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20 All Time Classic Sci Fi Novels - The Forever War (S.F. Masterworks)
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- Author: Joe Haldeman
- Type: Paperback
- ISBN: 1857988086
- Publisher: Gollancz
Synopsis
"Today we're going to show you eight silent ways to kill a man." The first line of this 1974 sf war story still grabs hard: The Forever War, winner of both Hugo and Nebula awards, is a fine choice to launch Millennium's "SF Masterworks" series of classic reissues. Future soldier William Mandella's service in the interstellar "Forever War" chillingly echoes Vietnam, where Joe Haldeman was severely wounded and won the Purple Heart. Afterwards, many real-life veterans found themselves distanced and alienated from US society: thanks to starflight's time dislocations, Mandella returns from weeks or months of combat duty to an Earth which after centuries of change is no longer his home. Though armed with increasingly futuristic weaponry--laser fingers, nova bombs, stasis fields--the infantry still suffers the long agonising waits, the sudden flurry and horror of battle, the shock of loss in a futile war without glory or glamour. But there's still room for tenderness, and for a satisfying ending as the cruel equations of relativistic time finally work in Mandella's favour. Incidentally, this is the first full British edition. When The Forever War was serialised, the magazine editor vetoed one section; it was omitted from the 1974 novel and is now restored. Highly recommended. --David Langford
Reviews
"The Forever War" is, like a true masterpiece, a one-of-a-kind work. Like any serious S.F. book, it's not about "spaceships, aliens, and ray-guns" but about the human condition, or some aspect of it. Drawing from his personal experiences, Joe Haldeman writes about the war and its role in the life of the individual and, to a lesser extent, its influence on the civilization. The reader learns, through the eyes of the protagonist, how alien and socially desolate home seems to a veteran returning from war. How a communication barrier naturally grows between those that never left and those that have just returned.
The narrative is quick-paced and matter-of-fact, but that perhaps makes the emotions and atmosphere even more clear for the reader. Rarely, too, does any dramatic work manage to build up the tension so steadily to the final scene, while never getting larger than life. This steady and never over-the-top pace makes "The Forever War" stand out even more, as the end comes in a natural way, giving the reader closure. It is a showcase of intelligent writing that satiates the need for adventure as much as for intellectual stimulus.
AdSR
This is a reasonable SF story but it's not in the same league as 2001 or Asimov's Foundation. The nature of war is brutally brought home with a twist eventually in the far future and all the idiosyncrasies of human life. However, I'm not sure this story has aged well as I kept thinking about inconsistencies in the plot which I'm not going to reveal. If the Taurans were encountered near Aldebaran a mere 65LY from Sol at the beginning of the story then by implication where are all the other alien races that would exist after a thousand years of human exploration of the Galaxy? Also if the war ended roughly 200 years after Mandella was sent to Sade-138 why didn't they send a ship there to tell the force about that important fact?
Dr. RW Crawford
fantastic stuff, many others have raved about this and for good reason. can't recommend it more
Dr. R. Mootoosamy
I sat down to read this book,at the recommendation of friends,with a sense of relish at what was to come."It's a great read",they said "a sci-fi classic!" they gushed and I was taken in hook line and sinker.I brought the book and settled down to read this masterpiece of the genre.What a total waste of time!Reading indeed most of the books on the sci-fi masterpieces list leaves one feeling like a stranger in a strange land.Reading this one was no different.My eye kept straying to the H G Wells section of my bookcase with a fervant longing for the old masters poise of touch,surety of narration,and sheer breadth of imagination.This book is sadly lacking in all those departments but it is still not as bad as Eon by Greg Bear.
M. Coote
I bought this book back in January 1982, I've been reading it every night since but it's taking forever!
Palsy Scrivener
