I'd like to share an interesting experience with you. I recently purchased twenty science fiction novels for twenty dollars. Yes, it was a great bargain especially considering that they were hardcover editions. Not to mention that the real reason I purchased the books was to obtain a couple of Star Wars hardcover books I was missing from my collection. Well, being the book lover that I am, I could hardly purchase these books and just toss them in a corner or give them away. I have to read them! I decided to select a random book from the pile. I figured if I didn’t like the novel, I could always resell it…after all I only paid a dollar for the thing.
My first selection was The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. The selection was made not because of the storyline or the cover or because I knew the author. I simply picked the smallest of the books – a copout really, but I wanted to get the fastest reads out of the way. I was amazed to discover that once I started reading The Forever War, I simply could not put the book down.
The book follows the life of William Mandela, who upon completion of his degree in physics, was drafted to fight a war far from home. We’re not talking across the equator we’re talking across the universe. The enemy is an alien known only as The Taurans. At the time Mandela is drafted by the Elite Conscription Act, no one is even certain what a Tauran looks like. They only know that alien ships from the constellation Taurus had attacked and destroyed ships from the planet Earth.
The Forever War begins much like Robert Heinlien’s Starship Troopers. The book begins in the year 1996 and ends in the year 3143. During that span, we follow Mandela through basic training, through space travel, and battle. We learn that although it takes several years to reach a destination point, those traveling in the ships barely age thanks to collapsars (something like hyperspace jumps to all those Star Wars fans out there). While the passage of time may seem to be only a week to the travelers, it is quite possible that they have actually been away from Earth for several years. Something that becomes very disconcerting for Mandela upon completion of his first tour.
With each battle Mandela experiences, we learn more about the enemy he faces. But soon, we begin to wonder just who exactly is the real enemy. Is it the people Mandela is engaging in war, or is it the government that sent him there? With implanted manipulative suggestions, laws that make it impossible for the average citizen to live by legal means, a health care system that decides when you are too old to receive care, we start to wonder whether Mandela is better off at war with an alien race, or at peace on Earth.
What I found most interesting about this novel is Haldeman’s interpretation of what Earth will be like in the future. He doesn’t just touch upon what legal changes a world at war might go through. He actually expands that view to encompass the social values of that world and the economic impact. He brings post war syndrome to the ultimate level. We all know how disorienting it must be for a soldier to return to his hometown after years of fighting in another country, but Haldeman shows us what it could be like for a soldier to return home after decades of war in space. We experience Mandella’s disorientation and despair and his growing cynicism.
Most importantly, Joe Haldeman makes us care about what happens to William Mandela and those around him. Even more amazing is the twist at the end of the novel – no worries; I’m not going to give it away. You’ll have to read it to find out what I’m talking about. And believe me, I definitely do recommend you read The Forever War by Joe Haldeman!
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