---
product_id: 1542523
title: "The Forever War"
brand: "joe haldeman"
price: "6056 kr"
currency: ISK
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 5
url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/1542523-the-forever-war
store_origin: IS
region: Iceland
---

# The Forever War

**Brand:** joe haldeman
**Price:** 6056 kr
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Forever War by joe haldeman
- **How much does it cost?** 6056 kr with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.is](https://www.desertcart.is/products/1542523-the-forever-war)

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- joe haldeman enthusiasts

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- Trusted joe haldeman brand quality
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## Description

The Forever War

## Images

![The Forever War - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WkMKvsHHL.jpg)
![The Forever War - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GtMGmhC5L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stands the test of time!
*by J***D on January 27, 2024*

From the moment I opened this book and all the way through to the end, I was mesmerized by the story, the characters, and the sheer excellence of this amazing work of Science Fiction.If you are a Sci-Fi fan and haven't read this, you are doing yourself a disservice. This novel, nearly fifty years old, is a classic work. It follows the military life of a physics student turned soldier, William Mandella, through his training and combat experience as a member of the UNEF Army. It is a compelling tale of a man who wants to go home but may not be able to continue to live his life the way he expects. While he serves a total of four years of his life, the travel from assignment moves at relativistic speeds and as we know, when someone travels at those speeds, time passes very quickly for those who are not along for the ride.Physics student William Mandella is conscripted as a member of a task force for the United Nations Exploratory Force to fight in a war against an alien race known as Taurans after presumed attacks by them on human colonist ships. Mandella undergoes intense training and is deployed to numerous places in the galaxy. While the ships that transport soldiers from one battle to another are very fast, traveling at relativistic speeds means that a lot of time passes off the ship than onboard.The first deployment for Mandella's group lasts two years from his point of view, but for the return to Earth, 27 years pass. In those times, there are drastic developments in technology, but there are also societal changes that are shocking.Mandella is part of the war for only four years of his life while centuries pass at home.The principal character, William Mandella, is an intelligent man who is made into a warrior. He isn't obsessed with killing but is merely doing a job he’s been trained for. He is quite resilient in that he understands his situation concerning time dilation, and what it might do to him. However, the time he spans outside his relativistic travel changes so drastically, he sometimes has a hard time keeping up with all the changes. He takes everything in stride as he moves forward, but still maintains his own identity. He wants all the things a professional soldier wants, but most of all, to come home alive to a world and to the woman he loves. We see most of the story through Mandella's eyes and the thoughts he has and so we get a combat veteran's view of life in and out of the military and observations of the social and political situations as they evolve over the period of a thousand years.My favorite point of plot in Forever War is how it illustrates the changes society goes through over a period of time. At one point, Mandella goes home and has a difficult time recognizing nearly everything he encounters. The changes are so extreme and bizarre that he finds he no longer can exist. He finally returns to the military because it is what he has become familiar with.It is no spoiler to say this tale is a metaphor for the Vietnam War. The author himself is a veteran of the Vietnam era, so the story is sad and tragic, but there are also moments of hope.Personally, the theme that stood out the most was how soldiers were regarded when they returned home. In the book, they are not treated well as they return to an Earth that has become a social and political ruin. Many are just trying to survive in an economy that is in shambles. When he feels as if he has been alienated from his home planet, Mandella, along with Marygay, re-enlists. As is typical of the military, after being promised to be assigned as instructors on Luna base, they are switched back to a combat unit and sent off to fight once again.Another thing that stood out to me was how Forever War and Starship Troopers (the book by Robert A. Heinlein, not the film) have some things in common. Both are a soldiers’ story that can give one a better understanding of what it means to fight in a war and then try to survive, not only in combat, but when returning home and having to adapt to all the changes one faces.My takeaway from The Forever War is to show how one can never return home. Nothing stays the same and life is full of change.Forever War is a classic work of sci-fi that holds up well and will speak to readers today. If there is a must-read list, this book should appear at the top. It has everything a fan of military sci-fi would enjoy, and I think many of those who have served would also appreciate what is in these pages.Mandella's tale is great on every level.It is brilliantly written because it is easy to understand and relate to. It is a fairly fast read at 236 pages, but at the same time, there is a lot of amazing story packed into that small space.I found Forever War to be entertaining, engaging, and emotionally charged.'Highest Recommendations!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great ideas but so-so execution
*by M***J on March 6, 2025*

I liked the characters, the plot and the ideas of what the future might hold. It felt a bit dated at times; there was some veiled homophobia, but at least it had a happy ending.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love the Forever War.
*by D***D on February 16, 2025*

I have loved it, hated it, been sickened by it it more than one way, and think that only a fool would be unmoved by such a tale. Such a strange tale. Earth, united and fighting the Taurans. If we want to win we have to fight. The whole story is rapped with a sense of dishonesty. The indifferent soldiers have to be brainwashed to fight, if they refuse they will be brainwashed to fight. Oh and in order to fight you have to accept that time will wipe out nearly everything you care about. Most of the fighting will be for cold lifeless rocks. I still love it. The sexual politics of the book has divided people for years. Haldeman deserves some respect for incorporating it in a straightforward manner. I took my first read of this at 14. Everything was beyond me at 14. While the issue of homosexuality was one of the pillars of the story. Our hero goes from heterosexual world to one that becomes largely homosexual, and eventually a sort of asexual cloned Empire that has heterosexual planets as a backup. The sexual dynamics drove the point home, that these soldiers were caught up in something profoundly alienating. Could it have been handled more deftly to manage a more universally understood sexual norm? That would miss the point substantially. I would say to read the Forever War and criticize the sexual politics is to miss the point of the story. The story deserves a few more reads.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Forever War
- Starship Troopers
- Armor

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*Product available on Desertcart Iceland*
*Store origin: IS*
*Last updated: 2026-02-07*