Rating: 
Summary: A decent sci-fi
Review: The Forever War is a great science fiction book written by Joe Haldeman that went on to win both the Hugo and the Nebula award. This book tells the story of war, a conflict between humans and the alien Taurans. It's a story of the solders of the future, the book focuses on a drafted soldier named Mandella. He fights both the enemy and time. With his career as a soldier William Mandella comes across the enemy a total of three times in ground combat and only four campaigns. It's a somewhat funny idea that the war last from 1996 to the third millennium. During the time of the war he seems to change by realizing different things. Each and every time he goes on a campaign he loses more and more thought as to where he grew up and lived. He seems to forget what was important to him before. It is a true science fiction classic, which contains all the sci-fi elements such as time travel and aliens with plenty of action. In my opinion this book was written as a way of Haldeman dealing with his experiences during the Vietnam War. It parallels itself with Vietnam by the way Haldeman points out cultural shock and the impact of military forces in a blown out war. I enjoyed how the novel was written in first person. It makes the story seem more personal and makes the story more effective. It's a type of story where you find it hard to put down. A very easy read where the chapters are at a max of three pages so it seems to fly by. The Forever War is the kind of book where you say one more chapter due to its length, and end of putting it down once you have read it all. The book contains suspense and great description of the solders, probably because of Haldeman experiences in war. He places his personal stories within the novel. A story about the feelings soldiers experience when they come home after war. Most would agree that everything there used to changes and how drastically people and things move on after their return. It also contains a realistic love story that breaks up the fighting of the war. A story that fits every reader needs. It is filled with odd sex themes and violence. By the end of the sci-fi novel the war has blown itself up into something that has no meaning and purpose. Mandella realizes that he is just a puppet for the government and military. Overall a good science fiction novel and a short read that most would agree to be a good thing. I would recommend the novel if you are a science fiction adventure lover.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, easily read. Loved it
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite Sci-Fi books. I have read both major editions of the book (which one do I prefer? Hmmm....). There characters are explained well, and the main characters are very well described. And best of all you don't need a degree in astronomics or aeronautics to understand what is going on with the technology. Excellent book!
Rating: 
Summary: I don't see what the fuss is all about.
Review: So it had deep and believable characters, so what? So do most Hollywood movies. So it had a great and intricate sociology, so what? So did Star Wars-a movie which some sf writers dislike. So it had a 'great' story, so what? Anyone could write one, just find what the general sf community wants, add some plot twists, and mix. I don't see what the fuss is all about. I do see how it could have won the Hugos and Nebulas, as sf writers and reader are the types of people who would, for instance, watch a movie entirely because of the special effects, and new science fiction ideas, and not for the real depth of its characters, or the literary and philosophical value. I'm not saying that this book isn't good, because it is. There are some original science fiction ideas here and the language is quite good. I was, however, a bit turned-off by its male American male chauvinist tone. My approach to appreciating it was probably different and I was probably unable to convince myself to be amused by its 'merits'.To recap: Good: Language, original (when it came out), sociology of the fictional world etc. (other things that - according to the sf community - make a good story) Bad: Unrealistic depth of characters, american male chauvinism, pretentious
Rating:
Summary: Forever on my mind....
Review: I rarely give a 5 star rating, this is an exception for an exceptionally well written book. The characterization is consistent and well rounded. The story is imaginative and well thought out. Unfortunately, and a minor misfortune at that, the only issue that could be considered a negative is the date the story begins. We have already passed it! Now given when the book was written, Mr. Haldeman, chose to give it a contemporary flavor. I remember reading it when it first came out and loving it. I still love this book!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Short, effective, and almost powerfull.
Review: This is a well written war book, that is very much in line with most of the 70's science fiction that I have read. It is full of odd sex themes, and non idealized violence. The book focuses around a drafted soldier named Mandella. He fights both the enemy and time over three campains. Each time he goes on a campain he loses more and more time relative to where he grew up. Each time he comes home, the world has moved on agian. This book is really about the displacement that soldiers feel when they come home to a place that has changed and moved on since they left. And the war itself is a not well hidden metafor for the Vietnam war. The problem that I had with this book is that I am not nearly old enough to remeber Veitnam, or it's imediate side effects. This book does not quite have the power to be a real classic. It is a very good short action novel, it just doesn't ever quite involve the reader enough to be considered one of the great sci-fi novels.
Rating:
Summary: Good book perhaps a little dated
Review: This book came out as a response to another science fiction book "Star Ship Trooper" by Robert Heinlen. Heinlen's book was a glorification perhaps not of war but of the training process which creates soldiers. He was a veteran of the Pacific theatre and absorbed both the hatred and fear Americans felt for the Japanese. He wrote a book in which a future civilization was fighting a war of extermination against an insect race. This book also tells the story of a war between mankind and another civilization. One of the plot devices is that the travel of the hero does not take place in real time. Rather as travel is close to light speed the hero who continually travels through space experiences time more slowly than those who remain on earth. He is thus able to see all of a war that last a thousand years. Over time he is able to see human civilization evolve as the population increases on earth. Things such as homosexuality become encouraged so as to maintain population numbers. Towards the end of the book doubts are raised about the rational of the war and the reason why it started. By the time the war finishes the hero is a person who is so out of touch with the earth that has evolved that he goes to live on a remote planet. The book is easy to read and in its time it was challenging and interesting. Nowadays it may not be quite as relevant. The reasons for this are that Heinlen's book is not quite as important as it once was. It has sunk below hundreds of other books. In addition the changes to society are such that some of he satire has lost a bit of its bite. Still and interesting and readable book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest anti-war novels ever written.
Review: The Forever War was written by Joe Haldeman as a way of dealing with his experiences during the Vietnam war. The story runs thus: the protagonist, Mandella, is drawn into an intergalactic war between humans and Taurans, first as a mere soldier, eventually as an admiral. He finds himself unable to escape a conflict which becomes more and more ludricous as time progresses. By the end, the war has blown itself up into something totally absurd with no obvious meaning or purpose, and Mandella realises that he's nothing more than a puppet, an entity owned by the government and the military. The book's anti-war message (per se) is obviously nothing new, but the sci-fi setting manages to give it a breath of fresh air, and furthermore shows that war is *always* ludricous, whether it happens in the past, present or the future. The fact that Haldeman wrote the novel in the first person makes it all the more effective, as you find yourself drawn into the narrative from the first page to the last. However, what I personally noticed was that during the first chapter, Mandella seems somewhat removed from his surroundings, maybe because he's too shocked at what's happening around him. It's only later, during the second chapter, that he becomes fully aware of his malaise, when he realises that the world no longer welcomes him, that his relationship with Marygay is on the verge of collapse, and that his only remaining friend is an asexual cyborg. It's then that the novel becomes seriously personal and is at its most moving. I first read this book when I was 11 years old, and ten years later it still manages to move me all the same. The Forever War is a must-buy, not just for sci-fi fans, but for everybody. I am part of a generation which has never fully experienced the horrors of war first-hand, and there are times when we tend to be complacent about it (something reflected in the way we bomb so-called "rogue states" for sport). The Forever War is a warning that we should never, ever repeat the mistakes of previous generations, and for that I can only recommend it. A masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Intriguing, but Lacks
Review: Joe Haldeman delivers several great points regarding war and its affects on an individual in this brilliant science fiction adventure. William Mandella is a wonderful character who narrates his story of the 1,000-year long war and its horrid experiences fighting against the unknown Taurans. However, The Forever War's lack of description makes this a difficult book to follow. Its technical terms relating to acceleration, relativity, and physics is forced upon readers, and can very well be detrimental to the book's "fun factor". Clearly paralleling itself to the Viet Nam War, Haldeman points out the affects of culture shock, military mental conditioning, and morality in an all-out war that has no personal value. The Forever War is overall a wonderful novel that any sci-fi lover should read, but other novels have illustrated these concepts in a superior fashion. To some degree, Haldeman is a brilliant author. He inserts a scientific concept to make The Forever War even more realistic and credible. The short chapter deliver small bursts of intrigue and passion for the reader. Hardly is this book monotonous or boring. Instead, it mentions Mandella's life issues with some intellectual, philosophical words in between. On the other hand, the author fails to convey his mental picture to the reader, having them to imagine too much, too often. It is an entertaining and intriguing read if one can move past the lack of description and character development and focus on the broad, thought-provoking issues.
Rating:
Summary: A classic in the mode of "Starship Troupers"
Review: "The Forever War" is a true science fiction classic that contains all of the best elements of the genre. It combines plausible science with an intriguing look at the future. It has plenty of action and certainly plenty of BIG ideas. Like Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troupers," it is a military coming-of-age story; the difference being that here the hero is a reluctant warrior rather than an enthusiastic one. The storytelling is almost hypnotic in its intenisty. This version (which is the author's original version) has a couple of minor inconsistancies because of a middle section that was left out of the original publication. No matter, the restored section makes the story even more fascinating. Author Joe Haldeman has also created some of the most realistic seeming space battles that I've yet read. He acknowledges the effects that the vast distances of space would have on warfare rather than ignoring them as inconveniant facts. He also uses time distortion to a maximum effect. Overall, this is one of the best modern science fiction novels available. Those who loved "Starship Troupers" in particular should get themselves a copy.
Rating:
Summary: realistic and insightful book
Review: Though the number of years are pretty off(1997 flying out in space). This books clearly point out partly the evilness in both military and man-kind. At first, I bought this book expecting it to be a non-stop action stuffed packet. Though disappointing with the less fighting than I imagined, the book, however, brings out the other attractions. Facts, feelings, imagination, diversity, hope, and many others. The space time dilation makes the non-heroic main character feels the meaningless of life. The book also simbolics the 1000 years war that no one knew how it happened. Along with the vice and over populated Earth(where everyone was forced to be homosexual to stabilize the population). Haldeman really brings his imagination of future to life with explanation of technology as the character travels further into the future, not to mention the criticism of military, humanity, and monetary issue(because of time dilation and interest compound, many veterans became billionares; however, it was also worthless to them). Forever war is very entertaining and keeps you attach to the book. It gives me much thought about the society today.
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