Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Let's Hear it for the Boys - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein





 
Published: 1987
Publisher: Ace books
Pages: 264


The historians can’t seem to settle whether to call this one "The Third Space War" (or the fourth), or whether "The First Interstellar War" fits it better. We just call it “The Bug War." Everything up to then and still later were "incidents," "patrols," or "police actions." However, you are just as dead if you buy the farm in an "incident" as you are if you buy it in a declared war...

In one of Robert A. Heinlein’s most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most alarming enemy.


This fantastic book was originally published in 1959. My own copy of the book was published around 1970 and it was a gift from my Dad.  He had previously given me a copy of Issac Asimov's Foundation trilogy, and he thought I needed a little light reading after it.  Some of you may remember the  Starship Troopers movie not too long ago (actually it was in 1997 so I'm really dating myself here), with Casper van Dien as the lead character Johnny Ricco.  It was an incredibly violent movie with lots of CGI bugs running around the screen, but it was great fun to watch.

Anyway, the movie was based on the book, which was considerably less violent, but considerably more enjoyable.  The main characters are in their late teens and are just leaving high school and going out into the world, or universe in Not written as a YA book, it still fits into that category, and there are many more violent YA books available today. A great book to look out if you are a fan of science fiction, or even if you're not.

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