Your Questions for Joe Haldeman

[Jlawrence, S&L Moderator]

Veronica will interview Joe Haldeman on Friday May 17 at the Nebula Awards.

Haldeman's books include The Forever War, which was a previous S&L pick.

What would you like to ask Haldeman?

[Doug]

For me, The Forever War has always felt deeply political. Could you comment on whether you had to take any flak over that aspect of the novel -- from the publishing industry, from readers, or from other science fiction authors? If so, are there any stories you can share? Any words of advice for authors who want to make a statement as well as entertain?

[Firstname]

What I'd like to ask is what was the point of Forever Peace, but I should really just get that from the story. I think TFW is a classic, I really like FF, but Forever Peace is just...odd.

[Alan]

I have always thought that the Forever War was deeply informed by the author having fought as a soldier. Much of the current military science fiction, however, is written by authors who never served in active combat. How does he feel about that branch of fiction?

[Tom]

Haldeman's Forever Peace is a great book to revisit these days, wish I still had my copy. So many cool ideas in there, and very prophetic given the world's current state of affairs. It postulates a premise that involves remotely using robots to wage endless wars against guerillas (true in 2013!)

My question: how do you feel about the evolution of warfare to presently include remotely controlled drones and sentries? Given that wars are already being fought by soldiers physically removed from war zones, what strengths do you think the psyche of a soldier operating these machines will need to have to remain intact?

[Susan]

I recently read Forever War and Forever Peace - both of which were very thought provoking.

My question: In Forever War, you explore a possible evolution of human sexuality as technology makes it no longer necessary for male-female couplings to prolong the species. In Forever Peace, your main character is a black man fighting his inner demons and his inclinations towards suicide. Did you find it hard to find a publisher for these works initially or was the realm of science fiction publishing more welcoming?