For all those who haven't read it, check out the "sequel", The Forever Peace. I place "sequel" in quotes, because it's only thematically related, there's no continuation of characters or plots.
In fact, it's set much closer to the present, and the use of remote-controlled robots makes it feel super-current. Unlike The Forever War, it envisions one way war could end. The final line of the Vice story is "When war is unthinkable, it will stop", and in The Forever Peace, Haldeman shows one way it could be achieved.
As much as I love TFW, I personally think The Forever Peace is a stronger novel.
> As much as I love TFW, I personally think The Forever Peace is a stronger novel.
Honestly, a number of his novels are better, as he freely acknowledges (though not in this interview). It'd be pretty odd for a writer with a long career to perform his best work right out of the gate. (he's written several books in the last decade which are put together a lot more masterfully than The Forever War... I felt Camouflage was pretty close to being a perfect SF novel when I read it the first time)
It's certainly his most influential book, which is about being in the right place at the right time.
I should probably re-read The Forever Peace. I, on the other hand, have The Forever War on my favorite SF list but nothing else of his that I've read--and I have at least a half-dozen on my shelf--have ever grabbed me enough the remember them.
I think that you should be able to find something you like among Camouflage, Old Twentieth, The Accidental Time Machine, and Work Done For Hire. Together they're actually a pretty good spectrum of what he does.
I honestly haven't cracked the Marsbound books yet, although I have them. There's something just a bit off-putting about series books to me...
Thanks. Although, the one I've read amongst those, The Accidental Time Machine, I remember as being a quick enough read but otherwise shallow and unmemorable.
I'm generally with you on series books. I understand why publishers and authors like them but there are so many out there that take an original concept and even get a good novel or two out of them but then continue on endlessly until all life has been squeezed out of the writing.
There are exceptions but they're a small minority--at least to my tastes.
I agree on The Accidental Time Machine (nice, but fluffy). Camouflage was good, though, and a number of people really recommend Marsbound, though I haven't read it yet.
In fact, it's set much closer to the present, and the use of remote-controlled robots makes it feel super-current. Unlike The Forever War, it envisions one way war could end. The final line of the Vice story is "When war is unthinkable, it will stop", and in The Forever Peace, Haldeman shows one way it could be achieved.
As much as I love TFW, I personally think The Forever Peace is a stronger novel.