Gateway (Frederik Pohl)

One of the most memorable books I have read. Rereading it after about a 15 year gap, I still found it just as enjoyable. An excellent study of the psychology of gambling with your life, in the investigation of an unknown technology. He also explores the claustrophobia of sharing a confined space with a few people for an unknown length of time very well.

This was a strange wee book but tremendously enjoyable. The main protagonist was an odd one to say the least but in many ways much more human and realistic than your usual brave prospector type. In many ways the Heechee and their mysterious space station is simply a canvas for Pohl here who is much more interested in the psychological elements of the story. This maybe makes Gateway sound a bit sombre but I can assure you it is anything but... There are a number of genuinely laugh out loud moments and the little notices and mission reports scattered throughout do more to set the scene and atmosphere in this short book of 300 pages then many authors manage in 1000.