The premise: William Mandella never wanted to be a part of a war, but he's there, training and fighting against an alien race all for the sake of protecting colonist's ships as well as the collapsars that allow those ships to travel great distances. War is no picnic, but as Mandella will find out, neither is his homecoming.

My Rating

Give It Away: while I feel it's a must-read (not a must-have, there's a difference!) for SF enthusiasts and writers, really, this isn't the kind of book that I'd read again and want around. It's just familiar ground for me, and that's not the book's fault; rather, it's that I'm a product of dozens of films, television shows, and books that've done the same thing, if not better in some regards (this happens to me every time I read something that's classic SF or Fantasy). Scalzi fans who haven't yet read Haldeman might get a kick out of this, but may feel in the end that Scalzi does it better (but that's me). I'll give credit where credit is due: the SF of this book was interesting, and I can see where this book has been the inspiration for countless things (I couldn't help but giggle every time I saw the phrase "Stargate 1"). Haldeman crafts an interesting alternative history and future, and the voice of the narrator makes this book a relative fast read. I wouldn't call this book action-packed though: despite the fact it's a book about war, we hear about things happening more than we actually experience them. The book's more telling than showing, but the stuff it does show is pretty solid. I'm glad I read this, and while I won't read anything else in this universe, I won't hesitate to give Haldeman's work another shot later.

Review style: this one's going to be pretty easy to discuss in general terms. Plus, the book's so old that spoilers, in my mind, are a moot point. This is a stream-of-conscious review, but I keep plot-specific spoilers to a minimum. The full review, which has no spoilers of any consequence, may be found in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Joe Haldeman's THE FOREVER WAR

Happy Reading! ( )

This excellent science fiction novel is a joint 1976 Hugo/Nebula Award winner and deservedly so. It has been, along with Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, identified as the best military science fiction novel in existence.

The author, Joe Haldeman, is a Vietnam veteran, and his experience in that conflict can easily be seen in this novel chronicling a never ending conflict between Humans and Taurans, driven more by economics and the military industrial conflict than by any animus between the two species.

Of particular interest are the technological advances throughout the term of the conflict and interpersonal relationships, made more fascinating by the time continuum that results in vast differences in the passage of time between starship travelers and others. The method of travel, the weapons used, equipment, medical advances and interesting Tauran characteristics all display outstanding imagination.

Labeled by most as an anti-war work, it certainly demonstrates the futility of this particular conflict, which is conceded by the author to be an allegory for the Vietnam conflict. However, the book is at its core, simply fascinating without beating the reader over the head with its political message. Highly recommended. ( )

Clearly the inspiration for 'Aliens' & 'Starship Troopers', this was at times matched its reputation as a classic sf & antiwar novel. The key parts of the novel is spent looking at the society that perpetuated the forever war, so it doesn't become a grind of gory battle scenes following each other. Some parts are particularly odd, such as when he discovers everyone on earth has become a homosexual & he is now abnormal - bearing in mind Haldeman was a Vietnam vet., presumably this is an accusation against the sociaety he returned to. The ending is also abrupt & unbearably sentimental. ( )

http://bibliofool.wordpress.com/2009/... ( )

The book follows a guy called William Mandela as he fights in Earth's first war with an alien species. It starts in 1996, but time dilation effects due to the method of interstellar travel used by both sides, whenever he returns home after a battle tens or hundreds of years have passed there. It's pretty explicitly supposed to be a post-Vietnam anti-war thing.

SPOILERS

For a book written in the 70s I was inclined to be impressed by the gender equality in his version of the army, but I could have done without them sleeping in pairs, and being told that it was military custom for female soldiers to be "promiscuous and compliant" was fairly creepy.

In the later parts of the book, when centuries have passed on Earth and the protagonist hardly understands the people he's fighting for, more and more of the population are apparently gay. The author gave some vague political/biological reasoning for this, but I feel like the author was trying to make some sort of point which I have totally failed to understand.

Also, what is up with the whole clone thing at the end? The ending seemed a bit handwavy to me. ( )