Joe Haldeman is quietly one of the best current writers of science fiction I've read, both
for the quality of the writing and the quality of the ideas. While most SF writers tend to be
significantly better at one than the other, Haldeman offers literate (not to be confused with
pretentiously literary), compulsively readable hard science fiction. His prose is fluid,
enjoyable and lucid, making the scientific underpinnings comprehensible even for right brain
types. While his ideas are so well grounded in basic human thoughts and desires, no matter how
far the technology and story take them, that the reader can easily relate. You'll still think
about his books long after the covers are closed.
That being said, I did find Starbound a little harder to get into than most, mostly
because he uses various viewpoint characters speaking in the first person—a storytelling
technique I'm not all that fond of to begin with—who can be a bit difficult to sort out
until you really get to know them well enough to recognize who’s talking on sight.
Humans had colonized Mars for years before they realized there actually were such things as
Martians. The first meeting was purely accidental, but its results were the exact opposite, as
the Martians finally got their chance to finish the job they'd been left there for. After years
of watching humanity for the Others, they passed on the coded message they weren't even aware
of carrying. The problem wasn't the message so much as the follow up, with the nearest "Other"
leaving for outer space just ahead of a nasty surprise intended to wipe out the problem of a
space faring humanity. It didn't succeed, but given the Others’ power and willingness to use
it, humanity couldn't just sit back and assume they were now safe. Besides, the Others might
still be watching. Humanity was going to have to go find them and try to find enough common
ground to reach a truce. Difficult as that goal might seem, the trip to reach it might be just
as bad (Haldeman has a wonderful appreciation for the small things that can make a big
difference, such as bureaucratic decisions made for you by others, the dynamics of the various
relationships, old and new, etc). While the return—well, you didn't think Earth was just
sitting around waiting, did you?
Another thoroughly enjoyable read from a true master. Recommended.