The Forever WarThe Forever War
Score Classic
What it's about
William Mandella, a physics student, is drafted into an elite force to fight the Taurans, an alien race humanity has barely encountered. Because travel between battlefields happens near the speed of light, every mission takes months for him but decades or centuries back on Earth. Each time he returns, the world has changed beyond recognition, and he is further cut off from everything he knew, while the war goes on and on.
Why it's worth reading
It won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. Haldeman, a Vietnam veteran, wrote it as an answer to that war, and it's one of the great military science fiction novels.
You'll love it if you liked
Slaughterhouse-Five
Dune
The Left Hand of DarknessGood to know
It's short and fast. Some of its ideas about sex and society are very much of the 1970s.
By the numbers
- Readers69 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller34 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #28 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #94 of the 762 classics we rank
- #306 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Dark, Thought-provoking
More by Joe Haldeman
Forever Peace
The Accidental Time MachineIf you like this, read next
Ender's Game
The Lord of the Rings
Hyperion
The Dispossessed
Foundation
FiccionesExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Forever War worth reading?
Yes. It won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. It ranks #306 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 81.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Forever War about?
William Mandella, a physics student, is drafted into an elite force to fight the Taurans, an alien race humanity has barely encountered. Because travel between battlefields happens near the speed of light, every mission takes months for him but decades or centuries back on Earth. Each time he returns, the world has changed beyond recognition, and he is further cut off from everything he knew, while the war goes on and on.
How long does it take to read The Forever War?
About 5 hours (203 pages), or about 10 days at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Forever War won?
Hugo Award winner (1976); Nebula Award winner (1975).
What should I read after The Forever War?
If you liked it, try Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Dune by Frank Herbert or The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.