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  • The Forever War (The Forever War Series)
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The Forever War (The Forever War Series) Kindle Edition

4.4 out of 5 stars 17,042 ratings
4.1 on Goodreads
176,759 ratings

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Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards: A futuristic masterpiece, “perhaps the most important war novel written since Vietnam” (Junot Díaz).

In this novel, a landmark of science fiction that began as an MFA thesis for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and went on to become an award-winning classic—inspiring a play, a graphic novel, and most recently an in-development film—man has taken to the stars, and soldiers fighting the wars of the future return to Earth forever alienated from their home.

Conscripted into service for the United Nations Exploratory Force, a highly trained unit built for revenge, physics student William Mandella fights for his planet light years away against the alien force known as the Taurans. “Mandella’s attempt to survive and remain human in the face of an absurd, almost endless war is harrowing, hilarious, heartbreaking, and true,” says Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Junot Díaz—and because of the relative passage of time when one travels at incredibly high speed, the Earth Mandella returns to after his two-year experience has progressed decades and is foreign to him in disturbing ways.

Based in part on the author’s experiences in Vietnam,
The Forever War is regarded as one of the greatest military science fiction novels ever written, capturing the alienation that servicemen and women experience even now upon returning home from battle. It shines a light not only on the culture of the 1970s in which it was written, but also on our potential future. “To say that The Forever War is the best science fiction war novel ever written is to damn it with faint praise. It is ... as fine and woundingly genuine a war story as any I’ve read” (William Gibson).

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Joe Haldeman including rare images from the author’s personal collection.

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Review

“To say that The Forever War is the best science fiction war novel ever written is to damn it with faint praise. It is, for all its techno-extrapolative brilliance, as fine and woundingly genuine a war story as any I've read.” ―William Gibson, author of Neuromancer, Spook Country

“There are a handful of moments when an American science fiction novel abruptly and seemingly effortlessly satisfied every possible expectation conveyed not only by the genre's ambitions, but of those of the whole literary landscape with which it was contemporary: Sturgeon's More Than Human, Dick's The Man In The High Castle, LeGuin's Dispossessed, Gibson's Neuromancer. The Forever War is one such book, and like those others still carries with it that air of recognition and possibility.” ―Jonathan Lethem, author of Gun With Occcasional Music, Fortress of Solitude

“Perhaps the most important war novel written since Vietnam . . . Haldeman, a veteran, is a flat-out visionary . . . and protagonist William Mandella's attempt to survive and remain human in the face of an absurd almost endless war is harrowing hilarious heartbreaking and true . . . like all the best works of literature THE FOREVER WAR takes you apart and then, before you can turn that last page, puts you back together: better, wiser, more human. Simply extraordinary.” ―Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

“If there was a Fort Knox for Science Fiction writers, we'd have to lock Joe Haldeman up.” ―Stephen King, author of The Shining, The Dead Zone, The Stand

The Forever War is not just a great Science Fiction novel, it's a great Vietnam war novel - and a great war novel, without qualification- that is also Science Fiction. A classic to grace either genre.” ―James Sallis, author of The Long Legged Fly, Drive, Cripple Creek

“FOREVER WAR is brilliant--one of the most influential war novels of our time. That it happens to be set in the future only broadens and enhances its message.” ―Greg Bear, author of Moving Mars, Eon, The Forge of God

“A parable whose lessons are needful learning once more.” ―John Scalzi, author of Old Man’s War, The Ghost Brigades, Zoe’s Tale

“I first read this twenty years ago and have never forgotten the wonder and fury it kindled at the time. Anyone who talks about the glory of war has obviously never read it. A beautifully detailed and intensely personal account of a conflict which lasts for over a thousand years, as told by one grunt who lives through it all. Only a writer as skillfull and knowledgeable as Haldeman could use war's dark glamour to lure the reader in and then deplou the sam fascination to show just what kind of effect this orchestrated barbarism can have on the human soul.” ―Peter F. Hamilton, author of Pandora’s Star, Judas Unchained, The Dreaming Void

“In a literature of ideas, The Forever War is a titan: a book filled with mind-bending ideas about relatavistic time-distortion and world-shaking ideas about the futility of war. In today's world, where we think declaring war on abstract nouns like TERROR is a winning strategy, we need THE FOREVER WAR.” ―Cory Doctorow, author of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Little Brother X

“It is to the Vietnam War what Catch-22 was to World War II, the definitive, bleakly comic satire.” ―Thomas M. Disch, author of Camp Concentration, 334

The Forever War does what the very best science fiction does. It deals with extremes both societal and teleological; it places a frame around humankind's place in the universe to show us what is outside the frame; and it functions simultaneously at the literal and metaphorical level. Inarguably one of the genre's great novels, it is also among the finest novels ever written about war.” ―James Sallis, author of The Long Legged Fly, Drive, Cripple Creek

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

A multiple winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, Joe Haldeman is an ultimate household name in science fiction. A Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient, since the original publication of The Forever War, Joe has maintined a continuous string of SF classics, and as a long-time Professor of Creative Writing at M.I.T., is widely acknowledged as a key mentor figure to many of this generation's top SF stars.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PI184XG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ Dec 2 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781497695566
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1497695566
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ The Forever War
  • 鶹 Rank: #8,331 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 17,042 ratings

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Joe Haldeman
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Joe Haldeman began his writing career while he was still in the army. Drafted in 1967, he fought in the Central Highlands of Vietnam as a combat engineer with the Fourth Division. He was awarded several medals, including a Purple Heart. Haldeman sold his first story in 1969 and has since written over two dozen novels and five collections of short stories and poetry. He has won the Nebula and Hugo Awards for his novels, novellas, poems, and short stories, as well as the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, the Locus Award, the Rhysling Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. His works include The Forever War, Forever Peace, Camouflage, 1968, the Worlds saga, and the Marsbound series. Haldeman recently retired after many years as an associate professor in the Department of Writing and Humanistic Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Gay, live in Florida, where he also paints, plays the guitar, rides his bicycle, and studies the skies with his telescope.

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Customers find the content of the book great, epic, and fun to read. They describe the science fiction as a classic and highly worthwhile piece of military science fiction. Readers describe the story as fantastic, captivating, and original. They find the themes interesting, thoughtful, and evocative of the late 70's and early 80's, with a war mongering backdrop.

48 customers mention "Content"48 positive0 negative

Customers find the content great, cool, and worth the quick read. They say it's creative, fun to read, and transcends the genre.

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"Great read, had only come across it in an article recently...." Read more

"...The story is tight, well written and honestly portrays the ambivalent experience of any soldier caught in a larger conflict...." Read more

24 customers mention "Science fiction"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the science fiction book hard, mind-expanding, and highly worthwhile. They say it's interesting, cool, and timeless.

"...Just a great science fiction story." Read more

"...It's also hard sci-fi that deals with time dilation effects from sublight interstellar travel and wormholes as a way to somewhat address the..." Read more

"...The story is tight, well written and honestly portrays the ambivalent experience of any soldier caught in a larger conflict...." Read more

"...Simmons even credits this series as being the pinnacle of futuristic military sci-fi, and an inspiration for his own writing...." Read more

11 customers mention "Story"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the story fantastic, captivating, and original. They say the truth behind the story will always be valid and the allegory is marvelous. Readers also mention the book is true science fiction with its moral values shaken up. They also find the characters interesting.

"Not sure why I had never read this before now, but his is a great story...." Read more

"Really great read, fantastic concept and very well told. Its really a timeless book, the truth behind the story will always be valid...." Read more

"...More than that, this is a war novel. It's a damn good war novel, written by a Vietnam war veteran, that ultimately speaks about his war..." Read more

"...Those who survive can never go home. So yes indeed, this is true science fiction with it's moral values shaken up like I want it...." Read more

5 customers mention "Interesting"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, thoughtful, and mind-expanding.

"...A reasonable, and interesting premise. Of the three titles, I feel that The Forever War is the best for several reasons...." Read more

"...future so foreign, it makes the story that much more enveloping and fascinating...." Read more

"...Hard sci-fi at its shellshocked, mind-expanding best, with style and insight well ahead of its time." Read more

"...written in a different time, but still a great story that generates interesting thought about many aspects of modern and future society." Read more

5 customers mention "Themes"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the themes in the book interesting, well-thought-out, and evocative. They also appreciate the war mongering backdrop. Readers also describe the story as captivating and original.

"...It was enough to whet my appetite as the theme is interesting and well thought out. Not always what one gets with a first time author...." Read more

"...Hard sci-fi at its shellshocked, mind-expanding best, with style and insight well ahead of its time." Read more

"...very evocative of the late 70's early 80's when all that Vietnam angst was going around even up here in Canada where I live...." Read more

"...years of our human history and our social evolution, with a war mongering backdrop. Couldn't put it down." Read more

Top reviews from Canada

  • Reviewed in Canada on October 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Okay - no word of a lie. This has to be among the best novels I have ever had the pleasure to read.

    This novel is the first book in the SF Masterworks imprint series (in publication order). This is the novel, along with Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers, that invented the space marine. If you look around you can see its influence in so many works of sci-fi that it's become a trope: Halo, Warhammer 40000, Old Man's War by John Scalzi. It's also hard sci-fi that deals with time dilation effects from sublight interstellar travel and wormholes as a way to somewhat address the sublight limitation.

    More than that, this is a war novel. It's a damn good war novel, written by a Vietnam war veteran, that ultimately speaks about his war experience.

    I'm sure he must have been writing it as a form of therapy. It deals with war in a way only a soldier and a veteran can truly know. It covers the injustice of the draft, the horror of killing, the impersonal compassionateless nature of the military, dehumanization, PTSD, loneliness and isolation, the terror of being caught up in an experience so much bigger and more terrible than you, the danger and invasiveness of war technology, survivor's guilt, and alienation from the culture a soldier leaves behind. The space marine trope character is often tough as nails and devoid of human weakness. Haldeman's space marines are anything but.

    It was powerful, gripping, horrible, funny, disturbing, sad and poignant.

    The edition I read contains an introduction from John Scalzi and an intro by the author, who said this was the definitive edition. Haldeman wrote that he had difficulty getting the book published because no one wanted to read a war novel in the immediate wake of Vietnam; a non sci-fi publisher expanded into sci-fi and that's how it got done. And it won the Hugo and the Nebula. I see why.

    He said that even so, he had to cut a novella portion from the middle because "it was too depressing," according to his publisher. That portion was restored for this book. Normally I'm not a fan of restoring cut bits to award-winning novels; I can't imagine this one without it. I think the book would have really missed something if he hadn't included it, so hopefully you can find that edition.

    I borrowed a copy from my public library to read as part of the Science Fiction Masterworks book club (which you can find as a group on Goodreads, a Facebook group, and a reading challenge on Worlds Without End; join us!) I finished it yesterday, and by that time I'd already ordered a copy from 鶹, knowing I would read it again and again; which arrived today.

    Go out and get a copy. Read it. You'll thank me for it.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this story was depressing. Every trip brings them far into the futur, a futur which has evolved and they find themselves not wanting to live there. Those who survive can never go home.
    So yes indeed, this is true science fiction with it's moral values shaken up like I want it. Very well done.
    But I'll be taking Starship Troopers with me on vacation. I had it last year, plan to read it again this year. It's a brainless yet optimistic view of the world. Maybe veterans could make a better world. Just my opinion.
  • Reviewed in Canada on July 25, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    ‘Forever War’ always gets the accusation that it’s just a Vietnam-in-space novel. It’s much more than that.

    Human-kind’s thousand year war with the Taurans described in the book is a real attempt to describe the social, technological and even evolutionary effects of time dilation on the human experience, during the worst kind of experience, an interstellar war. The war changes Earth’s society and culture completely, and Haldeman shows this clearly. The story’s main protagonist, Mandela, becomes the longest serving soldier in Earth’s history, surviving hundreds of years (Earth time). Yet, because of time dilation as ships move by ‘collapsars’ across vast expanses that include to other galaxies, he ages only decades, and fights in relatively few campaigns after being wounded and recovering. The changes he sees in humans every time he returns from combat - caused by hundreds of years passing in his absence - render him, and Maryjane, the one other person of his generation still fighting with him, completely alone socially. When Maryjane is assigned to another strike group on their next tour, both know that time dilation means they will never see each other again. Sent on command of a task force, Mandela finds himself the ultimate outcast: his troops are uniformly homosexual by mandate, birthed from artificial wombs, and forced to learn his antiquated form of English. I found this the perfect expression of generation gapping, curiously a societal issue that only became really prevalent in the 1970’s when this novel was written.

    The story is tight, well written and honestly portrays the ambivalent experience of any soldier caught in a larger conflict. The combat sequences are awesome, sufficiently technical without bogging down in futuristic technicalities. .

    Really, one of my favourite books of all time.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in Canada on June 19, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This, along with Starship Troopers and Armor, represents the "holy trinity" or armored-infantry science fiction. The idea that humans will fight aliens and be assisted by powered suits of armor. A reasonable, and interesting premise. Of the three titles, I feel that The Forever War is the best for several reasons. First, it has the most realistic sounding science. Particularly how temporal relativity affects space travel and how wars are fought. E.g., attack your enemy and it takes 30 years to get to them traveling at the speed of light, meaning a lot can change by the time you arrive there. Same thing for the return trip back. That's how a 5-year tour of duty turns into a 1,000+ year tour of duty (hence the title of this book). Second, I found its characters the most interesting. Not because they were as well developed, ST and Armor both do a better job in that regard. Simply because I personally found them more compelling. Finally, the social commentary that comes with good sci-fi was at the right level for me. Not as in-your-face as ST, but more coherent than that of Armor. All in all, they're all good books, but The Forever War was the best of the three for me. If you like science fiction, particularly military science fiction, than I recommend this book very strongly. With over 200+ reviews for this book, I don't feel I need to go into much more detail than that.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Marquinius
    4.0 out of 5 stars Made me think ...
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on September 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The actual story is OK, but not really special. But it is a carrier for all kinds of aspects I actually never thought about. What happens when you travel at light speed, slow down and move back? Time dilation. Ah.

    Need to think a little longer. And gerichte second book of the series.

    Good oh.
  • DeVliN
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind - Superbe ouvrage de SF
    Reviewed in France on October 29, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Un livre superbement pensé à lire en VO.

    Écriture claire et agréable, sans détours. Des concepts de SF précis et compréhensibles (dilatation temporelle)qui produisent une métaphore filée sur la vie d'un vétéran du Vietnam.

    Critique antimilitariste sans concession ni facilité, héros attachant et humain, tout y est.

    On peut à juste titre se demander pourquoi le livre n'a pas été adapté en film après le graphic novel...

    A masterpiece and a one_of-a-kind SciFi work. A too-human hero you can root for right from the beginning on to the end. Filled with despair on the cruelty of our humanity yet a striking commentary on war, especially when one knows the author's background as a Vietnam veteran. The scientific concepts are still solid long after its first release, it's quite an easy read without being oversimplified.

    The only thing I keep asking myself: why oh why hasn't there been any movie adaptation?
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  • Gordon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Time travel
    Reviewed in Australia on November 23, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I love sci fi novel that makes me think about things like: could this be...? This story had time travel, futuristic fighting, altered concepts of sexual morality, etc, etc. It's interesting reading a book written in the70's ...sexual revolution era of course smoking dope had to feature a lot and taking drugs, a great read I enjoyed it a lot.
  • The Fantasy Review
    5.0 out of 5 stars No book has shattered my expectations like this
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The Forever War has been one of the best reading experiences of my life. No book has shattered my expectations like this, surprising me with its incredible depth and complexity despite a lack of nearly any characterisation or thorough worldbuilding.

    I promise you, if seeing “military science fiction” puts you off because you don’t think that’s your kind of thing, The Forever War is a totally different book to things like Starship Troopers (Heinlein) or Old Man’s War (Scalzi).

    Vanilla Mandella

    The Forever War follows William Mandella, a conscript pulled from his Physics studies at university into a war with a new enemy, the Taurans. We follow his journey through hundreds of years, although for him only a few years have passed (this is due to Time Dilation, which I’m not smart enough to explain, but briefly, “time moves slower for an observer who is in motion relative to another observer.”)

    Mandella is a vanilla, ordinary person without any strange quirks or great loves or hobbies. This doesn’t sound like a positive, but the point is he could be absolutely anyone. His plainess proves the reader with a lens through which we spectate the horrors of war, as well as the dullness or waiting, the terrifying results of new technology malfunctioning, and in general the stupidity of the human race at its worst.

    Despite not thinking much of Mandella at the beginning of The Forever War, during the final chapter I found myself loving him. He had been through so much, seen so much, and survived so much, I struggled to watch him fighting for his life yet again.

    This is just a review and not an in-depth analysis, so I will finish the section by saying that Mandella’s ordinaryness was a comfort in a world (universe?) that became unrecognisable and was so often bleak and tragic.

    Time Dilation

    As I said before, I’m not smart enough to explain or even fully understand the science of time dilation, but I understand how it affected the narrative. These soldiers who went off to war would come home to a world that was tens or hundreds of years in the future, with the world they knew almost completely gone.

    This is the magic of science fiction (and also fantasy). Instead of trying to get the reader to emotionally understand the alienation experienced by soldiers in the real world, when they return from tours, science fiction can instead literally show that alienation.

    It is a powerful gut punch when we first return to Earth, seeing so much has changed. Joe Haldeman focuses Mandella’s confusion with this new world on the changing consensus on homosexuality. The book is certainly not homophobic, but Mandella has a steep learning curve which he isn’t totally keen on.

    The book takes these social changes to the extreme, to the limits of progression and further, so that heterophobia is the dominant mood. Once again, this allows the alienation to be depicted powerfully as Mandella is increasingly socially and emotionally detached from the people around him.

    Final Thoughts

    The Forever War by Joe Haldeman is an incredible book, and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading any kind of literature. It is far more than just a “military science fiction” book, with its philosophical deep-dives into the mass human psyche and incredible reflections on war.

    Don’t miss out on reading this ultimate classic of the science fiction genre.
  • makuff
    5.0 out of 5 stars Genial!
    Reviewed in Germany on June 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    ** spoiler alert ** Zu allererst: ich bin nicht mehr wirklich ein großer Science-Fiction Fan wie früher. Zumindest dachte ich das. Bis ich dieses Buch gelesen habe. Ich bin durch Zufall darauf gestoßen, aber es war ein wirklich schöner Zufall.

    Nunja, zur Geschichte muss eigentlich nicht viel gesagt werden, wie Peter F. Hamilton schon in seinem Schlusswort treffend sagt ist der Plot an sich recht simpel.

    Aber was macht dann dieses Buch so gut?

    Eindeutig die Art wie Haldeman dieses futuristische Universum zum Leben erweckt. Es gibt doch recht viele technische Begriffe, allerdings verliert sich das Buch nicht zu sehr in Einzelheiten, sondern nimmt die ganze Technik nur als erklärenden Rahmen. In diesem findet dann die Geschichte statt. Hauptsächlich geht es um die Beziehung zwischen William Mandella und Marigay Potter. Obwohl die beiden nicht sehr viele Seiten explizit zusammen als Paar sind, fängt man sehr schnell an die zwei zu mögen, und für sie mitzufiebern.

    Haldeman schafft es unglaublich sympathische und authentische Charaktere zum Leben zu erwecken. Und genau das ist es: alle Charaktere fühlen sich lebendig an, man hat Interesse an ihnen. Nicht viele Autor*innen schaffen das so gut!

    Ich bin wirklich kein Fan von Happy-Endings, aber bei "the Forever War" wollte ich die ganze Zeit über, dass es Potter und Mandella gelingt wieder vereint zu werden. Als die beiden durch die Zuteilung zu unterschiedlichen Einheiten getrennt wurden war ich wirklich trautig. Ich musste sogar kurz aufhören zu lesen. Es war ja eigentlich klar, dass die beiden sich, bedingt durch die andere Zeitwahrnehmung (Ich habe das noch nicht 100% verstanden, aber auf jeden Fall sind zwei Monate auf interstellaren Reisen mehrere Jahre auf stationären Planeten/der Erde) besteht ja eigentlich auch keine Möglichkeit, dass eine Wiedervereinigung stattfinden kann. Und dann ist da noch dieser mörderische Krieg, den kaum jemand überlebt. Umso zufriedenstellender war es dann, dass die beiden wieder zusammen kommen, trotz der Umstände.

    Der Krieg mit den Taurans (Ich habe das Buch auf Englisch gelesen, deshalb auch die englische Bezeichnung) ist ein wirklich interessantes Bild, das Haldeman hier zeichnet. Eine Spezies die anscheinend nicht weiß wie Krieg geführt wird. Das wissen die Menschen allerdings nicht. Jedoch kommt es ab und zu im Buch gut raus. Zum Beispiel beim ersten Boden Gefecht mit den Außerirdischen: Sie wehren sich nicht und lassen sich im Grunde genommen abschlachten. Oder als Mandella mit seiner Einheit am Ende des Buches auf Sade 138 gegen diese kämpft wird gesagt, dass die Taurans sehr unkreativ sind was ihre Taktik angeht, sie kopieren menschliches Verhalten.
    Das alles erklärt sich am Ende des Buches, dort wird klar, dass der Krieg einfach nur durch die Unfähigkeit zu kommunizieren ausgelöst wurde. Die Außerirdischen kannten gar keinen Krieg, aber da Menschen und Taurans nicht miteinander kommunizieren konnten, dachten die Menschen die Außerirdischen wären feindlich. Und so beginnt die Geschichte des Jahrhunderte dauernden Krieges.

    Ein Punkt der mir hier noch sehr wichtig ist, ist die Symbolik des Krieges für den Vietnam Krieg in dem der Autor auch eingesetzt war. Ich bin kein Literaturwissenschaftler, deshalb bleibt der Teil auch etwas kürzer. Aber: die Parallelen sind doch sehr deutlich und gut herausgearbeitet. Wenn man es weiß und darauf achtet wird dieses Buch einerseits zu einem genialen Science-Fiction Roman, andererseits zu einer sehr guten Kritik am Vietnamkrieg. Aber das sollte jede*r für sich selber lesen und herausfinden.

    Fazit: wieder einmal ein Buch, das man gelesen haben muss. Eines das im Kopf bleibt und an das man sich noch ewig erinnern wird. Und eines mit wiederlese-Faktor.

    (Diese Rezension habe ich schon auf Goodreads veröffentlicht)

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