Joe Haldeman's 'The Forever War' is a profound narrative of interstellar conflict, told through the eyes of William Mandella, a soldier conscripted into an elite military unit for a war against a distant alien race. Time dilation due to relativistic space travel profoundly alienates the soldiers from their own society, as the Earth they leave behind changes much faster than they do. The novel deftly explores the psychological and physical tolls of war, as well as the impact on those serving far from the world they once knew. Haldeman, a Vietnam War veteran, uses this cosmic theater to comment on the nature of war, the experience of soldiers, and the societal changes that compound the isolation felt by returning veterans.