Starship Troopers
Re-reading this prompted by Michael Drout’s lectures on Science Fiction (and I’ve also bought a nice paperback copy for my personal SF “Hall of Fame” shelf).
So this book does have something of a reputation for right-wing demagoguery, but not really deserved in my view. Certainly the film was a parody of right wing attitudes but the book I think is more just the primary example of hard military SF. It was an exciting read when I was a kid, and it was an exciting read now!
Yes, the characters have some questionable views, both politically and towards women but the latter is more of a reflection of the time in which it was written and the former is what gives the characters the motivation for what they actually do and how they behave. Simply by reading the book I don’t have to share those views, and neither does the author necessarily have to share them for having written it.
In short, always worth a read just for the sheer excitement and immersion in a military setting. Sets the standard for military SF, of which Marko Kloos is arguably todays worthy heir.