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The Forever War
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
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Publisher's summary
William Mandella is a soldier in Earth's elite brigade. As the war against the Taurans sends him from galaxy to galaxy, he learns to use protective body shells and sophisticated weapons. He adapts to the cultures and terrains of distant outposts. But with each month in space, years are passing on Earth. Where will he call home when (and if) the Forever War ends?
Narrator George Wilson's performance conveys all the imaginative technology and human drama of The Forever War. Set against a backdrop of vivid battle scenes, this absorbing work asks provocative questions about the very nature of war.
Critic reviews
- Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1976
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Passage at Arms tells the intimate, detailed and harrowing story of a climber crew and its captain during a critical juncture of the war. Cook combines speculative technology with a canny and realistic portrait of men at war and the stresses they face in combat. Passage at Arms is one of the classic novels of military science fiction.
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One Long Running Space Battle ….
- By DocJim on 09-29-14
By: Glen Cook
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Mutineer
- Kris Longknife, Book 1
- By: Mike Shepherd
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Kris Longknife is a daughter of privilege, born to money and power. Her father is the prime minister of her home planet, her mother the consummate politician's wife. She's been raised only to be beautiful and marry well. But the heritage of the military Longknifes courses through Kris' blood - and, against her parents' objections, she enlists in the Marines.
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Harsh reviews seem undeserved to me
- By Jeffery on 09-29-10
By: Mike Shepherd
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A Hymn Before Battle
- Legacy of the Aldenata
- By: John Ringo
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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With Earth in the path of the rapacious Posleen, the Galactic Federation offers help to the backward humans - for a price. You can protect yourself from your enemies, but God save you from your allies!
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Another heads up!
- By Dr. Daniel Chapman on 06-12-14
By: John Ringo
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Man of War
- Rebellion, Book 1
- By: M. R. Forbes
- Narrated by: Jeff Hays
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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In the year 2280, an alien fleet attacked the Earth. Their weapons were unstoppable, their defenses unbreakable. Our technology was inferior, our militaries overwhelmed. Only one starship escaped before civilization fell. Earth was lost. It was never forgotten. Fifty-two years have passed. A message from home has been received. The time to fight for what is ours has come.
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Hope from Ashes
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 07-23-16
By: M. R. Forbes
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A Fiery Sunset
- The Omega War, Book 1
- By: Chris Kennedy, Mark Wandrey
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The plot by the Galactic Union’s Mercenary Guild against the Four Horsemen has culminated in an invasion of Earth. Faced with an overwhelming force, the human mercs had no choice. They’ve fled, leaving Sansar Enkh to go to the Mercenary Guild headquarters on Capital Planet to stand trial for humanity. On the run, Jim Cartwright and Nigel Shirazi have travelled to the Winged Hussars’ secret base of New Warsaw, in an effort to convince Alexis Cromwell to join the fight, while the other mercenaries who escaped the fall of Earth have gone to the perceived safe haven of Karma.
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had a hard time finishing
- By Connie Uriarte on 05-17-20
By: Chris Kennedy, and others
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A Desert Called Peace
- Carrera, Book 1
- By: Tom Kratman
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Length: 26 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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He raised an army against those who took everything from him. They should have picked their enemies more carefully. Five centuries from now, on a remarkably Earthlike planet that is mankind's sole colony in space, religious fanatics called the "Salafi Ikhwan" have murdered the uncle of former colonel Patrick Hennessey. That was their first mistake, because uncle was rich and Hennessey was rather a good colonel. But they also murdered Hennessey's wife, Linda, and their three small children, and that was their worst mistake for she was the only restraint Hennessey had ever accepted.
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The description is better than the execution
- By Dan on 02-21-14
By: Tom Kratman
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The Reality Dysfunction
- Night's Dawn Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 41 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In AD 2600, the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems, and throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace.
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Finally on Audible!! My favorite Hamilton series!
- By Patrick on 04-05-16
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Marsbound
- By: Joe Haldeman
- Narrated by: Liza Kaplan
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Young Carmen Dula and her family are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime - they're going to Mars. Once on the Red Planet, however, Carmen realizes things are not so different from Earth. There are chores to do, lessons to learn, and oppressive authority figures to rebel against.
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Meh.
- By Wes Parker on 03-19-09
By: Joe Haldeman
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Til Valhalla
- An Ember War Prequel (The Ember War Saga)
- By: Richard Fox
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On the battlefield of the future, armored mechs can turn the tide of any battle. With a nation under threat, a single small force of Armor joins the fight to hold the line against a merciless horde bent on total domination. Chief Amos Roy - a young soldier haunted by the loss of his brother to the enemy - is thrust into the fight before he's ready. War is a harsh teacher, and his fellow Armor are just as wary of him as they are the foe.
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Another Ember Wars Homerun
- By Really_Cool_User_Name on 04-26-20
By: Richard Fox
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Have you ever worried about your memory, because it doesn't seem to recall exactly the same past from one day to the next? Have you ever thought that the whole universe might be a crazy, mixed-up dream? If you have, then you've had hints of the Change War.
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Big Time takes a long time
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What listeners say about The Forever War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- John
- 09-24-08
A classic.
The Forever War is science fiction at its best: A commentary on war cast in a science fiction motif.
Haldeman wrote this specifically as a reaction to the Vietnam War, of which he was a veteran. It is dated a bit, given that it posits the availability of collapsar jump technology in the 1990s, but that's just an interesting plot device, not the point of the book.
One reviewer suggests Starship Troopers as a better alternative. I strongly disagree and believe she has missed the point of The Forever War entirely. Starship Troopers is a lot more like Heinlein's version of Plato's Republic, especially clear if you've read his non-science fiction works. The Forever War is no such animal.
In short, I put The Forever War beside Stranger in a Strange Land and Foundation as the best examples of the science fiction genre and well worth your time to listen. Pure and simple.
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96 people found this helpful
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- Jim "The Impatient"
- 03-11-15
F U Sir!
When I first read this in the early 80's it was considered cutting edge, now it is considered a Classic. This does not surprise those who have read it, most of us knew back in the 70's and 80's that this would reach classic status. Before David Weber and John Ringo, there was Joe Haldeman. This involves a lot of physics, a lot of time paradoxes and a little anti-war. The physics in most cases is explained so that the common layman can understand and it is done in an entertaining way. In the beginning of the book Mandella goes to a planet out past Pluto. The suits they wear and how they deal with the climate make the book very entertaining. It is nota lot of speeches, it is more if you do this you will blow up, etc... It is written in a way in which you do not feel you are in a class room. There was some stuff, especially toward the end of the book that did go over my head, but the book was still great as a whole.
M*A*S*H
Is the theme song going through your head? The anti war is not overly done. You are not beat over the head with it. There are no long Alan Alda speeches. You can be a war hawk and still love this book. I will admit that the book does drag a little toward the end, but still as a whole it is great. Think a more modern version of Arthur C. Clarke.
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39 people found this helpful
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- Nothing really matters
- 03-27-15
The Terrans vs the Taurans, + lots of weird stuff
A fun read. It takes a realistic-feeling approach to the physics of war in space. The politics as well. The characters are refreshingly down-to-earth (no apologies, pun-haters), instead of someone's fantasy of what a cool and macho space warrior should be like.
It's really an amazing book if you take into account that it was written in the 1970s. Until I finished reading it and checked, I had assumed it was written later.
Final note: at double speed, which is how I often listen to fiction, the narrator sounded like Peter Parker from the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon. Funny. I kept waiting to hear him say, 'Wallopping web-snappers!'
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26 people found this helpful
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- Augusto
- 03-26-12
Neat story, Emotionless narrator.
What didn’t you like about George Wilson’s performance?
Lack of emotion, weird inflections. Struggled to finish the story due to the narration.
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22 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Rachel
- 07-12-08
horrible message
This novel tells a story that sends the message: "Until you turn into communists, you won't understand that the enemy isn't your enemy." Or, stated in more conventional language: To those who understand, no explanation is necessary; to those who don't, none is possible.
It projects a "failed pacifist" as its hero and the plot is driven by a colossal and willful misjudgment made by war-loving men.
I suppose the story holds some small value inasmuch as it creatively presents FTL travel and the effects of time-dilation. But that is scant redemption.
Don't listen to this novel. Instead, try Heinlein's _Starship Troopers_.
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- Katherine
- 03-12-13
An SF treatment of Vietnam
Originally posted at FanLit:
William Mandella, a genius studying physics, has been drafted into the elite division of the United Nations Exploratory Force, which is fighting a seemingly never-ending war with the Taurans. After strenuous training with other elites on the Earth and in space, William and his colleagues are sent on various missions throughout the universe, traveling through black holes to get to each warfront. During each mission some of William’s friends die, but that’s expected. What’s surprising is that when he returns home, very little time has passed for him, but space-time relativity has caused many years to pass on Earth. Thus each time he comes back, he’s shocked by the changes that have occurred — changes in people he knows, changes in society, and technological advances which affect the progress of the war.
These changes are so drastic that Mandella, who was a reluctant soldier to begin with, would rather re-enlist — which means almost certain death — than live in a society he no longer relates to. He quickly moves up the ranks, but only because he’s the only soldier who has managed to survive this long, though it’s only been a few years of his own lifetime. The cultural changes on Earth have affected the military, too, and soon William, who’s so different from the people he leads, feels like an old man living in a young man’s body.
As you can probably tell, Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War is a military science fiction story that’s so much more than that. On the surface, it’s got all the stuff you’d expect from the sort of tense and exciting story where humans are fighting hordes of aliens, but on a deeper level, The Forever War is surprisingly emotional and thought-provoking. Joe Haldeman has called it “an sf treatment of what I’d seen and learned in Vietnam.” It deals with the expected themes — the horrors of war, xenophobia, survivor’s guilt, the disappointment of a tepid reception at home, the use of drugs and alcohol to cope and, especially in the case of Vietnam, the meaningless of it all. Haldeman’s SF-spin cleverly uses the relativity problem to show us the plight of soldiers who come back to a culture they hardly recognize, who lose family members and lovers who die or move on while they’re gone, and who feel like they’ve lost their former place in society and have trouble settling down. It’s tragically beautiful with an ending that offers hope.
Joe Haldeman wrote The Forever War as his thesis for an MFA. It was serialized in Analog Magazine and published as a novel in 1974. The Forever War won the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award, and the Locus Award. I read Recorded Books’ audio version, which was superbly narrated by George Wilson.
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- John
- 03-09-18
Great Story, Terrible Narration
The story was great, although there was a bit too much "hand waving" when it came to the science part of the science fiction.
Despite this, I almost returned the book due too the narration. He had really strange inflections that made every character seem as if they were non-chalant about everything. It's hard to describe, but the audio sample should've been a warning. I will avoid any book he's narrated from now on. Almost as bad as Scott Brick...almost.
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- Jonathan Love
- 03-16-17
A Unique Perspective of the Vietnam War Experience
After listening to this book, I was curious about the author and his actual experience as a Soldier. As one myself, I was intrigued at Haldeman's capture of the Soldier's psyche as well as that of the view of civilians after returning from combat. Wikipedia said that he was in fact a Soldier in Vietnam and similarities of names and perspectives ostensibly show that he in fact wrote the book about his experiences both during and after returning from that war.
The story itself probably isn't a retelling of any specific event, but rather some intended hyperbole to facilitate civilians being able to relate to his experience (e.g., vast cultural acceptance and practice of homosexuality within a generation (i.e., future shock) juxtaposed against civilian inability to fully appreciate the horror that the protagonist had experienced).
I compare this book with, Starship Troopers (Heinlein) and Armor (Steakley) as philosophy disguised within science fiction but really trying to expose the psychology of a Soldier's growth into a leader (in the first) and (in the second work) dealing with the repercussions of trauma. All three are required reading for my Soldiers.
The narrator was fine, but his more mature voice was not necessarily representative of the young Mandella (however fine for the senior officer version). Also, it seemed to me that he really pushed the "femmy" tone of the homosexual males. I realize he's trying to paint a stark contrast as pushed forth by the author, but seriously, not all homosexuals talk in a more feminine tone. Related to the tone, but more about the story is how the author portrayed the protagonist as only dealing with the female Soldiers (despite equal mix) except for his male First Sergeant and Commander... missing the entire "brotherhood" of war concept that almost every Soldier experiences (regardless of gender, but this book portrays mostly sexual encounters between the sexes in his earlier years, except with his primary lover in subsequent years). I listen at 3x speed and had no problems with it for this narration.
I highly recommend this book and it will be added to my list of annuals reads/listens.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-22-10
Still one of the best,and well narrated.
Many years have passed since I have read this excellent book, it still rates for me as one of the best sci-fi reads. Not too much battle action, just enough romance and for a story, spread as the name suggests, over many centuries, it is entirely believable.
The main characters are entirely believable as well.
Written before many of our 2010 incarnations of technology, the authors mind picture of the immediate future is very close to reality but also much that he describes as happening in the far off future is real today.
Joe's depictions of society and his assumption that homosexuality would become more accepted prove very close to actuality, although happening earlier than Joe anticipated.
Altogether a great listen, well narrated.
If you missed this and like Heinlein, Moorecock, Aldiss, Asimov and the like, give it a go you wont be disappointed... Brian
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- Brenden Zapp
- 04-05-13
Anti-War?...Might be...
"Back in the 20th century they had established-to everyone's satisfaction-that "I was just following orders" was an inadequate excuse for inhuman conduct". But what can you do when the orders come from deep down in that puppet master of the unconscious?"
A story that goes beyond stories. Is what Forever War is.
Homosexuality is used as a means of birth control. Currency takes the form of "Kilo-calories" (K) as the world-at that time-has become dependent upon food consumption and inadequate regulation. Frivolous excursions with accumulated capital. Injury and regeneration. Loss of love. The last campaign of the over 1300 year Forever War; successful due to a "stasis field".
Understandably, there are some very strong insinuations in the novel. But the writing and story are one, how do you say...for the books. I highly recommend this novel, no matter your stance on military actions.
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