Boot Camp Baby: Military Science Fiction’s Incubator

This paper argues that the recent popularity of military science fiction, particularly the focus on the training of the recruit soldier as they make their way through boot camp, comes from and also benefits America’s ongoing adoration for its military. With reference to three series by authors John Scalzi, Marko Kloos and Joel Dane, the paper argues that the texts are examples of what French theorist Jacques Ellul called integration propaganda.