The Forever War

By: Joe Haldeman

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

When it was first published over 20 years ago, Joe Haldeman's novel won the Hugo and Nebula awards and was chosen Best Novel in several countries. Today, it is hailed a classic of science fiction that foreshadowed many of the futuristic themes of the 1990s: bionics, sensory manipulation, and time distortion.

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.

©1974 Joe W. Haldeman (P)1999 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1976
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1975

"A vastly entertaining trip." ( The New York Times)

GREAT Sci-fi story!

Very good to listen to. Great narration. Classic sci-fi! The book has an unexpected end.
Well worth the listen.

The idea is good, the story is boring

The idea of this book is promising.
But the story is boring.
I'm not recommending.

Meh

The story focuses too much on sexuality. There are a lot of odd pauses in narration.

Pays off in the end

Dreary and violent, but leads to a great pay off. An important commentary on war.

Just heard this is turning into a movie...

And very excited. At first I didn't like this book - thought it was a bit too slow and antiquated by modern Scifi standards - sure it is dated at times often discussing issues that likely wouldn't be discussed if it was written today. Or maybe just wouldn't focus as much on sexuality.

But it doesn't matter. On the whole it's a 1000 year story and it's not always the most exciting but it is engaging and interesting throughout. Glad I stuck with it. At first I almost stopped listening because it was so slow and stuck in training for a while. Excited to see what an adaptation could do as this could use a well handled modern refresh.

Would read more!

Nobody warned me about the homophobia

A lot of imagination and riveting action and I couldn’t fully enjoy it because of the painfully dated takes on sexual orientation sprinkled throughout.

really enjoyed the story

Even though some of the book seems similar to the novel Starship Troopers. I really liked the concept of time and how it was almost a theme in the book. The main character was interesting, all other sub characters were interesting enough. But overall I enjoyed the story and the concept. The book also reminded me of the Bob verse We Are Legion series.

From Meh to Woah!

I flat out did not like this book at first but figured, "Well I've made it to chapter 9..." This book was suggested to me by an author I really enjoy, Nicholas Sansbury Smith, as he touted it as his favorite and inspiration for writing. Trusting his better judgment, I continued listening and I'm glad I did.

I feel this author was inspired by Vonnegut and maybe Starship Troopers.

Stay the course!

Cool standalone story

Pretty good story. Enjoyed the listen. Narration is kind of flat and not a very broad range of voices. Decent enough though.

True SciFi smorgasbord! Among the best.

Ostensibly, a military science fiction novel. That is perhaps why it took me so long to discover this book. Most military SciFi is too "hard" to keep my interest. However, this book is so much more than that. This booking encompasses the best of both soft and hard science fiction in one glorious novel. Considering when it was written, the amount of research -- and the depth of thought -- required to conceive all of these ideas is very much on a par with the very best of science fiction writers. I am simply blown away that it took me this long to discover this book and this author.