By Alex Ness
February 27, 2021
It may sound odd, but Truman Capote and Ernest Hemingway led me to read Robert A. Heinlein. I've had a lifelong love of the writing of Hemingway. His words are clear and concise, but as much can be learned from the words not written, the expected information you get from a writer that in Hemingway is withheld. I've heard of artists who have shadow and darkness in areas where you'd expect detail, and this would be similar to how Hemingway tells stories. I've absolutely heard people report that they despise his writing. I consider it first a matter of taste, but second, innovators are often reviled.
I didn't have a lifelong love of the writing of Truman Capote. That isn't, in any way, meant to cast doubt upon the quality of writing nor to the writing abilities of Capote. I always watched interviews with him, with a sort of fascination, because he seemed to me to be as much personality as creative talent. He was devoted to the art of writing, and he clearly knew how to create amazing work. I'd only read one of his works, In Cold Blood, and while that was amazing, I'd read it out of interest in the event and how that book presented a moment where America was going to be changed, or it felt so, as a result. I'd watched Breakfast at Tiffany's and while I didn't love that movie, I get why some do love it. During the Covid Quarantine I'd read and watched dozens of interviews with writers to hopefully learn from their words. And again he moved me with his awareness of his craft, and bombastic nature, so I read more of his work. A Christmas Memory stood out as pure excellence, and other Capote works moved me by their quality of word. That word quality reminded me of Ernest Hemingway. As I was writing about both Hemingway, and Capote, and perhaps Robert E. Howard, someone mentioned, if you love those writers you'll love Robert A. Heinlein. I had time, lots of books, and due to my recent health issues, a store of interest and time together to read for pleasure.
I was blown away by Heinlein. After reading three of his books I looked into critical commentary on his work. I learned that many critics disliked Starship Troopers, which I'd read decades ago when I was young and dumb. In the present Starship Troopers has a following, but mostly from people liking the movies, not realizing the maker had tried to do it as parody. But aside from popularity or the anti military critics, Heinlein's Starship Troopers is a great work, and one that was mistaken by many regarding the in intent, masterful content, and perspective.
The concept is rather direct. Starship Troopers follows Juan Rico from high school to boot camp, and officer training. He joined the armored mobile infantry to be in service and defend the earth against incursions by a species known as the Arachnids. Humans colonized near space, industrialized various colonies in ways similar to various modern empires, but coming in first contact with the Arachnids humans responded with violence, and the cycle wound up into a race war against the alien species. The book itself speaks of the process of turning a recruit into member of the military, but also, lays out the history of the world, and the role of warriors as citizens. In the world presented the wars that changed the world happened in the 1980s, where Russians, Americans and the British fight China over dominance of earth. The wars destroyed more than lives and territory, the people in the UK and US ended up losing their liberal democracies. Now the military controlled government, and the consequences are not happy. Robert Heinlein graduated from Annapolis and his awareness of military life, as well as what thoughts are spoken in shared military company, showed that he was not proposing government control, he was suggesting something very different. In times of crisis we could lose civilian controlled governments due to the fears and collapse of order. The sole area where I think he was stating a personally held opinion, was when he pointed out that graduates of West Point or from the pool of recent college grads being given the status of officer and being asked to lead men, was insane.
Starship Troopers worked for me as a child because it fit my interest in military adventures, it spoke clearly. As an adult I saw it as a journal of a life. It wasn't about getting the various stages of a novel, because it isn't one so if you are really pushing back with a "Where's the plot" argument, I'd suggest you need to think about this and perhaps numerous other written works differently. It is a journal so it has diary like content, but uses that format to tell a story of the world and how humans arrived in that period of time. Lastly, he uses the format to demonstrate the mindset of a civilian, then recruit, then officer, and finally just as the narrator. You can see how the character grows mentally, and also, but less importantly, as a teen becoming an adult. If you are still saying I want a novel, there are plenty others to choose from.
I read an account that the book was opposed in various circles. The various critics suggest that it was an Anti Government, or Anti-Civilian control of military long form essay. From research about him, I think Heinlein had a streak of libertarianism. But I found a lot less anti Government or anti Government control of the military than I did a person who believed that the rights we consider important might be stolen from us by government. Or that in crisis when no one is looking, we'll lose those rights.
Also found out that some critics argued that it wasn't appropriate for young adults and yet was aimed at them. It wasn't, when I was growing up labeled as a Young Adult book. It might have been and I missed that, but this was not aimed at being a young adult work. Although I remember reading it as a 12 or 13 year old it didn't have anything whatsoever inappropriate for my age. To the extent that I think kids don't read as much as they did, I might argue, that we live in a world that America has been at war since 2001. We live in a war society, and we have problems as a result of that. Our children born after 2001 have never not known America to be in conflict. I suggest they could read this, and not be in favor of joining the military or believing that only military members have earned the vote.
Having written all of this, I realize and understand that not only would others disagree, they might be better educated, brighter or have good reason to disagree. Ultimately for me it works, and however you wish to see it, I am not debating. I am suggesting that my latest readings of In Cold Blood, and other works written in the economic prose of those authors I mentioned, allowed me to enjoy Starship Troopers far more than I did when I read it at 12-13 years old.
ARMOR by John Steakley
The humans reach into space, in exploration, conquest, exploitation of resources, they are accompanied by technologically able military resources. In the universe presented humans face an alien species who is 3 meters tall, but are called "Ants". They get the name of that from their hive mind and hive style thinking in defense and "diplomacy". Humans respond to the ants with violence but the enemy ants are both inexorable and able. The ants can reach the human ships in orbit or the armored power suit military on the plant directly in front of them. Despite the name these are not insect in terms of mental ability. I found the metaphor of armor useful for the sort of mind the survivors, on either side actually, would need to endure in the wars between the two sides. A mental state of siege would undoubtedly exist. The ending of the book offered hope for more books in the universe, but, the author died and we have the single work. However much I thought it to be quite good, it does sniff of strong homage toward Starship Troopers.
THE DAMNED By Alan Dean Foster
Any reader of this column is aware of my appreciation of and admiration of the writing of Alan Dean Foster. His works move me in style and in their subject matters. In this case his work fits the military science fiction genre, but still remains a paragon of his way of writing. The Damned is a series aimed and a few targets. Humans are recruited to fight in a vast galaxy wide war. It isn't for our intellect, but it is there. It isn't for human individuality, although that is always part of the bargain. No, as a species that has fought wars, has still remained alive despite constant wars, recommends to the various alien peoples, humans are a species that considers was a valid practice, and has an instinct to fight but also survive. Humans have a history of signing peace treaties that fail, or pass laws or international agreements limiting war, and they are better seen as when the parties involved changed their aim as to HOW to go to war, versus stopping war. In this series which could have gone in a number of equally interesting directions, the humans are important, but they are neither the most important, nor are they the best or the brightest. What they are is US. Humans, warts and all. I find this series would make a fantastic Netflix sort of adaptation. It would almost certainly be better than most of what I've seen, and due to the amazing writing, I think even a small effort could reward well. Ah well, I am good at spending the money other people have.
THE FOREVER WAR By Joe Haldeman
The work Forever War is named for a great space war between species, on numerous planets and different areas of space. The soldiers are prepared for conflict with mental training that comes from psychological procedures and also tech implanted, allowing little if any tolerance of other species. This led to massacres and heartless slaughter. Whether civilian or military, a being of an enemy race would be, by that mental training, be considered an enemy. Over and over again morally gray missions lead to high casualties and disaffection with leadership. And oddly, there is a strain of information that seemed, to me at least, to be anti Gay. This series was in ways written as a reply or as a consequence of the writing of Starship Troopers. Haldeman was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. He had issues returning home, and saw Starship Troopers as being out of touch with the cost of war. And the violence is little different in this series than that which is responds to. As such, I think it is interesting to address a violent action book with similarly great violence. I am not suggesting that the work wasn't worth reading, as it was well written as evidenced by winning both Hugo and Nebula awards. I think I found it more or less an enigma rather than loving it or hating it.
VATTA'S WAR By Elizabeth Moon
It might be the case that I just enjoy her writing, but for me, the real feel of the universe, the motives and reasons for each character, and the depth of layers and purpose of the settings, all work to allow exciting and emotionally rewarding stories. Kylara Vatta is a member of a great trading house dynasty. As her world brings her fortunes into possible ruin she responds for both family and her world. This work has depth as the military aspect is clearly presented and feels perfectly real, but there is also highly effective verisimilitude in action. Nothing in this series happens without purpose, without adding layers, and that happens which doesn't have a consequence. This is a top notch series in every way.
THE CONFEDERATION Series By Tanya Huff
The quality of the Confederation series is not so much in the universe author Tanya Huff creates, but in the perception of small unit actions on the universe's panorama of races, dangerous situations and events. I actually found this series enjoyable, but it didn't move me in any way nearly so as Starship Troopers or the aforementioned Vatta's War series. That could be a matter of taste, or maybe having read a number of similar concepts, it just wasn't new. And as a reminder, my taste isn't perfect, so it might be the case other folks think this was greatest ever and those books I preferred might in fact suck. Well that is how taste works, and that's life.
THE OLD MAN'S WAR By John Scalzi
I have dozens of friends who send me lists of works I should read, as well as the actual books. This series was sent to my by a friend who is in the military, or was. He didn't say if he liked it or not, or if it didn't work as a military piece but still worked as fiction but it was still interesting to me that he bought it and shared it with me. In creating this universe author Scalzi has done well incorporating the many different aspects of the future and future military world. He considers DNA and how gene manipulation and chromosomes will be changed and modified, allowing 65 year old men to fight and perform better than young able bodied males might. And the DNA information can also be used to birth new versions of the person being cloned, but with any corrections to the DNA program needed. That is, the clones are better in ways than original humans. The motive surrounding the war makes sense, as planets able to support life are very rare, but intelligent species are more common. So the urge to fight to "own" planets leads to war. This work has action, intelligent world building, romance, and applies what is known to a template of what can be done with that knowledge. Overall I think most people would like this. I should be honest though, I didn't complete the series, I've so much to read and research, I felt like I got the point, and that felt good enough for me. However I still think people who are intelligent with a touch of romance would like this series.
