Oh, sure, we can infer criticisms about war, politics, or even society, but the real concern here is the individual psyche. I think what differentiates this story is that we really zoom in on one particular individual's experience here. I haven't read Starship Troopers, so I only have Haldeman's Forever War to compare this to. Just who is Felix, really? Why did he enlist? What makes him the pessimistic, fatalist that he is? What makes him a survivor in spite of the odds and all that he feels? What eventually happened to him? How it comes together and plays out was very suspenseful. Besides the war scenario and harrowing battle scenes, there's a mystery here. I thought it went beyond just being a ripping, good SF tale I thought it was an all around gripping story that might appeal to others outside the genre (if you can get past certain preconceptions that invariably pop up when looking at that book cover). This is one of those books that I probably would not have picked up had it not been for the recommendations I read here. Just finished this book, and loved it, too. One question I had (really more a point of clarification): When Kent (who was really the only character I thought lacked any real depth as he was more of a heroic caricature) punches out Felix and 'saves him', how exactly does he save him? It's implied, but are we to assume that he essentially saved Felix from the seemingly endless treadmill of war, continually being sent back out again and again? Loved the character of Jack Crow (Jack Sparrow anyone?) and I didn't see the revelation re: Lewis coming. Going in, I assumed the book would focus mainly on battles and, yes, the armor itself, but was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the various characters - and thrown for a loop when the second part kicked in and I had not idea what connection, if any, it had to what I had just read. Yes, shades of Starship Troopers and The Forever War - at least the first part of the book - yet still different enough owing to a very interesting protagonist, Felix. Apparently, Steakley is a reclusive author - and not that prolific.Īs for Armor - I loved it.

John steakley armor 2