If you know anything about the Bay Area, or William Reich, you can't miss this book. If you are a massage deep tissue junkie, you need this book too. Orgones are the brain child of William Reich, arguably the most influental Psychiatrist of this century. See what the author has done to validate Bill's work. A VERY funny thing!

If you have never laughed out loud when reading a book then you must read this one.

A great book that I first read almost 20 years ago. Swigart takes you on a surreal trip through the Silicon Valley of the late seventies and through ancient Sumeria. Poking fun at life, death, God and Computers, I recommend it for anyone with a warped sense of humour

A book wherein clichés pile up like a multiple-car accident, and with about the same screeching sound. Don't bother with this one - buy something interestingly-written instead.

A hilarious story. Extremely well written. I first read this book ten or twelve years ago and have read it at least half a dozen times since. It's almost impossible to put down. One of the most entertaining books I have ever read. Swigart is a master wordsmith.

One of those books that one can glean more and more insight from the more times one reads it. A word of warning: While reading this book, one is inclined to try and get through it quite fast, it is that humorous and entertaining! The benefit of reading a bit slower is that one is able to better appreciate the subtle innuendos. Altogether, Mr. Swigart exhibits an above average intelligence and insight as well as a unique sense of humor. A book well worth investing in, and reading over and over.

Despite being an avowed sci-fi fan (check out my other reviews folks!) and always being appreciative of originality and innovation, I'm sorry, but I just didn't get this one.

Perhaps not having played the computer game that spawned this novel places me at an irretrievable disadvantage, but after ploughing through a 100 or so pages I had to give up, as the world of Portal simply didn't grab me and was becoming extremely tedious.

The striking cover art (on the UK release) and the blurb on the back cover promised much, as did the glowing praise from the late Timothy Leary. This has great potential, I thought, and couldn't wait to read our hero's narrative as he explores the eerily deserted Earth. Rather than reconnoitre this spooky new world, however, our prodigal astronaut devotes every geek-like waking hour to interrogating a computer system analogous to the Internet. This may well be the rational and logical thing to do, but it makes for interminably dull reading. The way Peter gradually masters the unfamiliar user interface and how the computer expert system gradually re-establishes itself is competently described, but sadly failed to hold my interest. One wonders if the book would have sold so many if the cover pic had depicted someone hunched over a computer terminal? To plagiarise an advert on UK TV, this one certainly doesn't do what it says on the tin!

Thus, I feel Portal is worth a couple of stars for the bold and innovative concept alone, but the paucity of any dynamic, let alone exciting, narrative allows no more than this.

I note that the other reviewers have heaped much praise on this book and awarded it maximum stars. I therefore expect my rather less than complimentary review may provoke indignation amongst the die-hard fans, however it would be disingenuous for me not to tell it as it is. If you ever see this novel in a charity shop in Hampshire, it may well be my old copy.

I played the game, Portal, when I was in gradeschool. I had a Commodore 64 and the game was 3 disks, 5 sides total. Wonderful depth and imagery, the book is told from the perspective on a space traveller sent off at near light speed who returns to find Earth deserted; about an AI computer program named Homer who desparately wants to remember what happened and about how all of it ties together with the expansion of human experience. I would highly recommend this book as a good read for everyone from 8 to 80 who likes sci-fi. Larger libraries should have this, including the DownTown Fort Worth library.

Not much to say, other then Portal was one of the first Interactive Fiction game, that REALY succeeded telling a story. This is the Novel that came of the Game. Highly recommendable. A truly great read.