Thomas T. Thomas

review of
Frederik Pohl & Thomas T. Thomas's Mars Plus
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - Sept 21, 2012

I haven't read the novel that preceded this, Pohl's Man Plus, & that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable since I'm a 'completist' sort at times & prefer reading series in order. Then again, no biggie. This struck me as the most Heinleinian bk I've read by Pohl yet - partially just b/c on p 38 the word "Waldo" is used to mean a "remote manipulator" as it was coined to mean by Heinlein. Of course, this type of perpetuated terminology runs throughout most SF - & I like that.

Having read this back-to-back w/ a Dick novel (In Milton Lumky Territory) I can't honestly say that the writing itself is particularly great: it communicates but it doesn't FLOW in that special pulp way that Dick, Hammett, & Chandler do. Still, it's visionary, probably somewhat scientifically sound, & entertaining. AND it's better than any SF I'm ever likely to write. Then again, I'm not that interested in writing SF - even tho I love reading it. The ending reminds me of the end of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001. Pohl wd've been about 75 when this was published & I can only hope that I'll be this sharp if & when I ever reach that age.

In the long run, I think I'm a sucker for the teat of Mars colonization/exploration stories. It seems w/in the reach of humanity as we-now-know-it & fits right in w/ my enthusiasm for NASA & such-like things. I'm all for the moon landings & wd like to see us go further. Don't think it'll happen in my lifetime but I'm glad I can at least see it as a probable occurrence of the not-too-distant future. & this is probably the best Mars novel I've read yet. It's certainly ONE of the best. Pohl continues to intrigue me.… (more)