6. Book Review by Wendy Van Camp
Book Name: Starship Troopers
Author: Robert A. Heinlein
First Published: 1959
Winner of Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960
Robert A Heinlein started his career as a writer by publishing short stories in Astounding Science Fiction, which was edited by John Campbell. He wrote many more short stories and novelettes for Astounding Science Fiction, many of which later were republished as short novels. Heinlein’s first published novel was Rocket Ship Galileo. It had been rejected at first because the notion of going to the moon was considered too outlandish. Heinlein soon found a new publisher. Scribner’s published a Heinlein “juvenile” novel once a year at Christmas. Eight of these first edition young adult novels were illustrated by Clifford Geary in a distinctive white-on-black style. The Heinlein Juveniles featured a mixture of adolescent and adult themes, the characters experiencing the personal issues that young adults commonly find themselves in, combined with fantastic futuristic machinery and complex ideas. Heinlein was of the opinion that young readers were more sophisticated and able to handle more complex themes than people of the times realized, and his writing reflected this.
Heinlein’s last “juvenile” novel was Starship Troopers. It is said that this novel was his personal reaction to the calls for President Dwight D. Eisenhower to stop nuclear testing in 1958. The novel met with outstanding success and won the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Novel. It is still in print to this day.
Starship Troopers is a coming-of-age story about citizenship, duty, and the role of the military in society. It is set during an unspecified time of the near future when humans have developed interstellar travel. The book portrays a society in which to obtain full citizenship, in order to vote or to hold public office, is earned by the willingness to place society’s interests before one’s own and in the participation of government service. With the young protagonist of the novel, this was military service.
The novel is seen through the eyes of young Juan “Johnnie” Rico who narrates the story through a series of flashbacks. Johnnie remembers his enlistment and training in the Mobile Infantry and his part in the interstellar war with the Arachnids (the bugs) of Klendathu. Rico begins the story as a lowly private and lovesick youth, but eventually moves through the ranks to become a respected infantry officer. He decides that being a career soldier is his life’s path. Life in the military shapes him into the man he will become.
Rico has a series of conversations with Ret. Lt. Colonel Jean V. Dubois, his instructor of History and Moral Philosophy during his high school years, and Fleet Sergeant Ho, a recruiter for the Armed Forces of the Terran Federation. Here the political and military ideas of the novel are presented. This is the meat of the novel, the concepts of how this society sees itself and their version of manifest destiny. The ideas are robust, but controversial. It is pure Heinlein.
One virtue of science fiction is to depict other ways that society and culture might organize and function, giving readers new ideas of how our own society might otherwise function. Heinlein was a libertarian, believed in self-reliance, and taking personal responsibility for one’s actions. All his books are filled with attempts to teach his politics, and this book was one of his strongest examples. Even now, 60+ years after its published date, Starship Troopers inspires heated debate about its core concepts. Somehow, I believe that Heinlein would have been pleased to know this.
While the development of powered armor is Starship Troopers’ most famous legacy, the novel’s influence on the concepts of contemporary warfare is myriad. The novel is on the official reading list of the US Army, US Navy and the US Marine Corps, the only science fiction novel to have that distinction. The all-volunteer, high-tech strike force military of Heinlein’s book, a futuristic concept is now similar in style to our own modern day volunteer armed forces. Remember, the armed forces of Heinlein’s day were filled by conscription forces serving a two-year hitch. An all-volunteer strike force was a radical new idea in Heinlein’s day.
I know of more than one young man who has told me he volunteered for service in the infantry based on reading Starship Troopers. The story of Johnnie Rico is a compelling call to action for young men who see themselves in the protagonist. It is as true today as it was half a century ago.
Of all the authors I read growing up, Robert A. Heinlein was the most influential on me as a writer. While this book was designed for young men, as a woman I could identify with the women starship captains and the female troopers who fought alongside the men as equals. His dead-on prediction of many scientific gadgets that we take for granted today, such as flat screen television, cell phones, and other everyday items, was astounding.
There is a saying among writers that “Heinlein was here first.” For good reason. His stories have shaped the genre of science fiction in ways that are incalculable. If you wish to become familiar with science fiction as a genre. Robert A. Heinlein should be on your reading list. While his work has not aged well, there is still much to value in his down-to-earth, logical scientific style of writing. Starship Troopers is one of the best of his works to start with.
List of Robert A. Heinlein’s Juvenile Novels:
Rocket Ship Galileo, 1947
Space Cadet, 1948
Red Planet, 1949
Between Planets, 1951
The Rolling Stones, 1952
Farmer in the Sky, 1953
Starman Jones, 1953
The Star Beast, 1954
Tunnel in the Sky, 1955
Double Star, 1956 – Hugo Award 1956
Time for the Stars, 1956
Citizen of the Galaxy, 1957
Have Space Suit—Will Travel, 1958 – Hugo Award nominee, 1959
Starship Troopers, 1959 — Hugo Award, 1960
Starship Troopers can be found at your local library or any bookstore. It is not in the public domain, but oftentimes you can find a used copy at a very reasonable price.
Wendy Van Camp
Wendy Van Camp, Anaheim’s Poet Laureate Emerita, is a dynamic voice in speculative poetry, blending cutting-edge technology, astronomy, and daydreams into her work. Her talent has earned her nominations for the Elgin Award, Pushcart Prize, and Dwarf Stars Award. Wendy’s poems, stories, and essays grace journals worldwide such as Star*Line, Scifaikuest, and San Diego Poetry Annual. She also contributes regular essays to Indy Author Magazine. As a member of SFWA, SFPA, and IBPA, and co-chair of the SFWA Poetry Committee, Wendy is a passionate advocate for the speculative community. The Planets, her debut poetry collection, was nominated for the Elgin Award. She is the editor of the award-winning annual Eccentric Orbits: An Anthology of Science Fiction Poetry. She appears as a semi-regular podcaster on Con-Tinual’s Panel Room and Fandom podcasts. Her writing coach services can be found via Indigoskye Press. Discover links to these and more at wendyvancamp.com.