- Haldeman hooks you very quickly, with the first sentence. The first chapter is only two and a quarter pages long (each short chapter is a scene so it goes quickly).- In that very short space, he establishes enough background (of the story and the mc) so you know what is going on, and enough of a set-up to keep you going. I felt comfortable pretty quickly - it's like slipping on a new item of clothing at the store that immediately feels like you've owned it for a while.
I think those are probably the two best lessons we can get from the beginning.
- I understood his "army morale" chorus bit, and the impact wears off quickly. Fortunately, he doesn't use it much - if he had, it would have lost its point.
- I wish he had told us what happened to the "Rogers" character.
- So interesting the culture that gets set up early on, as an extrapolation of where our co-ed army might head - especially if we go to the stars long-term. Then he moves it along with each stage of Mandella's life.
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