Rating: 
Summary: Great read
Review: A bit like Heinlein's Starship Troopers in its military-style plot and dialog, the Forever War is a great read with a good dose of military sci-fi.
Rating: 
Summary: Forever Brilliant
Review: Peter F. Hamilton (who knows a thing or two) described this as: "A book that's near perfect.".Well drop the 'near' and you'd be closer to the mark. An uplifting tale of hope; while as everything around the protagonist cuts and changes, his love for one woman remains constant. Witty, compelling, poignant, ..., brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: A classic, one of the best works of sciences fiction ever.
Review: I have read this book at least 3 or 4 times and it is such a powerful story, I keep coming back. Sometimes it's explosive, sometimes quiet and understated. It combines some hard science with a great story. But what makes it so popular still? How many sci-fi books are in print 20+ years later? I think I know exactly why: without being too obvious, this book has something to say. I understood it better when I found out about the platoon sized booby trap that killed everyone else in Haldeman's squad in Vietnam, and nearly killed him. Gather round and listen close, because there are not a lot of writers who have been where he's been. For a piece of fiction this book feels so real it might scare you. I think anyone who doesn't mind if a book entertains you and makes you think will love this book. If you are looking for Buck Rogers, this isn't for you.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of the BEST sci-fi ever
Review: This book is just simply FANTASTIC. It it perfect for bed-side or bathroom reading. The chapters are short and the sections in them are only a few pages long. Just pick it up and read for 5-10 minutes when you can. Haldeman gets right to the point of things. There is no flowery speech that goes on for pages to just describe a guy walking down a hallway. It quick paced and cunning. GREAT work. You may also like: Armor, Ender's Game, Bodyguard, Legacy of Herot, if you liked this one.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting contrast with Starship Troopers
Review: First off, I recommend both The Forever War *and* Starship Troopers. Both protagonists, and their worldviews, are products of their respective societies; Johnny Rico with his "gee-whiz" outlook on life and the military (somewhat exaggerated due to the fact that the book *was* written in 1959, and originally supposed to be published as one of Heinlein's "juvenile" novels which also explains why the combat scenes are far less gritty) are a product of a society with a high degree of personal freedom, where there was no conscription (Heinlein considered the draft a form of slavery) and a soldier could resign from the army at any time -- save in a combat zone. Haldeman's cynical William Mandella is a product of a society where the military-industrial complex has soared out of control, and the draft is in full swing to provide warm bodies (albiet warm bodies with high IQs) for the war. Both are excellent reads and give interesting insights into the minds of the authors who are products of their particular generations (Heinlein was in his 30s when WWII rolled around, and Haldeman came of age in time for Vietnam).
Rating:
Summary: Very good. You'll have fun reading it all through.
Review: I really liked this book. The way Haldeman treated the subjective vs. real time differences were very good, helping to emphasize the disorientation of the main character after the end of each military campaign. This book is about war, but the war is also an excuse to show how society changes when the time span is sufficiently big. I didn't give it the five stars because I'd like to reserve that rating for exceptional books. With this one you'll be entertained by reading a well thought plot.
Rating:
Summary: A poignant tale of youth, alienation and the horror of war
Review: I loved this book. It's such a relief to read an intelligent, moving SF war novel that realistically incorporates the problems of relativity and time distortion. Objective centuries pass in a matter of subjective months, and the world changes rapidly as Mandella seems to stay the same. Put's the seemingly rapid technological changes we've been trying to cope with this past decade into perspective. It was also great to see that the author did not shy away from the fact that war is primarily long stretches of boredom, punctuated by brief periods of terror. From memory, Mandella is involved in about 3 or 4 battles during the entire book, with one of those ending abruptly and before combat. Much of the rest of the time is spent in an uncomfortable transit. Sure, parts of this book are dated eg. Mandella's attitude to homosexuals would now be called 'homophobia' (although, interestingly, the book need not be seen as anti-gay - it fits in nicely with the postmodern belief that sexuality is socially constructed) while the modern reality of AIDS and Hep B make UNEF's free-love army even more unbelieveable (and it also seems at times that the women in this UNEF army are glorified prostitutes). However I don't think these anachronisms, or the subtle paralells to Vietnam, necessariy detract from the overall impact of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, I read it in one day.
Review: Great book, what more can I say? I wish it was longer, and that the author had explored further the possibility of winding up in battles where your weapons are centuries out of date. A great read, I still like Heinlein's Starship Troopers better, but Haldeman's book is top-notch military sci-fi.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic
Review: I don't usually read SF, I'm more of a war novel reader, deep into the pages of great books like THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, or THE KILLER ANGELS, but Joe Haldeman is such a gifted writer that I read everything he produces, and THE FOREVER WAR is his finest effort to date. You HAVE to read it, you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A book that is worth the read.
Review: My summary begins with the question: Why did I decide to read this book? Well, I had a long time to decide. I am 18 years old and I have had the first edition of the book sitting in my parent's home for my entire life. I finally got around to reading the book, and finished it in two days. Being a child who grew up reading Tolkien and R.A. Salvatore, this book didn't really appeal to the fantasy aspect of my pysche. The reason that I read this book is because after the first page I was mentally keeping a list of similarities and differences of this book to things such as the movie Starship Troopers and the PC-game Starcraft. Can we say "Terran"-fever? I am a firm believer that the major attraction to sci-fi is not all of the high-fangled gadgets or technology but the how the human spirit endures or suffocates. This novel is a prime example of both. In contrast to Starwars, The Forever War really doesn't need a title. Heck, it doesn't even need a picture (my copy never had a cover-picture since I've had it) to help a reader conjure up the images described. Is this book worth reading? Yes. Why? Humor? Social methodology? Government conspiracism? Whatever your reason, or even if you do not have one, give this book a whirl. You'll be glad you did.
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