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

Heechee Saga is well written and worth the listen

Mr. Pohls examination of humanity in the form of Robin Broadhead wrapped up in a Sci Fi classic from the 70's is as home today in our computer tablet and smart phone world as it was back in 1977 when it was first released in print. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this Hugo and Nebula award winning book and it re reminded me of why I took up sci fi reading all those years ago. Gateway was one of my favorite books from my teens and now as an adult and with the help of audible and Oliver Wymans expert reading of the voice of Sigmund, Robinette and all the others gives real vision to an already excellently written story. I had forgotten the subtle emotional and psychological nuances between all of his characters. Years before sophisticated computer programs Mr. Pohls artistic telling of the story of Gateway and it's computer generated and real life flawed personalities will make you smile and is a story you will not want to put down nor soon forget. I digested each of the Heechee saga books in turn and actually parceled out bits and pieces of it as to not get done with it too quickly. You must savor this trilogy like a fine wine.

just ok

Spoiler... I didn't care for this story. A guy with a jellyfish backbone, proffiting from it, beating up a woman, and requiring therapy because he's unable to cope with his problems, but winds up with the money and freedom. I can't believe I listened to it all. I guess I was hoping he would have a life changing event and make a difference, nope he profits from his weakness goes on his merry way. One of the weakest characters I've came across in a story. Just not for me. Maybe someone else found a good story in there. I'm not saying all stories have to be positive, 1984 was pretty good. I just want the protagonist to have the will to do something worth writing about.

Sigfried Von Shrink at Your Service...

Would you consider the audio edition of Gateway to be better than the print version?

Yes. Great job, one of my all time favorites on Audible.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gateway?

The ending is very, very well done. But the juxtaposition of Robin's sessions with Sigfried vs. his memory of what happened is so well done that the entire novel is memorable. This won a Hugo Award for good reason. It is a terrific sci fi novel.

What does Oliver Wyman and Robert J. Sawyer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I read Sci Fi to be entertained, a break from my work and life itself. But elements of Gateway are pretty heavy, since much of the novel is an indictment and an endorsement of psychological counseling. The readers made it interesting but not overly dramatic. Parts of the novel deal with sex, sexual norms and it was done in a way that was not lecherous. Overall they did a great job and I cannot imagine it being done better.

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

No I never do that... but I listened to it pretty quickly. Although Robin is not an entirely likeable characters, I found myself wanting to know what happened. That is ultimately what a good story is to me, investing in the characters.

Any additional comments?

Great job Audible!

A great story about an awful character

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

This was a great science-fiction novel. It turns the microscope on psycho therapy and where it may evolve in the future, the base nature of human desire, and where our current cyncial society may lead.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Be forewarned...the main character is an absolute scumbag. It's hard to sympothize with him...but that may have been Frederik Pohl's point...that this is where humanity is heading.

What does Oliver Wyman and Robert J. Sawyer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator's didn't a great job bringing in different voices to this story. Still didn't make the character likable, but made the story very engaging.

Sexual repression and not much sci fi

The story: I had sex with every female character in the book then figured out that I prefered it up the butt because my mom never showed affection. Also there were spaceships that I didn't really adventure in because I was scared. The end. Bleh.

A classic which holds up well.

I read this many years ago in hardback and it holds up very well. The audio version is first rate.

Still refreshing 40 years later! Brilliant classic SF

Narrator is the best, too. Remarkable in several different ways. Forty years since I first read it, mostly forgotten, & with forty more years of life experience...I think it has to be even a better experience now than in my early 20’s. The progress made in recent technology is basically irrelevant. Just a gorgeous piece of SF story-telling. Review by Rick, late at night on Feb 19, 2019

Gets off track with the views of the time.

Very 70's. The "deep thinking" of the time period takes away from the story and makes it disjointed to listen to.

Good performance.

Entertains

worth the time to listen, wished it was longer, wanting to hear the next in the series !!

Guess Classic SF isn't for me

This is considered a classic...but I found it extremely boring. Cool concepts, but so much happens off-page. It's more about people getting together and *talking* about what just happened (which I guess is a lot like Scalzi and many of the other Hard SF writers). I do enjoy SF but maybe it's more of the soft stuff (Altered Carbon, the Expanse, etc). I felt like I was missing something.

The main character was so unlikable but maybe that was the point. The narration was good. I just didn't like the story.