Heechee Rendezvous

By: Frederik Pohl

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

After millennia had passed, Mankind discovered the Heechee legacy (an alien culture that fled to the relative safety of a black hole) - in particular an asteroid stocked with autonavigating spacecraft. Robinette Broadhead, who had led the expedition that unlocked the many secrets of Heechee technology, is now forced once more to make a perilous voyage into space - where the Heechee are waiting. And this time the future of Man is at stake....

©1984 Frederick Pohl (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Essential listening

Enjoyable performance of 3rd installment in Frederick Pohl's timeless Heechee saga. Old school science fiction, no wizards / zombies.

Great production

Third in the series by the same narrator. Very enjoyable and the different voices really makes the story come alive

all fizzle, no bang

lacked the mysterious aspects which I enjoyed so much in the first two in the series. plot timeline felt off and didnt build much tension for me personally.

slow burn with rushed end

I have a feeling this was originally supposed to be much longer until an editorial mandate came down that it couldn't be more then a certain amount of pages. it has a very slow first 2/3rds wasting time with frankly irrelevant characters that i can see why they might have been there but it was never followed up on. then everything that was building up literally happens in the last 30 minutes of the audiobook and is told in a very abridged way. so much wasted time delivering a very weak payoff. haven't yet gotten the opportunity for the last book but I am assuming that this is by far the weakest link in the saga.

The Payoffs Begin

The world of the Heechee Saga continues to progress at a brisk pace always growing, and in this Heechee Rondezvous things that I'd wondered about for the first two books begin to be answered. It seems like these aren't popular or common books, but they are fun and Heechee Rondezvous does not disappoint.

I Enjoyed It ...

Where does Heechee Rendezvous rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably in the middle. This is more of a traditional space opera story, and fits neatly into that genre. Pohl was an editor before becoming a writer and his familiarity with the genre shows here. This is a tightly plotted story that moves along nicely. Parts of it are a little "wordy' but overall it is traditional Sci Fi and a good third book in the series.

What did you like best about this story?

Understanding the Heechee, their intentions and the reasons for their retreat was interesting.In many ways the story is a backdrop to Pohl's fascination with physics and I enjoyed the argument between a pro-Einstein version and a pro-Quantum version of astrophysics.

Have you listened to any of Oliver Wyman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I thought he was great. He has done all three int his series and I thought it was interesting how he made Robin "sound" like he had aged (from the first book). Also his representation of Albert was great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No I rarely do that, but it doesn't diminish that this was a good book.

Any additional comments?

The first book in this series was a ground breaking book, no doubt about it. The second and third books are more conventional in their plot and storyline.Some readers might not like this, adn stopping after the first book might make sense. I enjoyed finding out what happened to Robinette after the first book, and adjusted my expectations during books two and three. It doesn't mean they are not as good, just that they are different in narrative, story and tone. Pohl is a traditional Sci Fi writer like Clarke and Asimov and readers of those authors will enjoy this book and this series.It is entertaining and interesting.

Great book!

I very much enjoyed this one. I think it took a little longer to get to the Heechee than I wanted, but, the back and side stories helped develop the plit, immensely.

Not as good as the first two

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two in this series (The Heechee Saga), but this title seemed a little forced. The book dragged on a little then the end seemed to be a bit of, jump the shark, and over to quickly.

But having said this I will continue with the fourth book in this series. I do love Frederik Pohl's works.

great read

excellent addition to the series, enjoy the ancient race concept. pure science fiction at it's best.

Series is fulfilling!

Always a joy to listen to this epic. Read gateway first, it’s the best. Number five on top ten.