Re: Kathryn's comments

Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@turbont.net)
Mon, 13 Sep 1999 22:30:00 -0400

Lee Daniel Crocker wrote:
>
> > "Starship Troopers" was the book that convinced me to enlist
> > (U.S.M.C.) back in '74.
>
> For those on the list not already familiar with it, I also
> heartily recommend Heinlein's /Starship Troopers/ as a classic
> of both SF in general and Heinlein political-commentary SF in
> particular. I strongly recommend /against/ seeing the excrable
> recent movie which bears no resemblance at all to the book
> other than title and a few characters.

Not only that, but the nudity was sub-par too.. ;)

My recommended Heinlein trinity to read: Starship Troopers
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

I think the three of these together would turn anybody into a libertarian...

>
> I was a Lefebvrian pacifist for much of my life, and never had
> any interest at all in miltary service, but this book made me
> regret that I never enlisted. That's just a warning to any of
> you of prime military age--if you are at all impressionable,
> you'll find yourself at the recruitment center before the last
> chapter. The movie, on the other hand, will have you thinking
> of all military as evil Nazis, which I believe was the director's
> intent. Maybe he did it on a dare or something, just to see if
> he could make a movie with a completely opposite point of view
> to the original story (I'm amazed anyone in Hollywood still
> deals with scum like Paul Verhoeven, whose history of broken
> pomises and sleazy deals would make a movie itself).

He actually was trying to recapture the sensationalist patriotic flair of 40's & 50's media, along with the feeling he had as a child in London during the Battle of Britain. The concept of the brain sucking slug was actually a dig on the way that collectivist societies (i.e. the bugs, Nazis, Communists, etc) suck the humanity out of its population. I was ticked that they didn't even try to replicate the power augmented suits in the novel.

>
> Let's just hope nobody screws up /The Moon is a Harsh Mistress/.

Is there a movie being made? Oh goodie...

Mike Lorrey