Homo Millenium

[dotinthesky]

Joe Haldeman, The Forever War, 1974
Many consider this to be one of the finest science-fiction novels ever written, and I can see why. Haldeman, a Vietnam war veteram, originally intended the novel to be an allegory for Vietnam; but years have gone by and the novel now works as an allegory for all of America's foreign incursions, in particular the disastrous war in Iraq. However, this novel is more than just about war: it's about life between and after war for soldiers - their sense of loss and displacement when they return to their homes and find no support; it's about the lives of women and men in the army, the relationships they form (and so quickly lose), and the politics attached to them.

I could write a whole essay on homosexuality as it appears in The Forever War. In the future, with the planet enduring a massive population explosion, the government imposes a "homosocial" law. Homosexuality is at first highly encouraged, then enforced. Finally, men and women are hatched to be the best soldiers they can be, as well as 100% queer. It's Sparta all over again, but with space ships. The narrator, one of the only heterosexuals left in humanity, experiences ostracism, prejudice, funny looks, etc, because he's an eccentric, with unusual tastes. It's not as black & white as it sounds; Haldeman delivers a lot of his ideas through humor, or as the fabric in the more general plot about Earth's war against an alien civilization. Coupled with some gorgeous writing, it makes for a very entertaining read.

Comments

[silverfiligree.livejournal.com]

It's one of my favourite sci-fi novels. There are a couple of sequels but they didn't live up to the original IMO. I liked his "Worlds" sequence as well, and I think they're due for a re-read :)

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

That's great to know! I love how this novel ends, but I could see how sequels are possible - especially since he creates such a detailed universe. I really enjoyed his style of writing - his humor, his dialogue, etc - so I'll be definitely checking out his other work.

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

Your man Joe must have read a lot of Heinlein. Not that it's exactly the same or anything, but the questions your synopsis discusses remind me of the race flip-flop Heinlein did in Farnham's Freehold. And if you want a really great sci-fi book about war and humans' places in it, check out Starship Troopers. I read that when I worked at the Met. It was in the locker room and I read everything else I could stomach (including a romance novel) before I picked that one up. All b/c the terrible movie nearly spoiled it for me. Almost immediately I was drawn in and I ended up writing notes in the margins, referencing back and forth between chapters. It's pretty much amazing.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Added to must-read list. ;-)

[desayuno-ingles.livejournal.com]

And it's thin, a quick read. My favorite part about it is that you don't even get to a bug fight before almost half the book's gone! Definitely more philosophy than war.