Search - The Forever War (Forever War, Bk 1)

"The Forever War" is a classic sci-fi read. Haldeman, a Vietnam vet, wrote the story in serial installments in the early 70's

Humans discover Stargates that allow for quick and easy space exploration. Soon after, humans accidentally encounter an intelligent alien race. The aliens are called Taurans (because that is the constellation where they are first found) and we promptly go to war with them because that is what economically motivated humans do. War is, after all, good business.

Because relative time passes more slowly on spaceships than earth (Einstein's theory of relativity), William Mandella (reluctant warrior and constant spaceship traveler) is in the service for a mind-bending long duration. For example, Mandella ages 1 year and everybody on earth ages perhaps 30 to 300 years. This creates the ultimate in adjustment problems for a soldier-returning-from-war.

A reflection on the author's war experience. There is limited battle action in "The Forever War." The larger speculative arc of the story: What (and how long) does it take to get beyond our destructive nature and end war?

Considered a must read for science fiction. Similar books are Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" and/or John Scalzi's, "Old Man's War."

I really enjoyed this book. I'm fairly new to reading sci-fi as a genre, and this story made it worthwhile.

I don't feel that this book deserves the glowing praise it has had in past reviews. It was a good read, but not a great one. Of course I am biased against hippie soldiers, drug use and drunks so my opinion may have been tainted as a result of the authors emphasis on those topics. Another thought is that the story was written in the early 70's before the military space genre was popularized. There have been many better books written since then, but perhaps Haldeman deserves credit for being one of the first. I'm glad I read it, wouldn't read it again.