false <![CDATA[Forever Free]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178831258m/842993.jpg 21620 6 You can't lose for winning--especially, it would seem, if you're Joe Haldeman. Suffering the same fate as many an author who's dared to pen unconventional sequels to a ferociously loved book (in this case, <I>The Forever War</I>), Haldeman has risked the ire of his many devoted admirers a second time (the first sequel was the award-spangled <I>Forever Peace</I>). But Haldeman's call--not too surprisingly--proves to be a deft one, giving us a book that, while significantly different from its predecessor, turns out to be equally captivating and sensitive, in many ways even more thought-provoking. (Sure, it doesn't match <I>The Forever War</I> for sheer impact, but then again, what does?)<p> As in <I>The Forever War</I>, the heart of this story is the dry, ironic bite of fighting-suit vet William Mandella, now middle-aged and a parent (along with his love and comrade-in-arms Marygay) to two teen-aged kids. The family leads a spartan life on the cold and desolate planet Middle Finger, which serves as a sort of genetic safe-deposit box for the current incarnation of humanity, an inhuman race of group-mind clones known as Man. But the animals in the zoo are getting restless, and a core group of vets led by William and Marygay plot an unusual escape: hijacking a reconditioned time ship and using it to take a 40,000 light-year tour (over 10 years of their own time) to rejoin the world they know only after 2,000 generations have passed. Much of the action involves the hatching and fruition of this plot, but Haldeman doesn't really mix things up until nearing the end, when he dissolves physics as we know it and calls down the wrath of God itself. <I>--Paul Hughes</I> 22753 1999 Forever Free total:241|5:17|4:70|3:110|2:39|1:5| 241 778 335 19 4 1 false false Fri Mar 07 11:44:33 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 07 11:47:33 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sun Sep 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 01 09:19:37 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 28 12:00:57 -0700 2008 The Forever War so much that I was worried that this couldn't live up to it, and I'd be disappointed. It's clear early on that the story Haldeman is telling here is very differe...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Tue Dec 30 03:22:03 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 03:24:48 -0800 2008 3 0 true false Wed Jan 28 13:22:38 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 13:25:02 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue May 26 09:38:58 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 09:39:52 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jun 17 23:18:15 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 23:40:56 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 22:52:06 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 10:46:48 -0800 2009
Intriguing...cool...I like this book.

11/25

WTF!!!

Are you serious?!

STUPID!!]]> 5 0 false false Tue Mar 31 11:32:11 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 11:32:11 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Dec 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 08 21:44:30 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 00:47:07 -0800 2008 deus ex machina conclusion. Perhaps I've mentioned this before? It always feels a bit slapdash, and diminishes my enjoyment.]]> 3 0 false false Sun May 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 25 19:49:04 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 17:49:19 -0700 2008 The Forever War and Forever Peace) and while I did enjoy it, I don't think it was on par with the other two. That said, it was still decent. I like Haldeman's irreverent sense of humor, something I always look for in a writer, and ...more...]]> 1 0 true false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Nov 17 07:41:37 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 07:43:55 -0800 2008 Forever War this will hold even less appeal. If you did, then you'll only be disappointed with this sequel.]]> 5 0 false false Sat Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 21 05:00:35 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 11 07:05:24 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Fri Nov 16 09:06:25 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 16 09:08:34 -0800 2007 the Forever War. ]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jan 11 07:06:31 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 11 12:45:07 -0800 2008 2 0 false true Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 19 13:04:31 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 19 13:05:10 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Fri Jan 04 12:38:21 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 04 12:38:21 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Tue Jul 24 15:42:38 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 24 15:43:32 -0700 2007 2 0 false false Sat Jun 16 23:31:44 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 16 23:31:57 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 19:03:55 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 19:03:55 -0700 2008 2 0 false false Tue Nov 24 18:13:54 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 18:13:54 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=842993