Starship Troopers
A novel by Robert A. Heinlein

Some of you are probably saying to yourself right now, "Wait a minute... can this be? This isn't a review of an Orson Scott Card book! And yet... it is by K. Burtt, isn't it?" Yes, dear, faithful readers, it is true. After two consecutive months of reviewing Card, I have taken it upon myself to pull away from the shadow of the great man in order to tell you about the incredible classic of science fiction, Starship Troopers, by another great man who writes about wars with bugs: Robert A. Heinlein.

First off, I want to say that for those of you who are fans of the movie, I recommend reading the book, and for those of you who aren't fans of the movie, I highly recommend reading the book. The book is much different from, and much better than, the movie, and from this point on, I shall concentrate solely on the book. For my review of the movie, head on over to our fabulous Video Reviews section, where you will be given complementary drinks and backrubs while you read. Unless that feature hasn't been implemented yet... hmmm... well, you won't know until you go there, will you?

On to the review. This book starts out with our hero, Johnnie Rico, a member of the Mobile Infantry (MI) of the Federation, about to make a combat drop. Heinlein grabs the attention of the reader from the very beginning, for instead of concentrating on the action, he begins the book with "I always get the shakes before a drop." That simple line illustrates the beauty of this work; it's not just about the action, though there is certainly plenty of that. Instead, it's about what goes through the mind of a trooper (which, luckily, is easier than trying to describe what goes through the mind of a particular book reviewer... I don't envy anyone given that task... )

After that mission, the book flashes back, back. Back to the time before Johnnie joined the military, and it follows his life as he finishes high school, joins up for a term of service and goes through boot camp (where he learns how to use the cool powered armor that the MI uses, which depressingly, wasn't shown in the movie at all -- oh wait, I wasn't going to mention the movie, was I? Oh well, too late to fix it now, for the word "delete" is not in my vocabulary. Though it is on my keyboard. And don't ask how I can use the word "delete" if it's not in my vocabulary... the explanation is much too complex to go into here.) Anyway, Johnnie gets to find out what combat is really like, along with the true meaning of what it is to be MI. Underlying throughout it all is the war with the Bugs -- an intelligent, space-faring race of Arachnid-like aliens -- but this by no means the focus of the book.

Heinlein not only combines futuristic action with psychological insight here, but also manages to throw in some social commentary in as well. In his vision of the future, a person does not have the right to vote unless he/she has finished a term of service in the military, and has been discharged honorably. Throughout the book, Heinlein discusses the advantages of this kind of social setup (which, incidentally, caused something of an uproar when the book was first published, back in 1959). Whether or not the reader would agree with Heinlein's ideas, the concepts are still intriguing.

Starship Troopers was originally meant to be a book for juveniles, but it brilliantly blends action and intellect to provide an entertaining, thought-provoking experience for readers of all ages. It's one of my personal favorite books, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Re-Read Factor: Yes, absolutely. This book gets better every time one reads it, for one is always discovering some new idea hidden within the pages. I have never even remotely tired of reading it, and I'm sure I never will.

Sequel Factor: Non-existent, considering it was written over 40 years ago, and Heinlein died in 1988. The book doesn't need a sequel, though the reader wishes that it would continue on; at only a little over 200 pages, the book doesn't take long to read (sigh).

Strong Chick Factor: Low. We hear about Carmen, Johnnie's high school classmate who wishes to become a pilot in the fleet, but she plays only a minor role, as do all characters other than Johnnie. Just because they are minor, though, does not mean that they are unimportant.

-- K. Burtt

Starship Troopers, published by Berkley Publishing Group, is currently available in paperback.

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