Starship Troopers

Written in a few weeks and originally released as a two part serial, this novel is solid science fiction. This is probably my fourth reading of it, the most recent before this preceded the release of the 1997 film. This reread was inspired by a new audiobook release, narrated by the incomparable R.C. Bray.

If all you've seen is the film, the novel would come as a bit of a shock. Probably a third of it is dialogue and discussion of the authoritarian government that succeeded the countries we know today. Another third is description of bootcamp and later officer training. The rest is action and battle in a power suit, which this novel popularized. It is a shame the film lacked the budget to portray these properly.

Props to the author for writing (in the 1950s) in a color blind fashion, allowing the reader to picture the protagonists how they liked. Only towards the very end does Heinlein reveal that Juan "Johnny" Rico is Filipino in descent. This didn't follow into the film, but then maybe the very white cast is also part of Verhoeven's satire of the fascist state. Either way, recent authoritarian trends in current governments are another good reason to reread this novel.

For me, that reread includes writing a review, which I didn't do after previous reads. I like both the book and the film, though for different reasons - but definitely start with the book!