Uploaded February 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
“The world was changing in ways that you needed science fiction to discuss,” says Science Fiction Grand Master Joe Haldeman of the post–Vietnam War era. Haldeman began writing while in the army; he was drafted in 1967 and fought in Vietnam. When he came home from the war, he saw how technologies—military and civilian—were rapidly changing the human experience. This unstoppable forward momentum propelled him to write science fiction stories that drew on his combat experience and view of the world.
“Good science fiction writers ought to be equally passionate” about believing “the world is going to hell” and “the world is going to be a wonderful place,” Haldeman says. Take a glimpse at that dual world through Haldeman’s eyes, and see how this award-winning author has shaped his career to be attuned to the march of change.
“The world was changing in ways that you needed science fiction to discuss,” says Science Fiction Grand Master Joe Haldeman of the post–Vietnam War era. Haldeman began writing while in the army; he was drafted in 1967 and fought in Vietnam. When he came home from the war, he saw how technologies—military and civilian—were rapidly changing the human experience. This unstoppable forward momentum propelled him to write science fiction stories that drew on his combat experience and view of the world.
“Good science fiction writers ought to be equally passionate” about believing “the world is going to hell” and “the world is going to be a wonderful place,” Haldeman says. Take a glimpse at that dual world through Haldeman’s eyes, and see how this award-winning author has shaped his career to be attuned to the march of change.
