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Mar 03, 2011

Dan rated it:

Against his family's wishes, Juan "Johnnie" Rico joins the Mobile Infantry and the war against the Bugs. Will he make it out alive?

Yeah, I don't really know what to think about this book. I picked it up solely because it was an inspiration for one of my favorite books, Old Man's War by John Scalzi. While the writing was very good, there was never an "I can't put it down" moment. I'd say ninety percent of the book was Juan Rico's military life. There wasn't a More...

12 comments like (10 people liked it)

Apr 18, 2008

Paul rated it:

Starship Troopers is listed amongst the recommended books by the United States Air Force for a reason. For those who plan on pursuing a military career, this book exhibits the very ideals upon which our current military standards are based. Camaraderie, Sacrifice, and Responsibility are more than mere words to the protagonist. The distinction between a fighting man and a soldier is made. The distinction between a superior rank and a true officer is made. Johnny Rico is a soldier in more tha More...

3 comments like (29 people liked it)

Jun 08, 2010

Michael rated it:

Big nasty communist spiders are attacking Earth and all the planets it has colonized! It's a battle between man and bug, and who is to save us?

I'll tell you who! Guys with really fucking big guns, that's who! With spacesuits that make it so they can jump over buildings, and deflect bullets, and drop from spaceships to the surface of planets without getting hurt! That's who!

These guys get dropped onto planets with their spacesuits and their big guns, and they c More...

30 comments like (20 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Randy rated it:

If you have seen the movie- forget it. Besides the names, it shares very little with RAH's study on why free men subject themselves to a loss of freedom in order to ensure freedom for others.
This book greatly influenced me when I was a boy- and it still colors my thinking today- 35 years later.
This should be on the reading lists of every high school.

AFTERNOTE!
I would like to correct what appears to be a common misconception about the society described in Heinlein's book
More...

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Thomas rated it:

Chock-a-block full of gung-ho jingoism, narrow minded fascist pipe dreams, and casual descriptions of institutional dehumanization as well as violence...basically everything you would expect from a book written in the perspective of a futuristic jarhead. I have never read a book in which I agreed with so little, but loved so much.

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I enjoyed this book greatly. While I certainly can't be said to agree with Heinlein on every aspect of life, politics, or theology...I do appreciate where he's coming from in this book. (Remember it's a 1959 book, before the idiotic handling of Vietnam became apparent). There are thought provoking ideas in this book even if it is considered a YA book. Agree or disagree, it's a good read.

By the way, I must say this. It's often (actually more often than not) true that a movie doesn't More...

8 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2010

Manny rated it:

Appalling piece of militaristic propaganda. But it has plenty of energy, and I also found it useful for annoying my (Quaker, pacifist) parents when I was a teenager. And I'll at least say this much for it: it's a great deal better than the movie.

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Take 2. The above may be reasonable enough, but I'm not doing the book justice. With all its faults, I simply loved it as a 14 year old, and I'm in no way alone there. Why is it More...

19 comments like (27 people liked it)

Jul 17, 2008

Jesse rated it:

If you're expecting a carbon copy of the movie in print form, you're in for a bit of a surprise. Heinlein was one of the greatest science fiction writers of his time, possibly one of the best ever - not the sort to write the cheesy jokes and poor dialogue the Hollywood version spouts. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the film, as an action-adventure film, but the novel from which it derives is a much better piece of work.

The writing in this book is very technical. Though told f More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2008

Andrew rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jun 08, 2010

Kat rated it:

I watched Starship Troopers first. I found it amusing, gory, action based and fluffy. When I read the book I wondered if the directer/script writer had read the same one I had. Turns out that he never finished this book and made the story up as he saw fit. Suddenly everything made sense to me.

As far as pacing and plot go, you won't find any of that here. There isn't much of a plot to this book and the story arc, so to speak, is more like a low lying limbo poll. Straight and sho More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 20, 2007

Jacob rated it:

this was not the most mind-blowing sci-fi book i have ever read, but like other heinlein novels, it quietly worked its philosophy and forced me to consider the ideas which it was presenting. What is remarkable about this book is how relevant it remains. More than any other book, this one reminded me of the role and priveledge of the writer. Heinlein doesn't necessarily have to tell you his own opinion. He has characters and teachers hash out certain viewpoints which, philosophically, are ext More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 20, 2007

Otis rated it:

Sometimes you just need a quick fun book. I read this over Easter weekend, and loved every second. I loved the movie too, but the book was better.

This book really wasn't intellectual, but it did make one interesting point. In the book you can only vote if you have gone through and graduated from military training. This prevents the uneducated and uncommitted citizens from voting. While this is a bit extreme, I might be of the opinion that there should be some more barriers to vo More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2008

Jenny rated it:

This was terrible and not interesting at all. This book is for people who are interested in the nuances of military training and organization as it has a very remote relationship to science fiction. I guess *technically* it takes place in the future and in space but this is such a minor part of the book that it shouldn't really fall into the sci-fi category. As I entered the last 50 pages, I seriously considered stopping reading. I was confused by the military ranks and didn't care about any More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Isil rated it:

Etoiles, garde-à-vous !commence sur une scène où l’on découvre le jeune soldat Juan Rico en pleine action. Mais très vite, le roman enchaîne sur le passé de Rico qui va quitter la voix toute tracée que la fortune de ses parents lui assure pour s’engager dans l’armée. On découvre alors un monde dans lequel la citoyenneté et notamment le droit de vote ne s’obtiennent que par le service militaire. Il s’agit d’un roman d’initiation dont la narration est à la première personne.

Ce début o More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 05, 2011

Gavin rated it:

No doubt that if you're looking at this review, you have probably seen the movie of the same name...not a bad movie, but not a good one either. I read this one in high school after having seen a green placard on I-90 that said "Movie Location: STARSHIP TROOPERS."

I thought that was pretty cool...not many cool things happen in South Dakota, so having a pretty desent (I thought at the time) movie shot in our Badlands made me even more interested in the book. Sometime later, More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Apr 08, 2009

Lucas rated it:

Where do I even begin? For starters, I should let the reader know that I'm not basing my score on the politics of the book (as laughable as I think they are) but on the plot of the book, or rather the complete lack of a plot in the book. While things do happen, some of them pretty big, Mr. Heinlein has seen fit that we should not be party to any of those things. Instead, he saves the most loving descriptions for daily life at boot camp. Seventy, yes seventy, pages of a two hundred-odd page book More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Nicolas rated it:

Donc, ce livre raconte la vie d’un jeune soldat des étoiles, qui va se battre, et dévaster les adversaires de l’humanité, pied à pied, comme il se doit pour un fantassin (ce qui est son honneur et sa fierté). Sous la vibrante histoire du jeune militaire qui gravit, pied à pied, les étapes de la vie du soldat, on ressent toutefois comme l’ombre d’une angoisse, une espèce de message qui transparait dans les cours de philosophie et de morale qu’il suit tout au long de sa vie. Serait-ce le fantôme d More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 23, 2008

Melissa rated it:

Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers did nothing for me. Its cover advertises controversy and boasts of the exciting journey of Johnnie Rico through the intergalactic military camp of the future. It sounded promising; unfortunately, I was not awed or entertained. If anything, I was pleased the novel was a quick read so that I could more readily set it aside.

To follow a character through the ups and downs of boot camp and warfare and to revel in his victories and sympathize with More...

1 comment like (7 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2011

Lafcadio rated it:

Done. This seems to be an extensive discourse on military philosophy and rationale for chain of command. The main character is likeable enough to follow him as he works his way through the ranks, figuring out why things are done a certain way as he goes, but that is the extent of the story. I've read and liked a lot of Heinlein, and this one currently sits at the bottom of the barrel.

2011 edit - I'm giving it another chance.
I'm about halfway through, and it's better than I w More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 15, 2008

Jason rated it:

I wanted to like this book, but there was so little plot. The little plot that was given was only a segway to a rant on military living or very thinly vealed social commentary. I don't mind science fiction having social relevance, but it should no be so blatantly presented as a teacher's class room lecture. The book is only 200 pages long and I would say only about 45 pages of it had anything to do with a plot. The rest was a continuous rant. I didn't disagree with all of the authors object More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 10, 2008

Garrett rated it:

Disclaimer: I'm not a sci-fi guy (hence fewer stars than this book really deserves). That said, this was really quite enjoyable. Heinlein does not focus on the rocket ships and moon men, but instead tells the story of a man's military experience from new recruit on. Heinlein mentions the futuristic technologies and situations almost in passing, so the more important (and universal) themes take center stage. He considers military philosophy, the role of the government, the role of the soldier, ch More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 14, 2011

James rated it:

Originally posted at www.the-expanse.com

I've been wanting to do this for a while. Write a series of book reviews of the books that had the most direct influence on my writing, and on The Expanse series in particular. Hopefully, this is just the first.

Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein:

Starship Troopers moved onto my nightstand a couple of days ago. I always have a nightstand book, and it tends to be something I've read before. I'll read a few pages while my w More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 25, 2009

Ramsey rated it:

An excellent book on the study of Human nature and societies. Unlike the Hollywoodised film adaptation, the novel keeps action scenes to a minimum. In truth, most of the military activities come across as dull, and indeed the the protagonist, Juan Rico, seems to share that sentiment. Coupled with the fact that every chapter opens with some proverb or words of wisdom, this book definitely surpassed my expectations of space adventure. Throughout the novel, Juan Rico experiences flashbacks and enga More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 10, 2009

Arthur rated it:

Interesting book

This is the first book of Robert A. Heinlein that I have read. It is quite interesting and rises a few moral and political questions, such as public flogging, which I interpret as a physical punishment for those criminals who exercise violence against their victims. Also, when reading about Basic and "chewing out", it reminded me of my own "experience". The description of soldier's life in Basic is very realistic. However, after I have finished to re More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2009

Grant rated it:

It’s a classic! So I’m told. The boy in me likes to climb up out from under the covers once a year or so to nix another seminal sci-fi classic off the list of Things To Read Before I Die. Usually - I’m being honest here - I’m a little disappointed. But dagnabbit! this one seemed to have potential.

First of all, there’s the movie. I rather enjoyed Paul Verhoeven’s cheese-ball-o-fun from 1997. Lit up with the sparky charisma of thespian Denise “Wildthing” Richards, this little rom More...

0 comments like

Feb 06, 2012

Will rated it:

This is the most recent time I've finished this book. I first read it decades ago.

Robert A. Heinlein has been my favorite author since I was 12. The first of his books that I read was Have Space Suit, Will Travel, and it was my favorite book for decades. Of all of Professor Heinlein's novels, this is absolutely the worst story-telling he ever did. But it is some of his best preaching. And it was one of his most controversial (That is saying something!) and one of his best-selling. More...

0 comments like

Feb 06, 2012

Carl rated it:

Starship Troopers was a fantastic book. It's considered one of the foundational works of military scifi, and with good reason. It's pretty much the definition of the genre: a completely military perspective of future warfare, with the scifi elements mostly serving to support the military adventure. It makes for a little bit harder scifi, which is never a horrible thing in my book (or this one).

But with that being said, this book isn't good simply because it's got lots of military stu More...

0 comments like

Dec 06, 2011

Aaron rated it:

So, I decided to go back to reading the Sci-fi "Classics" - meaning, those books mostly from the 50s and 60s that are considered influential. I've knocked out many of them over the years - Foundation, Hitchiker's Guide, Ender's Game - and I very much enjoyed "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" from Heinlein. And since "Starship Troopers" is on many, many Top 10 lists of all time I decided to read it.

So, yeah, I liked it. It is pretty slow in parts but always More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 18, 2011

Heatherwilliamson rated it:

This book is a classic written near the peak of Heinlein's career, and wraps a lot of his personal and political philosophy into a thundering good adventure story. Don't even THINK the awful movie with this name is in the same class!!
The protagonist is a Brazilian teenager named Johnny Rico--the choice of nationality is quite prophetic, considering how long ago this book was written. Prophetic too, is the military technology, much of which can now be found in U.S. arsenals today. One item More...

0 comments like

Sep 06, 2011

notyourmonkey rated it:

Oh, man. How did I miss the poorly-disguised political ranting when I read this in seventh grade? Heinlein has, like, a fleet of axes to grind. And some horses to beat. And some soapboxes to stack to the sky.

If you can navigate around the creepy paternalistic politics and dehumanization of women and the valorization of a particular brand of masculinity above all else (which you need, like, a supercomputer GPS to dodge), I grudgingly admit that this is a ripping good yarn. I can see wh More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)