New Releases by Joe Haldeman

It is extremely difficult to win a Hugo award. It is also extremely difficult to win a Nebula. These are like the Oscars and Golden Globes on the science fiction/fantasy writing side, and just like it is the extremely rare movie that gets both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Movie, it is only stories of the highest caliber that get awarded both the Nebula and the Hugo. The Hugo is awarded at the annual Worldcon, voted on by fans. The Nebula is awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) voted on by its member, primarily professional writers. A piece that wins both, signifies that it had wide-spread fan appeal (fan votes) and also the highest regard by professionals in the field (voted on by exclusively by SFWA member). A novella is something just short of a novel (in word-count), and many of the worlds outstanding series started off as novellas, including Orson Scott Card''s Ender''s Game (the novella is the one that won all the awards, and then was extended into a novel, and finally a series). Some consider the novella the perfect size for a story...large enough to develop it, but with a wordcount constrain that still imposes writing discipline. This anthology reprints four novellas, each of which has stood the test of time and each of which won both the Nebula and the Hugo. Some went on to win a plethora of other awards from around the world. For example, Mike Resnick''s "The Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" may be one of the most awarded stories in science fiction, having won not only the Hugo and Nebula, but also the HOMer award, the SF Chronicle Award, and awards from countries like as Spain, France and Croatia. Here then are four of the most outstanding and most acclaimed novellas in science fiction, penned by Joe Haldeman, Lois McMaster Bujold, Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress. Beggars in Spain take place in a future where genetic engineering has become a reality, and society and culture face the consequences of genetic modifications. The story revolves around the existence of the "Sleepless" individuals genetically modified to not need sleep, who have greater potential for intelligence and accomplishment than ordinary humans, called "Sleepers". The Hemingway Hoax weaves together a story of an attempt to produce a fake Ernest Hemingway manuscript with themes concerning time travel and parallel worlds. The story is based on the real-life incident in Hemmingway''s life when his first wife Hadley lost a suitcase with his manuscripts. The Mountains of Mourning explores the concepts of justice and mercy when Miles Vorkosigan is sent to represent the empire in a far-flung rural village where a woman demands justice for the murder of her baby who was born healthy, but with a cleft lip and palate. The Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge explores the meaning of human progress and decline, long after humans have disappeared from the Earth. An alien archeological expedition is sent to explore humanities rise and fall in its birthplace of Olduvai Gorge where seven recounted stories based on artifacts found tell the tale of how they rose and how they fell, but also leave the aliens with an uneasy feeling of what the future may hold.

Within these pages lie eighteen stories, from eighteen worlds shaped by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its first year. Some are international bestsellers. Among them are winners and nominees for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, Aurealis, Ditmar, British Science Fiction Association, and Dragon Awards. Some have been writing for decades, others are at the beginning of their careers. All have honed their craft to razor-sharpness. A teenage girl finds something strange in the middle of the Canadian prairie. An exobiologist tries to liberate a giant alien enslaved on its homeworld by humans. The music of the spheres becomes literal for an Earth ship far from home. A superhero league interviews for new members. Strangers share a drink on a world where giant starships fall. Two boys, one a werewolf, one a mage, get more than they bargained for when they volunteer to fight an evil Empire. A man with amnesia accepts a most unusual offer. A young woman finds unexpected allies as she tries to win a flying-machine race in steampunk London . . . Ranging from boisterous to bleak, from humorous to harrowing, from action-filled to quiet and meditative; taking place in alternate pasts, the present day, the far, far future, and times that never were; set on Earth, in the distant reaches of space, in fantasy worlds, and in metaphysical realms, each of these stories is as unique as its creator. And yet, they all showcase one thing: the irrepressible need of human beings to create, to imagine, to tell stories. To shape worlds.

The ultimate collection of classic science fiction stories and poems from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of the Forever War Series. An omnibus edition of his collections None So Blind and Dealing in Futures, this volume features the best of Joe Haldeman’s short speculative fiction, including such gems as the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning “The Hemingway Hoax,” in which a forged Hemingway manuscript takes the reader on a journey through time and multiple universes; the Hugo and Locus Award–winning “None So Blind;” the World Fantasy and Nebula Award–winning “Graves;” and the Rhysling Award–winning poem “Saul’s Death.” From stories steeped in the horrors of the Vietnam War to tales of cyborg transformations and space explorations, Haldeman flexes his narrative powers to deliver works that will live on for generations to come. “If there was a Fort Knox for science fiction writers who really matter, we’d have to lock Haldeman up there.” —Stephen King “One of the most prophetic writers of our times.” —David Brin

Belly up to Thieves’ World®’s favorite bar for tales told by such fantasy stars as Philip José Farmer, David Drake, Janet Morris, and others. In the second shared-world anthology of the Thieves’ World® series, we see “the gods themselves taking a hand in the fight for the hearts, minds and souls of the citizens of Sanctuary” (Fantasy-Faction). Via contributions from Philip José Farmer, David Drake, Lynn Abbey, A.E. van Vogt, Janet Morris, Andrew J. Offutt, and Robert Lynn Asprin, you’ll revisit the nefarious characters of Sanctuary, including One-Thumb, the proprietor of the Vulgar Unicorn; Regli, a nobleman; Illyra, the seer; Hanes, the thief; the crime lord, Jubal; and introducing Tempus Thales, the immortal mercenary. “It’s the best kind of sequel, the kind which was not meticulously planned from the start, unlike the deliberate megafranchises being created today, which may be plotted out for a decade in advance of the launch. . . . An important book in the series . . . Many elements which will be exploited to huge degree and cast a huge shadow over later pages are introduced here for the first time. . . . In some ways, it provides an anticipatory, even direct, model for the grimdark of the nineties which would follow.” —World of Antra

The third Thieves’ World® anthology—with stories by fantasy’s favorite authors—curated by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Myth series. Times are hard, and the citizens of Sanctuary are not their greedy, immoral, grifting selves. But desperate times call for desperate measures, which means the bad guys are about to up their game. No one is safe from Sanctuary’s evil charms—not the fish in the waters, not the prince’s own Hell Hound guards, not even Satan himself. “Shadows also includes another story by Offutt that reinforces my opinion that he is incapable of writing a bad story for this series. A number of the tales are Tempus stories, with several of our other recurring characters also making appearances. By virtue of Tempus’ unique relationship with the god Vashanka, these stories also bring us back toward the storyline of the competing deities, and help us to look forward to new developments in the fourth book. All in all, Shadows is the strongest book amongst the first three publications.” —Fantasy-Faction

War looms over Sanctuary in the fifth Thieves’ World® anthology compiled by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Phule’s Company series. The invasion by the Beysibs, an amphibious humanoid race, brings unusual prosperity to the city of Sanctuary. But underneath the glittering façade lies a ticking time bomb, for the nefarious residents of Sanctuary don’t take kindly to an invasion—well-meaning or otherwise . . . Join Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh, Robert Lynn Asprin, Lynn Abbey, David Drake, and Diana L. Paxson as their stories unravel the fates of Sanctuary’s favorite liars, thieves, assassins, and warriors. “Abbey . . . understands Sanctuary and its characters. She also knows how to write a short story with a strong main character, a riveting plot that contains twists and turns, and a satisfying resolution. Best story in the book . . . Lalo is the most interesting of all of the characters in Thieves’ World and his stories are always interesting. Paxson . . . spins an interesting and well written yarn that closes the book nicely.” —brianbookreviews.blogspot.com

Missing Game of Thrones? Dare to “be pulled into political intrigues, watch new gods replace old, and witness fortunes rise and fall and rise again” (Book Riot). A classic series for a new generation of fantasy adventure fans, Thieves’ World® paved the way for the shared-world anthology tradition with epic worldbuilding, unforgettable characters, and nonstop action thanks to the legendary authors who contribute to it. The series’s groundbreaking debut features stories by John Brunner, Lynn Abbey, Poul Anderson, Andrew J. Offutt, Robert Lynn Asprin, Joe Haldeman, Christine DeWees, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, who populate the lawless city of Sanctuary with orphans and wizards, fortune tellers and emperors, merchants and madams, spies, assassins, and, of course, thieves. “Sanctuary was the city where anything could happen, where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures.” —Black Gate “A bold and daring experiment in fantasy storytelling . . . We are introduced to the cast of characters, including beggars and crime lords, wizards and soldiers, minstrels and thieves, as this new chapter in the life of Sanctuary begins, life under the governorship of Prince Kadakithis.” —Fantasy-Faction

Sixth in the magical, action-packed shared-world series: “Thieves’ World® has grown into a real presence in the fantasy genre” (Fantasy-Faction). Under the rule of a humanoid race, the city of Sanctuary finds itself divided. Rebels and assassins stalk the shadows, bringing chaos to the streets—which is nothing new to the lawless locals. But even they will have to put aside their differences to unite against their common enemy. An accomplishment easier said than done in a city where everyone is out for themselves . . . Stories by Chris and Janet Morris, Robin W. Bailey, Diana L. Paxson, Diane Duane, C. J. Cherryh, Andrew J. Offutt, Lynn Abbey, and Robert Lynn Asprin add to the legend and lore of this “surprisingly rich and deep world” (Book Riot). “In the sixth book of the collection, the friction between the residents of Sanctuary and the invading Beysib heats up and makes for some exciting reading . . . Offutt’s character Shadowspawn gets some good coverage, and a few fresh new characters also get some play . . .” —Fantasy-Faction “‘The Hand That Feeds You’ [by Diane Duane] is one of the best stories in the entire collection to date.” —brianbookreviews.blogspot.com

A whirlwind of fantasy action and adventure descends on Thieves’ World®—as related by C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Andrew J. Offutt, and others. Welcome back to Sanctuary, “the city where anything could happen, where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures” (Black Gate). The Thieves’ World® series continues with a story line created by Robert Lynn Asprin, C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, and Andrew J. Offutt. In Storm Season, immortal warrior Tempus Thales and his nemesis, the crime lord Jubal, go head to head in fast-paced exploits that bring the simmering tension between them to a boil. “Much of Storm Season pertains to the conflict between Asprin’s gladiator/crime lord Jubal and Morris’ Tempus, and the other stories work to move this plotline along, while telling their own tales. Offutt, as usual, steals the show with a Shadowspawn story . . .” —Fantasy-Faction

“An excellent collection” of vampire stories, from authors such as Harlan Ellison, Dan Simmons, Gahan Wilson, Tanith Lee, and Fritz Leiber (Publishers Weekly). Renowned editor Ellen Datlow has gathered seventeen variations on vampirism ranging from classically Gothic to postmodern satire, from horrific to erotic. These stories reflect the evolution of vampire literature from Bram Stoker to Anne Rice and beyond, resulting in a deeper exploration of their inner lives. Expanding the concept of vampirism to include the draining of a person’s will or life force, Datlow’s collection transcends the traditional “black capes and teeth marks on the neck” to reinvent an eternally fascinating subgenre of horror. In Harlan Ellison’s “Try a Dull Knife,” an empath stumbles bleeding into a nightclub, on the run from emotional vampires. A Broadway actress steals the emotions of her fellow performers in “. . . To Feel Another’s Woe” by Chet Williamson. And in “The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be,” Gahan Wilson offers his own surreal twist on Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter,” as two strangers on a beach lure intoxicated picnickers to a different kind of picnic . . . Blood Is Not Enough includes contributions by Dan Simmons, Gahan Wilson, Garry Kilworth, Harlan Ellison, Scott Baker, Leonid Andreyev, Harvey Jacobs, S. N. Dyer, Edward Bryant, Fritz Leiber, Tanith Lee, Susan Casper, Steve Rasnic Tem, Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann, Chet Williamson, Joe Haldeman, and Pat Cadigan.

La guerra interminable fue una de las primeras novelas de Joe Haldeman. Un fascinante clásico de ciencia ficción. Iniciada en 1997, la guerra con los taurinos dura desde hace siglos. Como pasan de un mundo a otro a velocidades superiores a la luz, las tropas de la guerra interminable envejecen solo unos pocos días, mientras que en la Tierra pasan los años y el planeta se vuelve cada vez más irreconocible. De ese modo, la lucha más cruel que tendrán que mantener estos soldados será su batalla personal contra el tiempo.

A Magazine of Science Fiction and FantasyISSUE 42: January 2019Mike Resnick, EditorTaylor Morris, CopyeditorShahid Mahmud, PublisherStories by: Sean Patrick Hazlett, P.A. Cornell, Joe Haldeman, Robert P. Switzer, Larry Hodges, Mercedes Lackey, Tara Calaby, Liviu Surugiu, Gregory Benford, Michael A. Clark, Robert SilverbergSerialization: Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. ChalkerColumns by: Robert J. Sawyer, Gregory BenfordRecommended Books: Richard ChwedykInterview: Joy Ward interviews Charles E. GannonGalaxy''s Edge is a bi-monthly magazine published by Phoenix Pick, the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Arc Manor, an award winning independent press based in Maryland. Each issue of the magazine has a mix of new and old stories, a serialization of a novel, columns by Robert J. Sawyer and Gregory Benford, book recommendations by Richard Chwydyk and an interview conducted by Joy Ward.

From Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author, Joe Haldeman. The sequel to The Forever War – Joe Haldeman’s legendary intergalactic Vietnam War parable. Stunningly realized by Marvano. The Forever War raged for centuries… but Marygay was there to see it all. During the interstellar travel that took her years, whole generations came and went on Earth. Thanks to special relativity, Marygay was able to wait for many lifetimes to be reunited with her lost love, William Mandella. But they, and the other survivors of the war, are struggling to find their place in the universe after the galaxy shattering conflict. Collects The Forever War: Forever Free #1-3. “A classic reinterpretation of a brilliant sci-fi novel that still feels fresher than most comics on the market today.” – Multiversity Comics “It’s an amazing military story of survival and exploration – highly recommended.” – Chuck’s Comic of the Day

The Forever War raged for centuries… but Marygay was there to see it all. During the interstellar travel that took her years, generations came and went on Earth. She eventually arrived on Aleph-10 sometime after the end of the war, when humans and the enemy Taurans were at peace. There she learned that what’s left of humanity is a hive mind, known as MAN, that inhabits 10 thousand million entities. Making use of the time paradox, Marygay spent the next 286 Earth years in the Time Warp, where she aged just one month every 10 years. This allowed her to arrive, along with other Forever War veterans, on Middle Finger. There she was reunited with her lost love, William, and free to live amongst other heterosexuals and to procreate in the traditional mammalian way. But life on Middle Finger was not as idyllic as Marygay and the others assumed and the group resolved to board the Time Warp once more. Their plan – to travel aboard it for ten years while 400 centuries pass on Middle Finger. Their hope – to return to a time without MAN and Taurans. But nothing’s ever that simple.

The Forever War raged for centuries… but Marygay was there to see it all. During the interstellar travel that took her years, generations came and went on Earth. She eventually arrived on Aleph-10 sometime after the end of the war, when humans and the enemy Taurans were at peace. There she learned that what’s left of humanity is a hive mind known as MAN, that inhabits 10 thousand million entities. Making use of the time paradox, Marygay spent the next 286 Earth years in the Time Warp, where she aged just one month every 10 years. This allowed her to arrive, along with other Forever War veterans, on Middle Finger. There she was reunited with her lost love, William, and free to live amongst other heterosexuals and to procreate in the traditional mammalian way. But life on Middle Finger is not as idyllic as Marygay and the others assumed.

The sequel to novelist Joe Haldeman, Gay Haldeman and Marvano’s epic science-fiction comic book adaptation, ‘The Forever War: Free’. “If there was a Fort Knox for science fiction writers, we’d have to lock Joe Haldeman up” – Stephen King

The Pimping Preacher, for me started out with a Pastor, who''s blackmailed into sadistic crimes, and a drug dealer without conscience. The novel is mixed with corrupt and betrayal, though totally fictional portrayals. The deception and power of success can corrupt the most pure hearts. Agent Watson plays a dirty game. The twists in this piece are unpredictable. The story lines are full of suspense, mystery, and the reality of the power of forgiveness, as a Pastor is given another opportunity to redeem himself. The murders are potentially senseless, except for the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. Percilla and Nene were opportunists who got what they had coming. Michael Steel was so blinded by his power and money; until he underestimated Rolo''s grind and thirst for his position. This read is intended to spark and stir up passion for Leslia and Sophia.

The Nebula Award–winning author of The Forever War explores a world where time is money—and for some, both are running out . . . The Stileman Process is a medical miracle: Every ten years or so, you can restore youth and health to your aging, ailing body—as long as you can pay the enormous fee. The scientific advancement has altered the twenty-first-century world even more than space travel. Dallas Barr is one of the oldest men on Earth, and now he needs to repeat the procedure. But while scrambling desperately for his next essential million, he meets Maria, a woman from a previous life—and makes two chilling discoveries: Not all Stileman “immortals” were created the same. And their days may be more numbered than they think . . . From the author of The Hemingway Hoax and Camouflage, and the recipient of multiple science fiction honors including the Hugo, John W. Campbell, and Robert A. Heinlein Awards, Buying Time is “a mystery/SF hybrid that exhibits the author at his most inventive. . . . The action is fast and furious” (Publishers Weekly).

A stunning adaptaion of the Hugo Award-winning novel. A story of humanity, fraility, and the horrors of war. William Mandella, a young physics student, has been conscripted into the United Nations Exploratory Force. As a member of an elite task force, he and his comrades are to be sent into the depths of space to battle the alien race that has recently attacked the ships of human colonists. Mandella is witness to the harshest realities of war as training for the mission begins, and he sees that humans have taken on a fight for which they are in no way ready… Includes The Forever War #1-6

The interminable waiting continues as Mandella treks across the void to his next assignment. Alone now, with Marygay light years away, forever out of reach, he has only memories of the life he once knew. Among his comrades and subordinates, he finds he is an oddity, as humanity has developed new social constructs beyond his comprehension. Some things, however, remain the same, and Mandella finds himself at the center of an outburst of the basest human emotions.

Still reeling from the massacre on Aleph, the survivors are speeding across space, pursued by a Tauran cruiser. Mandella, shaken but not driven insane by the events he witnessed on the planet, is still pondering the machinations of an army that would choose to embed such terrifying conditioning in its soldiers. But his time among the stars is coming to an end. If he can just make it to the Stargate, his tour will be over and he can return to life as a civilian on Earth… at least, that’s what he hopes.

As they touch down on the planet Aleph, Platoon 1 are about to put everything they’ve learned in training into practice. They are under orders to engage the enemy – the Taurans – whom none of them have ever seen before. Ready for battle, they set out across the alien world. The war is real now. They’re in it. But, like everything, the expectation and the reality are markedly different. The ideology that led them to this situation also led to decisions that none of them could have prepared themselves for – and the lucky ones who survive will never be the same again…

A young man must fight—literally—for the opportunity to escape his backwater home planet and journey to the stars. A towering young giant growing up on a high-gravity world of perilous plants and savage creatures, Carl Bok is thrilled when he’s offered a one-year scholarship to Starschool. As a new student aboard the space-traveling institution, Carl will get the opportunity to visit and learn from sixteen colonized worlds. Best of all, he’ll finally escape the dangerous and grueling life of his home planet. A poor “country boy” cast among rich children of privilege, Carl perseveres as he and his classmates prepare to rocket from world to world. While he’s still on Earth, however, an unexpected and desperate need for funds forces him to become a professional fighter, a job that well suits his massive size and experience. Carl hopes to earn the money he needs to continue with Starschool by battling a slew of human and bestial adversaries for the entertainment of others. But there are forces behind the scenes with an alien agenda that Carl can neither see nor comprehend—as he and a cadre of young companions undertake an educational odyssey that carries them from Earth to the astonishing artificial planet Construct to a war-torn world called Hell. A Science Fiction Grand Master, the acclaimed author of The Forever War, and the winner of numerous awards including the Hugo and Nebula, Joe Haldeman collaborated with his brother, biologist and science fiction writer Jack C. Haldeman II, to create this gripping tale of a young man’s self-discovery and remarkable intergalactic adventures.

A stunning adaptation of the Hugo Award-winning novel. A story of humanity, frailty and the horrors of war. William Mandella, a young physics student has been conscripted into the United Nations Exploratory Force. As a member of an elite task force, he and his comrades are to be sent into the depths of space to battle the alien race that has recently attacked the ships of human columnists. William is witness to the harshest realities of war as training for the mission begins, and he sees that humans have taken on a fight for which they are in no way ready…

A dystopian future Earth is thrown into turmoil by the imminent arrival of extraterrestrials in this alien-contact novel by the author of The Forever War. With The Coming, multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning science fiction Grand Master Joe Haldeman ingeniously combines a troubling dark vision of a dystopian near-future with an alien first-encounter tale as thrilling and thought-provoking as Carl Sagan’s Contact and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Despite technological advancements designed to alleviate the stress of everyday life, Earth at the midpoint of the twenty-first century is plagued by environmental crisis and manmade catastrophe. Tensions among the nations of Europe bring the threat of World War III closer by the hour as their lands are also ravaged by devastating climatic upheaval, the result of centuries of unchecked ozone depletion and global warming. Meanwhile, in an America whose population has been sedated by DNA-specific drugs and virtual porn, homosexuality and free sexual expression have been outlawed by a repressive federal government led by an inept media-star president. But everything changes on October 1, 2054, when Professor Aurora Bell, an astrophysicist at the University of Florida, picks up a message from deep space: “We’re coming . . .” Ingeniously told from the viewpoints of a diverse cast of characters ranging from scientists, artists, and ordinary citizens to criminals, con men, and politicians, The Coming is a shockingly prescient work of speculative fiction from the multiple award-winning author of The Forever War and the acclaimed Worlds series, taking the alien invasion story to places it has never gone before.

During the Alaskan gold rush, a woman pursues a destiny that will change the world in this alternate-history novel from a sci-fi legend. In the tradition of Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land), multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner Joe Haldeman set a new standard for military science fiction and hard sci-fi with The Forever War and his phenomenal Worlds series. Now the Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master dabbles brilliantly in alternate-history fiction with the world-altering adventures of a remarkable woman during the gold rush in late nineteenth-century Alaska. Sent from her Georgia home to Philadelphia to escape the carnage of the Civil War, Rosa Coleman studied astronomy and mathematics, ultimately settling into a new life as the wife of a wealthy man and mother of young Daniel. But when she discovers an unforgiveable secret about her reprobate husband, Rosa takes the boy and flees to the West on a desperate escape that takes them from Dodge City to San Francisco one step ahead of the Pinkertons hired to bring them back home. On the run in a strange and exhilarating new world, Rosa and Daniel find a haven where they might never be found: the wilds of Alaska among the dreamers drawn to its magnificent wilderness by the promise of gold. It is here that her spiritual guide first appears to Rosa in the form of a raven—an incarnation of the trickster god of Native American and Eskimo lore—suggesting that her destiny lies not in sparkling riches but in something far greater. This mystical harbinger has come from a distant, alien place, and will set her on an astonishing course . . . A magnificent blending of historical and speculative fiction, Joe Haldeman’s Guardian is a breathtaking departure for the author whom Peter Straub calls “one of our most aware, comprehensive, and necessary writers” and David Brin praises as “one of the best prophetic writers of our times.”

Civilian life in space yields epic challenges for two married ex-soldiers in this visionary science fiction adventure sequel—now with a bonus story. Ranked at the top of virtually every list of the greatest military science fiction adventures ever written is Joe Haldeman’s Hugo and Nebula Award–winning classic, The Forever War, now celebrating its 50th anniversary. In Forever Free, the Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master and author of the acclaimed Worlds series returns to that same volatile universe where human soldiers once engaged the alien Taurans in never-ending battle. While loyal soldier William Mandella was fighting for the survival of the human race in a distant galaxy, thousands of years were passing on his home planet, Earth. Then, with the end of the hostilities came the shocking realization that humanity had evolved into something he did not recognize. Offered the choice of retaining his individuality or becoming part of the genetically modified shared Human hive-mind, Mandella chose exile, joining other veterans of the Forever War seeking a new life on a wasteland world they called Middle Finger. Making a home for themselves in this half-frozen hell, Mandella and his life partner, Marygay, have survived into middle age, raising a son and a daughter in the process. Now, the dark truth about the colonists’ ultimate role in the continuation of the Human group mind will force Mandella and Marygay to take desperate action as they hijack an interstellar vessel and set off on a frantic escape across space and time. But what awaits them upon their return is a mystery far beyond all human—or Human—comprehension . . . In Forever Free, Joe Haldeman’s stunning vision of humankind’s far future reaches its enthralling conclusion in a masterwork of speculation from the mind and heart of one of the undisputed champions of hard science fiction. And in the bonus story included in this volume, “A Separate War,” Marygay, reassigned and separated from her lover, Mandella, continues fighting in military engagements across the stars—all the while planning how she and Mandella can reunite despite the time and space between them.

The acclaimed author of The Forever War imagines a future in which most of humanity has abandoned Earth for man-made habitats orbiting the troubled world. In Worlds, Worlds Apart, and Worlds Enough and Time, the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author imagines a near future rife with exhilarating and terrifying possibilities, when hundreds of thousands of human beings have abandoned the Earth’s surface to live in man-made habitats orbiting the troubled planet. Haldeman’s science fiction saga follows Marianne O’Hara, a young inhabitant of the World known as New New York, from her arrival on Earth as a student who becomes seduced by radical politics, through her coming of age amid the Worlds’ war and the habitats’ devastation, and ultimately to Marianne’s emergence as a leader—and possibly the last hope of the human race as it heads toward the stars. Stephen King said of the first book in Haldeman’s trilogy, “There are scenes in Worlds I will remember forever.” These gripping novels will enthrall anyone interested in the future—that of our planet and of the human race.