Rating:
3 out of 5 Heinleins
What's It About?
This book is about a future Earth society that is run by a milititary authoritarian style government. To become a full citizen of Earth, one must serve at least two years in the intergalactic military. This is usually not too horrible, "a light workout to our cavemen ancestors" as said in the book, but now is different. Earth is at war with a bug like species from a planet named Klendathu.
The story follows a young recruit, Johnnie Rico, as he climbs the ranks of the Mobile Infantry. From bootcamp to Officer's school, we see Rico become more and more part of the overall military war machine.
Review:
This book is a thought provoking book that explores the political side of the military. Robert Heinlein wrote this in a way that the focus is more on the philosophical and psychological aspects of war. Morality and ethics are also key points in this story. While it does tackle these topics in interesting ways, the book falls a little flat with the focus being too much on these subjects. For a book about a space war with bug creatures, this is lacking in the actual war part. If you decide to read this I would recommend forgetting everything from the 1997 movie (if you've seen it). The action and characters are completely different for each medium.
Extra Credit:
The book mentions many historical battles and warriors/soldiers that are worth researching. One such individual is a man named Rodger Young that Rico's favorite ship was named after.
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