Gateway

By: Frederik Pohl

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman, Robert J. Sawyer

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Gateway opened on all the wealth of the Universe...and on reaches of unimaginable horror.

When prospector Bob Broadhead went out to Gateway on the Heechee spacecraft, he decided he would know which was the right mission to make him his fortune. Three missions later, now famous and permanently rich, Robinette Broadhead has to face what happened to him and what he is...in a journey into himself as perilous and even more horrifying than the nightmare trip through the interstellar void that he drove himself to take!

BONUS AUDIO: In an exclusive introduction, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer explains why Gateway is one of science fiction's all-time greatest novels.

PLEASE NOTE: Some changes were made to the original text with the permission of the author.

©1977 Frederik Pohl (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1978
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1978
• John W. Campbell Memorial Award, Best Novel, 1978

classic Scifi

loved it aloud as much as in print, great sci fi classic that was wonderful to revisit

Not sure in the beginning, but loved it in the end

What did you love best about Gateway?

I like that while alien tech has been discovered, there is an actual risk when using it and that they don't really know how it works. This is big aspect of this book when compared to other Sci-Fi, where it seems this challenge is overcome in short order.

Any additional comments?

The chapters with Siegfried were grating, as I wanted a book that was all sci-fi space adventure. However, I kept listening and at the end all was brought into context and I have to say that now, this is one of the best written books I have encountered.

If you have started this book and put it down, pick it back up and continue.

I have completed the second book and am taking a break from sci-fi for now, but will continue on with the rest of the series.

How did this get so many Awards??

Character wasn’t believable to me. The authors ideas of sex and love and motivation is that if an adolescent. Perhaps that was intentional but it doesn’t make for a good story. The premise is ok but it drags down into one long unbelievable boring therapy session to cure some guys survivors guilt. How is this amazing science fiction? And ok spoiler alert here stop reading if you don’t want to know.... how does some beat up there girlfriend but write it off as “well you don’t touch a guy like that because it sends signals that your man too and so what can you expect from us?” What??? Is that really how the author feels? Or is that really how he feels people who beat others feel and so are justified? Lost me as soon as that happened. Maybe that is a real human response in that situation. But it sure isn’t a story I want to hear again.

could be better,

If you could sum up Gateway in three words, what would they be?

to much "f---"

Any additional comments?

too much f--- this f--- that, too much up ass, story had great promise but too many unanswered questions., and language did not add any to story

Not sure what to think

I've enjoyed a few books by Pohl and loved the narration but honestly the book was slow right up to the last half hour or so. Not that the writing was bad, or sophomoric, or anything like that. Just didn't get it is all.

Great SF novel, heavy 70s influence

A superb science fiction novel in concept and structure, using the timeless trope of ancient civilizations, is coupled with a curiously interesting protagonist who has a real love story arc.

However, the story is also heavily influenced by the 70s' culture where, at times, sex is mentioned merely because the author could, and sexism intrudes either because that was the way Pohl was, or because that's how the character behaves. Hard to tell.

I will be listening to the rest of the series, unless the aforementioned negative elements continue. I suspect they won't, and certainly hope they don't.

Story sucks

goes to show stories that win awards really suck. won't read any more of them

Great sci fi

Very well written. Looking forward to reading the next two in the series. It really paints an interesting psychological picture of the main protagonists. Also the AI based therapist is an amazingly well thought out character.

one of the best. Pohl's best.

he doled out ideas across this series. too many in one volume could lose the audience.

Boy did I dislike the main character

I kept waiting for the character to change, to redeem himself, to get past his cowardice. The story covers a fair amount of ground for its length, is imaginative and detailed. Its a good sci fi story but the primary plot line centers around an unlikeable character that never redeems himself in any meaningful way to bring closure. In fact, at the very end of the book I thought he did something redeeming only to see the writer reframe it as something terrible he did out of selfishness and cowardice. Then the writer tries to reframe the book as being about something the other real main character in the book, the psychotherapist, lacks, in the very last sentence of the book. Sorry but I didn’t buy the book for some surprise insight at the end that didn’t explain anything or bring any finality to the story. It was an enjoyable ride but only because I was expecting something to come of it all, an epiphany worth taking the ride, for tolerating such an unlikeable character, and it simply didn’t deliver. Two major awards or not, it left me feeling incompetent and unsatisfied.