Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards: A futuristic masterpiece, “perhaps the most important war novel written since Vietnam” (Junot D#65533;az). In this novel, a landmark of science fiction that began as an MFA thesis for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and went on to become an award-winning classic–inspiring a play, a graphic novel, and most recently an in-development film–man has taken to the … film–man has taken to the stars, and soldiers fighting the wars of the future return to Earth forever alienated from their home.
Conscripted into service for the United Nations Exploratory Force, a highly trained unit built for revenge, physics student William Mandella fights for his planet light years away against the alien force known as the Taurans. “Mandella’s attempt to survive and remain human in the face of an absurd, almost endless war is harrowing, hilarious, heartbreaking, and true,” says Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot D#65533;az–and because of the relative passage of time when one travels at incredibly high speed, the Earth Mandella returns to after his two-year experience has progressed decades and is foreign to him in disturbing ways.
Based in part on the author’s experiences in Vietnam, The Forever War is regarded as one of the greatest military science fiction novels ever written, capturing the alienation that servicemen and women experience even now upon returning home from battle. It shines a light not only on the culture of the 1970s in which it was written, but also on our potential future. “To say that The Forever War is the best science fiction war novel ever written is to damn it with faint praise. It is . . . as fine and woundingly genuine a war story as any I’ve read” (William Gibson).
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Joe Haldeman including rare images from the author’s personal collection.
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Epic story showing mankind still hasn’t toned down us versus them aggression as we move out into space.
An exceptional read if you enjoy alien contact books. One of Haldeman’s better creations.
An interesting book to say the least. Good sci fi in the way of being brutally honest of the war mentality and structure; the best of it was the detailed fact of how long spaceflights occur and of the combat suits. Now, something about this whole overly sexed and homosexual aspect seemed a bit overshadowing the whole war.
I get that this was written in a time of “free love” and “Partner swapping” days, but I mean, wow….way too much stressed on it.
Perhaps it was meant as a shocker ( a future shock if you will), but it bogged the the story down in endless detail about it. I listened to this on Audiobook, most of my time riding back and forth to work, and the narration seeemed drab…but believable as a first person speaking it.
As a whole, the book is a solid piece of work – the war, the relationships, the time gap-return problems and even the homosexual flip as the “norm” for humankind seemed interesting. But I find it too stressed on his sexual hang ups.
The ending was perfect. I wouldn’t change anything of that. But I really have to say….the sequel books were not necessary. I’m sure publishers or an agent urged you (or fans maybe?) to create more….but it was totally not needed. The book suited the time it was created in; 70’s love and carefree attitiude was the norm then. And while some of that time has bleeded into our current timeframe….it still feels dated.
I’m not overly recommending this book and I’m not underwelmingly recommending this book. I’ve read the direct sequel to this book….Forever Free. Best not to read that one at all. It shattered the credibility of this one by unrealistic bounds.
And I’ll leave it at that.
Amazing sci-fi book, based on the author’s Vietnam (American) war experiences. Ruined recently by some idiot writer ‘The Tomorrow War’ – don’t watch the film, read this book.
Seminal SciFI antiwar novel.
Wonderful
The Forever War was a good piece of science fiction. It’s filled with perspectives on the purpose of war, the effects that war has on society, and the inhuman expectations that society places on its soldiers. The book also serves to create that same feeling of helplessness that permeates the military experience. Soldiers are all pawns, moved about by powers that stretch so far away from them that explanations for their required actions are never forthcoming.
This strength of the plot, however, also represent its weakness. As time moves forward and human culture changes many of the reasons for change are missing or poorly explained. The reader is given the front-material, which explains the story’s roots in the Vietnam era and this helps to support some of the story. However, without knowing the story’s origins it falls short of standing on its own, and even then, many aspects of the setting are left unexplained. As a former member of the military, I can confirm that this confusion is forever prevalent, but as a reader, it does not make for an engaging story.
The military genre, also results in weakly formed characters. The characters come across as transient and fabricated for the scene. This may be an attempt to blend their individuality back into a greater society that is at war, but it also circumvents an emotional bond with the characters. Tragic things happen in war but I did not feel much sympathy as these things occurred.
On the science side of the story, Haldeman gets physics right. He includes the strange effects on that relativistic speeds cause. The time aspects of the novel also introduce an interesting considerations about a war between to distant intra-galactic cultures and how such a war would be fought. The side that puts forth an invasion is actually attacking the other side’s future. And those returning from such an invasion will return home to a future Earth.
The final chapter was the best that this book had to offer. Finally, the questions and issues that could have been addressed along the way were woven into the plot. But it was much too little, too late.
Good action series but waaay too much profanity for even a blood and guts war story.
A lot of hype drew me to this book. I can’t say I was totally satisfied.
I liked the book, but it’s been many years since I read it.
The lack of an ending keeps me from recommending it even after all this time.
A dark story. While true to war this gives a really dark view of how one could play out.
This book was written as a Sci-Fi metaphor for Haldeman’s experiences in Vietnam and the action and battle sequences, despite the sci-fi touches are obviously rooted in real experience. Haldeman does an excellent job capturing the frustrating powerless feeling of being on the front lines and not making a difference. Some parts of the book may not have aged terribly well, but it’s a wonderful book nonetheless and should be read by all lovers of military sci-fi.
I know this is a sci-fi classic, but it struck me as a bit awkward and stiff.
There are some great ideas, the whipping forward in time and the whole premise regarding the revealed origin of the war, but it seemed to be more a social critique on how pointless human politics and military involvement can be than a realistic, page turning story. Somewhat along the same lines, but a much better story in my book, is the novel “Old Man’s War”
Great counterpoint to Starship Troupers.
Classic sci-fi.
Great premise. Got too political and too preachy.
Classic
Classic sci fi. One of the best ever. Read several times.
A true classic.