[Randallw]

What I find intriguing is the difference between modern military sci-fi and 50s to 70s classics. Todays Weber and Drake are mass-market paperbacks that are churned out full of action to appeal to fans, and theres nothing wrong with that if the fans are entertained and happy. Compare them however to stuff like "Starship Troopers", "Forever War" and "The Man in the High Castle" (ok that Last one isn't really military but its a sci-fi classic). They don't have non-stop action and are devoted to the evolution of an idea (Totalitarianism, Vietnam era sentiment, and the clash between Third Reich ideals and Japanese culture). They are different from modern literature because what the "main" characters are doing doesn't have much effect on the larger picture, the larger picture is there as a backdrop to what these "little" charcaters are doing.

oh and I agree with expinger, don't read "Forever Peace" expecting it to be the same as "Forever War". Same Author but hardly anything in common, plus it just loses it at the end. I get the impression Haldeman expressed his ideas in his first book and then had to make something up to fill a cash-in.