The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Forever War
Book Review: Amazing Science Fiction Laced with Childish Homophobia
Summary: 4 Stars
Having read the above reviews and having recently read `The Forever War' I feel compelled to clarify the message presented in the book. While some of the early scenes set near absolute zero and his visceral descriptions of facing g-forces are nothing short of thought provoking and visually amazing and have to be some of the best science fiction I have ever read - the author's depictions of modern society and woman are nothing short of violently homophobic and demeaning towards women in the worst possible ways.
Female soldiers are present primarily to sleep and have sex with the guys while the lesbian soldiers he comes across later are all presented as bizarre, addicted to drugs and secretly wanting to sleep with him. Then there is the author's homophobia, far worse and far more sinister. After the `return from Vietnam' and the author describes the `changed' by homosexuals and liberals, and he implies that such thoughts will lead society to spiral into crack use, rampant gun-violence, kidnapping and `communist' efforts of `collectivist' farming. If I hadn't heard sermons similar to this message I would be less appalled.
This novel plays on the fears of those who do not understand homosexuality and unfortunately it is popular enough among conservative youth that it's become the conservative pocketbook of hate: socialized medicine results in killing old people; homosexuals want to program others to think it's okay to be gay, gays will throw their `weirdness' in your face.
All that said, If only this author's conservative bias and violent homophobia hadn't tarnished amazing science fiction and a critique of the Vietnam war then I would have loved this book and recommended it to others.
Book Review: Anti-Heinlein
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Forever War" belongs in the top ranks of science fiction. Written in the 1970s by a Vietnam vet, it combined vividly-imagined future technologies with an unsparing depiction of military life and interstellar warfare in the 21st century (and beyond). The upshot was a powerful anti-war message: governments lie, soldiers are brainwashed to kill, death is random and meaningless, and cross-cultural understanding is elusive (whether between soldiers and civilians or humans and aliens). This sensibility resonated after Vietnam, yet faded during the militaristic euphoria of the Reagan/Bush II decades. Now a new generation of readers, educated by Iraq, can rediscover the pleasures of "The Forever War." They'll learn how the world works while enjoying a gripping story. Highly recommended!Book Review: As good as I heard
Summary: 5 Stars
A quick read. I finished in less than 24 hours. I wish it was longer. I liked the ending.. It was needed ray of hope in an otherwise bleak future.Book Review: Blah!
Summary: 3 Stars
This is an average book. There are interesting ideas in this book. While there are moments that show me the author served in the military, it falls well short of feeling real. The characters sound like they work in an office more than elite soldiers. Some parts I enjoy, but most of the "combat" sequences (or serious training concepts) are painful.
I wouldn't recommend this as anything other than a standard military sci-fi. The author's experiences don't come across.
Book Review: Classic Sci Fi...but outdated.
Summary: 4 Stars
I am probably biased toward military science fiction (I do love Ender's Game, after all). This book was an *almost* winner for me--the Vietnam parallelism was a little strong (I knew exactly what the end result of the war was going to be because of this) and the overtones of sex and sexual orientation were also a bit overwhelming to the story.
Thats not to say this wasn't an interesting book--the concepts of how faster than light travel would impact a war as well as society and individuals was really interesting. I did like it but it left me wanting a little more of the "military" part of the military science fiction.