Rating: 
Summary: Contrived
Review: I am really disappointed that this isn't a better book. The central idea behind it - that soldiers fighting with the benefit of futuristic man-machine interfaces might become conditioned against war - is an intriguing one. Unfortunately, nothing in the story lives up to the potential of this idea.The characters that ultimately must come together to pull off the climax of this story start off with convenient pre-existing relationships. This is a pet peeve of mine, and it signals to me that the author didn't want to take the time to develop real relationships between the key players. What's more, the grand end game comes about in an unbelievably short amount of time. The author seems to think that we'll swallow a series of world-changing events that take place in a matter of months. Not only that, but through the efforts of a relatively small cast of characters! I think not. It just doesn't work for me. I would recommend reading Forever War, a completely different and much better novel. Then, quit while you're ahead.
Rating: 
Summary: A good addition to Haldeman's works
Review: I find myself always coming back to old Haldeman books when I am looking for something to read. Long after other science fiction novels have been hauled off to a library book sale, my tattered Haldeman books remain on the bookshelf because they are almost all worth re-reading. 'Forever Peace' is no exception. It is in some ways a revisiting of the themes found in the "Forever War": of how a soldier of the not-too-distant future deals with war. However the author is 30 years (or so) older now and the mind of this soldier reflects that change. Haldeman brings to the table his fine story telling ability, his background as a scientist, and his background as a soldier. There are few writers out there who can tell a story like Haldeman can because of where he has been in life. I think that is what brings me back to his books. His stories work, his science feels real-enough, and his violence is drawn from memory, not from fantasy. A rare, difficult, and ultimately intriguing combination.
Rating:
Summary: excellent sf good story
Review: i remembered reading a book called "all my sins remembered" (AMSR) as a boy of 11 or 12. at that age i was pretty much into SF what with star_wars (later to be retitled 'episode IV a new hope'), 2001 a space Odessey Battlestar Galactica on TV, Star Trek - original series, close encounters of the 3rd kind. AMSR struck something like a bell in me, it was to me a different sort of SF, very well remembered sort of SF. getting back to 'Forever Peace'. fast forward to some 20 years on i read it after 'Forever War' which i first came across on a dark horse comic publication. this was a long time ago - about 4 years ago. so what business do i have writing a review about it now? i can talk about the impression FP had on me just like AMSR did. like drinking good hot coffee. the message is often the same: the numbing senselessness of war on the very immediate personnal level. fighters fought because they had to. call it fate or karma. there is often no right or wrong but there are the fortunate and the unfortunate, the quick and the dead, the smart and the stupid, and caught in between the rough stuffs and the really rough stuffs is love, um, isn't it like in the office this morning? maybe not and well, i'm not a soldier but i don't have to be one to appreciate books on the subject or know what the writer is saying.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book, well worth your time
Review: I don't read a lot of science fiction, but something about the title made me pick it up. I haven't read anything else by this author, but if Forever Peace is an example, I may have to try some of his other books. The book is about a new kind of warfare that I found very believable. The advanced nations of the near future are using remotely controled androids known as "soldier boys" to fight the smaller "Bosnia" type wars of tomorrow. The soldiers who control these androids through brain implants can't stay plugged in too long, or they go insane. Which is one of the secrets the book unravels. The main character, a soldier/mathematician named Julian is the heart of what makes an intricate story work so well. This character is very well written. He is complex, and multifaceted person (which is to say very real). The story is political thriller set in the future, with an intellectual 'everyman' as its hero. It was one of the best books I have read this year. I found it so believable I did a little snooping and I think I know why it rings so true: not only was the author a soldier (Vietnam) but he has been involved in think groups for the Pentagon on the weapons of tomorrow. He knows of what he speaks. I find the fact that an author with such a macho pedigree could write such a moving anti-war book to be facinating. Maybe what they say is true: nobody hates war more than a soldier. My advice? Try the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Forever Peace comes up short
Review: Having been a big fan of Joe Haldeman since reading Forever War as a teenager (and re-reading it many times since), I was really looking forward to Forver Peace. What a let down. The trademark Haldeman style is there, as is the theme structured around warfare, but what really missed for me was the story line. The villains in the story were completely unbelievable - I just found it difficult to swallow that the strongest opposition to a plan that would alter the minds of everyone on the planet (killing about 1 in 10 along the way) would come from a collection of a few thousand religious serial killer psychopaths. I kept asking myself if I would be willing to undergo the treatment, and the answer kept coming back "Not a chance!" Still, Haldeman's prose is, as always, very readable, and there are some interesting ideas to think about along the way. I'd recommend this one to Haldeman fans only; readers new to Haldeman would be well advised to start elsewhere (the Forver War would be my selection). Steve.
Rating:
Summary: excellent sf good story
Review: i remembered reading a book called "all my sins remembered" (AMSR) as a boy of 11 or 12. at that age i was pretty much into SF what with star_wars (later to be retitled 'episode IV a new hope'), 2001 a space Odessey Battlestar Galactica on TV, Star Trek - original series, close encounters of the 3rd kind. AMSR struck something like a bell in me, it was to me a different sort of SF, very well remembered sort of SF. getting back to 'Forever Peace'. fast forward to some 20 years on i read it after 'Forever War' which i first came across on a dark horse comic publication. this was a long time ago - about 4 years ago. so what business do i have writing a review about it now? i can talk about the impression FP had on me just like AMSR did. like drinking good hot coffee. the message is often the same: the numbing senselessness of war on the very immediate personnal level. fighters fought because they had to. call it fate or karma. there is often no right or wrong but there are the fortunate and the unfortunate, the quick and the dead, the smart and the stupid, and caught in between the rough stuffs and the really rough stuffs is love, um, isn't it like in the office this morning? maybe not and well, i'm not a soldier but i don't have to be one to appreciate books on the subject or know what the writer is saying.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I am a big fan of THE FOREVER WAR, but this "prequel" is highly disappointing, especially if you were expecting much more (like me) based on your love of WAR. Like another reviewer stated, the first third of the book is what makes the novel OK overall: The planet is essentially locked in a First vs. Third World conflict, as technology has made the former's society a "universal welfare state" due to "nanoforges," which can essentially make anything. Want in the First World has been expunged. However, the Third World has no (or little) access to the nanoforges, and has launched a global guerrilla war as a result (or so it seemed to me). However, it's pretty obvious that Haldeman wants to place blame on the North (First World) as unwilling to share its monopoly on the nanotech, and demonstrates this not-so subtlely throughout the first third of the book. (It was interesting to read his knowledge of Costa Rica as that's my second home.) Implications that the North planned nuclear destruction of its own city and other conspiracies are numerous. Maybe Haldeman's Vietnam experience is responsible for this, and is understandable. I was disappointed by what seemed Haldeman's favorable position towards the ultimate "peace." Forcible brain-washing? Come ON! It says something that I found myself agreeing w/the contemptible Ingram in that the "humanizing" procedure "takes away our humanity!" As another reviewer said, it's incredible that the biggest dissenters to the "humanizing" would be some fringe rightist religious cult. No way, man. I'd be right in there protesting too. I thought the side premise of the Jupiter Project was intriguing; I actually found myself wishing more would be elaborated on that. Oh well.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, just not quite on par with Forever War
Review: Unlike "Forever Free", "Forever Peace" is not a sequel to author Joe Haldeman's award-winning landmark novel "Forever War". Some view it as an ideological sequel, if not an actual one. I'm not sure I agree with that, as "Forever Peace" is a vastly different story with different characters and a much earlier timeline. The only similarities lie in the books respective disdain for war. "Forever Peace" is not up the level of quality of "Forever War", but it is still a good book.
The story of "Forever Peace" centers on a full-time college professor and part-time combat soldier named Julian Class. Julian is part of a new breed of soldier that doesn't physically fight the battles themselves. Through robotic and biological advancements that bear many similarities to the methods used in the "Matrix" movies, soldiers are now operators whose minds are 'plugged-in' to the warrior-robot machines (called 'Soldierboys') they control and the platoon members they control these robots with. While not putting the soldiers in any imminent physical danger, the control of the Soldierboys does bring about the high risk of mental and emotional wounds. These Soldierboys are used primarily to put down uprisings in Third World countries. These uprisings are caused primarily by conflicts over control of a technology called nanoforges, which are machines capable of designing and creating almost any physical product necessary for survival and prosperity. In the midst of the strife caused by uprisings, there is also the planned unveiling of the most ambitious and massive scientific experiment ever conceived. A superconductor designed around Jupiter's moons is set to be activated so that scientists can create and observe the exact conditions of the Universe's creation at its earliest possible moment. Julian is attached to both of these major events and his actions will play a major role in determining their outcome and future impact. There is a danger from the continued uprisings that can only be resolved by implementation of a plan based on the Soldierboy technology that can make Earth a peaceful place indefinitely. The other danger exists in the form of a governmental and religious conspiracy that goes all the way to the stop is hell-bent on concealing evidence that shows that the superconductor experiment may be dangerous enough to threaten the galaxy's existence. The race is on to see if these threats can be defused and Julian holds the key to them both.
Conspiracy theories, fatalistic prophecies, not to mention, overt sexual themes, are common elements of Haldeman's "Forever..." series. They are as prevalent as ever in "Forever Peace". Julian is an empathetic character whose own breakdowns and relations with his female academic colleague are full of the tension and sensuality readers come to expect from Haldeman. The threat and danger of the government conspiracy to conceal the truth about the superconductor project is well written and full of suspense. While I don't feel that Julian is quite as compelling a character as William Mandella from "Forever War" or that his relationship is quite as touching, he still brings a strong presence to the table. Overall, "Forever Peace" is a good book. I don't think it is quite worthy of Nebula and Hugo awards (which it did win, but its not nearly the quality of other winners like "Forever War", "Ender's Game", and "Speaker for the Dead"), it is still a valuable piece of science fiction and worth spending the time to get to know.
Rating:
Summary: Combat SF in the Haldeman Style
Review: Great Haldeman book -- his classic mixture of warrior-healer is very much in force here (i.e. first he kills you then he heals you). Also has one of his classic assassin type characters: sexy, religious zealot.....don't miss this book -- not a sequel but a lot of fun and adds some new dimensions for this important writer.
Rating:
Summary: Not my cup of tea, but well written...
Review: STORY: As some editorial reviews put it: Veteran sf writer Haldeman views this novel NOT as a continuation of but as a follow-up to the problems raised in his highly acclaimed 1975 novel, Forever War. Julian Class is a full-time professor and part-time combat veteran who spends a third of each month virtually wired to a robotic "soldierboy." The soldierboys, along with flyboys and other advanced constructs, allow the U.S. to wage a remotely controlled war against constant uprisings in the Third World. The conflicts are largely driven by the so-called First World countries' access to nanoforges--devices that can almost instantly manufacture any product imaginable, given the proper raw materials--and the Third World countries' lack of access to these devices. But even as Julian learns that the consensual reality shared by soldierboy operators can lead to universal peace, the nanoforges create a way for humanity to utterly destroy itself, and it will be a race against time to see which will happen first." MY FEEDBACK:
1) SETTING - the story takes place in 2043 a.d. on Earth. There are references to space travel, but the entire drama and story take place on an Earth where political forces are at war in every country. Thus a world at war with itself is believable. Also, Haldeman employs scientific advances that are reminiscent of cyberpunk stories like Neuromancer and the like. 2) CHARACTERS - Julian Class and Dr. Amelia Harding are the two protagonists. Characters are likeable and flawed. Julian is mostly flawed due to the society he has grown up in, the job he has been recruited to and the challenges of changing it all. But he moves forward amidst his flaws which makes him likeable. The overall cast is interesting, but don't get involved much. The story is very isolated to only the two protagonists. 3) STORY - This is not a heavily action book. This is a political story (not my favorite, which is why I didn't give it a higher rating). The plot does progress at an even pace that kept me reading the entire 350 or so pages, but because of the political machine at work I turned the pages out of interest not eager anticipation. The few "fight"/war scenes are brief but like the rest of the book are nicely handled. He is a good writer, what can I say. It is cool how he uses his advance technology not only to bring about the macro conflict but to also bring about the solution. 4) CONTENT - Very little if any profanity. Violence is rated "R" for some graphic content. Sexuality is rated "NC-17" or could be considered soft-core porn due to some intimate details. But the sex scenes were few and brief and didn't go on for pages and pages. OVERALL: Even though it isn't my kind of book, I can see how a lot of people may really enjoy this and thus it received the Hugo and Nebula it did. Depending on your tastes it may be well worth checking out.
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