Scan barcode
badseedgirl's review against another edition
2.0
For a book named Forever Peace, there was quite a bit of violence and I'm not sure I even agreed with the premise of this book.
grayjay's review against another edition
2.0
Mostly unrelated the previous novel, we find ourselves in a different future for earth, where the universe may end in a month becauseof a huge scientific project on Jupiter. Unfortunately, it makes to much money to anyone or be interested in stopping it, so the people who discover the problem come up with a ridiculous solution: remove the ability for humans to cause violence.
I don't think the plot made very much sense but it gave the author and excuse to have some interesting discussions about empathy, guilt, trauma, war, and greed.
On a side note: the protagonist is black, but the author is white. I don't think that's necessarily wrong, but in this case it seemed inappropriate. The character's race kept coming up and I don't think it's appropriate for a while author to try to capture the power dynamic between white and black people from a black person's perspective. The white characters keep making micro-aggressions and saying racist things to the protagonist but he doesn't ever reflect on it or seem bothered by it, so I can only assume that the author didn't put much thought into it. Race didn't really factor into the novel in an important way, so it seemed out of place.
I don't think the plot made very much sense but it gave the author and excuse to have some interesting discussions about empathy, guilt, trauma, war, and greed.
On a side note: the protagonist is black, but the author is white. I don't think that's necessarily wrong, but in this case it seemed inappropriate. The character's race kept coming up and I don't think it's appropriate for a while author to try to capture the power dynamic between white and black people from a black person's perspective. The white characters keep making micro-aggressions and saying racist things to the protagonist but he doesn't ever reflect on it or seem bothered by it, so I can only assume that the author didn't put much thought into it. Race didn't really factor into the novel in an important way, so it seemed out of place.
dbro13's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
wookieeatemyshoe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
matushabanek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ppigg81's review against another edition
4.0
Intresting contrast to Forever War. Nifty concept. If you like Haldeman, you'll like this one.
javamamanc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
scheu's review against another edition
3.0
The good: interesting SF concepts and commentary on the effects of war from a different perspective than _[b:The Forever War|21611|The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)|Joe Haldeman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1167322714s/21611.jpg|423]_ (to which this novel is not a sequel)
The bad: Haldeman switches from first-person to third-person narration for no apparent reason several times. It was very annoying. There's simply no excuse for that.
The bad: Haldeman switches from first-person to third-person narration for no apparent reason several times. It was very annoying. There's simply no excuse for that.
teachinsci's review against another edition
3.0
Not A Sequel!!
Now that is out of the way... the two books are related in theme. "war is bad and often fought for obscure and false reasons.". In this book, however, the war is just a backdrop to the larger story of saving the world and, why not... bringing peace forever.
The action was exciting, and the characters were mostly believable. I am not entirely sure what bothered me about this book. It could be the idea (which I appreciated the realism of) that people become useless sheep if they don't have to work for a living... It could be the notion that conflict can be completely abolished and everyone will quickly agree (even as bringing that peace kills huge numbers). It may have been the dark, unrealised, fatalism of the main character who contemplated suicide as a matter of course. Most likely it was the almost deus ex machina necessities that brought the book to a close (that was, for me, somewhat unsatisfying).
Overall, lots of amazing ideas, the author deserves his accolades, just not a book I would want to read again.
Now that is out of the way... the two books are related in theme. "war is bad and often fought for obscure and false reasons.". In this book, however, the war is just a backdrop to the larger story of saving the world and, why not... bringing peace forever.
The action was exciting, and the characters were mostly believable. I am not entirely sure what bothered me about this book. It could be the idea (which I appreciated the realism of) that people become useless sheep if they don't have to work for a living... It could be the notion that conflict can be completely abolished and everyone will quickly agree (even as bringing that peace kills huge numbers). It may have been the dark, unrealised, fatalism of the main character who contemplated suicide as a matter of course. Most likely it was the almost deus ex machina necessities that brought the book to a close (that was, for me, somewhat unsatisfying).
Overall, lots of amazing ideas, the author deserves his accolades, just not a book I would want to read again.
matthewbrand's review against another edition
3.0
I might have liked this more if it weren't associated with The Forever War #1. I'm horribly confused why they're part of the same series, they don't seem to have anything to do with each other and kind of contradict each other.