Slow to start into this one but 40% of the way through it really picked up for me and finished it off in a few days.

Joining the protagonist as he re-enlists in a future global space armada, spends several more years of his life, and several hundred years on earth, fighting in a war he doesn’t understand, against an enemy he doesn’t dislike, watching almost everyone he knows get blown to pieces. It’s quite an interesting anti-war perspective.

For myself, the best part of the book in my opinion was the effects of relativity on interstellar war. After only 3 encounters with the enemy the protaginist became the single most experienced vetern in the entire campaign. His return to earth to a society he barely recognises to his departure detailed an ever larger leap in societal change.

Population control through mandatory homosexuality where it became the norm and reversed over time was also quite an interesting concept. A twitter commentator pointed out to me that this idea came from his return out of the Vietname war to the concept of Free Love, a dramatic departure to what he understood and new as his anchor.

Quite impressed with the quality of the science fiction of this book. Was great to see a perspective of the future from the 1970’s Loved it, will have a lasting impression on me. Could not stop thinking about it for a few days after I finished it, even managed to tweet about it. Definitely would recommend it to anyone.

I’m yet to decide what my next read will be but feel free to recommend something to @beilabs on Twitter.