The Forever War
Ratings236
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings236
Average rating3.9
Private William Mandella is a hero in spite of himself -- a reluctant conscript drafted into an elite military unit, and propelled through space and time to fight in a distant thousand-year conflict. He never wanted to go to war, but the leaders on Earth have drawn a line in the interstellar sand -- despite the fact that their fierce alien enemy is unknowable, unconquerable, and very far away.
So Mandella will perform his duties without rancor and even rise up through the military's ranks... if he survives. But the true test of his mettle will come when he returns to Earth. Because of the time dilation caused by space travel the loyal soldier is aging months, while his home planet is aging centuries -- and the difference will prove the saying: you never can go home..
Featured Series
2 primary books3 released booksThe Forever War is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1974 with contributions by Joe Haldeman.
Reviews with the most likes.
I liked the writing style and the plot seemed promising. A war that has been going on for a thousand years against an alien race.
However, as with many war stories, it focus on the technical aspects of war that I do not find interesting. The book details the training of the troops, the special mechanized suit they had to learn how to use, the difficulties of training in a barely hospitable freezing cold environment. The unit the protagonist belongs to is the best there is, and still many are expected to die before training is over.
They're goal is to protect the portals from which instant travel to other portals in the universe is possible.
I think the most interesting thing about this book was the time period in which it was written. How much emphasis was placed on food shortages and homosexuality. The scifi backdrop of time dilation was very fascinating.
He's no one's hero
winning by not quite dying
war, because why not?
One sentence synopsis... Set during an interstellar war in the future but inspired by the author's experience of the Vietnam War, the ideas are worth exploring but the writing becomes tedious after the millionth chapter of detailed military industrial complex criticism. .
Read it if you like... stories about alienation, PTSD, super technical military sci-fi. .
Dream casting... This story would 100% make a better movie than book. The story is great, the prose was a headache. Apparently Channing Tatum was at one point attached to lead... but after ‘Jupiter Ascending' he should probably stay away from space opera epics. I could see Taron Egerton as William Mandella.
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