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The Forever War

The Forever War

List Price: $13.95
Your Price: $11.16
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Talent plus life experience equals great novel.
Review: The author of Forever War blends his beautiful talent for writing with his knowledge of war and medicine. FW is unputdownable and I read it in three sittings. Are there better sci-fi military novels with this much heart? A pacifist warrior trapped in a world where he is alone and confused. (I did not however see the homosexuality as a warning that homosexuals will take over. I thought it was a way to make Mandella alienated. There is no anti anything in the gay plot point. Maybe just a lesson that you might learn if you read carefully.)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not much war, really
Review: For a Forever War, there really weren't that many battle scenes as I recall. I found it interesting that the main character kept thinking "My chance of surviving are miniscule" but then the battle would be over in three seconds and something else happens.

I did like the book. I didn't always follow the jumbled time logic, and I really don't get the whole deal with the homosexuality (not that it doesn't make sense as population control, but why did the author write it, if only to have his main character keep harping on it?) But it was a good book, with a hero I could enjoy (although, like Armor, it had its "Oh yawn, I'm bored so now I'm going to kill you in 3 seconds" scenes).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Haldeman is a very good writer
Review: I recently reread Forver War and it was as good as the first time. Also recommend some other SF military type stories such as Doherty's AREA 51 books and Dickson's Dorsai books.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dark
Review: Hey, we have here for once a good book about war from a soldier's perspective. Don't bother telling me, I know Starship Troopers is just as much a "classic," but this was so much better.

The first part deals with training and really does a good job showing how war cheapens human life. The main character, William, eventually becomes desensitized to a certain degree. This differing from Starship Troopers in that Heinlein's "Federal Service" during the war is portrayed as high school with guns.

Something else done well here is the transition of society. I won't give anything away, but the method of population control is... interesting to say the least. One wonders if Haldeman was trying to be satirical. Well, he made me laugh. The way that William becomes a stranger in his own country is a very strong theme.

And the big surprise comes when the war ends. And, not giving anything away, it further cheapens the lives of the people who died in the war.

Oh and it also shows what a magical thing compound interest is!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding commentary on war, set in the future
Review: Joe Haldeman tracks the main character (William Mandella) through his military career in this Hugo award winning novel. Originally published in multiple parts, it is now combined into a single volume that works well as a unit.

In the novel, Earth is at war with an alien species they have never even seen. Because of vast distances and near-light speeds needed to take the war to enemy territories, each battle sees Earth age decades or centuries while the soldiers age only a few months or years. As Mandella rises from private to major, Earth changes, the war changes, and even the enemy changes as Haldeman gradually transforms the story from a war novel into a strong statement about what war really is. This is perhaps my favorite modern sci-fi novel and is worth re-reading every few years.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best SF ever
Review: It took me years to get around to buying this, and guess why. The cover always put me off, regardless the edition. There is not a cover worthy of it. My first intro to the story was when I bought the Marvano three part picture novel in French while living in France. I had to learn more french to be able to read it. Finally I bought the novel, its a worthy classic, I wish someone could make a worthy film of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very good book!
Review: I really liked this book. First of all, "The Forever War" makes a greatly entertaining read (if only for the hell of reading). Though militarization and blind obedience (no matter how good the cause) causes my gut to wretch with pangs of utter puke, this book is a good and "frank" account of the possible psychological, moral, and socio-economic aspects of war. I learned a lot from this book and I recommend it highly and without reservations.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: read it in a day, wish it was longer
Review: This is an interesting book, but it doesn't seem to climax anywhere. Interesting ideas, if not a bit ecentric.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally, the world takes notice...
Review: When I first read this book in the 70's, I told all of my friends how great it was and how realistic it sounded (assuming any science fiction can sound realistic). No one listened because they were all ranting about Heinlein's "Starship Troopers". So I read that as well but it turned out to be just a thick comic book without the cool pictures.

"The Forever War" has the kind of fresh approach to sci-fi that I've always sought. It's different views of drug use, birth control, and women in the military were both thought-provoking and hilarious. (Well, the part about the women wasn't hilarious.)

"The Forever War" places Haldeman in a league with Clifford Simak and The Amazing Mr. Asimov.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Is it homophobic?
Review: I to was introduced to Haldeman through SF magazines & anthologies. Yet it seemed like this book said if we accepted homosexuals they'd take over. Even if you believe homosexuality is a sin, they still have a right to live as they choose. Just like people have a right to be Buddhist or Muslim or whatever. I hope I missed its point.


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