| Forever War - by Joe Haldeman |
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| First published in book form in 1974, The Forever War had been serialised previously in Analog. The editor of Analog, Ben Bova, rejected the original middle section of the story as being too grisly for his readers, so Haldeman wrote a gentler alternative, which became part of earlier book versions of the novel. In 1991 however, the original version of the book was published. Haldeman was a veteran of the Vietnam war, and although people who read it today may not make the connection, The Forever War is effectively a Vietnam War novel set in space. Haldeman illustrates the futility of war, the often futile chain of events which can lead to unthinkable destruction. The beginning of the story is set in the 'near future' of the late 1990's (remember this was written in the 1970's.), the discovery of the collapsar jump has made long distance space travel a reality. A colony ship is destroyed by apparently hostile aliens and the wars begin. Private William Mandella is the main character whom we follow throughout this book, he is in the thick of the action, a reluctant fighter who appears to just have a knack for survival. As we look at Mandella through the eyes of others, we see how intolerant people can be, we see how concepts and ideas change, and how 'normal' becomes abnormal. Mandella, torn from the woman he loves, and the world he knows is each time confronted with a new version of society, as his surviving team are split up and he is sent out again each time with a new team, people who are different to him, people who he doesn't understand & who understand him only in the way we understand our distant ancestors who dwelt in caves. The twist to this story lies in the idea that travelling at close to the speed of light means that each time a jump is made, the soldiers are carried into the future. The longer the jump,. The further into the future they are thrown. Each battle between human and alien holds the possibility that one side or the other may be technologically superior. Each time our soldiers return to base after a mission, it is to encounter a human race which has moved forwards so far that they themselves seem out of place. Futures where a bodyguard is needed if you want to walk around safely on earth, where calories are the currency across the world, where homosexuality is the nom and heterosexuality is abhorred, where in vitro not in vivo is normal. Futures where... well, anything might happen, or have happened! This is a fast flowing book, full to the brim with action, and intrigue. As sci-fi goes, I've never really encountered another author who writes in a similar way. From the moment I picked up this book, I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down again easily, I knew I would have to have books two and three also. My attention was captured and I was hooked. An excellent read, and I'm sure that anyone who has enjoyed other sci-fi novels is likely to find something good to say about this also. So, will Mandella ever see his lost love again? Will the wars ever end? Will the human race survive? Why did the aliens begin the fight? Well, to find out the answers, you'll have to read the book - I'm certainly not going to tell you :) |