Starship Troopers

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Summary: You should also go look at "Armor," by John Steakley
Review: I've little to add to the other reviews -- Starship Troopers isindeed a must read, I'm trying to get my teenage kids to read itBEFORE the movie comes out this summer.

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Summary: The Masterpiece of the Greatest Sci-Fi Writer Ever!
Review: Looking for fast-paced adventure featuring futuristic combat on alien worlds? Or are you looking for thoughtful ruminations that delve deep into the organization of human society and the meaning of civic duty and "citizenship"? Look no further! Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" follows the coming-of-age of Johnny Rico, a somewhat aimless high school graduate of Earth's near future. Unsure of his life's plans, and at odds with his family, he joins his friends in enlisting in the Federal Service, only to be placed in the Mobile Infantry -- Mankind's main defense against a horrifying array of contentious E.T.s! During his training and, yes, combat, all exquisitely described by the Dean of Science Fiction himself, Rico learns what it means to fully be a "citizen" in any day or age -- and kicks some fierce alien butt, to boot! Read this book and discover the marvel of Heinlein's brilliantly crafted future worlds, and find out for yourself why it easily won the Hugo Award, Sci-Fi's most coveted honor

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Summary: The military mind.....
Review: Starship Troopers is a book that really hits the nail on the head when it comes to asking the questions of duty to government and to society. This novel explores the military mind and how it has shaped our perceptions on societal duty. Heinlein explores a unique governmental system that reaches back along many philosophical lines of thought. He raise questions through the thoughts, words, actions, and deeds of the Mobile Infrantry. This book scares the reader while fascinating them at the same time. I devoured this book in one sitting!!

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Summary: This book inspired tons of hate mail and still won the Hugo!
Review: Starship Troopers is not a book that can be ignored. Many people's choice for Heinlein's best, the absolute prototype and model for Military Science Fiction, philosophically provoking and unrepentant in its opinions, this work manages to make page after page of political theory an engaging read that tricks you into thinking it's light entertainment... until you catch yourself quoting it months later. I first read this book at twelve, and enjoyed it as an action read with a sympathetic lead. At twenty-nine I reread it and consider it a truly complex book on a complex subject simply told. No higher praise can I consider. Don't take others words for it -- get the facts! Read this book

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Summary: Well, I dunno...
Review: This is a good book (did Heinlein ever write any bad), but that's it. The begining is promising. Our hero is a soldier in the earth forces, at the moment fighting some evil alien race on their planet. But suddenly Heinlein takes us back to the time when our hero decides to join the army. Then we follow him in his army training for the better part of the book, until we eventually are back where we started: the war with the bugs. If the whole book had started out with our hero joining the forces i wouldn't have objected, but telling more than half the book in some kind of retrospective is more than I can handle. I don't want a resume, I want to see things happen while I am watching. Knowing what it all ends up to from the beginning is devastating for my reading pleasure.

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Summary: A Nazi's dream of social order
Review: 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.

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Summary: A definite must read for heinlein fans, and soldiers.
Review: This is the first Heinlein book I ever read, and it hooked me on R.A.H. for life. It is not one I would recommend necessarily for turning people on to Heinlein, But definitely a must read for his fans and especially for persons in the military, as Heinlein puts into words many of the feelings that soldiers don't have the words for. The hero of the book is wonderful, for the mere fact that he's not really a hero. He's just an ordinary guy, he didn't distinguish himself in any particular matter to get where he is (although a boy who got a C in television appreciation can't be all bad). He didn't even know what he was doing when he joined the service. He is a regular joe like the rest of us, rather than a larger than life MAN of heroic proportions, with intelligence and skills far above normal. This book has been the focus of much controversy, because people think it shows R.A.H.'s "true" political beliefs: i.e. they say he was a libertarian (which I believe he was) or a nazi(which he wasn't) or even a communist( most emphatically no). Whether you agree with what you think Heinlein was saying with this book or not, it will make you think, which is what he wanted most of all

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Summary: Classic Science Fiction
Review: Robert Heinlein was simultaneously a member of the far-right and and a believer in individual freedom. Starship Trooper describes a future in which the ultimate "right"--the right to vote--is only available to those who serve. The hero has no special skills and is only offered a position in the Mobile Infantry (futuristic Marines). The combination of action and political philosophy is superb. Classic Science Fiction and Classic Heinlein

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Summary: My favorite book , all categories.
Review: In Starship Troopers, Heinlein tells the story of Johny Rico, a young man who joins the Mobile Infantry, defending earth against the Bugs (Spider-like aliens). Below the surface, though, this book is a social commentary, primarily about responsibility for one's actions, and while it might go to some extremes here, RAH does have a few very good points. A must read for anyone. Yes, anyone :)

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Summary: An absolute must buy!!!
Review: In this short novel, RAH examines the conflict of a person's "rights" versus "responsibilites" and it's many tangents. This is not only a novel about a young man's struggle to understand the complexities of war and resolving his relationship with his father, but also of understanding one's self and re-evaluation your moral code, ethics, and social behavior, both with yourself and the outside world. Thought provoking and VERY hard to put down, I myself have gone through three copies over the years. Even if you don't enjoy science fiction, this is an excellent book incorporate into your personal library.