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Confederación
All My Sins Remembered
In this powerful, provocative SF classic from the award-winning author of The Forever War, a young man of peace is transformed into an intergalactic killer. Once Otto McGavin was a kind and gentle soul; then he was recruited by the all-powerful Confederación. An ultrasecretive, government-linked organization, the Confederación’s stated mission of protecting threatened life, both human and alien, throughout the galaxy greatly appeals to the Anglo-Buddhist McGavin as he eagerly prepares to embark on a career of diplomacy and selfless works. But Otto’s new masters have other plans for the idealistic young recruit. Through a process of immersion therapy and hypnosis, and by encasing him in temporary bodies of plastiflesh, scientists can overlay Otto’s true persona with other ones, transforming him completely—body, mind, and soul—into the ruthlessly effective prime operator the Confederación wants him to be. But decades of interstellar subterfuge and violence, and years spent wearing the personae of spies and cold-blooded killers, must ultimately take their toll—and before he leaves behind the lives that have been cruelly thrust upon him, Otto McGavin will have to somehow come to terms with who he really is and the monstrous things he has done. One of the most powerful and thought-provoking stories from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of Worlds and The Forever War, Joe Haldeman’s All My Sins Remembered is a stunning work of speculative fiction. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Joe Haldeman including rare images from the author’s personal collection.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1977
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1691 people want to read
About the author
Joe Haldeman
444 books2,210 followersBrother of Jack C. Haldeman II
Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."
Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.
Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA president Russell Davis called Haldeman "an extraordinarily talented writer, a respected teacher and mentor in our community, and a good friend."
Haldeman officially received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2010 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at the Nebula Awards Weekend in May, 2010 in Hollywood, Fla.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
June 17, 2019
I read this book in high school, back in the 80s and I think about it every now and then, and that says something about what kind of book it is that it will creep up into a mind decades later.
This was broken up into several vignettes, tied together with the concept that the hero was technologically and biologically changed to appear to be someone else for a mission. The scene that keeps coming back: he is made to be a thin, wasted away junkie, and he says to his superiors in anger and frustration, "you used chemicals to waste away my muscles but I have to get them back the old fashioned way".
Cool book.
This was broken up into several vignettes, tied together with the concept that the hero was technologically and biologically changed to appear to be someone else for a mission. The scene that keeps coming back: he is made to be a thin, wasted away junkie, and he says to his superiors in anger and frustration, "you used chemicals to waste away my muscles but I have to get them back the old fashioned way".
Cool book.
October 22, 2014
What happens when the government machine decides a man would make a good assassin, even if he is a self-professed pacifist? Haldeman's experience in the Vietnam War colors this novel with his anti-government attitude as much as it does "The Forever War". Set in the far future, man has spread out to diverse worlds & colonized them, no matter what the natives may think. It's a great action story as well as a condemnation of government & foreign policy, but seen through a wonderful human lens.
I re-read this today as it is a group read I picked for the Speculative Worlds group.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...
Wonderful selection as it is pretty timeless. I read this shortly after it first came out - a poor choice since I was in the Army at the time. In the same vein as The Forever War, in many ways its message is harsher, broader, & yet more personal. The layers of irony are slowly built up in a masterful way until the heavy handed ending is simply a release. Wow.
I re-read this today as it is a group read I picked for the Speculative Worlds group.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/6...
Wonderful selection as it is pretty timeless. I read this shortly after it first came out - a poor choice since I was in the Army at the time. In the same vein as The Forever War, in many ways its message is harsher, broader, & yet more personal. The layers of irony are slowly built up in a masterful way until the heavy handed ending is simply a release. Wow.
April 3, 2023
Check out my full video review HERE.
Imaginative set of short stories, stitched together to create a wonderfully sad, insightful tale.
Imaginative set of short stories, stitched together to create a wonderfully sad, insightful tale.
June 26, 2025
This felt more like a series of loosely connected vignettes than a cohesive story. The lack of a strong central narrative made it hard to stay engaged, and it often came across as disjointed - as if it were pieced together from several shorter works. The core premise, involving a special operative with exceptional abilities and the power to impersonate others through hypnosis, didn’t feel particularly inspired or compelling either.
March 28, 2021
A very good early book from Haldeman, thematically similar to his Forever War sequence, but with a unique viewpoint and philosophy. A pacifist assassin who's a different person every time out... well-written and thought-provoking. A bit dated now from the societal and technological standpoints, but a fast and worthwhile read.
November 17, 2014
-¿Crítica sociopolítica o simple evasión?.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Resumen de los 23 años de servicio de Otto McGavin en el TBII, el brazo operativo secreto de la Confederación, en orden cronológico y a través de las transcripciones de su entrevista inicial, del repaso de su primera misión, del relato pormenorizado de tres de sus misiones posteriores y de las transcripciones de los exámenes sucesivos sobre el estado de la personalidad de Otto durante su periodo de servicio.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Resumen de los 23 años de servicio de Otto McGavin en el TBII, el brazo operativo secreto de la Confederación, en orden cronológico y a través de las transcripciones de su entrevista inicial, del repaso de su primera misión, del relato pormenorizado de tres de sus misiones posteriores y de las transcripciones de los exámenes sucesivos sobre el estado de la personalidad de Otto durante su periodo de servicio.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 17, 2014
-¿Crítica sociopolítica o simple evasión?.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Resumen de los 23 años de servicio de Otto McGavin en el TBII, el brazo operativo secreto de la Confederación, en orden cronológico y a través de las transcripciones de su entrevista inicial, del repaso de su primera misión, del relato pormenorizado de tres de sus misiones posteriores y de las transcripciones de los exámenes sucesivos sobre el estado de la personalidad de Otto durante su periodo de servicio.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Resumen de los 23 años de servicio de Otto McGavin en el TBII, el brazo operativo secreto de la Confederación, en orden cronológico y a través de las transcripciones de su entrevista inicial, del repaso de su primera misión, del relato pormenorizado de tres de sus misiones posteriores y de las transcripciones de los exámenes sucesivos sobre el estado de la personalidad de Otto durante su periodo de servicio.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 9, 2021
Als Geheimagent zwischen den Sternen unterwegs sein und schmutzige Jobs erledigen. Bei Haldeman las sich das gar nicht klischeehaft. Was die naturwissenschaftlich-technische Seite angeht war das bei ihm durchdachter als bei seinen Kollegen. Das Schicksal des Geheimagegenten berührte mich. Er ist letztendlich eine tragische Figur. Ich las das Buch, weil mir "Der ewige Krieg" so gut in Erinnerung war.
September 6, 2016
“Right action is abstaining from killing/stealing; Right livelihood is earning a living in a way not harmful to any living thing; Right effort is to avoid evil thoughts and overcome them.”
Gritty. An interstellar James Bond. Licensed to kill and commit just about any other crime to preserve the Confederación and protect the rights of humans and nonhumans. What could be more honorable? It’s what he has to do. A dirty job, but someone ….
“… rougher, raunchier, dirtier and noisier than any place he had ever been. He liked it.”
The dry, self-depreciating writing expected of Joe Haldeman. He doesn’t write space operas, he writes survival tales which happen to be set in space (though most of his stories transpire on someone’s terra firma).
“Can you keep a secret?” “As well as the next man.”
Haldeman can tell even the most repulsive tale well, and he wants the reader to be repulsed--and attracted--to Otto McGavin.
“You killed those [forty-five] people and you must forgive yourself, not merely shift the blame.”
Gritty. An interstellar James Bond. Licensed to kill and commit just about any other crime to preserve the Confederación and protect the rights of humans and nonhumans. What could be more honorable? It’s what he has to do. A dirty job, but someone ….
“… rougher, raunchier, dirtier and noisier than any place he had ever been. He liked it.”
The dry, self-depreciating writing expected of Joe Haldeman. He doesn’t write space operas, he writes survival tales which happen to be set in space (though most of his stories transpire on someone’s terra firma).
“Can you keep a secret?” “As well as the next man.”
Haldeman can tell even the most repulsive tale well, and he wants the reader to be repulsed--and attracted--to Otto McGavin.
“You killed those [forty-five] people and you must forgive yourself, not merely shift the blame.”
May 7, 2025
All my sins remembered
This is a fix up novel containing three short stories about an interplanetary super spy. He can impersonate anyone, not just physically, but mentally using brain scanning technology. He becomes 90% the subject and 10% himself.
In the three tales he takes on wildly varying personas from a morbidly obese professor to a bishop in a Christian sect that worships the tenants of Mary Magdalene.
Interesting concept but he fucks up a lot for the galaxy’s best super spy and has a guilty conscience to deal with when he comes out of his mission personas.
Decent but no comparison to Haldeman’s greatest work: the forever war.
November 10, 2012
I know the history of this book (see other reviews), but this seems like a series of short stories trying to be a novel or a novel trying to be short stories. Granted all stories have the same protagonist and he develops through them. I just do not like episodic fiction or short stories very much. The novel came out after his The Forever War which has obvious commonalities.
Haldeman is a good writer. His style, plots and characters are appealing. If not for the books organization I would give this 4*. The cover of the 1st edition is appealing.
Haldeman is a good writer. His style, plots and characters are appealing. If not for the books organization I would give this 4*. The cover of the 1st edition is appealing.
August 25, 2013
Otto McGavin is a 23rd century Anglo Buddhist interested in joining the Confederacion, an intergalactic peacekeeping agency dedicated to protecting the rights of indigenous species on the many planets they now share with humans. He gets the job, but after a period of training, largely under hypnosis, he finds that he is now a Prime Operative, an assassin who will go in body-modified disguises on missions that he did not foresee for himself, but that his bosses have through testing learned he is well-suited for.
This 1977 novel is three short stories, two published in magazines in 1971 and 1974, that are linked only by the lead character and that each involves an assassination on a distant planet. The two earlier stories are straightforward SF spy tales with a modicum of action in exotic extraterrestrial locales. The third story, with its engaging giant cockroach aliens who might hold the secret to a new, unlimited power source, is by far the best of the lot. What holds the books together are the interviews and debriefing sessions that provide the opening and closing chapters and separate each story. McGavin has become an expert PO who is approaching an early retirement that few in his field live to see. But this is a Joe Haldeman book, and his dim view of a military establishment that will use up it operatives until they are no longer viable darkens the adventures he has provided for the past 200 pages.
This 1977 novel is three short stories, two published in magazines in 1971 and 1974, that are linked only by the lead character and that each involves an assassination on a distant planet. The two earlier stories are straightforward SF spy tales with a modicum of action in exotic extraterrestrial locales. The third story, with its engaging giant cockroach aliens who might hold the secret to a new, unlimited power source, is by far the best of the lot. What holds the books together are the interviews and debriefing sessions that provide the opening and closing chapters and separate each story. McGavin has become an expert PO who is approaching an early retirement that few in his field live to see. But this is a Joe Haldeman book, and his dim view of a military establishment that will use up it operatives until they are no longer viable darkens the adventures he has provided for the past 200 pages.
June 11, 2012
In All My Sins Remembered, Otto McGavin, clandestine agent, goes undercover in disguise both physical and psychological. We follow him through 3 different operations, among many others only alluded to. Sadly, I could not give it more than 2 stars. Little character development and a pretty disjointed progression made it difficult to stay focused and interested. The ending was not justified by any of the preceding vignettes.
April 23, 2011
After reading his The Forever War, I've picked up every Joe Haldeman book I've come across at used bookstores. A Vietnam veteran, Haldeman has used his experiences to intelligently inform a great deal of his science fiction.
Parts of this novel appeared originally in 1971 and '74.
Parts of this novel appeared originally in 1971 and '74.
January 27, 2015
All of the best science fiction seems to have one thing in common: the ability to deliver thrills and shocks that make you think differently about how distant and future worlds could be. In this respect, All My Sins Remembered will stay with me for a very long time. The novel takes you through a variety of different worlds and settings as seen through the eyes of a master spy and assassin called Otto McGavin. For each assignment, McGavin is physically and psychologically molded into someone else, generally a copy of a key figure in some nefarious business he needs to infiltrate. In his dangerous line of work McGavin suffers through horrific experiences, attacks and injuries, only to do it all over again with another face and another body on yet another assignment. The carrot of reward and retirement is dangled before him, but his government masters have no real interest in releasing such a useful asset. The accumulation of evil deeds in his past becomes increasingly difficult to shake off, and all the more so on his penultimate assignment. McGavin faces his immorality through the eyes of the gentle and sweetly-perceptive S'Kang, who so wonderfully characterize a strange and delightful kind of alien intelligence. McGavin's Anglo-Buddhist background provide the seeds of an uprising in him; a rejection of the violence and deception that define his life, and which threaten to rupture his soul.
March 7, 2016
Another excellent book by this very entertaining writer. This time he somehow takes SiFi and blends it into a spy novel and drags you along for a ride that you find over far to soon. As always great story, interesting characters and an excellent read. If you are new to SiFi and want to try a great author or an older SiFi fan and want to find a great author the answer is the same, Joe Haldeman. Very recommended.
November 28, 2022
Many years ago I had the pleasure of attending a reading of Haldeman at a SF convention. He talked about being a Vietnam veteran as a young man. It became clear that his experiences in the war were kind of traumatic for him and formative for his life and his writing.
So I interpreted this novel with this in mind.
The novel is not a war novel but a kind of futuristic spy novel. Young and idealistic Otto joins an organization that claims to have the welfare of extraterrestials in mind, that live on planets that were colonized by humans.
As a secret agent Otto is forced to use violence and even kill. His bosses expected him to shed his idealism but it turns out that while he functions very well as an agent, it damages his psyche.
And in the end it turns out that the organization is not half as altruistic as it claims to be.
The analogies to the Vietnam war (and other wars) are obvious.
So far so good. Did I enjoy the book? Not that much. I liked several of his other books better. 2.5/5
So I interpreted this novel with this in mind.
The novel is not a war novel but a kind of futuristic spy novel. Young and idealistic Otto joins an organization that claims to have the welfare of extraterrestials in mind, that live on planets that were colonized by humans.
As a secret agent Otto is forced to use violence and even kill. His bosses expected him to shed his idealism but it turns out that while he functions very well as an agent, it damages his psyche.
And in the end it turns out that the organization is not half as altruistic as it claims to be.
The analogies to the Vietnam war (and other wars) are obvious.
So far so good. Did I enjoy the book? Not that much. I liked several of his other books better. 2.5/5
June 10, 2012
I finished late last night. Fought through the sleepies to finish. I don't know why a book that short seemed to take that long, but I guess it really wasn't. Was more like a long week...
But anyway, I liked it. Not near as much as The Forever War, or even quite as much as The Accidental Time Machine, the previous Haldeman books I've read.
I liked the concept of this one, and for the most part the execution. But by the end of it I was ready to move on to something else.
But anyway, I liked it. Not near as much as The Forever War, or even quite as much as The Accidental Time Machine, the previous Haldeman books I've read.
I liked the concept of this one, and for the most part the execution. But by the end of it I was ready to move on to something else.
November 24, 2011
Joe Haldeman is a bloody fine purveyor of sci fi,
In all my sins remembered he paints a world of secrets that could be considered by some as allegories of the cold war but in reality are thoroughly original and brilliantly put together. I do not want to give the plots away but its really really really worth reading this one.
Trust me I am a total stranger to you so go and read this you will not regret it.
In all my sins remembered he paints a world of secrets that could be considered by some as allegories of the cold war but in reality are thoroughly original and brilliantly put together. I do not want to give the plots away but its really really really worth reading this one.
Trust me I am a total stranger to you so go and read this you will not regret it.
January 28, 2015
My god this is fabulous. Heartbreakingly fabulous. I won't say much about the plot, but the timeline drags the reader through the life of Otto from his first interview to his last assignment.
Brilliant, intense writing and the end was....
Brilliant, intense writing and the end was....
March 16, 2024
This was well done sci-fi, basically three short stories with the same character. The world built was like an opposite of the Star Trek Federation, with the end goal of exploiting all the native flora and fauna of found worlds and we follow an assassin that is sent to enforce those goals. Not a space Utopia!
I'd read more of Otto's adventures but I felt so bad for him by the end and I don't know if I could handle any more needless killing. :(
I'd read more of Otto's adventures but I felt so bad for him by the end and I don't know if I could handle any more needless killing. :(
August 22, 2024
Very imaginative page turner. Haldeman's writing style is smooth and paints a picture with a minimum of words. The title lifted from Hamlet is brilliant and fitting. If you like suspense, action and a bit of science, pick it up.
April 6, 2025
A series of snapshot views of a military agent undertaking infiltration operations involving threats to the confederation. Well written, but not really the sort of Science Fiction I go for. Others may well enjoy it more.
July 10, 2022
Three action packed sci fi tinged spy stories from genre legend Joe Haldeman.
May 3, 2025
This one had a lot of interesting ideas and concepts. I definitely enjoyed it but it was very disjointed. Dark ending
October 1, 2023
This is probably the best of the Gollancz SF novels I've read this summer.
It’s about a secret agent who goes undercover by being personality imprinted by a local from the destination where he's headed, and this imprinting allows him to pass himself off as that local. It's not as if he just looks like that local - he IS that local, or maybe 80% that person, and only 20% himself. The original him - the secret agent him - kicks into high gear during times of danger, and eventually, if the mission drags on too long or goes awry, then the imprinted personality tends to wear off.
As a secret agent, the main character Otto attempts to influence local politics by any means (often assassination). There are 3 missions in the novel, and a bit of framing element about the agent (will the real Otto please stand up?). Feels like a fix up novel, but that’s ok - I really like fixup novels!
Toss in some very cool alien environments and cool alien biology/culture and what you get is a pretty great novel. I might even read it again sometime.
It’s about a secret agent who goes undercover by being personality imprinted by a local from the destination where he's headed, and this imprinting allows him to pass himself off as that local. It's not as if he just looks like that local - he IS that local, or maybe 80% that person, and only 20% himself. The original him - the secret agent him - kicks into high gear during times of danger, and eventually, if the mission drags on too long or goes awry, then the imprinted personality tends to wear off.
As a secret agent, the main character Otto attempts to influence local politics by any means (often assassination). There are 3 missions in the novel, and a bit of framing element about the agent (will the real Otto please stand up?). Feels like a fix up novel, but that’s ok - I really like fixup novels!
Toss in some very cool alien environments and cool alien biology/culture and what you get is a pretty great novel. I might even read it again sometime.
October 22, 2007
I'm a real Haldeman fan so this was a bit disappointing for me. The premise is that an idealistic young man is inducted into a top secret espionage agency in the future and then sent on 30+ missions using the ultimate disguises - "personality overlays" - by which he literally assumes the identity of someone on the scene to accomplish his mission. As his career goes on it takes a savage toll on the agent.
There were bits about this book that I did enjoy, but it lacked the character development and engagement that some of Haldeman's other books have had. While Haldeman usually writes books that are cynical in their view of government and military, he often balances that with more optimistic views of some of the characters, leading to a clash between actual feeling individuals and an unfeeling and merciless system (c.f., Forever War). This book had the unfeeling system, in spades, but lacked any development of a more human individual character. I think that is what prevented me from engaging with the book tot he extent I wanted, and resulted in the rating of 3.
There were bits about this book that I did enjoy, but it lacked the character development and engagement that some of Haldeman's other books have had. While Haldeman usually writes books that are cynical in their view of government and military, he often balances that with more optimistic views of some of the characters, leading to a clash between actual feeling individuals and an unfeeling and merciless system (c.f., Forever War). This book had the unfeeling system, in spades, but lacked any development of a more human individual character. I think that is what prevented me from engaging with the book tot he extent I wanted, and resulted in the rating of 3.
September 4, 2015
I have carried this book from place to place for years, I have the 1977 edition. It hangs in my head as one of my favorite books, but I no longer remembered the story itself. I read the book again, and there was this scene where he was pulling his focus on pain, circling it and then constricting the circle and holding it outside of himself. Although I had filed that with in my memory it had not filed where I read such a thing. It was beautiful to rediscovery a moment that had embedded into myself. the ending left me full wondering question so much I read it over several times.
It is now going to go to the goodwill.
I recommend the book, as a child and as an adult.
It is now going to go to the goodwill.
I recommend the book, as a child and as an adult.
February 16, 2015
A powerful book from the author of The Forever War, and a haunting examination of the effect on a good and thoughtful person of fighting and killing even in an apparently worthy cause. Haldeman served in Vietnam and what he took away from that war comes through in this book as well as in The Forever War.
December 4, 2017
This era of classic scifi is so distinct in combining a swashbuckling sense of derring-do with a tremendous cynicism. I don't have too much more to say about this book other than I finished it in one sitting and I think it's one that'll stick with me. Maybe it's one I should have read earlier in life.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews