Great short story Science Fiction, especially the 75 page "Sweet, Sad Queen of the Grazing Isles." The "Forward" of the novel is interesting as well, detailing a trip to China a year earlier (1983?) where he was able to meet with Chinese Science Fiction authors.

I read this book years ago and I still remember it clearly. Strange things are happening on the distant planets where, in the far future, mankind has scattered. Every planet has something oddly wrong with it. On one, people simply have no drive left; on another, the old rule the young; on yet a third, women rule men (yes, it's faintly sexist, but don't let that ruin a great book). A group of adventurers go from planet to planet, trying to find out what has caused this problem and barely escaping from each planet with their lives. Finally they make their way to old Earth... and what's going on _there_ makes all the messed-up planets look like paradises. Only in a great book like this could the statement of a mathematical formula make you gasp and drop the book. (Well, I did.) It's a shame that this book is out of print, but I strongly recommend that you find it somewhere!

I can safely recommend Frederik Pohl's _The Way the Future Was_ to everyone with an interest in the history of science fiction and science fiction fandom. Pohl tells with a great eye to relevant detail about being a pulp editor, a fan, and an author and agent. The photos are great: especially the photo of Pohl with Gene Roddenberry and an acretts in a kind of Star Trek swimsuit had me cracking up. The non-SF, autobiographical detail is also interesting.

To begin with, "Beyond The Blue Event Horizon" is a very good continuation of the Gateway series (although this does confine the book at times). The book is "hard" science fiction (emphasis is placed on getting the science of the story correct, unlike Star Trek's "phazers" and "warp drives"), although there's never a real feeling that this overpowers the story. The only exception to this is the last chapter which is basically an epilogue that reads like a physics book. But otherwise, the story is what drives this novel, and what a story it is! The book continues the adventure of our returning heroes Robin Broadhead and S Ya, among several other very unique, interested and well-defined characters (such as Wan or the "Oldest One"). Pohl does an excellent job of making these characters real through their problems, traits, flaws and strengths.
However, the real reason I'd recommend this book is because of the way Pohl writes. He's very good at suspense, as shown in Gateway, and employs it better here. After every answer he gives you, he'll present two more questions. And EVERY chapter ends right when you're eager to find out more. In addition, the buildup for the story is brilliant, with pieces of the puzzle that are established early on in the book coming into play beautifully near the end.
Finally, the reason Beyond The Blue Event Horizon received only 4 stars is that, as almost any sequel, it builds upon what was set up in Gateway (which definitely deserves five stars). There are times that Pohl seems to lean too heavily on the previous book to fill in any gaps (unlike, for instance, "Speaker For The Dead" which, although it's a sequel to "Ender's Game," it never fails to astonish the reader with new concepts and ideas instead of simply being an expansion upon Ender's Game).
Overall, Beyond The Blue Event Horizon is an amazing book that is well worth the time. But not only that, it does something that only the best books can manage... it leaves you with a definite sense of satisfaction.

If you read the first book you have to read this one.
Again, like the first book, these stories are not "action" packed but simply the drama of the lives of the people in the story which keep you interested.

Suspense comes from the characters exploring the unknown and the threat and dangers of simply being in space all by themeselves.

In addition there is a nice splice of scientific theory thrown in for readers who like that kind of thing. Not everything is just "assumed" to be . . . the author actually does a little hypothisizing here and there.

Yay! More Heechee technology. 'nuff said!

I grew to like the character of Robin Broadhead even more than in the first book.

Great imagination and a very easy read.

Beyond The Blue Event Horizon chronicles the adventures of Robinette Broadhead (from the first book), as well as some of his associates. In the book, we learn that Broadhead is now a pretty successful businessman and is married. Though he is happily married to S Ya (whom we learn about in the previous book), he still has longings for his long lost love, Gelle-Klara Moynlin. Further insight into the Heechee is gained, particularly from the introduction of a huge spaceship that can produce a huge amount of food, and thus satisfy humankind's hunger indefinitely. Pohl introduces some ideas that make this book an example of hard science fiction. As in the previous book, artificial intelligence is dealt with, though the artificial Sigrid von Shrink is abandoned for a new 'friend' for Broadhead. The plot is interesting, dealing with none other than the origins and fate of the universe, based on cosmological theories. The ending leaves some to be desired, but overall, the book must be read in the context that it is the second chapter in an ongoing series. If you are interested in the world created by Pohl that is Gateway, Beyond The Blue Event Horizon is a must read.

Cyril Kornbluth died almost a half century ago, leaving behind many great stories written in SF's golden age. The short stories have been conveniently collected into one hardcover.

Kornbluth's stories are not sweetness and light, he writes of the darkness in the human spirit, even in the point of view characters in the books. "The Little Black Bag" is an example of how the urge to do good can fall to evil. "That Share of Glory," perhaps his greatest work, is the tale of a young man of the future who learns that even our urge to violence, that we attempt to keep hidden, is very much a necessary part of the human spirit.

Every story is a gem. While some are written in a style which now seems somwhat dated, it is easy to get past that and recognize the genius who wrote them.

OK, I've read most of these stories already. And I already knew that Kornbluth was a great writer. But reading this volume all the way through -- and in pretty short order because I couldn't stop -- just reminded me how great a writer he was.

If you have only dim memories of these stories, I guarantee that upon rereading them you'll be amazed at how much *better* they are than you remember. (Not all science fiction of that era holds up so well). If you've never read these stories, prepare to be amazed. This is a book that every lover of science fiction -- or just good writing -- should own, and read.

If you're looking for a compilation of insightful short sci fi stories, then this book is for you. Kornbluth was way ahead of his time and these stories are not of the cheesy variety as most "golden age" sci fi seems to be. Check it out, it'll be worth your time.

I've read this book like 20 times, just read it over and over again. i fell in love with both the story and the science involved. how creative!

the story involves Viktor and Teresa who are part of a group of colonists finding Newmanhome (i think that's what they called the new planet). anyways, the story also tells us of another "being," named Wan-to, who lives in stars. the intertwining of the two plots are wonderful and very creative. Pohl, please continue the great creative writing.

A fairly decent book that is now out of print, this has to have some of the wilder science fiction ideas that I've seen in a novel thus far that are backed with actual science as opposed to pseudo-scientific babble. More ambitious than Ringworld, hey, anyone can make a giant metal doughnut, how about moving an entire solar system around and describing what the relativistic effects are going to do to the inhabitants? All right maybe it isn't especially innovative but it's darn entertaining. Basically there's an omniscient intelligence out there goofing around and basically causing most of the plot catalysts in the book. The actual plot concerns a group of colonists, especially Viktor (who is fairly cool and not all that flat a character, except for his rather disturbing obsession with an older woman, but he does get better by the end) who is there for the entire book and the effects that Wan-To (the intelligence) has on them. The funny part of this book is that the groups never meet each other, not to disappoint anybody who wants to read the book but if you're expecting some kind of long philosophical discussion between Wan-To and Viktor get that thought out of your head because it never happens. If you want something similar go read "Sailing Bright Eternity" by Gregory Benford which has a conversation along those lines. But you really don't miss it, Pohl gives us enough of a meaty plot to sink our teeth into and his extrapolations are fairly interesting. The only other gripe I have is that the book left an angle open for a sequel by being totally open ended but I can't see Mr Pohl resolving the ending in more than fifty pages. Maybe a short story is in the works for one day to tie up the loose ends? Maybe? All in all, highly entertaining thought provoking stuff for the scientist in you.

Of the 286 sci-fi books in my library, this has been the second most read

Of the Pohl books I've read, this took the longest to get to being something I could warm up to. The first two books seem to more or less build up to the last (and without the background the last book would be nearly impossible to read), with the last story drawing out the imagination of the reader. Definately a journey for the destination, not the journey itself.

If Heinlein had mixed "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" with the semantic subtheme of his short story "Gulf," and seasoned it with Clarke's "2001" and Disney's "The Black Hole," he could have cooked up this story. I would say the quality of the writing qua writing is competent but merely average, whereas the theories, especially regarding the nature of stars, are stellar. If you have read Harry Turtledove's historically-flavored science fiction, you have experienced this combination. An important thing the book did for me was to reduce the incomprehensible magnitude of space to a mentally graspable size. And--it was a real page-turner

Too bad it's out of print--an interesting angle to the invading-aliens-make-us-docile story. Worth looking for.

I would never describe Wolfbane as great literature but it does have staying power. I read Wolfbane more than 35 years ago and still think of the novel's plot and ideas from time to time. It probably has the greatest appeal to young men who are feeling rebellious and nonconformist. But we all need help figuring out human nature and deciding what kind of human being we want to be. This is what makes Wolfbane a good read.

Yeah, a good book and an interesting read since the reason why the character became so rich keeps you turning the pages. But steady on, because right now we are on the brink of the 21st Century and reading this is like watching an old black and white Flash Gordon series. It's science fiction, yes, but its hopelessly outdated now. You can't help but smile at some of the old concepts being bandied around in this book, such as Freudian analysis and the description of the plastic robot psychologist. I found the whole basis of the book to be flawed and typical of science fiction from the 50's to the 80's i.e stary eyed characters without a hint of true human maliciousness which has dominated our species for centuries and also wide sweeping comments concerning space travel which simply havent stood the test of time for the modern reader. A classic? Lets just say it sums up the whole of science fiction literature before the words 'digital' and 'nanotech" and 'virtual' became household words even for children. A classic to be compared with Dickens or Tolstoy? No. However, save yourself 30 years of sci-fi literature from 1950-1980 (with the possible exception of 2001) and read it and smile.

This review covers the Heechee series which includes four novels (in order of publication): 1. Gateway 2. Beyond the Blue Event Horizon 3. Heechee Rendevous 4. The Annals of Heechee.

Like Niven's Neutron Star, I picked this book up because I thought the spaceship on the cover looked cool. Give me a break, I think I was 15 at the time. Although the details are a bit fuzzy now, I remember enjoying this series as being original, creative and genuinely entertaining.

Original. As I recall, the series is based on the technology left over from a lost civilization. So, much of the story takes you through the creepy leftovers of an extinct race including spaceships, asteroids, star-bases and artifacts. SPOILER!!:: Using this technology, the human race finds that another exists in a separate universe which could answer the mysterious disappearance of the Heechee.

Creative. These are some of the things I will never forget from this series: Parking people/items within the event horizon of a black hole to be retreived at a later point in time. The possibility of time travel using black holes. The existence of a civilization at the core of the galaxy. The eery blue tunnels left by a lost civilization. Converting your conscious existence to a computer program, giving you eternal life. Eating food derived from coal. Sleeping on warm rocks (vs. sheets).

Genuinely Entertaining. This whole series is really just a big TV episode. There are a few memorable parts, but nothing revolutionary for the science fiction genre. All in all it's a fun read. Beware, though, I read this in my adolescence, so it may not be as impressive for all you sophisticated readers out there.

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.

In Man Plus, the protagonist has his body transformed to survive on Mars. Like many of his novels, Pohl does a good job of focusing on the emotional aspects of the story, not just trying to be "action-packed" (George Lucas, are you reading this?).

Anyway, there are some gaps, the most annoying being this - HOW WILL ROGER TORRAWAY REPRODUCE? I mean, they surgically removed his genitalia for crying out loud. He is supposed to be a new breed of upgraded humans who can survive on Mars, but what good does it do if they have to literally build a new Roger every time? This should have been thought out better IMHOP.

Another less glaring fault is that Pohl rips off Isaac Asimov's concept of psychohistory from the Foundation series. In Man Plus, scientists determine through their mathematical calculations that the only way to stave off the earth's destruction is through extraterrestrial colonization. This was disappointing to see Pohl borrow so blatantly from another sci-fi author.

Finally, the book takes place around 2003 or so (which was the "near future" when the book was written back in the 70's) and we are still fighting communists. This obviously isn't Pohl's fault, as the USSR looked pretty strong back then, but it does detract from the read a bit.

That being said, this is a quick read and is at least worth checking out from the libary.

Man Plus is the story of a project to adapt (a) man to be able to live on Mars. Thus, this man would have to be able to survive in a carbon dioxide atmosphere, at very low pressure, and be able to extract water and oxygen from the soil. In addition, the extreme temperatures would have to be overcome. Pohl proposes that such a man would have to be extensively modified with robotics (creating a cyborg) - a modern writer might use genetic enngineering - with the result that the Man Plus of the title scarcely resembles a human by the time he's fully modified.

The strength of the book is the scientific setup - some of the problems of creating such a cyborg are addressed, from both the physical and emotional points of view. It's fascinating to watch the creation of the Man Plus - Pohl obviously put a lot of thought into the process and what should be involved.

Unfortunately, the use of this new creature is inadequate. At 270 pages, there's not a lot of room for detail, and the end of the book seems very rushed. A lot of that precious space is also used up in describing a future world where communism has taken over all of Eurasia and a virtual state of war exists between these states and the United States. From our post-Cold War viewpoint, it seems quaint, and I can't help being impatient with it. There is a crisis at the end that is artificial and is never explained (perhaps it was a "teaser" for a future sequel?), and there is far too much of the soap opera lives of some of the scientists. Therefore, I give the book 3 stars on the strength of its novel idea and care of implementation, the other 2 stars are lost because it doesn't follow through particularly well.

I read Man Plus as part of a compilation that combined Man Plus and Jem in one book, so this review may be affected by the contrast created between the two stories. I found Man Plus to be far superior to Jem, though Pohl makes use of many of the same devices and themes in both books. Pohl's adept handling of the scientific end of the story was reason enough to read this book. Unfortunately, he spends far too much time with the political situation on Earth and some of the more superfluous details of the scientists' sex lives. This angle succeeds because it grants the characters a personality that extends beyond vague political goals and imparts a sense of urgency to the project. And it is obvious that Pohl is comfortable with the characters, as they surpass the stereotypes of ivory tower scientists too involved with their work to show any real emotion. Some believe the ending was too abrupt and ambigiuous, but I think Pohl did an incredible job concluding the story. The ending provides a new dimension to the proceedings of the project, a goal higher than human self-preservation. The thing that keeps Man Plus from getting a five star rating is its length. The book is too short to have anything less than a totally focused vision for the characters and the plot. Despite Pohl's efforts, we don't get to see enough of the characters to truly relate to them, though Pohl's limited description does wonders with the pages he devotes to them. Man Plus is a great book, but the story is too hurried and the plot too unfocused to be considered epic.