Robert A. Heinlein - Starship Troopers

Pros: A quick, enthralling read; intellectually stimulating sci-fi fun.
Cons: Minutiae is excessive at times.

Way back in the late seventies, when I was still a kid really, I had a friend (who is still a good friend today) who was a really big fan of Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. He read the book repeatedly, had a Starship Troopers ...

Pros: Seminal. More thought-provoking than I expected.
Cons: It's too easy to let your politics inhibit your sympathy.

Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein, 1959 Juan Rico just went with his friend to the recruiting office to offer moral support. He didn't plan on enlisting. But a pretty girl from school is there, signing up to be a starship pilot. ...

Pros: great read, full of political philosophy, lots of fun brain candy
Cons: sometimes a bit heavy on the military lingo, sometimes the writing was a bit dry

My first introduction to this book came from the movie that was based on it. Due to watching the movie, I figured that the book wouldn't be all that good, even though I knew that movies based on books were usually a far cry from the beauty which the...

Pros: Extremely well thought, great descriptions, exceptional plot and character development, vocabulary
Cons: Very socially and politically motivated

Wow. What do I say? I'm kicking myself for not reading this much sooner and halfway through Starship Troopers, I was already determining which book of Mr. Heinlein's was going to be next on my reading list. Years ago, being a fan of science fiction ...

Pros: Whopping good war story. Decent philosophical background
Cons: A little of the simplistic side. Some may be offended at the jingoism.

It's a funny thing, as I grew up this book grew up with me. I guess I should say that my perceptions of the book grew. I'll explain. The first time I read Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers is was, at most fifteen. I was mostly interested in the ...

Pros: Far reaching concepts about intersteller war
Cons: Gets really depressing at times

In the far future, the veterans returned from the last great war to find their homelands in chaos. People were starving in the streets, the men who held public office were corrupt and didn't care who knew about it. The vets took matters into their own...

Pros: Intense and suspenseful action, thought-provoking philosophy.
Cons: Just-the-facts-ma'am style has its limits.

Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers proves that title (thoughtful military SF) is not an oxymoron. As with most of Heinlein's work during his best years, this is both a strong action novel and a platform for perceptive historical, political,...

Pros: so far above the movie version as to hardly rate comparison
Cons: could be a bit slow in the classroom segments

This is a book for people who want to be challenged by what they read. If you have seen the recent movie, you owe it to yourself to read this book. If you have ever pondered the balance of personal liberty vs. personal responsibility, you owe it to...

Pros: Challenging concepts and ideas
Cons: May cause insomnia

It was 2 A.M., on a school night, and my 15 year old daughter wandered out of her bedroom to interrupt my reading - I knew why. Just three hours earlier she'd finished reading 'Starship Troopers'.
"I hate you, Dad," she said...

Pros: Well written, engaging story
Cons: use of Federation/"M.I." slang - some of it never explained

Heinlein is, without a doubt, a great sci-fi writer. Starship Troopers is no exception. The story of Juan "Johnny" Rico, it tells us about his decision to enlist in the Mobile Infantry, aka MI. Their futuristic society looks down on the past (aka us) for...

Pros: Great depiction of society at war, good high-tech (even for 1959)
Cons: Political views can alienate readers

Starship Troopers may be about Jump Infantry fighting the Bugs, but at its heart, it's really a social commentary about the educational system. Fighting is a small part of the book. That's why it's such a classic.

R.A.Heinlein, dean of...

Pros: Great militaristic adventure, intriguing look at the past and present
Cons: Written in the 50's, less fact about recient past

Let me start out by saying that this plot is as much like the movie as a minority is like its stereotype. The basic names and plot bases were kept, but that’s all. Don't read this thinking you will get a better version of the movie.
This...

Pros: A fast read, good for teenagers
Cons: Only lags in one or two spots

This is one of the quintessential Heinlein books that is a MUST read for all SF fans. I remember reading it in high school and was caught in a "page turner", a book that I couldn't put down until I read it all in one sitting. Although I do...

Pros: An excellent read, very different
Cons: Some people think this book has a political agenda

I saw the movie and decided that the book was worth reading. It was a pleasant surprise when I learned that it had won the Hugo Award (1960) and had been published in the 50's. So going into this I knew that Starship Troopers was a time-tested novel...

Pros: A look at the future of warfare
Cons: Rampant brutality

Heinlein's view of what the military will be like in the future is amazingly controversial still. In Heinlein's future world, no one thinks twice about women in combat, which is still a bone of contention today. The training the Troopers undergo is...