The Forever War : Book Review

May 9, 2012 | Filed under: Books | Posted by: Shashank

This is book No. 16 on my Top 20 list of Science Fiction novels!

I was a little skeptical before reading The Forever War. Partly because I had read Starship Troopers, which was on a similar subject and was very popular in its time, but mostly because the author had written this book to present his views on the Vietnam War, a war I had no connection to.

But this wasn’t going to hold me back! I read it and it lived up to its reputation. No surprises there but what is more surprising is that the ideas presented are still very relevant.

Joe Haldeman was a world war veteran and he wanted to write about the war. But he didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing. He decided to use the medium of sci-fi, and it works. First published in 1974, the world presented is believable enough. The technology is again believable but that is mostly because Joe Haldeman mostly ignores it. What he focuses on are the views, opinions, feelings of the protagonist, Pvt. William Mandela.

The book is through Mandela’s eyes, and unlike most protagonists this guy is not the most charming fellow you might have read about. In fact there seem to be no exceptional qualities to him, he is the quintessential simple guy. This actually helps in connecting with him and his views and opinions then are but simple rationalisations.

Mandela is a soldier in a war and even though it’s aliens he is fighting, as he explains in the book, it doesn’t matter one bit. He explains the war propaganda, how he knows the thing he kills must have a life of its own and yet all he feels is hatred against the whole race. He moves on to explain military life, the rules, the long time spent away from home, the nervousness of being in enemy territory. But what really stands out is how alienated the soldier feels when he comes back home, how he feels the world has moved on and his role doesn’t matter anymore. It is this feeling that drives him back to military life, a place he feels he is familiar with.

In essence this book is a commentary on war through the eyes of an average soldier. It’s a novel way of sharing his experiences in the war and a timeless tale. After all that transpired with Mandela, I was happy how the book ended. Read on to find out!

Buy The Forever War on discount and pay cash on delivery

Top 20 Science Fiction Books

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