From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)

Joe Haldeman

Start date: May 1, 2013

Finish date: May 30, 2013

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Alice

Why we're reading this: Group read May, 2013
Hugo Award Winner 1976
Nebula Award Winner 1975
#55 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all…more
[close] Group read May, 2013
Hugo Award Winner 1976
Nebula Award Winner 1975
#55 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
#13 on Locus Magazines Best SciFi novels of the 20th century http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCentu...

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What Members Thought

Aug 28, 2008 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scifi, war, favorites, 2fiction, 3series, 1paper

Read Heinlein's "Starship Troopers", then this book & then Steakley's "Armor" All are similar plots with amazingly different takes. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2020 Tani rated it it was ok

Shelves: male-author, scifi, 2020-novels, sff-2020, sff-explorer-2020, sff-awards-2020

Sometimes, you come into a book, especially a classic like this, with the perfect set-up to find it completely predictable and annoying. That's how I felt about this one. I guessed the main conceit of the plot very early, probably because it's been so influential to the science fiction genre over the years. Which says a lot for this book, but also severely impacted my enjoyment. Past that, I wasn't really into the lingering adventures in displacement, as the main character finds himself increasi ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 16, 2015 mina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fast-paced. One of my fastest and fun read. I warn you, though, the wars in this story were not fun at all. Not with all the gory details. I am almost willing to add 0.5 star just for the gory details. Oh, and the awesomeness of the author who published this very futuristic story in 1974! I was not even born yet when he wrote this!

This is 1100-something-years chronicle of a bright scientist, William Mandella, drafted into UNEF, the armed guard for portal planets of collapsars (the book has made Fast-paced. One of my fastest and fun read. I warn you, though, the wars in this story were not fun at all. Not with all the gory details. I am almost willing to add 0.5 star just for the gory details. Oh, and the awesomeness of the author who published this very futuristic story in 1974! I was not even born yet when he wrote this!

This is 1100-something-years chronicle of a bright scientist, William Mandella, drafted into UNEF, the armed guard for portal planets of collapsars (the book has made me curious enough about these words, I actually went to Google to find out what are those; usually I do not even care), fighting against some alien creatures called the Taurans whom, at the beginning of his training, nobody had any idea how they looked like. He started from Private and progressed to a Major at the end of the war(s), without he himself really thought it was appropriate. He thought he became Major just because he were there since the very beginning. How could he survived that long life? All because all this relativity thing when you travel at the speed of light. He started the training at the age of 22, and ended the war while he was still in his twenties, I guess.

It is an interesting way of seeing a war when one is involved in the front combat, but very reluctantly. He was a reluctant soldier, and tried to leave the force unit as soon as he could (which he failed over and over). (SPOILER WARNING) How depressed I am when, at the end, I find out what triggered all these long wars with the Taurans. I shouldn't be surprised, though, maybe this issue is also one of the most common reasons people starting a war. I also think this read is very timely, with the sudden crazy idea of my country starting a compulsory military training for everyone under 50.

A small comment about the cover: Previous cover version showed Mandella in his combat suit. Wondering why this book cover version showed Potter instead? Yes, you guess it right :)

Anyway, I am shocked that this is a part of series. NO! I have to endure another (I assume, combative) life story of Mandella? I was hoping he really lived his rest of his life in peace. ...more

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Mar 12, 2019 Tom rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Yes it was good, especially considering this was one of the first "future soldier, war is hell" books (1974), written with the perspective of the Vietnam war fresh in mind.

I liked the time travel... Or relativistic travel, to be more accurate.

Fixation here with sexuality and how that might be addressed, from a societal perspective, in the future... progressive, but also a bit weird. I suppose in 1974, homosexuality was radical and non-norm, so turning that on its head, in story, was quite a twi ...more

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