I apparently have a thing for books dealing with science fiction wars with bugs. As anyone who has read my staff page has seen (which really should be all of you. Every single page here at Geek Speak is worth reading, which includes my staff page. Every. Single. Page.), my two favorite books are Enders Game and Starship Troopers, both of which deal with wars with bugs (and both of which handily fit this month’s In the Stacks category). But as I lost a recent bet (look, I really thought that I could eat 20 Twinkies in under a minute!), I must stand aside and let the talented Ms. Paige (even if she is a fan of Buffy Season 6… sheesh) regale you with the excellence of Ender’s Game (to read that review, head on over here 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?). I do have the privilege, though, to do my best to convince you all to go read the also-excellent classic of science fiction and Hugo award winner, Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein.

First off, I want to say (well, as long as you assume that I didn’t actually say anything in the first paragraph of this review) 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. In fact, if you wish to completely ignore the existence of the movie altogether (which, by default, would lead to ignoring the I-can’t-believe-they-made-them sequels), you have my blessing.

But 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.

As an aside (of the non-parenthetical variety… err… besides this particular parenthetical aside, of course), I have it on good authority that the descriptions of what goes through the mind of someone in boot camp -- especially about the psychological “hump” -- are spot on.

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 in 1959). Whether or not the reader would agree with Heinlein's ideas, the concepts are still intriguing, particularly when reading it 50 years after it was first written. Are the social/political commentaries too heavy-handed? I didn’t find them so, though to be fair, I first read this book as a young adult where some aspects probably went over my head.

And as it turns out, 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 not a long book (~200 pages) and quite easy to read. It's one of my personal favorite books, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Oh, and as a second non-parenthetical aside, the description of the MI’s powered armor within this book was the first time such a concept was presented. Powered exoskeletons are now a staple of science fiction (and possibly the real world, if DARPA has their way) and it is all due to Starship Troopers. How many books can make claims like that?!
 
  -- K. Burtt