44. The Forever War

by Joe Haldeman (288 pgs)

Rating: 5

War in space involves logistics that we never think of or worry about here. For example, if there were war in space at all, it would mean that we had vehicles capable of much faster travel than we do now. When approaching light speed, there are issues of time dilation where in the people on the vehicle are still 20 some odd years old and the planet they left behind is suddenly hundreds of years ago.

Classic science fiction of the best sort. Written in the early 70's, The Forever War is as much about the political and social climate of the time in which it was written as it is about space ships and mysterious alien foes. The themes explore why we go to war and some of the conclusions that Haldeman came to were not flattering to our species. At odd moments Haldeman takes digs at the sexual revolution, issues of homosexuality, and communism. I think I would like to read a book that overviews the political and social scene of the late 60's and the 70's. I think if I could find such a book and read it side by side with The Forever War, I would find Haldeman's book to be an interesting critique on the times.

Recommended for everyone who is interested in why we humans make the same mistakes over and over, the liberal dissatisfied, the complacent conservative, and my own people: the cynics.