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Loading... Gateway (original 1977; edition 1977)by Frederik Pohl
Work InformationGateway by Frederik Pohl (1977)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Really enjoyed this classic. ( ) A very prescient sci-fi novel that essentially predicts the rise of smartphones, no kidding. It deals with the discovery of a hyperspace network developed by a race of precursor aliens. Its strength is that it's very character-driven - it is mostly told in flashback by the main character in counselling sessions with a sarcastic robot. There are pages that are supposed "realia", helping to flesh out the world. The story is drip-fed to you, slowly foreshadowing the twists at the end when everything comes together, and I liked that. The hyperspace ships left by the aliens only travel to preprogrammed locations, meaning that every trip is a gamble - will they have enough fuel or food for the journey? where will they end up? will they be able to profit? (since the future world is apparently the worst excesses of capitalism on steroids) - and even then crewmembers have to travel in close quarters for months, making it an emotional toll. Given all that, a lot of what happens in the story is unsurprising. And yeah, for 1977 the future predictions are astounding honestly. Pohl never quite accurately predicts the internet, for example, but capitalism has been going the way of this book for decades, and the book's p-phones are basically smartphones. The only reason I read this book is that the dude lived on the same block as my Mom in Illinois. In retrospect I thought it was okay, not terrible, not great. His house had a sign in front that said "Gateway." I never sought out any more of his books because this was supposed to be his masterwork and I thought it was just average. He was an actual well known writer when I was into more science fiction, so I was impressed and sort of in awe. I should probably read something else by him so if you have any suggestions pass them on. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesThe Heechee Saga (1) Belongs to Publisher SeriesColección Naranja (Bruguera) (1501/77) Goldmann SF (23299) J'ai lu (1691) — 5 more Is contained inAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
The Heechee gateways, remnants of an ancient civilization, provide instantaneous passage to the far reaches of the universe but do not ensure destination, return, wealth, or survival. No library descriptions found. |
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