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500 ratings, 4.01 average rating, 51 reviews
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published
October 12th 2004
(first published 1977)
by Del Rey
binding
Paperback, 288 pages
literary awards
Hugo Award for Best Novel (1978); Nebula Award for Best Novel (1978); 1978 Locus Awards Winner (SF)
isbn
0345475836
(isbn13: 9780345475831)
description
Gateway opened on all the wealth of the Universe...& on reaches of unimaginable horror. When prospector Bob Broadhead went out to Gateway on the H...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 675)
Read in January, 2006
I read this book in 2006 — 30 years after it was first published — and it immediately shot up to my top 10 list of science fiction books. It is highly original, entertaining and thought provoking. It loses none of it's wow! even 30 years after it was written.
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Read in April, 2008
Frederik Pohl is a very good writer, reminiscent of Robert Silverberg - Silverberg is better with characterization and his literary skills are a half-step above, but Pohl's ability to manipulate large amounts of plot arc at a surgical level is incredible and they both create vivid, realistic seeming worlds with real, living characters, none of the Azimov cardboard men, and both develop their themes subtly through plot and characterization, rather than through preachy dialog and other cheap mecha...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone
"Gateway" by Frederik Pohl has long been considered a classic of Science Fiction and deservedly so. It's earned its status honestly and is one of the best books I have ever read.
What separates this from the myriad other science fiction and fantasy offerings out there?
It's the characters.
The Plot
Gateway is an asteroid in our Solar System that was hollowed out and made into a base of operations by the mysterious ancient alien race known as the "Heechee...more
What separates this from the myriad other science fiction and fantasy offerings out there?
It's the characters.
The Plot
Gateway is an asteroid in our Solar System that was hollowed out and made into a base of operations by the mysterious ancient alien race known as the "Heechee...more
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recommends it for:
anyone
It's not often that a science fiction novel transcends the genre. Sci-fi authors tend to be singularly focused on their techy premises, more often than not. Human interaction within the genre is often stilted and corny, like the under-developed social skills of a geeky computer science prof. This book is a wonderful exception to the rule. Besides the get-rich-quick plot and the heady scenerio of a black hole and time-stands-still event horizon, the book is funny, sad and thought provoking. ...more
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Read in October, 2005
I really like this one.
The structure of the book is interesting, it runs in two simultaneous threads, one a future thread with the lead character talking to a computerised psychologist. The other thread is back in his past, before the things that have messed him up have actually happened. The threads finally meet in the middle at the end of the book.
The story itself is really cool. Humans have stumbled upon some relics from an alien civilisation, including a huge spaceport with th...more
The structure of the book is interesting, it runs in two simultaneous threads, one a future thread with the lead character talking to a computerised psychologist. The other thread is back in his past, before the things that have messed him up have actually happened. The threads finally meet in the middle at the end of the book.
The story itself is really cool. Humans have stumbled upon some relics from an alien civilisation, including a huge spaceport with th...more
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Read in September, 2007
One of the best sci-fi books I've read. If you enjoy science fiction, read this. However, please skip the rest of the series as it only serves to diminish the greatness of Gateway.
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One of my favorite SF stories, about taking a chance on a random space voyage to an unknown location in an incomprehensible spaceship from a forgotten race.
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Read in July, 2006
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
psych majors who also like sci-fi
I read this slowly, finding numerous distractions (i.e., other, more interesting books) along the way. The story alternates between (a) seemingly unproductive sessions in which the narrator dodges attempts by his computer-therapist to flush out whatever it is that is troubling him, and (b) the back story of his sojourn on an asteroid/space station from which missions are launched into deep space in search of discoveries that sometimes lead to great wealth (and more often to horrible death).
T...more
T...more
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Read in December, 2008
At a time of food shortages, a crashing world economy and recently expensive fuel, Gateway by Frederik Pohl is relevant and contemporary. Told in flashback through a series of conversations between a patient and his psychiatrist, Gateway, is an account of Robinette Broadhead's time on Gateway, an alien outpost.
Gateway captures the feeling of adventure of the classic frontier stories bringing to mind the works of Daniel Defoe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London and Jules Verne. Gateway is bo...more
Gateway captures the feeling of adventure of the classic frontier stories bringing to mind the works of Daniel Defoe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London and Jules Verne. Gateway is bo...more
Read in January, 1978
recommended to erik by:
The Science Fiction Book Clubrecommends it for: SF readers
"Gateway's a hollow asteroid, constructed by the Heechee, a vanished alien race, as a spaceport. It was discovered by an explorer on Venus, who found a small ship, fiddled with the controls, triggering its return to its home port, Gateway. Once there, he was unable to figure out how to get back. Before he committed suicide, he signalled Gateway's location.
The asteroid contains nearly a thousand small starships. Using them is a dangerous gamble. Heechee technology is so advanced that hum...more
The asteroid contains nearly a thousand small starships. Using them is a dangerous gamble. Heechee technology is so advanced that hum...more
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Read in June, 2008
I loved the setting of this story. The notion of humans finding, and using, the remaining technology of a long gone alien race, was fascinating. Even more so, the exploration of courage and risk.
What would you do if given a spot on the Space Shuttle. To Terry McCauliffe, it was the chance of a lifetime. I've always thought that I'd jump at that chance. But how would it be if you had no idea where you would end up, and you also knew that the majority of people that take the trip don't come b...more
What would you do if given a spot on the Space Shuttle. To Terry McCauliffe, it was the chance of a lifetime. I've always thought that I'd jump at that chance. But how would it be if you had no idea where you would end up, and you also knew that the majority of people that take the trip don't come b...more
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Read in April, 2008
I've never read much Frederik Pohl. I've seen the name a lot, but never really found myself reading his novels, just a few of his short stories. So this was a chance to see what one of the Masters of the Golden Age of Science Fiction had to offer.
But, this wasn't an intended read - I just happened to see it on a library shelf. And maybe that's why I never really got into this book. It felt a little dated, with some of the standard old sci-fi anachronisms (using tapes for all data storage); a...more
But, this wasn't an intended read - I just happened to see it on a library shelf. And maybe that's why I never really got into this book. It felt a little dated, with some of the standard old sci-fi anachronisms (using tapes for all data storage); a...more
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Read in January, 2000
This is one I'd been meaning to read forever. Gateway has a great premise, one which leads to great anticipation of wonders and mystery. Gateway is a docking station, left behind by an alien species,
the Heechee. It's like a giant asteroid, stocked with ships programmed to travel to destinations light-years away and then return.
Bob Broadhead has won the lottery, his ticket off an overpopulated
and bleak Earth to Gateway, where missions on these ships bring either death or wealth...you just ...more
the Heechee. It's like a giant asteroid, stocked with ships programmed to travel to destinations light-years away and then return.
Bob Broadhead has won the lottery, his ticket off an overpopulated
and bleak Earth to Gateway, where missions on these ships bring either death or wealth...you just ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Everyone
I avoided this book for ages based on the fact that Pohl named his alien race "Heechee," which struck me as such a childish non-word that I rejected the whole Heechee Saga in spite of its reputation. Which is unfortunate because Frederick Pohl is my absolute favorite sci-fi author. I finally picked it up because of its inclusion at #33 on the Top 100 Sci-Fi Books list (link). Turn...more
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Read in February, 2008
A unique combination of explicit inner and outer journeys. The outer journeys are due to the discovery of Gateway, an asteroid with hundreds of alien ships. The catch is that the ships are programmed to go to unknown destination, and the only way to discover the destination is to offer bounties for volunteers to blindly set out on a ship. A few explorers make major finds and get rich. Many find little and earn just enough to get by. Many don't come back.
The inner journey is for Robinett...more
The inner journey is for Robinett...more
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Read in January, 2008
Pohl's Gateway is pretty good. A lot different than what I had imagined. The premise led me to believe this would be a kind of space opera teeming with exploration and mystery, but it's not. It really is an intricate character study of a deeply troubled space prospector who learns to deal with feelings of guilt, homosexuality, love and loss. Like the character, the narrative kind of meanders around for long stretches of time, and simply exists to convey emotions of oppression, depression and apa...more
Read in January, 1982
I read this book every few years, because I enjoy it so much. This is truly one of the classics of science fiction.
It's hard to say much about it without spoiling the book, but I will say the first time reading the book through, is a treat. Once you know what happens, it kind of takes some of the mystery out of it. Pohl weaves a tale together with interesting snippets that eventually come together in a tale that is resoundingly human. The main character is not a swashbuckling hero, but a dow...more
It's hard to say much about it without spoiling the book, but I will say the first time reading the book through, is a treat. Once you know what happens, it kind of takes some of the mystery out of it. Pohl weaves a tale together with interesting snippets that eventually come together in a tale that is resoundingly human. The main character is not a swashbuckling hero, but a dow...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
70's sci fi fans
An interesting and amusing read. Written in the 70's and set in a bleak future, the only way for a person to lift themselves out of a miserable life of poverty and escape the perilous and minimally paying work in the food mines is to become a prospector and accept life threatening missions to recover lost artifacts and technology from an ancient race of beings that apparently was more advanced than humans. The chapters alternate between the present in which the main character is dealing with his...more
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