Starship Troopers is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, 1st published in abridged form as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (10-11/59 as "Starship Soldier") & published hardcover in 1959. The 1st-person narrative is about a young soldier named Juan "Johnnie" Rico & his exploits in the Mobile Infantry, a futuristic military unit equipped with powered armor. His military career progresses from recruit to noncommissioned officer & finally to officer against the backdrop of an interstellar war between humans & an arachnoid species known as the Bugs. Thru Rico's eyes, Heinlein examines moral & philosophical aspects of suffrage, civic virtue, the necessities of war & capital punishment & the nature of juvenile delinquency. Starship Troopers won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in '60. The novel has attracted controversy & criticism for its social & political themes, which some critics claim promote militarism. Starship Troopers has been adapted into several films & games, with the most widely knownas well as the most controversial & criticizedbeing the '97 film by Paul Verhoeven.