Private William Mandella is a reluctant hero in an interstellar war against an unknowable and unconquerable alien enemy.
But his greatest test will be when he returns home.
Relativity means that for every few months' tour of duty centuries have passed on Earth, isolating the combatants ever more from the world for whose future they are fighting.
The Earth he knew is dead. The one he returns to . . . unrecognisable.
Winner of the Nebula, Locus and Hugo awards, The Forever War was the first title selected for the SF Masterworks series when it launched in 1999. Inspired by Haldeman's experience in the Vietnam War, it has been seen as a critical work of anti-war SF.
'This is an enraged and enraging classic that deserves a place alongside Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter as an expression of the pain caused by Vietnam'- Guardian
'The book is near perfect'- …
Private William Mandella is a reluctant hero in an interstellar war against an unknowable and unconquerable alien enemy.
But his greatest test will be when he returns home.
Relativity means that for every few months' tour of duty centuries have passed on Earth, isolating the combatants ever more from the world for whose future they are fighting.
The Earth he knew is dead. The one he returns to . . . unrecognisable.
Winner of the Nebula, Locus and Hugo awards, The Forever War was the first title selected for the SF Masterworks series when it launched in 1999. Inspired by Haldeman's experience in the Vietnam War, it has been seen as a critical work of anti-war SF.
'This is an enraged and enraging classic that deserves a place alongside Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter as an expression of the pain caused by Vietnam'- Guardian
'The book is near perfect'- infinity plus
'This book is not only one of the best military science fiction books ever written, but is one of the finest works of modern American literature' - Tordotcom
Welcome to The Best Of The Masterworks: a selection of the finest in science fiction
A man is drafted into the space army and shipped around the galaxy fighting for galactic supremacy. He doesn't exactly love the war, but he doesn't seem to have many particularly strong opinions about most things. Pitched to me as the anti-war antidote to Starship Troopers, the main thing I took away was that Starship Troopers wasn't exactly pro-war either, only the protagonist was. Still, it was interesting to read both!
Review of 'The Forever War (The Forever War Series Book 1)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
An allegory for the Vietnam war via alien encounters and the human consequences of near-light travel that tells more about the concerns of the seventies than about the future. It's a good piece of scifi but it's dated, and should be read, I think, as a historical document. Otherwise you'll get really annoyed about the homophobia implied in the future of mandatory homosexuality.
