The Forever War

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Summary: An impressive classic - a must read for all sci-fi fans
Review: A work of incredible imagination that takes your breath away. Peppered with acerbic humor, e.g. weapons so advanced that it renders all but hand-to-hand combat effective. It will haunt your imagination for a long time. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, a classic
Review: I read this book cover to cover without interruption. Imaginative, well writen and emotional. You must have this book in your sci fi library.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting in some areas, but lacking in others
Review: I have mixed feeling about this book. While I enjoyed the discussions of battle and the concept of reletivistic time, I felt that the book really suffered when trying to predict the future. I understand that this story is a Vietnam allegory, but I just didn't find it that interesting.

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Summary: A Feast for Fans of Heinlein and "Doc" Smith
Review: Did you enjoy "Starship Troopers"? Can you fondly remember at least half the titles of E. E. Smith's Lensman series? Yes? Then, moving at light-speed, grab your mouse and order this book! Don't recognize these names but enjoy heroic adventure, like the Hornblower or Aubrey/Maturin books? Yes? Get this book!

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Summary: Perhaps the best US SF novel to come out of the 70's
Review: Joe Haldeman fought in the Vietnam War, and this is basically a novel about his experience. I've seen people say this book is like Starship Troopers often, and although I can understand the comparison(both novels use technologically advanced space suits and interstellar war) I cannot understand how anyone who considers themselves intelligent can say the two are similar in the least. Starship Troopers is a novel of foaming-at-the-mouth patriotism. It's almost a pro-war novel. The Forever War is a mirror of that novel. The Forever War is as anti-war as anti-war novels come. And it's parallels to the Vietnam war as well as the things it says about American society are profound. Haldeman's masterpiece is a novel about an interstellar war into which people are drafted to fight. People travel light years away to fight in a war they don't care about in unfamiliar territory where they get slaughtered by the aliens who know their territory. Sound familiar? If not, try this on for size. When the soldiers return home, they find that Earth has changed so much in thier absence that they no longer know their home. If that's not enough, people don't care about the sacrifice that the soldiers have made for them, and it's surprising the soldiers do not go insane. This book is describing the Vietnam War. It shows how horrible our society really is, and how far we have to go. It is a must read for anyone interested in society (which should be everyone). It is a reminder of what we have done, and is a cautionary tale warning us of what can happen again.

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Summary: Disappointing sci-fi novel
Review: I was disappointed with The Forever War because there was an absence of character development, lack of intensity, and an unrealistic portrayal of future technology. But I guess that's why it is called science fiction. Compared to the last book I read, Dan Simmons Hyrperion, The Forever War was a yawner.

Rating:
Summary: A space classic
Review: When I started reading this book, I had no idea when it was first pubished. Except for a few outdated hints, everything else was so "futuristic", I was amazed to when I did find out it is one of the earlier SF books. A definite sign that this book is a classic and will survive the test of time. It will probably be required reading in the future space forces.

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Summary: I can't praise this book highly enough
Review: Whenever you get tired of the same old science fiction drek, scan a list of Hugo & Nebula winners, and pay attention to the earlier years!!! That's how I came to read this book, and I'm so glad I did. It has become one of my favorites. In it, Joe Haldeman uses strong characterization, tense situations, and an understanding of physics to create a superb novel. It's somewhat along the lines of Starship Troopers, but with more of an anti-war slant. He depicts how time-dilation would affect soldiers travelling at sub-light-speeds to engage an enemy light-years away (among other things), and it is fascinating. Don't pass this one by!

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Summary: Why isn't this a movie?
Review: If ever a book screams, "I should be a movie", this is it. I read this book eighteen years ago when a friend loaned it to me. That friend found it in a used book store. I put this book #1 on my all-time favorite list along with "Battlefield Earth". This is a stunning novel. Someone in Hollywood isn't paying attention.

Rating:
Summary: True Science Fiction
Review: The Forever War is Science Fiction as it ought to be - a story about real, believable people, and about the society they live in. It addresses important issues - the relationship between the individual and society, the effects of warfare, sexuality and others. It's not just another story about robots and rayguns. Incidentally, try reading Forever War and Heinlin's Starship Troopers back to back - you'll be amazed at both the qualitative contrast and the wildly different paths two authors took from the same basic premise - guys in hi-tech armor taking on a mysterious alien race. This comparison will give you an idea of the real range of interpretation that exists in the science fiction genre as well as, perhaps, an idea of what does and does not make for literary Science Fiction