Starship Troopers

By: Robert A. Heinlein

Narrated by: Lloyd James

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Join the Army and See the Universe. That is the motto of The Third Space War, also known as The First Interstellar War, but most commonly as The Bug War. In one of Robert Heinlein's most controversial best sellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the universe - and into battle with the Terrain Mobile Infantry against mankind's most alarming enemy.

©1959 by Robert A. Heinlein (P)1998 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, 1960

Pretty poor audio editing

Very obvious edits with completely different sound quality from the surrounding sections. A few editing errors with repeated or garbled words. The story itself is fantastic, of course, being one on Heinlein's best.

Blows the movie out of the water.

Would you consider the audio edition of Starship Troopers to be better than the print version?

yes because I could drive while I listened.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes fo sho!

Any additional comments?

A must listen.

Amazing story with sub par recording of the narration

This is my favorite book of all time. An Army Officers Reading List novel, this is the best story of moral obligation, duty, and leadership I have ever read.

It is unfortunate however that the recording for this book was done so poorly. The narrator was fine, but it sounds like mid sentence throughout much of the novel the spliced in another recording that was not of the same quality. Very odd and a bit distracting. Very disappointing. I hope they will rerecord this soon, I would happily buy it again.

exceptional

a must read IMO. gritty story with great character development. Enjoyed it as much at 32 as I did at 16.

Perfect for any military member.

The novel is fantastic, I listen on my commute and have conversation starters when I get home or work.

There are a few phrases that needed to be spliced into the reading. It was a night distracting but one lasts a sentence or two.

Great narration, great book

Loved the book, enjoyed it much more than the film which I also like. Considering listening to this one again even though I just finished it

A MUST READ

Such a phenomenal book. The story and the discussion of society, citizenship and military service is incredibly interesting. Let alone the story itself is engrossing.

My only critique is with the recording. While the main actors voice took some getting used to the random, and noticeable, cut/paste ins from different voices sometimes threw off the flow of the reading. It’s minor, but still there.

Amazing view of infantry life!

This was a good book all around and it was well performed by Lloyd James. He stepped into the shoes of a starship soldier and walked in them through his life, thoughts, and adventures.

A Favorite!

Truly a great story. 60 years later and still poignant. As I write this review in mid-2020, I'm watching cities burn and disrespect towards the police and authority ride to levels I hadn't thought possible. It is easier than ever to imagine veterans getting together to put a stop to the lawlessness. And the idea of "earning" your right to vote makes for a good discussion - whichever side you lean towards. The Bug War is there throughout the story, but it's the sociology and politics that make this a truly thought provoking read.

On the "Performance" - Overall, good. There are some pauses in the narration that can make it more difficult to listen, and there were a couple times where bad editing overlapped (repeated a phrase). There was also one or two times when the new splice was significantly different in volume and tone.

Overall, however,, it's a great story. One that will last!

Excellent Shorter Novel

Great storytelling and has plenty of themes to think about. Overall an engaging and at times emotionally compelling book.