Story: 6 / 10
Characters: 7
Setting: 8
Prose: 7

An all around fascinating adventure. Definitely the most detailed description of cyborgs I have come across. The visual perception system is an incredible design. You'll like the wings too. The plot is quite slow though, so might not appeal to everybody.
As for rankings, Jem is quite a bit better. Gateway has a lot more going on, but the therapy sessions in Gateway lessen its brilliance. Man Plus is the second best Pohl best I've read so far. ( )

Quite an adequate idea for a piece of short fiction, which is what Fred Pohl generally excels at. As his first novel in 10 years though it falls rather short. The extramarital subplot, while undoubtedly necessary to pad the story to novel length, was quite a chore to get through. If only it had the humour of The Age of the Pussyfoot. ( )

Mannkynið stefnir hraðbyri á átt að sjálfseyðingu en horfir til plánetunnar Mars sem síðustu vonar sinnar áður en Ragnarökin hefjast. Með því að skapa Cyborg, mann sem getur lifað sjálfstæðu lífi á Mars, er hægt að hefja landnám á harðbýlli plánetunni. Þetta meistaraverk Pohls lýsir því þegar óheppinn geimfari lendir í því að verða valinn til að verða breytt í Cyborg og hugarástand hans á meðan hann tekst á við breyttan raunveruleika.
Vel skrifuð og eldist vel þótt sagan sé komin til ára sinna. ( )

I understand that a book of this quality can win an award from a panel of enthusiasts. Being the first book by Pohl I've read and not really much into sci fi myself (for example, choices in this book that made me impatient are also why I loathe Neil Stephenson's stuff), I wish I'd read something else of his first, in hopes of understanding the reputation that he gets.
Rather flat style, a premise characterized tortuously grim, for me at least (which says a lot), a tone and pace that require much too much enthusiastic buy-in on the part of the reader, independent of the reading experience, or rather in spite of it. One cool speculative moment in which they electronically control one's interpretation of time (without giving anything away).
In the magazine days I can see that this story would be a fun exercise, even in the context of hyper-grim 70s speculative writing, but for me it just wasn't fun. Anyone into the magazine culture of "classic" sci fi should read for themselves and place it into its historical context to get out any enjoyment to be found. I'm going back to Heavy Metal and Heine.
( )

It's always interesting to read stories set in a future date that has passed. But it's dang good. ( )