I love classic SciFi! Even more than more recent ones (with a couple exceptions) this one didn’t disappoint at all!

The earth is under attack and the aliens attacking are not afraid of their own casualties. Humankind step up to the cannon fodder 😬😅

This was such a great read for me. It was a stark look at military enrolment and culture in the forces set in the distant future. It’s an interesting concept that only those who serve their country are afforded the rights of full citizenship - including the right to vote.

I always seem to trust SciFi books written from 1960’s-80’s a lot more than more recent works. I love the concepts and progressive thinking these authors had with many of their ideas which would have seemed absurd at the time becoming a reality.

Now, which classic SciFi to delve into next 🤔

A classic sci-fi that follows John Rico's military career Robert created a unforgettable character and hooks you into John's journey. R C Bray is an excellent narrator and he does a very good job on this book. Thanks to F W Howes and Netgalley for this review audiobook.

4 stars for the story, 5 stars for the narrator.

Starship Troopers is your classic military sci-fi novel, but with more nuance and philosophy than I anticipated upon reading it for the first time. There are elements and certain character attitudes that certainly show the age of the novel, but further segments of philosophical thinking that have a timeless and eternally relevant feel.

For many sections of the story, you’d be forgiven for classing Starship Troopers as a classic war/bootcamp novel bereft of any science fiction! Much of the story is charting the rise through the ranks of new recruit Johnny Rico, who from enlistment has plenty to learn before being given his own powered armor and sent on frontline missions. Sensing the start of a bootcamp segment of the story, the stereotype that immediately springs to mind is one of camp camaraderie with angry, borderline sadistic commanding officers. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find Starship Troopers taking a different approach, with officers who are undoubtedly stern, but show a lot of compassion and care for their recruits. It strikes a fantastic balance of respecting and caring about Johnny’s superiors, whilst maintaining the apprehension and slight fear when they’re on the page.

The focus of Starship Troopers is almost wholly on its characters, and I did feel the wider world building wasn’t wholly satisfying as a result. It’s not a particularly fair criticism of a short novel that wasn’t aiming to build a detailed and descriptive world, but more so the viewpoint of a young soldier who doesn’t have a background context of goings on in the war rooms of higher-up generals. It’s a criticism I assert though on the basis that it creates a weak Sci-Fi setting in a war story that is a true classic in the genre.

For the audiobook version, the narrator impressively brought this classic to life. Two elements in particular made this reading stand out in it's quality to me; he was excellent at indicating the rank and authority of characters through tone of voice alone, and his voice for Johnny slowly progressed as he moved up the ranks and gained experience and authority. The latter part in particular is such an important part of the story, and I was really pleased to see it brought to life so well.

I read the book, saw the film and now have listened to the inestimable RC Bray narrate this classic, it’s timeless and still resonates with me

Nothing can match Robert Heinlein, I requested this audio book straight away when I saw that it was available and I am glad I did, because I enjoyed listening to it and would recommend it. While not as good as some his other books, such as 'Stranger in a Strange Land' there was enough to keep me hooked on the story, until I had finished it.

It's been decades since I last read this classic and it holds up pretty well. The narrator did a decent job and I enjoyed the book. Heretically, I actually think tbe film is better....