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The Forever War

Front Cover
1366 Reviews
HarperCollins, Sep 1, 2003 - Fiction - 277 pages

Private William Mandella is a hero in spite of himself -- a reluctant conscript drafted into an elite military unit, and propelled through space and time to fight in a distant thousand-year conflict. He never wanted to go to war, but the leaders on Earth have drawn a line in the interstellar sand -- despite the fact that their fierce alien enemy is unknowable, unconquerable, and very far away. So Mandella will perform his duties without rancor and even rise up through the military's ranks . . . if he survives. But the true test of his mettle will come when he returns to Earth. Because of the time dilation caused by space travel the loyal soldier is aging months, while his home planet is aging centuries -- and the difference will prove the saying: you never can go home. . .

  

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5 stars
445
4 stars
530
3 stars
261
2 stars
71
1 star
28

Good science, good writing. - Goodreads
The ending was kind of a let down. - Goodreads
An entertaining tale with a fun premise. - Goodreads
The whole thing feels more like a parody. - Goodreads
Concept was kind of fun, but the plot seemed tagged on. - Goodreads
I found the characterization weak but sufficient. - Goodreads

Review: The Forever War (The Forever War #1)

User Review  - Luke - Goodreads

This was an amazing book. Focusing on soldiers and what they go through during long, grueling conflicts and what they have to deal with. This is a book much more about mental anguish and dealing with ... Read full review

Review: The Forever War (The Forever War #1)

User Review  - Jean Corbel - Goodreads

Dated, sure, but really worth reading. It is a painfully accurate depiction of one trend on amearican evolution, as well as a sensible pamphlet against war. On top of that, characters are interesting. Read full review

All 1366 reviews »

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Selected pages

Contents

Section 1
3
Section 2
6
Section 3
10
Section 4
16
Section 5
19
Section 6
23
Section 7
27
Section 8
33
Section 20
106
Section 21
118
Section 22
126
Section 23
139
Section 24
150
Section 25
161
Section 26
169
Section 27
189

Section 9
40
Section 10
44
Section 11
48
Section 12
54
Section 13
60
Section 14
65
Section 15
71
Section 16
83
Section 17
89
Section 18
94
Section 19
97
Section 28
200
Section 29
209
Section 30
218
Section 31
230
Section 32
237
Section 33
260
Section 34
268
Section 35
278
Section 36
279
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

Joe Haldeman has uniquely blended a strong interest in astronomy and with his love for writing to publish numerous novels, anthologies and short stories over three decades. He holds a B.S. in astronomy from the University of Maryland (1967), and an M.F.A. in English from the Iowa Writers Workshop (1975). An adjunct professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Haldeman has also taught at Michigan State, Larion West Seattle, SUNY Buffalo, Princeton, University of North Dakota, Kent State and the University of North Florida Haldeman's works include War Year (1972), The Forever War (1975), Worlds (1981), Worlds Apart (1983), Tools of the Trade (1987), and The Hemingway Hoax (1990). He has also co-authored and edited numerous works of science fiction. Born in Oklahoma on June 9, 1943, Haldeman grew up in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Alaska. He was drafted into the military in 1967, fighting in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a combat engineer with the 4th Division (1/22nd Airmobile Battalion), for which he received the Purple Heart, among other medals.

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