Pointless Wastes of Time - #413 in a series of warnings

[andrewducker]

I recently picked up a compendium of Joe Haldeman's Forever War, Forever Free and Forever Peace. I loved The Forever War when I first came across it - a very neat riposte to military SF of the Starship Troopers mold, and picking up both the sequel and the thematic counterpart in one volume for £7 was too good to pass up.

Sadly, Forever Free turned out to be _completely_ pointless. It offered a few hints at interesting things in the background, started off in an interesting direction, and then fell apart into a complete mess, before finishing with the most ridiculous deus ex machina I've ever read.

Forever Peace won a Hugo, so I'm hoping it's better. If anyone can tell me I missed something in Forever Free that makes it all make sense I'd appreciate it. As it is, it looks like either a bad practical joke or a serious case of Heinleinitis.

Comments

[odheirre.livejournal.com]

Loved Forever War, and was nervous on picking up the sequels. I'd check out his short story collections None So Blind and Dealing in Futures. Way good stuff.

[theferrett.livejournal.com]

I love Haldeman, and I love the Forever War, but neither of the sequels impressed me that much.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Don't bother with the other sequel.

[andrewducker]

Would it be possible to have a teeny bit more information on why? It got a Hugo, which is usually enough to persuade me that it has _some_ merit.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

No, it has a Name.

It's ok, but it actually unravels some of the good stuff of the first book, and ends with happy families.

[andrewducker]

Yeesh. Doesn't sound great. I shall switch to something else for the moment - I've got Pride of Baghdad and the second half of The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts both looking at me, so I'm sure I'll cope.

Cheers for the info.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Don't bother, I mostly read both and while better than the utterly pointlessness that was Forever Free, Forever Peace was merely dull and stupid. His writing used to be brilliant, I have no idea what happened.