Robert Heinlein's tale of Mobile Infantry member Juan "Johnnie" Rico's journey from a student unsure of his future to an experienced, but still nervous when it counts, 2nd Lieutenant and veteran of "The Bug War," treads a very fine line between satire of and love note to militarism. Heinlein's writing at times glorifies and honors the bonds built between soldiers as shown with Johnnie's relationships to his superior officers and his own father. But at other turns he lays out plain what so often rampant militarism can cause: soldiers with missing limbs, men dying in battles and wars that they don't even understand the purpose of, a war time atmosphere at home that can stifle civilian industry and rip families apart as men and women are drafted to replenish those lost at an unsustainable rate. Starship Troopers does well to demonstrate a lot of the mixed feelings people feel about war and veterans: an opposition to war and what it costs, but veneration for those who serve in it for their sacrifices. ( )

I kept expecting this to be satirical but it never actually was ( )

Robert Heinlein has served up a nice military novel in an interstellar setting. It remains my favourite Heinlein novel. The movie is also quite entertaining. ( )

this is the second military space fiction novel that I've read and... I am really enjoying military space fiction.

its funny how it takes government and distills it to a fascist like state and I disagreed... then agreed .. then thought about a strong rebuttal for the ideas presented in here.

didn't expect that, but with books, I've come to not expect anything :) ( )

The character was a little unbelievable, and you got a heaping helping of Heinlein's political beliefs stuffed down your throat during it. However it's a style of narrative that was refreshingly unique and getting the experience of looking through the eyes of someone very different from me was good.

Doubt I'd want to read more of his *more* political books though just based on this ( )