![]() ![]() But why does this book, as opposed to many others, do such a fantastic job of selling this particular point of view? If you're a soldier yourself, I can see that Heinlein, also a soldier, can make you proud of what you're doing. Many more people are taking Starship Troopers at face value, and appreciate how it presents the military in a positive light. Stranger in a Strange Land was originally conceived as a satire Heinlein was surprised to see that people liked it and read it straight, and, more flexible than he's often made out, he rewrote it that way and followed it up with a couple of similar books. From what I've heard, the "satire" theory is in fact the reverse of the truth. Many of Heinlein's early books extol militaristic right-wing/libertarian virtues Sixth Column (1949) is a particularly flagrant example. I don't think that idea stands up to serious examination. I suppose, when you see some of Heinlein's later books ( Stranger in a Strange Land, 1961 I Will Fear No Evil, 1970), you may get the idea that he's some kind of hippy New Age prophet, and that Starship Troopers is poking fun at the militaristic right. One reviewer wonders if it's deadpan satire. Let me start by dismissing a couple of possible theories. With all its faults, I simply loved it as a 14 year old, and I'm in no way alone there. ![]() But that wouldn't be doing the book justice. My first impulse is to dismiss it as an appalling piece of militaristic propaganda, whose one saving grace is that it's at least much better than the movie. ![]()
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