Review Tuesday: STARSHIP TROOPERS by ROBERT A. HEINLEIN

I had heard for years what a great book STARSHIP TROOPERS by ROBERT A. HEINLEIN was. I read it for the first time in the mid 1990s before the movie sharing the same title came out. The movie was a complete disappointment, but the book is a classic.

We follow Juan Rico from the time of high school graduation through his military career in a fast paced science fiction / military tale of adventure, as peace shifts to wartime after an attack by a ferocious enemy from across space.

Maybe it's the boy in me, still thinking about playing Army and going on fantastical adventures around the world while defending my home from evil adversaries. Maybe it's the memories of my father's discussions of military life. Maybe it's the compelling tale of fighting back against a ruthless enemy. Or maybe it's the amazing writing that binds that all together into a cohesive tale that makes STARSHIP TROOPERS a timeless classic.

It's not a short book, Amazon lists it as nearly three hundred pages, but it flies by. There's just something about the way the story is told and the CONTENT that keeps you turning pages.

Each time I pick up STARSHIP TROOPERS there's something else that I come away with. This time I noticed how Heinlein predicted that being politically correct would be the ultimate demise of our society. this was written in the late 1950s! What sort of political correctness was around back then and who could've seen the effects it would have DECADES later? Astonishing! The book foretold that the end of civilization would be during the late 1980s. In a way, i suppose it wasn't too far off. Despite the massive efforts of the great President Ronald Reagan, things still went wrong. Even though he ushered in a new period of nationalism within the United States, opposing forces cracked the whip and we got to see the early erosion of freedom of speech - THE POLITICALLY CORRECT MOVEMENT. When one freedom is sacrificed, the rest will tip like dominoes afterward. Now? Illegal search and seizure. No such thing as privacy. Attacks on the right to bear arms. Et cetera, ad nauseum.

I wouldn't write off STARSHIP TROOPERS as only military sci-fi. It's much more provocative and clever to be pigeon-holed that way. That's why I keep going back and reading it. I think I have about five different editions at home, plus one in electronic format for my Kindle Fire. Definitely worth your time to read this classic!

The Wiki.

On Amazon.

Shown, cover art for various editions.