To me the ending was the most solid link to the Vietnam war. When the society you fight for determines that the war was a mistake, and you are a problem that needs a solution. I've read a few interesting articles on how some people were treated after the Vietnam war, and it does go along with the ending.
Overall, it did give it finality.
LDS
Romantic sap that I am, I liked the personal ending to the book as well. The military may have abandoned him, but there is still Diana, Charlie, and most importantly (if almost improbably) Marygay. William actually ends up with someone to go home to. To have set him completely adrift post war might have been too dark an ending.
[This message has been edited by GZ (edited July 27, 2004).]
- Maybe it wasn't a cliche back in 1976, to have it turn out that the whole war had been a big mistake. I think he missed an opportunity - since he has a large part of humanity end up as clones, and the Taurans are clones, it could have gone in the direction that we needed to develop the way we did to finally be able to communicate with the Taurans, and straighten things out. The reasoning he did use was too 20th century American, with the military wanting the war, economic reasoning, etc. But he freely admits the Vietnam connection/inspiration/reaction, and so I don't have anything major against it. I just think it could have been stronger.
- I admit to loving the "Disney" ending with Marygay, and the others, though I admit to having been confused how it ended up being Mandella and Potter - when it happened, I thought Mandella was supposed to be with someone else. I'll have to go back and review it. I think this part of the ending made sense - Mandella and Potter had made it so far, for "so long," that her finding a way to "wait" for him had a poetic justice to it, given the overall situation. Was more satisfying for me than any other ending would have been.
My only complaint is that none of the other characters are drawn fully enough for me to really enjoy them. It's a very fast paced story compared to what I usually read, but I think I'm starting to like that.