Gateway

I really enjoyed this book alot until it hit upon the homoerotic desire of the main character and some domestic abuse.

Read this years ago, haven't forgotten a word. Astounded that nobody's made a movie of it -- can't think of a more cinematic novel. Because of its odd structure and unexpected humor, some might think it just plain strange -- but rarely has the intensity ratcheted up, for me, as highly as in this one book. Only caveat is this, and let me be absolutely clear: Do. Not. Read. The. Sequels.

GATEWAY is the first in a 4 book series... but the other books could be considered optional.The setting is rather simple, though the story seems to take on part a life of its own. Humans discover that an ancient race has left them with starships to explore their universe with... only the human beings cannot control, or even understand them. This enigma leads to a simple solution: promise reward to the brave souls who will dare try and pilot one of the craft, and pray they come back alive, as many do not.This is the setup, and the story starts here, but winds up in any of a thousand places. In the end all question of who the ancient beings were who built and left the ships and their nesting place, Gateway Station, remain a mystery. The ending is, however, satisfying enough to leave it at just that. For those who want to know what becomes of the "hero" of the story, Robinette Broadhead, and know the identity of the older-than-time alien civilization of the Heechee, read on.

Wow. I just finished this book the other day. Unlike what other people have said Pohl is surely a master of his art. This is what I'd consider Hard Core Science Fiction, much like that of Asimov. The story is written in a great fashion, from the past to future, but never leaves you completely in the dark as to what's going on. I have yet to read the rest of the series, but this is the true meaning to superior science fiction. It was all worth the last line (now THAT'S how you end a book!) I wish I could give more stars.

Although the character of Robinette Broadhead is expertly handled and the frame narrative adds to the suspense, I think the real reason this is one of the greatest sf novels of all time lies in the world Pohl has created. He has taken a silly idea, something you'd expect to find in a pre-Campbell pulp or a Silver Age comic book, and made it perfectly plausible. Imagine how it would have been done then: people discover a mysterious box and find that when you enter you will either die or become rich. It's a cool idea, and a great setup for a story, but it's also terminally silly. Pohl has taken this clumsy deus ex machina box and opened it for us, so that the roulette wheel of Gateway makes perfect sense, and both the risk and the reward become logical, even necessary, extensions of the place. My one complaint: Pohl is too addicted to the practice of ending each chapter with a clever sentence.