Fredrick Pohl - Man Plus and Gateway

[Connavar]

I just finished reading Man Plus and thought it was a good read but the end what the....



What did you guys think about Man Plus?


Gateway is my next book to read. So if you have read it no talk about it at the moment.
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[Razorback]

I thought Man Plus was a solid piece of work when I read it, but nothing special. You may want to check out the sequel, Mars Plus, which was published 18 years later. I thought Mars Plus was pretty good and better than Man Plus.

Not all, but most people seem to like Gateway a lot. I know I did. Opinions on the sequels are more mixed, but I enjoyed them.

 

[Connavar]

Gateway i hope is very good, the same with Mars Plus.

I liked his writing,his story and everything in Man Plus but the end let the book down. I mean the machine twist at the end was too sudden for my taste.

 

[merritt]

Gateway is a great story, the sequels are not as engaging.

best, Merritt

 

[Ian Whates]

I actually thought both these books were very good, and particularly enjoyed the character development in Man Plus, and the way the central character's ongoing enhancements/alterations affect his relationships etc.

I agree that Gateway is far and away the best of Pohl's Heechee novels.

Okay, perhaps neither are perfect, but bear in mind when they were written -- thirty years or so ago. The pair of them brought Frederick Pohl the Nebula Award for best novel in successive years, and Gateway is one of that elite grouping of novels (along with the likes of Dune, Ringworld, Enders Game, Rendezvous With Rama, The Forever War and The Left Hand of Darkness) to have been awarded both the Nebula and the Hugo. You don't pick up either of those awards, let alone both of them, without being a bit special.

 

[Connavar]

The character development in Man Plus was the best thing in the book specially the main character's.


The age dont bother me, i have read alot older works.

The end was of Man Plus didnt feel like an ending. I wonder if he planned on a second book when he wrote Man Plus.

 

[Ian Whates]

The end was of Man Plus didnt feel like an ending. I wonder if he planned on a second book when he wrote Man Plus.

I suspect it was more a case of leaving the door open. You're right, the ending, whilst tying up a lot of the story threads, was in effect a new beginning, but judging by the length of time it took him to write the eventual sequel (18 years) and the fact that when it did appear, it was co-written (with Thomas T. Thomas, an occasional collaborator of Roger Zelazny's) I doubt if he had any specific intentions of a follow-up at the time.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

I've read all of those, years ago. I thought they were good, solid SF and worth reading, but not as engaging as his earlier work (or maybe I was more impressionable then ) and they didn't make the cut to stay in my bookshelves for a re-read.

 

[Connavar]

Any of his earlier work that you would recommend?

Who knows maybe he wrote better stories earlier. Not saying his two famous works are bad.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

The Pohl books I've kept are Plague of Pythons, plus a couple he co-wrote with Kornbluth: The Space Merchants and Wolfbane.

Now I do not doubt that the great majority of people would say that his later work is far better literature, and I wouldn't disagree. But the early 'golden age' stuff is so fresh and vigorous that I find it appealing. Also, I read these when I was deep into discovering SF, as a teenager four decades ago, so they'll always have a nostalgic appeal. And they're very short by modern standards, so your investment in time is small .

When it comes to deciding which books to keep for re-reading, I find I'm much tougher on the fat modern multi-volume series - not just because they use up so much precious shelf space, but also because they have to be absolutely brilliant before I'm willing to set aside the time needed to slog through them all over again...

 

[Ian Whates]

I'd totally agree with recommending Pohl's works co-written with Kornbluth. Both Gladiator-at-Law and Wolfbane were very good, whilst The Space Merchants was simply wonderful: a cut-throat future where advertising companies rule the world! Great fun.

 

[Connavar]

I think i saw Wolfbane in SF masterwork series list.

The Space Merchants i know from somwhere too.

 

[Ian Whates]

I think i saw Wolfbane in SF masterwork series list.

The Space Merchants i know from somwhere too.

The Space Merchants is in the SF Masterwork series (No. 54) -- and I can't recommend it highly enough. Wolfbane isn't (although it would make a great addition if anyone from Gollancz ever happens to read this ). However, it was part of the Gollancz Collectors Series that came out a few years back --the oversized paperbacks with the striking yellow covers and the cigar bands -- which is the edition of the book I've kept.

Good luck with finding one or both!

 

[j d worthington]

Yes, I'd highly recommend The Space Merchants as well. Pohl and Kornbluth had different approaches, but they worked very well together indeed.

Con -- I'd suggest checking out some of the short stories of each one, as well. They could both pack a lot of punch in a small package.....

 

[Connavar]

The Space Merchants is in the SF Masterwork series (No. 54) -- and I can't recommend it highly enough. Wolfbane isn't (although it would make a great addition if anyone from Gollancz ever happens to read this ). However, it was part of the Gollancz Collectors Series that came out a few years back --the oversized paperbacks with the striking yellow covers and the cigar bands -- which is the edition of the book I've kept.

Good luck with finding one or both!

Hehe looks i mixed those two


I will try to find them both as soon as im done with Gateway. They sound interesting.

 

[merritt]

I likes Slave Ship by freddy pohl

 

[Connavar]

Intresting title it has that book.

 

[Sibeling]

I've read only Gateway, but I didn't like it because the end didn't explain anything. I suppose some people might like the book because it is mysterious to the end.

But I thought the book was a bit boring, and I had to make myself read it to the end in the hope that there will be at least an answer to the questions, like who the aliens were etc., but there were no answers, so I was disappointed.

 

[Briareus Delta]

Jem hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet. So I thought I'd mention it. Jem. There you go.

 

[Ian Whates]

I've read only Gateway, but I didn't like it because the end didn't explain anything. I suppose some people might like the book because it is mysterious to the end.

But I thought the book was a bit boring, and I had to make myself read it to the end in the hope that there will be at least an answer to the questions, like who the aliens were etc., but there were no answers, so I was disappointed.

I'd have to disagree with you, Sibeling. There are answers aplenty by the book's end, and the story is tied off quite neatly. Okay, the aliens are never encountered or identified, but that was never what the book was about; they were just the mechanism through which the plot was developed.

Ah yes, Jem...