Review | Starship troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

Science fiction novels usually frame the idealism of a better civilization through the pages, seeking to express human potential if headed in special circumstances. And that's what this singular novel, different from the film known as Starship Troopers, seeks.

This novel written by the American Robert A. Heinlein, is a writing characterized by introducing topics such as administration, politics, linguistics and sociology in science fiction. Fixing a scientific and logical basis in their stories. Winner of four Hugo awards for "Starship Troopers", "Stranger in a Strange Land" and " The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress".

What it's about

The story tells a utopian future where the human race must serve in the military to obtain citizenship and the right to vote. This allows society to value more the concept of freedom, respecting the concept it implies.

We find ourselves before a humanity expanded throughout the universe. Submerged in the war against an alien race called Chinches, intelligent insects that have also colonized much of the galaxy. Our protagonist Johnnie Rico, enlisted in the mobile infantry, using exoskeletons for the offensive. He'll give us a tour of this entire universe as he moves up the ranks.

Novel Message

My book impressions are the same as those of science fiction writers. They try to show their opinion of how society should become following a specific policy as a point of reference, in this book is the military.

It's a difficult system to explain, but it is based on the premise that freedom has a cost to earn. It causes people to set goals to achieve them, eventually earning a kind of love for what they do. Enrolling in the military is not mandatory, however, the propagandizing that they apply is twofold and establishes discipline even among those who have never served.

As one reads they touch on issues of war and juvenile delinquency. Explaining the flaws in each of these campaigns, often pointing out specific dates. Their message is that being indolent with the crimes or too severe causes the uprising of the population.

Researching the novel I found that it had in its time many criticisms for promoting promilitar ideas, being the book compared with a "Victorian book". His thoughts were labeled as not applicable to a society.

Opinion as writer

As a science fiction book, it fills my expectations when I ask you something dreamy, and it provokes the reader to analyze the course that humanity is currently following, to see if our doctrines are well structured and applied.

Although, at a narrative level, the characters lack personality, and sometimes the story becomes tedious, but not to the point of abandoning it. It's a totally different work from its version in the cinema. Where in his version on screen he was included all the elements that were missing in the book, such as romanticism or more personality and suspense in the characters.