Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

3 reviews

shetef's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I liked this a lot, but would have a hard time recommending it to anyone who isn't interested in the history of sci-fi. Its influence on the genre is obvious, but this book has a lot of problems. I definitely understand why people accuse this book of endorsing fascism - whatever Heinlein's excuses are, this order of things is definitely presented as correct. The book also wears its masculinity on its sleeve - for good and for ill. Worth a read if only because so much military sci-fi in the years since are responding to this or influenced by it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

klosterphobia's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The story is really non-existent. This is just a platform for pages and pages of exposition on political philosophy. Not explored in any depth rather presented as the unquestioned truth. Rico’s character is so uninteresting. The tension he felt with his family in the beginning when he joined the military was promising but then just fizzled and the plot was so episodic it couldn’t keep me interested. This is a 2 not a 1 for me because I was able to finish it, the writing wasn’t awful, and I will think about some of the ideas presented from time to time. Plus power suits are cool. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

touchegiantsquid's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This cosmopolitan future includes some casual racism, erasure of queerness, and objectification of women, even as it imagines an integrated military. Good craft makes the slow pacing easy to digest. The protagonist craved the approval of authority but wanted to believe he was self-actualizing. I'm not sure I buy the read that this is a world the author actually wanted so much as it may have been a way to talk about his real experiences in the military. The only way to justify that in a science fiction setting requires all the rest of the arguments for the world. But every world justifies its existence, that doesn't mean their all correct.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings