The Day the Martians Came by Frederik Pohl My rating: 2 of 5 stars I like Frederik Pohl, on average, but this book is below average. It's not even much of an attempt at sci fi -- just loosely related to it. It starts out rather promisingly, with some crashed astronauts finding an underground Martian …
Tag: Frederik Pohl
A Review of The Merchants’ War
The Merchants' War by Frederik Pohl My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this sequel to The Space Merchants, written decades earlier. Pohl's wit and satire are on full display through the entire novel. This is a futuristic world which is run by advertisers and advertising with protesters having migrated to Venus to …
A Review of The Other End of Time
The Other End of Time by Frederik Pohl My rating: 3 of 5 stars Frederik Pohl's The Other End of Time is a mediocre book with some promise, some potential, but it never seems to reach it. It's like one long drawn out scene book-ended by the beginning and end of the book, and after …
A Review of The Best of Frederik Pohl
The Best of Frederik Pohl by Frederik Pohl My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is another book of short stories by Frederik Pohl that I've read and he really doesn't disappoint. I like his short stories much better than his novels, to be honest. "The Tunnel Under The World" was published in the mid-50s, …
A Review of Pohl’s Gateway
Gateway by Frederik Pohl My rating: 4 of 5 stars Frederik Pohl's Gateway is a sci fi classic, winning both the Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as others. I've been looking forward to reading it for some time. And I've got to say that upon finishing it, I have some mixed feelings. I think …
A Review of The Cool War
The Cool War by Frederik Pohl My rating: 3 of 5 stars I like Frederik Pohl, but by his standards, this book was pretty lightweight. It's set in the not-too-distant future where there is a "cool war" between East and West. In it, the spies merely try to irritate each other in order to sow …
A Review of The Space Merchants
The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this cynical and satirical sci fi novel. It's about Mitchell Courtenay, a high ranking ad exec in a futuristic American society dominated by advertising. Indeed, it's virtually un-patriotic to not adhere to advertising's role in society. Mitch is given the …
A Review of Platinum Pohl
Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories by Frederik Pohl My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is an excellent collection of short science fiction stories. I'd read some of Pohl's work and knew he was prolific, but I don't think I had the appreciation for him that I now have. This is some kick ass …