Starship Troopers can be enjoyed, but if you've seen the movie you will note very few similarities. So just forget the movie. It helps.

It is set in a time when anyone who wants the right to vote must first complete a term of civil service. This is not necessarily military service, but you don't have any guarantees that you will get the service you choose. And if you give up, you will never have the right to vote.

That's one of the things completely ignored in the movie. But we're talking about the novel here anyhow.

Johnnie Rico joined up in defiance of his parents, who have never felt the need to vote, and to impress a girl. He ends up as a cap trooper, fighting a war against the Bugs. The discussion of his military training is quite detailed, down to the punishments meted out.

There are good reasons this novel is controversial. It's not like modern society. Physical punishment is commonly used, including whipping, and hanging for the death penalty.

If you enjoy philosophy you can enjoy reading the parts that discuss whether or not man has a moral sense, natural rights and so forth.

There's a lot of action in this book, which one would certainly expect in such a military context. The action scenes are quite well written and bring the story together well.

This one borders on one of Heinlein's youth novels, as it is more than anything about Rico's coming of age. But there's a lot younger readers may not understand.