Reading order
The Forever War series reading order
1
2
3- 8.28.2 / 101,362 ratings
- Score
- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 1974–1999
- Published
- about 17 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Classics#7
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
3 volumes1974–1999Completed
- The Forever War (1974) won the Hugo and the Nebula and is the book to read: a soldier whose tours, through time dilation, last centuries back home.
- Forever Peace is not a sequel — a separate novel on the same themes, rated much lower.
- Forever Free is the direct sequel.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 906 pages, about 17 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 3 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: low
- Readers scored volume 2, “Forever Peace”, below its predecessor (7.5 after 8.2). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
Stages
This series fits in one stage. You finish around November 20, 2026.
- Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 20, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Extras, short stories and spin-offs
Not needed to follow the main story — read them after the series or skip them.
- Peace and War2006
Frequently asked questions
Which Forever War book is the best?
By reader score, The Forever War (8.2/10). The lowest-rated is Forever Peace (7.5/10).
Which The Forever War series book is the longest?
“Forever Peace” is the longest at 368 pages; the shortest is “Forever Free” with 266 pages.
What should I read after The Forever War series?
After the main series: Peace and War.