# STARSHIP TROOPERS (Book Review)



## Danjanou (12 Aug 2003)

_I‘ve noticed that references to this particular book has come up several times in the past months on more than one forum here. Therefore I decided that a review of the work in question for those not familiar with it was in probably in order. Ok let me rephrase that, what follows is my take on Robert Heinlein‘s classic novel. Just give me a chance to grab my helmet before you let fire with your comments._ 

Since it arrived on book shelves almost fifty odd years ago, Robert Heinlein’s tale of futuristic combat Starship Troopers has found itself on some varied and very interesting reading lists. While a classic work of science fiction, it has also found itself part of the curriculum at more than one institute of higher learning and not for its vivid descriptions of alien life forms. 

On the one level Starship Troopers provides the reader with a straightforward entertaining tale. It’s basically a military story more so than a straightforward science fiction one. Heinlein has just chosen to set it in a futuristic sci fi style setting to better convey some of his underlying themes on society. 

Overall though the tale is a standard almost classic war story plot. In the beginning, after a slight prelude action sequence to grab your attention, we are introduced to the narrator of the tale naive and somewhat idealistic recruit Juan Ricco. Ricco will have become by the end of the novel has become a war weary, wiser,and somewhat cynical veteran. 

It‘s a standard almost classical plot used throughout literary history with little or no deviation. As such it is full of standard scenes and characters that serve to propel the story along. We have the tough but necessary training that will make a "man" out of him. This is followed by his first combat experience that is of course frightening. Following this are subsequent actions intermingled in with further training, promotions, and a little hard earned and hard-spent leave periods. 

Along the way we‘ll meet the standard characters that habitually populate this type of tale. There is the hardened tough veteran NCO, and the wise senior officer who will both help shape the young protagonist and act as some sort of surrogate military parents. There are also various almost cliché characters, Ricco’s classmates in training, their instructors and leaders, and his fellow soldiers who serve specific purposes along the route, including dying in battle to further the tale along and his development as a soldier/character. 

None of this is a condemnation of Heinlein. This is an oft-used tale for only one reason it works. 

The science fiction aspect that Heinlein tacks onto it served the purpose of making the story more relevant to his initial audience. North America pop culture of the 1950‘s had developed a deep love affair with science fiction as is evidenced by the abundance of movies, novels, and magazines devoted to the genre at the time. This ensured that the author would have a ready audience for his work and any social theories he chose to present to them in the guise of light entertainment. 

The science fiction elements of Starship Troopers hold up surprisingly well today for a novel written almost 50 years earlier. Heinlein managed to do this by deliberately being rather vague in his descriptions of the "futuristic" vehicles, weapons and other assorted toys and gadgets that one encounters here. 

Other contemporary sci fi works viewed today are unintentionally hilarious because of the theories, science equipment and/or other ideas in them that have been rapidly proven incorrect or implausible. Television late shows are full of little green men in aerodynamically unsound vehicles and astronauts who can easily remove their fish bowl helmets and breathe the "air" of any planet while conversing with the aliens in perfect colloquial English. 

Heinlein touches on the fact that many things will dominate the battlefield of the future he has created. Interstellar space travel, high speed computerized communications and devastating weapon systems including tactical nukes are just some of the tools introduced in the novel. None of this existed in the 1950’s and most of it was not even more than theoretically possible then. 

Heinlein is however vague as to any specific details of these things which for the most part were in the infancy of their development when he wrote the book. To this end he escapes being painted into the literary corner that later befell some of his contemporaries whose works the reality of advancing technology has made irrelevant. 

However the manner in which he has does this is equally important. His descriptions of such weaponry and other devices while actually vague do not appear to be so at the initial reading. In fact they appear to be quite detailed. 

He spends a great deal of time describing the battle suits that the troopers wear. These suits and the extensive training that goes into how to use them give the average infanteer of the book the firepower of a 20th century infantry battalion or more. 

Heinlein spends a lot of time describing them, but in fact on closer examination he tells us nothing about them. He deliberately keeps his descriptions vague enough that five decades after he wrote it the concepts and ideas he has presented, barely, still seem plausible. 

What really set this book apart from any other simple 1950‘s era science fiction thrillers are the sub text, and the philosophy that Heinlein presents to us the reader. It is these ideas that has placed this book on recommended and required reading lists from such diverse institutes as more than one university philosophy departments to more than one Military organization. 

As many others of his ilk have done, Heinlein has presented us with his version of the future. It doesn‘t appear to be overall a bad place; the attempts by another inter galactic species to exterminate us aside. Unlike others though, such as Roddenberry, Heinlein’s future Earth is no utopia. 

One gets the feeling that while many social ills have been dealt with others still exists. We are advised that such crimes as theft, rape and murder still exist because we see characters punished for them. We can then therefore presume that the underlying social causes of such actions, inequality, poverty, ignorance, still exist in some form or another. 

Heinlein though prefers not to dwell on this too much. Like the technology he has created, he gives us only the briefest glimpse of many aspects of the society he has created, with of course one exception, his concept of citizenship. It is this rather unique theory of his that has placed this book on so many of those diverse reading lists. 

Heinlein presents us with a world where the ultimate right is that of the franchise; the ability to vote, and by inference to hold public office is restricted to one class of persons. Only “citizens” who are different from the rest of society through one aspect only hold this franchise. They have taken up arms in service of the state. 

Any person who volunteers to serve in the military, and they are various options open as he notes, and thereafter completes an honourable term of service is awarded the title of citizen and the right to vote. With this right comes one presumes the theoretical ability to influence, albeit maybe only moderately, the destiny of said society. 

It is realistically not a hard prerequisite to achieve. Anyone can volunteer for Federal Service, and one need not make a career of it. The earth is not continually in a state of war, or at least, outside the timelines of the novel itself. Therefore, war, certain assignments, and training casualties aside, it would be easy for almost everyone to attain this prerogative after only a minor period of sacrifice, discomfort, and minimial risk. 

Most of humanity though in Heinlein’s world chooses not to avail themselves of this privilege. They seem content to go about their daily lives making money, raising families and what not. Content to leave the entire political process in the hands of an elite minority. Fortunately for humanity that elite appears to be a competent and benevolent one. 

The reason that Heinlein suggests that the majority of humanity does not appear interested in this franchise, is also the reason that they are not suited for it. Heinlein suggests that only with prior military service, or equivalent, should both choose the government and be the government is a simple one. They are both capable and worthy of it. 

Heinlein states that the present form of Government in his novel’s society came about after a great and devastating war. Like many of his contemporaries Heinlein used what appears to have been the then perceived escalation of the Cold War into a catastrophic conflict as a nuculear "Deux ex Machina" to set the stage for his post war society. 

Returning veterans from all sides of this war discover that while they have been off “defending” their countries and all that they stand for, and in many cases paying the ultimate sacrifice, something wrong has happened in their absence. Corrupt greedy selfserving politician and other elements have taken over to the detriment of society as a whole. 

The returning veterans use their hard won skills and sense of honour and duty to purge these elements from Government and a society and set themselves up to fill the vacuum. In short what we have is a military coup de tat on a global basis followed by a military dictatorship. 

Such military ethos as honour, duty, comradeship and self sacrifice, coupled with the training and indoctrination that they receive makes them uniquely qualified to lead and therefore to rule, and choose said rulers wisely. This is Heinlein’s argument, presented in the guise of entertainment. 

Good books make one think while one is reading them. Really good books make one think long after you‘ve finished the last page and put the volume down, as is the case here. Whether one agrees with the concepts that are promoted or not, some fifty years after he espoused his theories on politics, Heinlein’s ideas are still the subject of debate and in places outside where one would normally expect to find a mere science fiction novel. 

As I finished writing this book review I took a break and caught the latest news reports regarding the pending election farce developing in California. One wonders what is sadder the 200 plus potential candidates or the reasons that an election is being called in the first place. I am also reminded of other equally farcical election campaigns and worse yet the victors of some of those and the disastrous policies that they have forced upon an unthinking and ill informed electorate. Perhaps Heinlein was on to something there afterall.


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## Infanteer (14 Aug 2003)

This is book tops them all.  I got a beat-up old copy held togeather with guntape that goes into my ruck and follows me everywhere.


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## max flinch (20 Aug 2003)

Without question, this is one of my favourite books of all time. Heinlein captures the aching loneliness of growing to meet the demands of a tough course. In Gagetown during ‘88 I suddenly realized what being ‘over the hump‘ really was, and the book had a renewed meaning to me. As well, when I look at the self serving swine that flock to public office in Canada, I often think that maybe there was something to be said for the social order he described...


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## fusilier955 (30 Sep 2003)

i remember when i first passed in all my papers for the CF, my friend got me to read the book.  i remember being enevious of the recruitment process, taking only a day (compared to 8 months).  im glad i read it, cuz it gave me a sense of what i was getting into in a way (i knew it was a sci-fi novel) but you could tell in his writing, that there would be days like he had written about.  It is one of my favorite books of all time.


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## DJD556 (30 Sep 2003)

The book is absolutly amazing and I must say I‘ve read it 15 to 20 times and always find something new in it.  Heinlin had some good ideas about government, but the way he described society was perfect.


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## a_majoor (14 Jan 2005)

This review was sent to the ADTB, but the editor decided against it since he wanted to move on from the whole Starship Troopers topic.



> Book Review:
> 
> Starship Troopers.
> 
> ...


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## BernDawg (15 Jan 2005)

I absolutely loved the book (movie totally sucked)
I read it shortly after completing battle school in wainwright AB imagine my surprise when the hero attended Camp Currie in the province of AB and did his survival training in the rockies.  I felt like I was right there with him on the forced marches and battle training.
Zim rocks he is the toughest character I have ever read.


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## Mars (18 Jan 2005)

A great read for sure, I had seen the movie as a youngster but hadn't know it was a book until we were talking about the movie one day at work and my Pl Comdr told us he had to read it at RMC.  I had my copy mailed to me in Afghanistan and I think I read it 2 or 3 times there.  Maybe more people should take a look at it today with the low voter turn out and general voter apathy that we have in this country.


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## BernDawg (18 Jan 2005)

It should be on every high schools reading list.
Have a good one


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## 4CDO PARA (18 Jan 2005)

I loved this book. The trick is not talking like it after reading it. On the Bounce troops!


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## Storm (23 Jan 2005)

Finally made time to read it last week. It was definately worth the loss of sleep!


Since the strengths of the book have been covered, I'll go over two downsides to the book IMO:

1. Despite enjoying it thoroughly (especially how good us Vancouverites end up looking ;D), Heinlein's tendency to throw a key object into a scene a few chapters before he explains it (e.g. the suit in the opening chapter) annoyed me a bit. I kept having to think back and revise the image I had already formed in my mind of previous scenes when a later description contradicted my imagination, pulling me out of the story a little.

2. I now hate the movie even more. I doubt I'll ever be able to watch it again even for mindless entertainment (Ok, so I could still gladly watch ONE scene, provided I block the image of Dizzy being a guy in the book... you know the scene I mean   )


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## Baloo (23 Jan 2005)

Oh yes, I know which scene. The one where they are in the mess and she says something about a major malfunction. Gotcha.  

The second one was a complete piece of trash, even moreso than the first. Worst movie ever. Honestly. Garbage of the highest caliber.

The book was astounding. I have to laugh occasionally at the lack of offensive vocabulary, but it takes nothing away from the book.


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## FredDaHead (23 Jan 2005)

One thing I noticed while re-reading the book (going through it for the 4th time now) is that after having watched the whole ROUGHNECKS series (the computer-animated tv show with suits and stuff, that was a googolplexian times better than the movie) I can't seem to picture the suits any way other than how they were portrayed in the show. Although I sometimes think of the suits in the computer game (Terran Ascendancy).

Anyone else get this?

Oh, btw, I definately feel weird about Dizzy being a dude in the book and a chick in the movie, especially with Juan sleeping with him/her/it.

This book gets better with each reading, that's for sure.


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## Fraser.g (24 Jan 2005)

Funny I can only envision the suit as the one on the original cover. The one with the shoulder shot of the scar faced MI putting on the helmet. Damn I can imagine the ammo racks on the shoulders


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## Pieman (24 Jan 2005)

> I now hate the movie even more. I doubt I'll ever be able to watch it again even for mindless entertainment


Interesting thing about the movie, I rented a DVD and listened to the audio commentary with the director and the actors. At one point in the movie, the director admitted that he never actually read the book. He said he found it dry and boring, and was worried that he would lose the desire to make the movie if he actually read it. (He loved the idea, but did not know the details).....and we wonder why the movie was so bad?

I saw the movie first, then I read the book. I found that I enjoyed the movie more after I read the book, because I found that at least the main principles of Heinlein's message made it through......at a superficial level anyway....OK, at a very very superficial level.

I am a massive Sci-fi fan, and fairly well read in this area. Heinlein is an interesting character as he was the first sci-fi author to make a living by only writing science fiction. He had a very significant impact on shaping the market. Prior to his writing career, he was a Lt. in the Navy, and after he did research into pressure suits for high altitude flights...that is probably where his ideas on the mobile infantry body armour. Pretty dynamic background.

Anyway, it is interesting to see that Heinlein would have such an impact in the military community. If you are interested, I urge people here to read some of his many other works, he had a very diverse view of the world, and pushed many ideas beyond those expressed in Starship Troopers.

I would highly reccomend 'Stranger in a Strange Land', one of my favorites.


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## Goober (24 Jan 2005)

About the movie: Its a farce. Its a satiracal spoof of the genre. It was never meant to be a serious adaptation of the book. The book and the movie cannot be compaired. (Like most book-movie stories)


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## Gayson (24 Jan 2005)

I liked both the book and the movie.  The movie is very different, it's almost a different story and therefore did not bother me much.

Starship Troopers was horrible.  Did anyone notice the woman who played the Sgt in Starship Troopers 2 was the same actor who played the starship captain who got crushed by the door?

Seriously, when I saw starship troopers 2 it looked as though the muzzle flashed were edited in and the sounds were done by a guy making gunfire sounds into a microphone.  The story was crap.


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## Baloo (24 Jan 2005)

And the opening scene was stolen as clips from the first movie...and the bugs looked like they were made by MS Paint...

I literally watched 5 minutes and turned it off. I mean, the first one was at least watchable and had a couple good scenes.


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## Gayson (24 Jan 2005)

The bugs are barely in the movie.  The enemy in this one is a hot chick who macks ppl turning them into zombies.


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## Baloo (24 Jan 2005)

Oh, well, see? I guess that proves how much of it I watched. And rightfully so, I'd imagine.


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## lostmuskrat (24 Mar 2005)

I, too love the book.  On one level you have an epic struggle between good and evil that's a rollicking good story.  I think Heinlein's brilliance is displayed in the way he uses the book both to criticize and reinforce American (and western) culture and institutions in the 1950s.  The struggle between the bugs and humans is on another level the struggle between Communism (especially the Maoist brand thereof) and western-style liberal democracy.  The bugs are a collectivist group with few leaders and many expendable grunts whose goal seems to be takeover through swarming with sheer numbers.  The humans stress individualty and the potential for anyone to take part in the political process - so long as they want to put in the effort.  Heinlein reinforces the idea that, in the 1950s, the world is at war, there is a struggle for survival and only time will tell who will win - the bug/communists or the human/democrats.  In the book, he paints the struggle as one we must win - if only for our own survival.

That being said, Heinlein pulls no punches in roasting government, society and the military for what he sees as being wrong with American society in the 1950s.  The justice system does not adequately protect citizens.  The political process is corrupt and flawed.  People are more concerned with rationalizing their distaste with making tough decisions than with correcting real problems by whatever means necessary.  The very way society views the nature of the individual ignores the fact that people are animals, with animalistic drives and instincts - to survive, to reproduce, to thrive.

Heinlein also takes aim at the political-military establishment in the early 1950s.  During the Korean War, the US Army had just recently desegregated and put white and non-white soldiers into the same unit.  Many leaders opposed this for thier own personal (and in hindsight, racist) reasons.  Heinlein's cap troopers live in a world where racism in the military is irrelevant.  Likewise sexism, Heinlein's wife was also a US Navy Officer, and Heinlein advocated the idea of "best person for the job."  In Starship Troopers, it doesn't matter if you're male or female, if you can do the job better than anyone else, that's what you're going to do.

Many of his ideas were totally speculative and whimsical (gee, what if we could have an army where everyone was an infanteer?) but were interesting ideas to be kicked around.  There's many good reasons why this book has persisted on military reading lists fifty years on.


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