The Forever War
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 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | Joe Haldeman |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Released | 1974 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 236 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-312-29890-0 |
The Forever War is a 1974 science fiction novel by Joe Haldeman. It won the Nebula Award in 1975 and the Hugo Award in 1976. A both action-laden and contemplative story of an interstellar war between humanity and the enigmatic Tauran species, it deals with themes like the inhumanity of both war and its attendant bureaucracy, as well as with the results of time dilation space travel which may cause a soldier to return to his home only after centuries have gone by.
There are also two sequels of sorts, Forever Free and Forever Peace (the latter only shares the theme, not the setting). The three books are considered by some to constitute The Forever War series.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The novel tells the story of William Mandella, a university student conscripted for an elite UN task force being assembled for a war against the Taurans, an alien species discovered when they suddenly attacked human colonist's ships. They are sent out for what might be described as reconnaissance in force, though vengeance is also a major factor in the politics behind their formation.
Because of the unknown nature of the threat, many cadets are recruited for unique knowledge and talents, including telepathy and luck. Mandella believes that he is chosen for his understanding of math and physics. All the cadets, however, (who seem to be evenly split between men and women) are very intelligent and are close to perfect physically. This concentration of the elite of the elite, apparently supposed to represent the best of mankind, numbers only several dozen when the training enters the serious phases (where the story starts).
After a grueling training regimen on Earth and later on Charon[1], which results in a high number of casualties due to the use of live weapons including nuclear warheads, the recruits finally ship out to remote bases orbiting "collapsars", wormhole-like phenomena that allow travel to thousands of light-years away in a split second. However, travelling to and from the collapsars at near-lightspeed has massive relativistic effects.
This first expedition lasts only a few months from the soldier's perspective, but due to time dilation, upon return to Earth many years will have passed. The soldiers experience future shock firsthand, as the Taurans employ increasingly advanced weaponry against them while they themselves do not have time to return to Earth and re-arm.
Mandella, together with fellow soldier, lover and companion Marygay, initially returns to civilian life, only to find humanity drastically changed. He and his fellow soldiers have difficulty fitting into a future society that has evolved almost beyond their comprehension. The veterans learn that, to curb overpopulation, which led to world-wide food wars, homosexuality has become officially encouraged by the world government. The changes within society alienate Mandella and the other veterans to the point where many re-enlist simply to escape, even though they realize the military is a soulless construct. The inability of the military to treat its soldiers as more than valuable, highly complex machines is a major theme of the story.
Almost entirely through luck, Mandella survives four subjectively experienced years of military service, which time dilation makes equivalent to several centuries of combat and change. He soon becomes the 'oldest' surviving soldier in the war, attaining high rank through seniority, although not from personal ambition (he is portrayed as an eternally reluctant soldier, who acts mostly from natural talent and a melancholic sense of duty). Despite this he is separated from Marygay, who has remained his last contact with the Earth from his youth, by inexorable and impersonal military machinery. As the commanding officer of a 'strike force', Mandella now commands soldiers who speak a language completely unrecognizable to him, whose ethnicity is now nearly uniform, and are exclusively homosexual.
Engaging in combat thousands of light years away from Earth, Mandella and his soldiers battle to survive what is to be the last conflict of the war, which has already officially ended in the meantime. During the time that has passed on Earth, mankind begins employing human cloning, resulting in a new species calling itself Man. Man develops a means of communication unique to clones, which allows them to begin peace talks with the Taurans. It turns out the war was a colossal mistake - the Taurans are a naturally clone-based species and could not communicate with the pre-clone humans. Misunderstandings, especially by the trigger-happy human military, led to the conflict.
Man establishes several colonies of old-style, heterosexual humans, just in case the evolutionary change proves to be a mistake. Mandella travels to one of these colonies, named 'Middle Finger'. There he is reunited with Marygay, who had been discharged much earlier and had intentionally used the collapsar jumps' time dilation to age at a much slower rate, hoping and waiting for Mandella's return.
The epilogue is a news item from the year 3143 announcing the birth of a "fine baby boy" to Marygay Potter-Mandella.
[edit] Significance and criticism
The novel is widely perceived to be a portrayal of the author's military experiences during the Vietnam War, although it is set in a science fiction context. The name of the lead female character, Marygay Potter, is nearly identical to Haldeman's wife's maiden name, adding an element of autobiography. Moreover, it is a look at the changes happening in the world during the war through the eyes of a soldier fighting in it, and the unique (and perhaps more realistic) view he has of them compared to the rest of humanity. Importantly, if one accepts this reading of the book, the alienation experienced by the soldiers on returning to Earth - here caused by the time dilation effect - becomes a clear metaphor for the reception given to US troops returning to America from Vietnam. It was also considered to be a response to Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, a book with a similar setting, often considered pro-military.
However, there is some debate as to what actual degree the novel can considered a critical response of Heinlein's. For his part, Haldeman has played down this claim in several interviews, even going as far as to praise Heinlein's work on its own merits and consider him one of his favorite authors.[2] There are also certain profound differences between the two novels. Whereas the characters in Starship Troopers were all volunteers, the characters in The Forever War were conscripts (Heinlein had stated his opposition to conscription on several occasions). Both men considered each other friends.
It is also worth noting that in August of 2003, Haldeman was was elected by unanimous vote to the board of directors for the Heinlein Society.[3][4]
[edit] Comic adaption
Belgian comic writer Marvano has, in cooperation with Haldeman, created a comic book trilogy of The Forever War. With some very minor changes and omissions to storyline and setting, it faithfully adapts the same themes in visual style. The series was translated into various languages, and had a follow-up trilogy connected to Forever Free.
[edit] Editions
The Forever War was published as a serial in Analog Magazine before its first book publication in 1974. Since then, several versions of The Forever War have been published. Editions published prior to 1991 were abridged for space by the original editor (omitting the middle section, a novella titled You Can Never Go Back). These early paperback editions have "a white cover showing a man in a spacesuit with a sword, with symbolic clocks all around," according to the author, with alternatively the first hardcover edition featuring a large hourglass with planets falling through it.
The 1991 edition restored many expurgated sections, primarily dealing with the changes that befall human civilization over the course of William Mandella's life. This version's cover "has a futuristic soldier who looks like Robin Williams in a funny hat." as Haldeman notes, "But alas, not all of the changes got in, and the book has some internal contradictions because of things left over from the [earlier version]."
In 1997, Avon published the version that Haldeman called "definitive," with "everything restored" and "a less funny cover illustration."[5] This version was republished twice, first in October 2001 as a hardback with a cover showing spaceships in battle over a planet, and again in September 2003, with the cover art depicting a device worn over the eye of a soldier.
In 1999 it was republished by Millenium, an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, as part of the SF Masterworks series. It featured as the first novel re-printed in the series, and the cover features a close-up of Marygay Potter with soldiers and spaceships in the background. This is the same version as the 1997 Avon publication and features the same Authors Note.
[edit] References
- ^ Charon here refers not Pluto's moon (undiscovered at the time), but to a hypothetical planet beyond Pluto's orbit.
- ^ Frequently Asked Questions (from Joe Haldemans private website)
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ (ISBN 0-380-70821-3)
| Preceded by The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin |
Nebula Award for Best Novel 1975 |
Succeeded by Man Plus by Frederik Pohl |
| The Forever War series |
| The Forever War (1974) | Forever Peace (1997) | Forever Free (1999) |
| Novellas |
| A Separate War |
