- Paperback: 277 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (9 Nov 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1857989317
- ISBN-13: 978-1857989311
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 576,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Forever Free
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
William Mandela is a genetic throwback, one of the small group of humans who fought and survived the Forever War. They returned to find humanity has evolved into a group mind called Man. Surrounded by a society that is too autocratic and intrusive, living a dull existence which cannot compare to the certainties of combat and feeling increasingly alienated, the veterans plan an escape to the future by means of space travel and relativity. But when their ship starts to fail, their journey becomes a search for the Unknown, the elusive entity responsible.
About the Author
SALES POINTS * Joe Haldeman is a Hugo and Nebula Award winner. * The Forever War has had excellent sales since its re-release as part of the SF Masterworks series; its sequel could not be more timely. * 'If there was a Fort Knox for science fiction writers who really matter, we'd have to lock Haldeman up there'. Stephen King * 'Haldeman has long been one of our most aware, comprehensive, and necessary writers.' Peter Straub
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite a let down,
By
This review is from: Forever Free (Paperback)
I have liked most of Haldemans books, The Forever War being rightly recognised as one of the most important works in SF, but his others books are often just as good.Apparently the author at one time, said that he would not write a sequel to The Forever War, and I think that was probably a good decision. When your books are schlocky, pulp fiction yarns about ray-guns, starships and plucky youths who grow up to run the universe it is easy to write sequels (practically the law it seems). When your books are more meaningful, and basically better crafted, they implicitly stand well on their own and it therefore becomes much more difficult to re-visit the themes without rehashing old ground and writing a far weaker book. Haldeman is clearly well aware of this and Forever Free is not simply The Forever War II. There are some of the same characters and it is set in the same universe, at some years after the end of the previous book. This time Haldeman is looking at the plight of the humans in a world run by Man. There is a lot of rhetoric spoken by the human characters about how monstrous Man is, however there is little or no insight in to Man given outside of what the humans think, so the whole thing feels off balance. It seems to me that Haldeman is falling in to the trap that many bad authors find themselves in, of expecting the reader to believe their arguments just because all the 'cool' characters do. Using the global power of the authors voice is a very weak way to make an argument, he would have been far better served if both sides were shown clearly and the reader was allowed to make their own judgements. I found the resolution of the book to be very tiresome. I don't even want to allude to what it is, but I will say that many authors have tried this and I have never read one who succeeded. It is over ambitious. I was reminded of another classic book by a renowned SF author, that became plagued by inferior sequels. I doubt this review will put any Haldeman fans off reading this book and neither should it. Forever Free is, in my opinion (and we all know about opinions), a flawed book that does not live up to its legacy, but it is by no means a terrible book. Haldemans other recent novel, The Forever Peace, is a book that deals with the morality of war, and while he specifically says that it is not a sequel to The Forever War, it seems to me to be much more a child of the ideas and emotions that went in to The Forever War than Forever Free is.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
What a disappointment.,
By
This review is from: Forever Free (Paperback)
The Forever War is one of the best, most intriguing Sci-Fi books ever written. Forever Free follows that intriguing, thought provoking thread until about halfway through, and then suddenly if turns to mush. The setup itself is wonderful. In trying to use the time dilation effect as used to such good effect in The Forever War to escape from a stultifying society, the lead characters encounter increasingly unusual physical effects until the entire universe seems no longer to be what it once was. And then the denouement, in which all is explained, is possibly the biggest let down I've ever read. Origianl Series Star Trek could not have done it worse.I won't spoil it for you if you decide to read it, but trust me. There are better things you could be doing with your time. It is as if the author had a wonderful idea for a book, but no idea at all of how to finish it; and so chose the cheesiest, most cliched, most unsatisfying explaination possible.Avoid.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointment after such a loooooong wait,
By A Customer
This review is from: Forever Free (Hardcover)
As a huge fan of FOREVER WAR, one of my favourite sci fi books of all time, I couldn't believe my luck when I saw this new title. I grabbed it off the shelf so fast there was almost a sonic boom, and took it home and dropped everything else to begin reading it right away...... and when I'd finished I put it down and thought "Er... what?" It pains me to say this, but I haven't been as disappointed in a book since 3001. It's impossible to spoil it for anyone because Nothing Happens! The characters are unrecognisable from the first wonderful volume, and they don't really go anywhere or do anything... after the drama, human tragedy, blistering action and sheer excitement and scope of the first book, "Forever Free" is a huge, huge let down. And it truly pains me to say that, because I've devoured FOREVER WAR so many times the poor thing's literally falling apart. Can only hope that the next one is better.
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