I have found few books of hard Sci-fi adhering to the consequences of traveling near light-speed. Collapsar jumps might take a few months at most in Haldeman's futuristic novel. Relativity kicks in, making Mandella suffer the consequences of seeing a changed Earth when he comes home after being drafted in the early 1980’s (he comes back hundreds of years after due to relativity). It’s a great read, up until the last 15% of the book where the book turns tangential in nature. It threw me off a bit, making the last few pages difficult to digest after a gripping read.

In the midst of the war against the Taurans, Earth is faced with a dystopian government, which adds the true punch to this time-traveling sci-fi novel. Earth is discombobulated, making living a civilian life on Earth completely unbearable. The best way to earn a decent living is by enlisting in the Army. If you leave the army, a taxation of 95% over your earnings is applied. The colonization of other planets, like Heaven, creates of this new dream-like place a true utopia. I guess we all end up dreaming of a place where we can start all over again, but with the vantage of technology.


An enjoyable and memorable read.