The Forever War book review | Joe Haldeman | Best Military Scifi?

The Forever War was written by Joe Haldeman. The book was originally serialized in 1972 in Analog Magazine. The book was later published in 1974 by St. Martin’s Press.
The story follows William Mandella throughout his military career. Mandella was drafted into the military by the Elite Conscription Act of 1996. Essentially, this was a draft for smart soldiers. Everyone drafted had an IQ of over 150. Even though the soldiers are the best and the brightest they ended up as infantry. Infantry dropped off to attack an enemy base or protect a world orbiting a collapsar.
There are several items to read in the Forever War series
Start with The Forever War amzn.to/2EPmf6W.
Then read MaryGay Potters story in Far Horizons amzn.to/2W6vWnt
Then continue on with Forever Free amzn.to/2WFyCN9
If you prefer audio there is a Forever war audiobook amzn.to/2WaGVMy
There is a third book that takes place in The Forever War universe although not with our beloved characters titles Forever Peace amzn.to/2Z5LY2X.
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[@Refugeefromcalif]

I still have the original copy of the paperback I bought new, (without the parts that were not published). One of the Best stories I've ever read.

[@Pearce154]

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I couldn't put it down. I just finished this book and I decided to look up what other people thought about it. This video was just what I was looking for! I think this review was an excellent evaluation of the book. I agree that this book is not particularly imaginative with technology in the logistical sense. But I understand why because unlike other books, there is beauty in what is left out of this book. I would advise a reader that once the story gets moving, so much time passes so quickly that it would be difficult perhaps even pointless to bring the reader up to speed. At first glance Haldeman seems to be leaving out tens, and eventually hundreds of years of technological progress, but in doing so he allows the reader to feel the culture shock that William feels as he periodically returns home. Rather to Earth, as it changes so much its no longer really his home anymore, eventually leaving the plot entirely. The reader is allowed to feel the strangeness and sense of alienation that William feels when he returns to a planet he longer recognizes. I particularly appreciate this aspect of the book, I think if Haldeman had spent more time explaining everything during these parts, it would detract from the experience. In regards to the technology of space flight, I believe that the details of the space ships and travel are not so important. If this is your interest as a reader, perhaps you will be disappointed with his novel. Having given a brief but suitable explanation of the mechanics of space travel, Haldeman fast forwards the months of siting around the soldiers endure during the travel time. The ships themselves are used as vehicles not only in the literal sense, but also to forward the narrative. The story just isn't about time spent on the spaceships as they travel. I would highly recommend this book, with the warning that, although there is action and it is about fighting a war. Its not a laser packed space romp. Its got fascinating theories regarding eugenics, culture, population control, time dilation, human behavior, and It gives the reader a unique experience into what it would be like return to a home and society you don't recognize. I agree that the ending of this book is a particular treat! The forever war is a unique and imaginative look into a mans life as he travels into the future. I appreciated this review video and will be looking forward to watching more of them. I urge viewers to give this book a try if they haven't already done so!

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

Pearce154 thank you for this amazing comment. You make an important point about readers looking for specific things in books which are important to them such as technology. I try my best to break down the book because people may love books I hate and vise versa. This is one of my favorite books and I think it holds up well.

[@Majorhavoktv]

I really enjoyed the audio book

[@snoeki]

This is a GREAT review, I skipped some parts because it’s on my to read soon list. I absolutelly love the second part of the video with the (older) books, it’s like a history lesson from an incredible teacher, I love all your video’s, but this is for me the best one so far (the altered carbon review is 2nd now) , I wish all youtube video’s I if all youtube video’s would be this good.... Thanks from almost the other side of this world, the Netherlands. Have a nice weekend Greg

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

Thanks! I try to be spoiler free but sometimes its hard to explain the book without a tiny bit of spoilers. Glad you you like the collectibles. I’m trying to incorporate more of that into my videos.

[@DJRonnieG]

Hey, thanks for pointing me in the direction of the Marygay Potter novella.

[@willis32]

Yeah I'd never heard if it. I need this now

[@theonefreeman3375]

Love your review. Just re reading this book now for the third time, though its been probably 7 or 8 years since the last time. It was the first book I read in a single sitting back when I was in high school. I thought your review did the book justice, especially in as far as you considered the originality of it. I can always appreciate books, movies, or etc that are simply unique in their concepts and explorations of ideas. I also appreciate your take on it being a romance, as that isn't the way I ever thought to describe it, but nevertheless very accurate and a constant theme that is developed throughout the events of the story.

[@Poobell1]

I have just started reading and when you said ‘your brain will take you to a different story’ in relation to the illustration in the pulp magazine that struck a chord with me. Never been a reader but always interested and this really gave me a new outlook on the process always feared I wasn’t imagining the right thing but it’s totally up to the reader. Respect.

[@Lametta-music]

Thank you buddy. Read it twice, listened to the audio book and still love it because it is so timeless and leaves all the space my imagination could fill.

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

definitely one of my favorites. Thanks for the comment :)

[@401files4]

I really enjoyed your review 🥰 thank you for explaining parts of the book that had me confused. Ben from 401 files

[@tyflash1715]

honestly, I found "the forever war" accidentally - as I was just looking for something with a long duration that could play in the bg while I was sleeping. Your review came up in my feed as a result, and due to the exuberance you have for the book, have subsequently been inspired to listen closely next time - and immerse myself in its story. Cheers from the interwebs! *hat tips*

[@lightwishatnight]

I like your thoughts and your pacing. Your score system could use some work. I recommend a simpler "recomend/do not recommend" approach and brief comment of why you chose that way. It is more organic and understandable. Cheers.

[@bobbitbites1]

I don't really read scifi but this is one of my favorite books i love original thinkers and Haldeman is one, you should also read the rediscovery of man by cordwainer smith or the cosmic triology by CS Lewis

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

Hi Rob, Thanks for the recommendations. I try to mix in a classic from time to time. Forever war is such a moving original book. One of my all-time favorites. Thank you for the comments!

[@ccole1255]

@@GregReviewsSciFi haha like Trump and the MAGATs

[@BigDaddy13515]

Wow that’s a pretty awesome magazine 👌🏻 I love stuff like that

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

Thanks! I love collecting things. Whenever I get the chance to get something good for a book I love, I jump on it.

[@electricmastro]

9:30 Yeah, I've seen this compared to Starship Troopers, but if anything, it's more like the opposite of it. I probably prefer the more humanizing element of this story to Troopers' focus on military and glorification of war though.

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

electricmastro the human element in forever war was powerful. Especially at the end. I may have shed a tear.

[@ccole1255]

Hmmm... I always saw Starship Troopers "glorification of war" as intended to be somewhat facetious (evidenced way more in the movie than the book, with the brilliantly cartoonish recruitment commercials interspersed throughout, but even in the book there seemed to be a deliberate attempt to show the senior officers zealotry as somewhat grotesque and borderline fascist). Just a thought.

[@willis32]

@@ccole1255 yeah it's a satirical look at a military dictatorship that brainwashed its people to hate without question but it deliberately ignores the human element because there is so little humanity in the characters. That can be off-putting to some people.

[@jmacd8817]

The movie was absolutely a satire and it scares me that so few people seem to actually understand that. The book however is not a satire as I read it and as I see Robert Heinlein. Why do I have some significant issues with the forever war, I agree that it's focused on the humanity of the people fighting the war and humanity in general is definitely a good thing.

[@MDBowron]

H-A-L-D-E-M-A-N = M-A-N-D-E-L-A-H. Mary-Gay is also the name of Joe Haldeman's wife.

[@TalkingTimepieces]

I discovered this book in serialized form, before the book was created. It, and his other work like "All my sins remembered" influenced my own work significantly.

[@benwinter2420]

Michael Attanasio's . . Radix , resonated as well , epic & Messianic . . the Forever war & Radix only really stand out , early Michael Moorcock deserves a mention as well

[@danielkibira4064]

Thanks Greg, enjoying the clear style of review😎. Didn't know the book exists in different formats!Would be awesome if you could also review 'ALL SYSTEMS RED' by Martha Wells: WON the 2018 Hugo award💥🤩 also a novella.

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

Thanks for the comment! I'll check it out!

[@internetn]

Greg I appreciate you explaining this book (I read 15 years ago) but please take my criticism of the video: I know that you've thought out what you want to say but it's super obvious due to pacing and flow that there is no script you are following. How bout creating an agenda that will keep you on track and keep your audience on track. Appreciate you reading my feedback.

[@michaelsudsysutherland5353]

This is a very refreshing and insightful review of Forever War. Why? Well, you don't do the cliche "this is the ant-war answer to Heinlien's Starship Troopers" line of baloney. You disect the story for what it is, the love story which is complicated by a war in space, which happens to contain some interesting social view points of the author; most notably the digust of madatory conscription,which it shares with Starship Troopers, among others.

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

Thanks! I try to consider only the book I'm reviewing. I might compare it to other books but I try hard not apply observations from others.

[@ianrogerson4059]

collapsar's are what we call now neutron star's i believe

[@prophinexable]

a great military scifi series is the lost fleet and and for soilder book series is omega squad

[@GregReviewsSciFi]

prophinex I’ve read the first 10 Omega Force books and I liked them. I couldn’t get into the lost fleet. I read the first few and then stopped.

[@createyourpattern2773]

Algorithm

[@Rrtnns]

A character is named after Mandela. Nuff said. PC garbage.

[@davidinnes247]

Nelson Mandela was not in the news when this was written. The name is an anagram of the authors name.

[@Goldsrc17]

Oh grow up incel

[@Rrtnns]

@@davidinnes247 Wut? So he didn't EXIST before western media started hyping him? That's what you're saying?

[@nicholaswhorley8343]

@@Rrtnns The explanation in the book is that it is a mispelling of the word Mandala which is just the name for a geometric pattern that is representative of a spiritual guidance. The parents of the character chose that name when they wed to avoid making one or the other change their family name alone. The spelling in the book is explained as a mispelling based on the clerk who certified their marriage documents. In the real world, as others have said, it's a near anagram to the author's name. Also, this book came out well before term PC really was used (published in '74 while the term 'pc' didn't really popularize til the late 80's). It's a pretty good read, regardless of feelings related to current trends of people being overly PC about basically everything.

[@dallassukerkin6878]

If it wasn't for the fact that your account was made quite a while ago I would assume it was a 'burner' troll account with a comment like that! :chuckles:. It was very UN-PC when it was published, given that it spoke of same sex marriage and all that. But it was a good story so we unenlightened Neanderthals let it slide :D.