Starship Troopers

“I Always get the shakes before a drop”. (p.1) Como Juan Rico, o leitor também “gets the shakes” antes de cada mergulho num capítulo de Starship Troopers. Algumas obras são canonizadas por fatores extraliterários — esta não é uma delas.O in media res é raramente mais que um clichê, porém ainda mais excepcionalmente é imprescindível. A primeira frase do romance já imerge o leitor ao pô-lo defronte a um mergulho no desconhecido — literalmente. O primeiro capítulo, “deslocado” da metade da narrativa, apresenta sem circunlóquios a ideologia da xtópica sociedade humana deste futuro, em prática. Xtópica porque ambígua, embora por vezes tendenciosa.Neste mesmo capítulo não sabe ainda, o leitor, que não são humanos os inimigos, e o retardar calculado desta informação já traz à tona, logo no início e sem relativizações, o culto à violência, o prazer fetichista do manuseio da arma e do homicídio contraposto ao dever máximo — e martírico — de salvar vidas. A Infantaria Móvel mata e morre em nome da vida, ou da eficiência e da ordem? Talvez pela ordem eficiente?A retomada da vida do protagonista narrador se dá no momento preciso em que este tem de escolher como se portar perante seu mundo e a sociedade. O ingresso no serviço militar é voluntário e contraindicado, mas apenas os que serviram um termo de dois anos são cidadãos e têm direito ao voto; afinal é “mais fácil restaurar a visão a um cego do que dar virtude moral — responsabilidade social — a alguém que não a tem, não a deseja e se ressente de ter tal peso imposto a si.” (p.236) A partir daí, este exército xtópico funciona de maneira existencial-humanista, no intento de fazer com que seus soldados — os futuros cidadãos — desenvolvam pessoal e introspectivamente tais virtudes morais.Eis a genialidade da disciplina “História e Filosofia Moral” (“H. & M. P.”), lecionada à maioria dos humanos, desde a tenra idade. O que há de mais curioso nesta disciplina — neste universo considerada ciência exata como a física e a química — é o fato de todos serem obrigados a toma-la, mas ninguém a passa-la, ou seja: enquanto ciência é, utopicamente, detentora de uma verdade histórica e da certeza de que o valor da virtude social é absoluto e cada um o encontrará em si, se em si o tiver; porém, distopicamente, a própria ideia de moral como absoluta, numa matéria em que não se é avaliado, permite a exclusão sistemática e silenciosa (anticonflitos, logo antirevoltas) daqueles que não dividem os mesmos ideais, ao mesmo tempo em que perpetua esta democracia imperialista e beligerante na qual somente militares são cidadãos, e apenas cidadãos podem tornar-se professores de “H. & M. P.”Portanto, muito para além do mérito da engenhosidade estrutural e estilística da narrativa, e da qualidade e coerência estética do texto, como um todo, a própria premissa de narrá-la na visão de um “soldado-cidadão ex-civil privilegiado” possibilita o atrito de diversos argumentos, assim como nas aulas de “H. & M. P.”, de modo que, no final, ainda haja a circularidade programada no sistema, pois trata-se de uma ciência exata “Man is what he is, a wild animal with the will to survive, and (so far) the ability, against all competition. Unless one accepts that, anything one says about morals, war, politics — you name it — is nonsense. Correct morals arise from knowing what man is — not what do-gooders and well-meaning Aunt Nellies would like him to be.” (p.238)O ciclo se completa e eis que se apresenta, outra vez, a hora do mergulho. Porque o que move o mundo não é a resposta ao dilema: “If two men are starving and cannibalism is the only alternative to death, which man’s right is ‘unalienable’? And is it ‘right’?” (p.151) O que aí move o mundo é a ação calculada e o que o faz funcionar são a ordem, o dever e, junto deles, a responsabilidade. Para tanto é necessário que se esteja bem treinado, armado e on the bounce — “To the everlasting glory of the Infantry—“.

Bought tht book because i loved te movie, in this novel i could apreciate the great and bast diferences and apriciate them, in the end i loved the film, although loseled based and the novel

The moment I finished this book, I told my boyfriend that I had wished I had read this book in an English class in high school. The philosophical ideas conveyed, the military life style in a realistic and positive light, and a different political system that criticizes our own makes it a book necessary to really get a person thinking and seeing war, democracy, and citizenship in a different light.It's an easy read, though heavily detailed in army jargon, something which surprised and equally satisfied me. I am not immersed in army culture, but the book still does a good enough job of explaining different level structures in the army (which already changes from element to element and country to country anyway). The book also left me laughing at some points, reminding me of stories I've heard from friends in the reserves and army.It really makes you question your life decisions and just how much you'd be willing to fight for your country. But what makes it stand apart from other war novels is the fact that it doesn't dismiss war - it discusses it with the reader and explains why it is necessary. Whether or not you agree, it nonetheless gets you thinking given its opposed view point.The only complaint I have related to the book is the cover. Nothing related to the content, but if ever it were re-published, I would prefer something more "timeless". Even the first edition cover looks nicer. I know I shouldn't be judging a book by its cover, but seriously, that cover is awful. It doesn't do justice for such a great novel.

What are my favorite books? Well, that is a hard question when you get down to it. There are many books I like, or even love, but naming favorites is hard. I suppose to name a favorite I need to choose ones that inspire my own creative thought. One novel that has always managed to do just that is Robert. A. Heinlein's controversial sci-fi adventure Starship Troopers. Forget the butchery that was the 1997 movie by Paul Verhoeven because the two share nothing in common.Starship Troopers revolves around an intergalactic war between the Terran Federation of Earth and the Arachnids of Klendathu. The Terran Federation is a limited democracy that revolves around meritocratic beliefs, nationalism (or is it planetism in this case?), and extreme militarism. The only way an individual can earn the right to vote is if they've served in a military branch (which earns the title of "Citizen") while those who haven't do not receive the right to vote and are looked down upon ("civilians"). The Arachnids are a Hive based society where countless worker and warriors meet the needs of the ruling class composed of "Queens" and "Brain Bugs."The story is told from the perspective of Juan Rico, son of wealthy Filipino businessman Emilio Rico. His father is a civilian but despite his lack of political power has amassed a great fortune and when Juan expresses interest in becoming a Citizen his father scolds him. Eventually however Juan gives into pressure from his friend "Carl" (no full name given) and high school crush Carmen Ibanez.Military service is dependant upon intelligence and Juan hopes to make it into the Naval Academy, which is where Carmen intends to enlist. Unfortunately, Juan is not the smartest kid on the block. While Carmen happily accepts entry into Naval services and Carl makes it into Research & Development ("Starside Research & Development" located on Pluto, to be precise), Rico only manages to meet the standard for Mobile Infantry; the lowest branch. He joined to be with his friends, but from this day on he never sees them again except for few, brief moments.Rico is soon shipped to Camp Arthur Currie where under the strict care of 1st Sergeant Charles Zim. Here Rico is trained to become an instrument of war under the harshest conditions. Training consumes most of the days, so much so that Rico along with many other recruits acquires the ability to sleep during the morning jogs without missing a beat. Public floggings of disobedient recruits, or those attempting to escape their duties is a constant event meant to keep the others in line.Towards the end of his training Rico is shocked to discover that the Arachnids (or "bugs" as the soldiers prefer to call them) have declared war by launching a surprise bombardment that has wiped out his home of Buenos Aires. With the full tide of war pushing him, and outfitted with a fully armored mechanized combat suit Rico is prepared to engage the bugs up close and personal. The rest of the novel follows Rico's exploits throughout the "Bug War."On its surface Starship Troopers is a basic grunt story with a sci-fi setting, but it still manages to be ahead of its time. It feels a lot like post-Vietnam era war fiction in the fact that it doesn't show glory in battle and focuses on a character who isn't too smart but gets by in a time of war. The simplicity of this story also allows Heinlein to give full attention to his innovative, and at times controversial ideas.Aside from Heinlein's controversial picture of a militaristic society that many feel supports a fascist society (I would disagree on this...) Heinlein manages to work in military tactics and technology well ahead of his time. You want to know where the idea of strength enhancing combat suits and the ability to deploy troops by dropping capsules from orbit came from? Why, these ideas copied countless times in anime, video games, movies, and other novels all stem from Starship Troopers! But even aside from those awesome concepts Heinlein presents ideas that have taken hold in today's military. Such tactics as smash-and-burn raids, and surgical precision strikes become tactics that for the first time are fully elaborated upon in the written word and are surprisingly accurate to how the tactics are conducted today. Other technology such as night vision goggles, personal radar, and self-contained environmental suits are also laid out in great detail by Heinlein.As a race the Arachnids set the standard for all future "humanity vs. insect race" scenarios. They have a hive based society. Where there is a central intelligence class (Queens and Brain Bugs in this case) and a lower class which consists of warriors and workers. The Arachnids also exploit their ability of fast reproduction. Aside from being sentient (the Arachnids of Heinlein's book have built spaceships and utilize plasma based weaponry) the Arachnids really exploit the fact that they're insects. Rico speculates at one part that if they kill 10,000 Arachnid warriors in a day and lose a single member of the Mobile Infantry it is a loss for humanity because in the Arachnid hives wait Warrior eggs that will hatch to meet demands. A human Mobile Infantryman takes eighteen years to mature and two years to train. In this way Heinlein really goes in-depth on "What advantages would a sentient insect race have over humans if they were at war?"Story is probably where Starship Troopers falls short, being a fairly routine military coming of age chronicling the adventures of the protagonist and the horrors of war. In short: The ideas and concepts of the novel overshadow the story. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this book and its characters, but when comparing its basic plot to some of the novels it inspired, such as Ender's Game, it doesn't hold as much strength...But as an exploration into the mechanics of science-fiction is unmatched. The way Heinlein speculates the future of war is phenomenally well done and having the story told from the perspective of a protagonist who is essentially a common grunt really drives home how extraordinary the events and technology are by with a simple worded narrative.I highly suggest picking up a copy of this book and throwing aside any knowledge of the 1997 movie. The movie simply uses the names of characters and slaps on the title "Starship Troopers" but never will you see a less accurate interpretation of a book. This is sci-fi warfare at its finest and its ideas are just as impressive now as they were in 1959.So sit down, read, and enjoy.

Algo maltratado de la pasta. Con una etiqueta de 10 dólares cuando me lo vendieron a más del doble. Entiendo que cambien de precio pero la etiqueta ahí con un precio menor no cae nada bien jaja. Las 4 estrellas son porque llegó dañado, lo venden como nuevo lo que uno espera es algo en óptimas condiciones, que no parezca que estuvo dos semanas en una mochila.