Reviews

Gateway by Frederik Pohl

awilderm23's review against another edition

3.0

‘Anyway, that’s what life is, just one learning experience after another, and when you’re through with all the learning experiences you graduate and what you get for a diploma is, you die.’

Michelin reference pg 185 😂

kymzii's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

 With an amazing premise, this book has great sci-fi potential. Unfortunately, the story was completely ruined by a misogynistic protagonist which actually betrays a misogynistic writer - i.e. there was no comment when the protag beat up his girlfriend. The writer has no feelings of guilt and no-one shuns him. She acts like it never happened when they meet again. It was nauseating. The writer knows very little about psychology and yet the dual narrative of the entire novel is about our protag being in therapy.

There was also too much 'oh look everyone swings in the future'. Also that character is, in the words of the writer, 80% straight, but like to fantasise about shagging his male colleagues because his mum shoved a thermometer up his arse when he was a kid and he found it comforting'. Just WTF. 

reddrabbbit's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ajali's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

spikespiegel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bogdanbalostin's review against another edition

5.0

Simple plot. Lots of sex. No heroes. Psychological questions. Terrifying space exploration. Different than any other SF books of that time.

charlibirb's review

4.0

I was confused as to how they could travel at light speed but have no time-dilation. Except around a black hole.

Liked the format, liked the world, didn't like the main character, but you weren't supposed to. Loved Siegfried.

chairmanbernanke's review against another edition

3.0

Thoughtful and funny. Interesting that the explorers want to “make it”.

robean_hwallace's review against another edition

challenging sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

doodlefox's review

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was a reread and let me tell you, I was horrified that they let 12-year old me out of the library with this book! The amount of sex! I remember none of it, so perhaps I was too naive to notice.

What I can't figure out is whether attitudes were that permissive towards sex and homosexuality in the 70s (I am surprisingly too young to remember) or whether Pohl was trying to shock.

Either way, I actively hated the protagonist. What an asshat. And the psychobabble at his shrink is complete hogwash. 

I always wondered what happened next (South African libraries never seemed to have a full series of anything) so I was planning on reading the series. BUT. I am not sure if I want to sit through more of the protagonist's BS.

Overall rating: 3.25 

But only because it's supposed to be a classic.