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geeklet 's review for:
Starship Troopers
by Robert A. Heinlein
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
TL;DR: Like 4 1/2 stars? Something like that. I round up.
Book five of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down! I feel like this is the first book of the challenge that gave me something to mull over in my head.
I'm going to forgo the little pro/con list that I've used in previous reviews for this challenge. This was a re-read for me. I read Starship Troopers for the first time about twenty years ago. I must have randomly decided it was a 3 star when I first entered it into Goodreads. I'm more willing to rate this book higher now, despite the fact that I still pretty much disagree with every bit of Heinlein's beliefs that he jams into this novel.
The significance of Starship Troopers is simply undeniable. Without this book, military science fiction would likely look very, very different. I can see echoes of this book throughout the entire subgenre of military SF. I guess I didn't realize how important Starship Troopers was when I originally read the novel.
I really enjoy the surface level story of this book. I've always considered myself a fan of military SF and I really enjoy watching Johnnie grow from a young civilian kid to a military man. The battle scenes are well done. They're easy to understand while maintaining a certain level of anxiety. While the characters are a little flat, they fit well enough into their world. Johnnie is a little too perfect but that's just sorta how Heinlein writes his men. He really believed that a man could do pretty much everything well, if they just tried hard enough. I understand why the book is so laser focused on Johnnie. We get a great study of war from the eyes of a grunt soldier on the ground. I found this frustrating at first. I wanted to know more about how the war with the Bugs was viewed on Earth. However, as I spent more time in Johnnie's head, I realized that the tight focus on Johnnie is what allows the book to be so effective.
I have to say that I simply do not agree with a lot of Heinlein's views that he jams into this novel. Heinlein dedicates every classroom scene as an opportunity to directly shout his views on morality, government, violence and value. It's more than just a way for the military to operate, he proposes this as an entire framework to live your life. Heinlein was a libertarian who really, really, really liked the military. When I was younger, I'm sure this is why the book rubbed me the wrong way. However, now that I'm a little older, I can appreciate that Heinlein was willing to examine a new way of building a society. It was brave of him to toss his ideas on the page. That's why I enjoy science fiction. I like to read about different ideas and ways to view a society. I may not always agree with the author but I enjoy looking at their thought experiment.
Book five of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down! I feel like this is the first book of the challenge that gave me something to mull over in my head.
I'm going to forgo the little pro/con list that I've used in previous reviews for this challenge. This was a re-read for me. I read Starship Troopers for the first time about twenty years ago. I must have randomly decided it was a 3 star when I first entered it into Goodreads. I'm more willing to rate this book higher now, despite the fact that I still pretty much disagree with every bit of Heinlein's beliefs that he jams into this novel.
The significance of Starship Troopers is simply undeniable. Without this book, military science fiction would likely look very, very different. I can see echoes of this book throughout the entire subgenre of military SF. I guess I didn't realize how important Starship Troopers was when I originally read the novel.
I really enjoy the surface level story of this book. I've always considered myself a fan of military SF and I really enjoy watching Johnnie grow from a young civilian kid to a military man. The battle scenes are well done. They're easy to understand while maintaining a certain level of anxiety. While the characters are a little flat, they fit well enough into their world. Johnnie is a little too perfect but that's just sorta how Heinlein writes his men. He really believed that a man could do pretty much everything well, if they just tried hard enough. I understand why the book is so laser focused on Johnnie. We get a great study of war from the eyes of a grunt soldier on the ground. I found this frustrating at first. I wanted to know more about how the war with the Bugs was viewed on Earth. However, as I spent more time in Johnnie's head, I realized that the tight focus on Johnnie is what allows the book to be so effective.
I have to say that I simply do not agree with a lot of Heinlein's views that he jams into this novel. Heinlein dedicates every classroom scene as an opportunity to directly shout his views on morality, government, violence and value. It's more than just a way for the military to operate, he proposes this as an entire framework to live your life. Heinlein was a libertarian who really, really, really liked the military. When I was younger, I'm sure this is why the book rubbed me the wrong way. However, now that I'm a little older, I can appreciate that Heinlein was willing to examine a new way of building a society. It was brave of him to toss his ideas on the page. That's why I enjoy science fiction. I like to read about different ideas and ways to view a society. I may not always agree with the author but I enjoy looking at their thought experiment.