The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
anniejohannie's review against another edition
4.0
I am surprised at how easily and thoroughly I enjoyed this brutally militaristic book. I suppose having accomplished marathons and triathlons without thinking through my ability, motivation, or objective I can identify with Rico and his service in M.I.
charlieglynn's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
amanda_g_s's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shaxx's review against another edition
3.0
Jako drtivĂĄ vÄtĆĄina jsem nejdĆĂv vidÄla film a aĆŸ potĂ© Äetla knihu.
Film byl takovĂĄ humornĂĄ satira a nejvĂc mi v mysli utkvÄlo, jak si brouÄĂ emzĂĄk dĂĄvĂĄ koktejl z vojenskĂ©ho mozku...ale kniha brnkĂĄ na ĂșplnÄ jinĂ© struny.
Je to spĂĆĄ takovĂ© vojenskĂ© filozofovĂĄnĂ a pĆiznĂĄvĂĄm, ĆŸe moje pozornost kolĂsala. NÄjakĂ© ÄĂĄsti jsou zĂĄĆŸivnÄjĆĄĂ neĆŸ jinĂ©, zejmĂ©na konec mÄ uspĂĄval. Vypadalo to na ÄtyĆi hvÄzdy, ale je to pro mÄ spĂĆĄ na lepĆĄĂ tĆi.
Film byl takovĂĄ humornĂĄ satira a nejvĂc mi v mysli utkvÄlo, jak si brouÄĂ emzĂĄk dĂĄvĂĄ koktejl z vojenskĂ©ho mozku...ale kniha brnkĂĄ na ĂșplnÄ jinĂ© struny.
Je to spĂĆĄ takovĂ© vojenskĂ© filozofovĂĄnĂ a pĆiznĂĄvĂĄm, ĆŸe moje pozornost kolĂsala. NÄjakĂ© ÄĂĄsti jsou zĂĄĆŸivnÄjĆĄĂ neĆŸ jinĂ©, zejmĂ©na konec mÄ uspĂĄval. Vypadalo to na ÄtyĆi hvÄzdy, ale je to pro mÄ spĂĆĄ na lepĆĄĂ tĆi.
marybells's review against another edition
4.0
Starship Troopers is pretty different from the movie. THANK GOD.
It is awesome.
Summary-
Set in the ânot so distantâ future, the government of the world is run only by citizens/veterans of the armed forces. Because of this, if anyone ever wants the chance to vote or go into politics, that person must volunteer for a minimum of two years for the government where they can choose almost any branch of armed forces to join; that is if they have the right âstuffâ for that branch.
Johnny Rico, our narrator, volunteers on the spur of the moment with his best friend Carl after seeing that Carmen, his high school crush, volunteered for the Navy to be a pilot. With only average grades, he is denied his top 19 choices until he is accepted into the M.I. aka the army. At Camp Currie he undergoes what today would seem like unsurmountable obstacles just to pass boot camp. Eventually he does though and goes into battle against âThe Skinniesâ while wearing a special suit that enables him to jump kilometers in the air and still carry a ton of ammo and artillery. A.K.A. he is a badass.
Afterwards during more training and then going on to fight the âBugsâ he decides to go âcareerâ which means that the 2 year minimum is no longer valid; He is enlisted until he is able to retire due to loss of limbs. Fun! With his decision to go career, he is sent to command school for education on becoming an officer where he faces his biggest obstacle yet, the ability to lead men into and out of battle against the buggers.
So, I was at first a bit antsy about giving this story a try since the movie based on the book isâŠunique but I am a huge fan of the author and gave it a go thankfully. Overall it was just a really well written story! I really appreciated Robert Heinleinâs detail in describing the future societies and even the debates within the novel focusing on the justifications of war and the abilities of the government. It stretched my mind, and though some of his ideas are considered controversial, it was nice to hear another side to things.
Also I loved how human Johnnie was. The narrator is very open about his faults and even during his trial of leadership he has a bunch of âoh sh*tâ moments which is eerily accurate to how being a leader really is every day. Especially when he realizes that the buggers are coming in different locations and he loses some of his men randomly:
Donât get me wrong, it was horrifying for him because he wanted so badly to succeed, but it was also slightly amusing to watch him run in circles literally when we, the reader, know that overhead command has everything under control even if he screws something up.
The only downside to the story is also the upside, the debates that I mentioned previously. When Rico goes to command school, it feels like page after page of just chatter where I got bored a few times⊠therefore I made the brave decision as an avid reader to do thisâŠ
I regret nothing.
Anyway I give Starship Troopers 4 stars for the originality of the story and it being just soo much better than the movieâŠand different too. Johnnie doesnât get stuck in some stupid love triangle and it is more of a development of a boy to a man than a personâs retribution against other aliens.
It is awesome.
Summary-
Set in the ânot so distantâ future, the government of the world is run only by citizens/veterans of the armed forces. Because of this, if anyone ever wants the chance to vote or go into politics, that person must volunteer for a minimum of two years for the government where they can choose almost any branch of armed forces to join; that is if they have the right âstuffâ for that branch.
Johnny Rico, our narrator, volunteers on the spur of the moment with his best friend Carl after seeing that Carmen, his high school crush, volunteered for the Navy to be a pilot. With only average grades, he is denied his top 19 choices until he is accepted into the M.I. aka the army. At Camp Currie he undergoes what today would seem like unsurmountable obstacles just to pass boot camp. Eventually he does though and goes into battle against âThe Skinniesâ while wearing a special suit that enables him to jump kilometers in the air and still carry a ton of ammo and artillery. A.K.A. he is a badass.
Afterwards during more training and then going on to fight the âBugsâ he decides to go âcareerâ which means that the 2 year minimum is no longer valid; He is enlisted until he is able to retire due to loss of limbs. Fun! With his decision to go career, he is sent to command school for education on becoming an officer where he faces his biggest obstacle yet, the ability to lead men into and out of battle against the buggers.
So, I was at first a bit antsy about giving this story a try since the movie based on the book isâŠunique but I am a huge fan of the author and gave it a go thankfully. Overall it was just a really well written story! I really appreciated Robert Heinleinâs detail in describing the future societies and even the debates within the novel focusing on the justifications of war and the abilities of the government. It stretched my mind, and though some of his ideas are considered controversial, it was nice to hear another side to things.
Also I loved how human Johnnie was. The narrator is very open about his faults and even during his trial of leadership he has a bunch of âoh sh*tâ moments which is eerily accurate to how being a leader really is every day. Especially when he realizes that the buggers are coming in different locations and he loses some of his men randomly:
Donât get me wrong, it was horrifying for him because he wanted so badly to succeed, but it was also slightly amusing to watch him run in circles literally when we, the reader, know that overhead command has everything under control even if he screws something up.
The only downside to the story is also the upside, the debates that I mentioned previously. When Rico goes to command school, it feels like page after page of just chatter where I got bored a few times⊠therefore I made the brave decision as an avid reader to do thisâŠ
I regret nothing.
Anyway I give Starship Troopers 4 stars for the originality of the story and it being just soo much better than the movieâŠand different too. Johnnie doesnât get stuck in some stupid love triangle and it is more of a development of a boy to a man than a personâs retribution against other aliens.
annaptobias's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this a lot, even though I was initially apprehensive that I was going to get bogged down by the military jargon. Even that wasn't so bad and for a "hard" sci-fi book, this was quite readable.
The reveal about Johnnie's ethnicity wasn't a surprise (I had known about it through other sources beforehand) but how Heinlein wrote it at the very end was the surprise.
The reveal about Johnnie's ethnicity wasn't a surprise (I had known about it through other sources beforehand) but how Heinlein wrote it at the very end was the surprise.
partycaptain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kelialql's review against another edition
3.0
Oooh! "The Controversial Classic of Military Adventure!" It has been criticized as fascist, sexist, racist, and probably a few other -ists. Well, it's all those things - and so much more!
Follow young Juan "Johnny" Rico from his youthful naiveté through his coming-of-age military enlistment and training and eventually to his glorious command of his own platoon as they fight off the bad ol' aliens. The pro-military message is as subtle as the proverbial sledgehammer. Only military veterans should have the vote! Men should want to fight to defend what's theirs! Who do they fight? The bugs! Why do they fight? For the women! Yes, it really is that simple. And that earnest. While it does deserve a bit of eye-rolling, it was still engagingly written (although some of the multi-page diatribes on civics got exhausting) and Heinlein's strange blend of militarism and idealism actually seem genuine. Sure it's heavy-handed but I can't just dismiss it as near propaganda. Heinlein did seem to be wrestling with something here. By the end, I certainly didn't agree with anything in the book but it did make me revisit some of my own beliefs, dust them off, and consider them carefully before reaffirming them.
Follow young Juan "Johnny" Rico from his youthful naiveté through his coming-of-age military enlistment and training and eventually to his glorious command of his own platoon as they fight off the bad ol' aliens. The pro-military message is as subtle as the proverbial sledgehammer. Only military veterans should have the vote! Men should want to fight to defend what's theirs! Who do they fight? The bugs! Why do they fight? For the women! Yes, it really is that simple. And that earnest. While it does deserve a bit of eye-rolling, it was still engagingly written (although some of the multi-page diatribes on civics got exhausting) and Heinlein's strange blend of militarism and idealism actually seem genuine. Sure it's heavy-handed but I can't just dismiss it as near propaganda. Heinlein did seem to be wrestling with something here. By the end, I certainly didn't agree with anything in the book but it did make me revisit some of my own beliefs, dust them off, and consider them carefully before reaffirming them.
dspitler's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5