Frederik Pohl
Gateway (1976)
Author: Frederik Pohl
Genre: Science Fiction (Philosophical Focus)
Plot Summary:
On an asteroid called Gateway,situated between Mercury and Venus, mankind discovers an arsenal of spaceships developed by an advanced extraterrestrial race called the Heechee. Though the Heechee have long since vanished, the spaceships are still fully operational. In fact each ship is programmed to travel to a destination previously specified by the Heechee. A sort of
wild game of Russian roulette ensues in which humans ride the ships to their unknown destinations: Some of these crews safely return to Gateway, having made a personal fortune in freshly discovered Heechee artifacts; some of the ships never return; while still others return to Gateway with no survivors. Having won a lottery on Earth, Robinette Broadhead abandons his hazardous and uninspiring job as a Wyoming food miner and travels to Gateway to seek his fortune aboard the Heechee ships. After several fruitless and frightening voyages, Broadhead does finally succeed in making a fortune; but at a great personal cost. Told in the past tense, the story of Broadhead's Gateway adventures alternates with scenes from his present life in which Robinette is psychoanalyzed by his cybernetic therapist, Siegfried. Together patient and analyst explore Robinette's deep-rooted feelings of guilt and pain concerning his mother, his mild homosexual inclinations, and his mistreatment of various girlfriends.
Geographical Setting: Earth, Gateway (A modified Asteroid near Venus), Deep Space.
Time Period: The Future
Series: Heechee Saga Series.
Appeal Characteristics:
This story is driven by a strong main character. While Robinette Broadhead has numerous flaws, the reader cannot help but become engrossed in this character's unflinchingly candid descriptions of his own shortcomings. Above all, we admire the protagonist's tenaciousness and courage when confronting his personal demons in psychoanalysis: In many respects, Broadhead's numerous voyages through outer space are nowhere near as dramatically compelling for the reader as this inner struggle. Another strong appeal characteristic concerns the story's masterfully constructed plot: The author consistently and smoothly shifts between descriptive narrative and dialogue; between past and present events; and between the protagonist's outer space voyages and inner journey. Especially effective is the past/present juxtaposition:
The psychoanalytic scenes which take place in the present hint compellingly at Broadhead's past traumas in such a way that the reader is constantly turning the pages in an effort to find out more. Similarly, enticing tidbits of information about the Heechee are revealed through a series of mission reports, classified advertisements, and excerpts from lectures and interviews which interpolate the story like news bulletins. Finally, the bleak, futuristic backdrop, depicting a sadly depleted earth and rampant materialistic greed, provide the reader with much food for thought.
Read-alikes:
Readers who enjoy Gateway will doubtless want to follow up with other books in Pohl's Heechee saga series. Especially recommended are Volume 2: Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (1980) and Volume 6: The Boy Who Would Live Forever (2004). Readers who are drawn to Gateway's themes of encounters with aliens and/or alien artifacts, space travel and technology may also want to try Arthur C. Clarke/Rendezvous with Rama (1973), a Hugo and Nebula Award-winner,and Childhood's End (1950);Ray Bradbury/The Martian Chronicles (1950);Vernor Vinge/Fire Upon the Deep (1992) and A Deepness in the Sky (1999), both Hugo Award-winners; and Gary Benford In the Ocean of Night (1977). Readers who enjoy Gateway's psychological dimensions may also want to try Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), a Hugo and Nebula Award-winner.
Red Flags:Profanity, Sex, Violence
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