Scan barcode
lookingforvheissu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
titusfortner's review against another edition
4.0
I actually liked this better than Gateway. Perhaps it was because I'd just read Sparrow, which had a similar device to Gateway and was presented significantly better.
This book was easier to follow, and had an interesting mystery unfold. There was still some plot meandering, but not long stretches as in the prequel.
I especially enjoyed the imagination of the technology and the use of computers and networks, and computer personal assistants. The cosmology is a little dated at this point, but he presents rather fun 'what ifs.'
This book was easier to follow, and had an interesting mystery unfold. There was still some plot meandering, but not long stretches as in the prequel.
I especially enjoyed the imagination of the technology and the use of computers and networks, and computer personal assistants. The cosmology is a little dated at this point, but he presents rather fun 'what ifs.'
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
So far a pretty interesting series. I wonder where it will go from here.
wrongwayhome's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
crowfood's review against another edition
4.0
While I liked the narrative style of Gateway, which switched between the past and the present, the choice to put this sequel fully in the present made it even more of a page turner.
This was a great sequel, with the discoveries and consequences getting bigger and bigger.
This was a great sequel, with the discoveries and consequences getting bigger and bigger.
fabian2301's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jstamper2022's review against another edition
4.0
Sequel to Gateway, and a good one at that. We learn about the Heechee, where they are, what they’ve done, and that there is another powerful race of alien out there. Very science heavy in parts but mostly it explains much of the back stories of things we read in Gateway.
ramonnogueras's review against another edition
4.0
No se puede contar mucho de esta obra sin acabar contando algo que no se debe, de modo que trataré de ser breve.
Esta obra continúa Pórtico unos años después, donde Robin Broadhead ha aprovechado su fortuna para invertir en exploración espacial. Ahora, una expedición financiada por él descubre una factoría espacial de comida, un artefacto de los misteriosos Heechee que podría solventar las hambrunas en la Tierra y, quizá, traer una respuesta a una misteriosa fiebre de origen desconocido que aflige a toda la humanidad cada tantos días, de forma regular.. Por otro lado, Robin trata de descubrir si existe alguna manera de salvar a su esposa, que al final de Pórtico quedó... en una situación muy mala.
El libro sigue con el estilo cortante y (para la época) desvergonzado de Pohl, y consigue plantar de forma convincente un primer contacto entre humanos, de todas las cosas posibles. Es ágil, es divertido y como el anterior, se lee de una sentada y te deja con ganas de más. Por suerte, hay 3 libros más.
Esta obra continúa Pórtico unos años después, donde Robin Broadhead ha aprovechado su fortuna para invertir en exploración espacial. Ahora, una expedición financiada por él descubre una factoría espacial de comida, un artefacto de los misteriosos Heechee que podría solventar las hambrunas en la Tierra y, quizá, traer una respuesta a una misteriosa fiebre de origen desconocido que aflige a toda la humanidad cada tantos días, de forma regular.. Por otro lado, Robin trata de descubrir si existe alguna manera de salvar a su esposa, que al final de Pórtico quedó... en una situación muy mala.
El libro sigue con el estilo cortante y (para la época) desvergonzado de Pohl, y consigue plantar de forma convincente un primer contacto entre humanos, de todas las cosas posibles. Es ágil, es divertido y como el anterior, se lee de una sentada y te deja con ganas de más. Por suerte, hay 3 libros más.
silvae's review against another edition
1.0
[TW: alluded incest, mentions of rape, inappropriate sexual acts in front of a minor, paedophilia, sexism, medical descriptions]
What the fuck, Frederik Pohl. I thought your weird forays into writing a "queer" character (that was only actually "queer" due to childhood trauma) was just you being goofy, but the continuous hypersexualized descriptions of a 14(!!!) year old girl by her 40 year old brother-in-law and another overly sexualized teenager of undisclosed age made this book incredibly difficult to read. I enjoyed the parallel Broadhead storylines in Gateway and was very sad to see them swapped out for multiple perspectives in this book. There was not one character I liked, and the slow unraveling of the mystery of the Heechees also fell very flat. I genuinely enjoyed the horror of the unknown Gateway brought with it - sitting on edge every time someone entered a Heechee ship, unsure of whether they would return, and whether this would be alive or dead. Pohl obviously aimed to make a whole series out of it, though sadly lost the charm of the first book while doing so. I'm just angry I wasted so much time reading about men who wanted to do sexual things to a minor and unravelling a mystery that didn't need to be solved. Also why did one character have to be a Nazi son? What point was THAT supposed to make? And why do people never prepare for something they call the 130 day fever? Why would you risk billions of dollars of damages every 130 days instead of just... shutting down the world for a bit? I don't get it.
What the fuck, Frederik Pohl. I thought your weird forays into writing a "queer" character (that was only actually "queer" due to childhood trauma) was just you being goofy, but the continuous hypersexualized descriptions of a 14(!!!) year old girl by her 40 year old brother-in-law and another overly sexualized teenager of undisclosed age made this book incredibly difficult to read. I enjoyed the parallel Broadhead storylines in Gateway and was very sad to see them swapped out for multiple perspectives in this book. There was not one character I liked, and the slow unraveling of the mystery of the Heechees also fell very flat. I genuinely enjoyed the horror of the unknown Gateway brought with it - sitting on edge every time someone entered a Heechee ship, unsure of whether they would return, and whether this would be alive or dead. Pohl obviously aimed to make a whole series out of it, though sadly lost the charm of the first book while doing so. I'm just angry I wasted so much time reading about men who wanted to do sexual things to a minor and unravelling a mystery that didn't need to be solved. Also why did one character have to be a Nazi son? What point was THAT supposed to make? And why do people never prepare for something they call the 130 day fever? Why would you risk billions of dollars of damages every 130 days instead of just... shutting down the world for a bit? I don't get it.