Search - Starship Troopers

awesome sociopolitical commentary. NOT the same as the movie! some of the characters are the same, but this is much deeper than just kill the bugs

This is one of my all-time favorite books! I guess it is due to the time I spent in the Marines. Most of this book is about training in the Mobile Infantry when the hero is in boot camp, and later when the hero is in officer training. This book is about developing leadership and assuming responsibility: to yourself, to your comrades and to society at large. Only a few chapters are concerned with fighting the "Bugs," the aliens seeking to destroy Earth.

Good leadership is a precious commodity, not everyone has it. So I naturally like books about leadership, due to my experience in the service.

The movie of the same name that was supposedly based on this book is a disaster. In fact, if Heinlein had still been alive he would have sued the movie studio for depicting women the way it did and for destroying the characters he so lovingly developed.

This book was one of Heinlein's best. If you read it and like it, then get a copy of "A Citizen of the Galaxy" immediately, as it has a similar premise regarding responsibility to others.

This is one of Heinlein's best "juveniles", although the treatment of war, and why humans fight, were very grown-up indeed. If you have seen the movie and find it somewhat off-putting, don't avoid the book on that account. I have not seen the movie (except for a few scenes), but I don't think it "tracks" the book very well. There is lots of action in the book and a little romance. But it is most of all an exploration of why war, as hideous as it is, may be more acceptable than some alternatives.

Very different from the movie. THe basic premise of a distant war with some intelligent bug race is used as a vehicle by Heinlein to question and explore the concepts of war and the need for a military.
Great read for making you think.

It is worth re-emphasizing that this book has almost nothing to do with the movie of the same name, other than a few of the most basic plot points. It is really primarily an exploration of military training and philosophy, with a thin veneer of science fiction. If that interests you, I think you will enjoy the book. I myself found it short on action and long on talk. I've enjoyed other Heinlein books (from his early period, such as The Puppet Masters or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress) much more.

Please don't let a horrible movie stop you from reading an excellent book. The book is true to Heinlein's style and addresses the concepts of patriotism, duty, and responsibility, as well as what they mean to different people. Of note is the books take on wars in general and specifically the bug war around which the events of the book are centered; who were the aggressors? Why does the war happen? How does the war affect each of the central characters? Worth reading twice.