former, I'm ambivalent with the latter. Two more titles await me on my to-be-read list - Starship Troopers and The Forever War. Perhaps they wi...more
3 likes · like · see review
A military action book with heart and compassion. Who would've thunk! Initially, it seemed like one of those SF ideas that goes thus:
Young boy with nothing to do observes an anthill. Puts a stick through one of the small holes and lo and behold finds ants streaming out. Pokes more holes and soon has the whole hive agitated. Imagines he is fighting a battle with the ants. Ants discover him and start coming up his legs. That night, while scratching the itchy welts on his feet, thinks, "What if I
...more
Armor is a science fiction book from my "top ten list" of favorite Sci-Fi books, maybe in my top ten in any category.
This is probably my third or fourth re-read of this great book.
It's the story of Felix, a foot soldier in a war against an alien ant-like race. It's got your standard hard-core sci-fi plot elements: aliens who are seemingly unstoppable, a hero who might be more than he seems, a crusty space pirate who might really have a heart of gold, beautiful women, space ships, interstellar t...more
This is probably my third or fourth re-read of this great book.
It's the story of Felix, a foot soldier in a war against an alien ant-like race. It's got your standard hard-core sci-fi plot elements: aliens who are seemingly unstoppable, a hero who might be more than he seems, a crusty space pirate who might really have a heart of gold, beautiful women, space ships, interstellar t...more
Meet Felix: A soldier/scout encased in mechanized body armor.
Meet the enemy: Huge, bioengineered aliens resembling ants.
Felix is dropped time and time again onto a planet where the "ants" dwell, and time and time again he survives. Three to Five successful drops qualifies you for retirement...Felix has not lost count of his drops, but somehow his superiors lost track...
The battles are intense, and when wounded, the armor injects the soldiers with pain killers so they can fight on. Some of the be...more
Meet the enemy: Huge, bioengineered aliens resembling ants.
Felix is dropped time and time again onto a planet where the "ants" dwell, and time and time again he survives. Three to Five successful drops qualifies you for retirement...Felix has not lost count of his drops, but somehow his superiors lost track...
The battles are intense, and when wounded, the armor injects the soldiers with pain killers so they can fight on. Some of the be...more
One of my all-time favorite sci-fi's from an author who has not done anything nearly as well since.
A soldier in a horrific and seemingly unwinnable war loses his identity and self within his armor. Willing to die, he never does. Meanwhile (in the narrative which traverses between the stories), decades after the war, a pirate/crook and a pair of scientists discover a piece of armor floating in an abandoned spaceship. They begin the process of reviewing the armor's files by basically reliving the...more
A soldier in a horrific and seemingly unwinnable war loses his identity and self within his armor. Willing to die, he never does. Meanwhile (in the narrative which traverses between the stories), decades after the war, a pirate/crook and a pair of scientists discover a piece of armor floating in an abandoned spaceship. They begin the process of reviewing the armor's files by basically reliving the...more
I had this one written down on a little piece of paper I keep in my wallet after reading a gushing review at another website. For months I kept an eye open for it until finally it had been re-issued as a classic.
It was OK but I'd hardly call it a classic. It does have its moments. While battle scenes begin to bore me after 10 pages, I have to admit these ones were pretty intense. And, yeah, the armor was pretty wild.
And, yeah, I did begin to feel for the poor guy. Damn, the more I think about it...more
It was OK but I'd hardly call it a classic. It does have its moments. While battle scenes begin to bore me after 10 pages, I have to admit these ones were pretty intense. And, yeah, the armor was pretty wild.
And, yeah, I did begin to feel for the poor guy. Damn, the more I think about it...more
Steakley is great at capturing sheer, adrenaline-pumping terror on the page (see also his novel "Vampire$") and brings it in spades with "Armor," his answer to Heinlein's "Starship Troopers." Forget political theory and sociological commentary, Steakley deals with how a "bug war" would go down on the field and in the traumatized minds of its soldiers. If I were only grading the portions of the novel set on the planet Banshee, I'd easily give the book a solid four stars. As it is, I thought it sl...more
When I finished reading the first 100 pages or so, I was almost glad it was over. It was so frantic and claustraphobic. When it abruptly jumps to Jack Crowe's story however, the Engine kicked in. I kept reading, even though I had lost all hope of returning to Felix's narrative. The Engine (advice from other goodreaders) would not let me quit.
I thought Steakley's Armor was sort of similiar to the Hunger Games, in that it had the ground work to have a deeper meaning and convey a more powerful mess...more
I thought Steakley's Armor was sort of similiar to the Hunger Games, in that it had the ground work to have a deeper meaning and convey a more powerful mess...more
Feb 08, 2013
Mark Cameron
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
military-science-fiction
Awesome!
First off let me say that there is a very jarring transition about 90 pages in. The second part doesn't feel at all connected and it isn't as good as the first part. You may get a little discouraged while reading this part. Don't give up; push through it.
The first part is great. It is very reminiscent of Starship Troopers. The action scenes are excellent. The character, Felix, is mysterious and someone that you really feel for.
Then the second part. The main character, Jack Crow, is a spa...more
First off let me say that there is a very jarring transition about 90 pages in. The second part doesn't feel at all connected and it isn't as good as the first part. You may get a little discouraged while reading this part. Don't give up; push through it.
The first part is great. It is very reminiscent of Starship Troopers. The action scenes are excellent. The character, Felix, is mysterious and someone that you really feel for.
Then the second part. The main character, Jack Crow, is a spa...more
This is a book my husband recommended some time ago, but it slipped my mind and I didn't read it. When I saw it at the library, I was intrigued so I started reading. The first part is awesome. I told my husband about the book when he got home and he was delighted that I was reading it finally. It's a good thing my husband has read it, because when you hit the second part, everything slows way down. I would have stopped reading if he hadn't assured me that the first part would indeed tie into the...more
Armor consists of two storylines. One follows Felix, a soldier fighting against alien creatures known as "ants" on a planet known as Banshee, and the other storyline -- which begins abruptly about a quarter of the way through and continues until the final quarter -- follows a criminal named Jack Crow.
Felix's storyline is intense and powerful. Despite Steakley's lack of skill as a writer, he managed to create a character who was interesting, terrifying, and likable. In Felix, we have a genuine sc...more
Felix's storyline is intense and powerful. Despite Steakley's lack of skill as a writer, he managed to create a character who was interesting, terrifying, and likable. In Felix, we have a genuine sc...more
This is one of the few books that I have to pull out of the woodwork to review, because the impression that was made when I first read it has lasted years.
The first thing that I love about this book is that jumping back and forth between the two story lines is well explained and solidly believable. The explanation of what is going on is so natural and organic, it doesn't seem like the author is even trying to tie the two narratives together, they just seamlessly merge.
The second thing that has s...more
The first thing that I love about this book is that jumping back and forth between the two story lines is well explained and solidly believable. The explanation of what is going on is so natural and organic, it doesn't seem like the author is even trying to tie the two narratives together, they just seamlessly merge.
The second thing that has s...more
Love. Hate.
Some people love this book more than Halloween, kittens and Disney World combined. They see it as emotionally charged, creative and raw.
Others see it as a schizophrenic mess that could have more than half it's pages removed and, only then, be laudable as a very mediocre novella.
Like many things that have a huge following, both parties are correct. I loved the book and thus overlooked its flaws, which are glaring.
If the secondary character of Crow fell off the earth and was eaten by Gr...more
Some people love this book more than Halloween, kittens and Disney World combined. They see it as emotionally charged, creative and raw.
Others see it as a schizophrenic mess that could have more than half it's pages removed and, only then, be laudable as a very mediocre novella.
Like many things that have a huge following, both parties are correct. I loved the book and thus overlooked its flaws, which are glaring.
If the secondary character of Crow fell off the earth and was eaten by Gr...more
Nov 02, 2010
Jose
added it
This is the book that introduced me to the Sci-fi Military genre. I've read it 4 times cover to cover and still enjoy it. It's a mixed story. There are two different stories that culminate into one climatic ending. There is the story of Felix, a reluctant hero of a war humanity has found themselves in against alien life forms that resemble ants. We follow his exploits from training all the way through 2 major battles. Then he disappears. From there the story begins anew with space pirate anti-he...more
Okay, this is a book that I had three reactions to. The first third of the book is kick ass, great military SF, although the hero is reluctant, just trying to do his job and is, surprisingly to him, a great fighter. Very evocative of Stark's War by Hemry, if you know that title.
The second part is a (seemingly) unrelated story of a space pirate named Jack Crow that has nothing to do with the first narrative, except that he finds the suit of armor the soldier wore in the first half.
The third part...more
The second part is a (seemingly) unrelated story of a space pirate named Jack Crow that has nothing to do with the first narrative, except that he finds the suit of armor the soldier wore in the first half.
The third part...more
I have given ARMOR ***** stars because it is one of the most realistic and graphically written novels about war, hands-down!
ARMOR is a story of a mysterious guy named Felix who joints the Fleet Navy to escape a painful and terrible past. It's during basic training that he's found to have unique warrior skills; a remarkable adaptability to combat situations and an incredible, almost superhuman will to live. He's made a Scout and given the standard, fully armored battle suit which is complete wit...more
ARMOR is a story of a mysterious guy named Felix who joints the Fleet Navy to escape a painful and terrible past. It's during basic training that he's found to have unique warrior skills; a remarkable adaptability to combat situations and an incredible, almost superhuman will to live. He's made a Scout and given the standard, fully armored battle suit which is complete wit...more
Jun 22, 2009
Nagrom
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone. Military Personnel. Sci-Fi and Military Sci-Fi fans.
Many have compared this book, often unfavorably, to Starship Troopers. Some going as far as to call it a rip off of Starship Troopers. I take a different perspective...
In an interview Steakley has actually said that he was inspired by Starship Troopers when he wrote Armor, and took many ideas for his book from Heinlein's. Not in an effort to steal, but as a compliment - Borrowing a scenario he loved and using it to explore a different idea.
Starship Troopers is an exploration of citizenship, duty...more
In an interview Steakley has actually said that he was inspired by Starship Troopers when he wrote Armor, and took many ideas for his book from Heinlein's. Not in an effort to steal, but as a compliment - Borrowing a scenario he loved and using it to explore a different idea.
Starship Troopers is an exploration of citizenship, duty...more
'Armor' is usually mentioned in the same breath as 'Starship Troopers' and 'The Forever War' and is certainly a fantastic complement to the others, but realistically they have very little in common beyond futuristic wars and powered armor. Where the other two have a message they want to convey based on the author's own experience, 'Armor' is pure entertainment. This is not to say that it doesn't have depth though, I found the story to be both engrossing and three dimensional.
'Armor' develops th...more
'Armor' develops th...more
Hmmm. How to review this book.
I'll start by saying that I read this book because a friend lent it to me and recommended it.
It took me a long time to get into it, and I probably wouldn't have finished it if I didn't have someone waiting for my response.
That said, I ended up liking the book by the end, but it is not without flaws.
First, I had a really hard time "picturing" the epic battle scenes in the book. Some even seemed to violate the picture already painted.
There were more than a few times...more
I'll start by saying that I read this book because a friend lent it to me and recommended it.
It took me a long time to get into it, and I probably wouldn't have finished it if I didn't have someone waiting for my response.
That said, I ended up liking the book by the end, but it is not without flaws.
First, I had a really hard time "picturing" the epic battle scenes in the book. Some even seemed to violate the picture already painted.
There were more than a few times...more
The novel is about a disillusioned soldier in a future war. But that’s only the first 100 pages, which flow pretty well and are decent science fiction battle action. After the climax of the first part, which is about the soldier Felix and his troubles, there is a jarring discontinuity and the story picks up two years later with a pirate named Jack Crow, who escapes from prison, makes a deal with another pirate and goes down to a planet.
By this time I was well and thoroughly bored. I hate it when...more
By this time I was well and thoroughly bored. I hate it when...more
#62 - 2010.
After reading Vampire$, there was no way I couldn't try this. How handy that I already had it in my bedside stack since I got them both from the library at the same time.
This book was written before Vampires and in some basic ways is very similar in character structure. I also am confused about why Steakley can only seem to name his main protagonists Felix and Jack Crow, especially when they are clearly supposed to be different people in a different reality. However, be that as it may...more
After reading Vampire$, there was no way I couldn't try this. How handy that I already had it in my bedside stack since I got them both from the library at the same time.
This book was written before Vampires and in some basic ways is very similar in character structure. I also am confused about why Steakley can only seem to name his main protagonists Felix and Jack Crow, especially when they are clearly supposed to be different people in a different reality. However, be that as it may...more
I've gotta say, I came into this book with high expectations. It started off brilliantly, with a great Starship Troopers feel....and then not only did the wheels fall off, the whole plot caught on fire and crashed into a kitten orphanage. No-one survived.
The Jack Crow plot-arc was AWFUL, waffling, pointless. GET ON WITH IT. There were points where the editing was abysmal, and I'm not just talking about the occasional typo. I'm talking about bits where paragraphs collided and partially repeated t...more
The Jack Crow plot-arc was AWFUL, waffling, pointless. GET ON WITH IT. There were points where the editing was abysmal, and I'm not just talking about the occasional typo. I'm talking about bits where paragraphs collided and partially repeated t...more
May 24, 2012
Mike (the Paladin)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
military-science-fiction
John Steakley was born in 1951, he and I would be almost of an age. He wrote only 2 major novels (the other being VAMPIRE$ which I plan to read as soon as I can shoehorn it into my reading list). You can see the influence of Vietnam in this one. Written in 1984 the book pictures a 2084 universe where humans have spread through space and Earth is involved in its first interstellar war.
I like this book and found it very involving. I did find my interest waning a bit during our first encounter wit...more
I like this book and found it very involving. I did find my interest waning a bit during our first encounter wit...more
1 like · like · see review
Look, some books just stick with you and this is one of those books for me. This is probably because it was my first experience with well written sci-fi. At least well written in comparison to what i was normally reading. In any case this book tells the story of Felix who leaves through nightmarish experiences in a war on a distant planet. I think what is most compelling about the story is that it captures the brutality and savagery of war despite it being set on a distant planet while fighting...more
May 31, 2012
Terence
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Terence by:
Roberto
Shelves:
sf-fantasy
If Armor comprised pages 7-89 and 261-374 (in my edition, i.e., Felix’s story), John Steakley would have had the “gripping, forceful and compelling…tour de force” the cover blurb promises. Something that really could compare to Starships Troopers or The Forever War. Instead he had to go and break the narrative with Jack Crow’s story. It’s a WTF moment as you’re roughly torn from the claustrophobic, terrifying, soul-crushing milieu of Banshee to…the cafeteria of an alien prison. And Steakley neve...more
3 likes · like · see review
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| reading similar | 9 | 43 | Jan 20, 2013 01:26pm | |
| armor | 2 | 21 | Jan 03, 2013 10:36pm | |
| Magic & Metal...: Armor | 1 | 6 | Aug 08, 2011 11:39pm | |
| Armor: School Read | 7 | 47 | Apr 19, 2011 06:11pm |
John Steakley, born 1951 in Cleburne, Texas, is an author, best known for his science fiction writing. He has written two major novels, Armor (1984) and Vampire$ (1991), the latter of which became the basis for John Carpenter's Vampires movie. He has also written several short stories in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Not a prolific writer, he lived most of his life in Texas, aside from brief spel...more
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Oct 13, 2012 07:21am
updated Oct 13, 2012 01:20pm