Gateway Trip [Mass Market Paperback]

Frederik Pohl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 1991

The Heechee were perhaps the greatest and most tantalizing mystery the human race had ever known. The first Heechee artifacts were uncovered on Venus, and in the beginning they were treated as nothing more than costly souvenirs and curiosities for tourists from Earth and Mars. But when an asteroid stocked with autonavigating spacecraft was discovered, suddenly the Heechee universe was thrown wide open, giving birth to the Gateway Corporation and bringing untold riches to the adventurers who risked the unknown to see where those Heechee spacecraft would take them.

Many of those brave souls never returned. The ones who did brought back technological wonders that transformed life on Earth -- but of the Heechee themselves there was no sign...

The Gateway Trip, lavishly illustrated by artist Frank Kelly Freas, presents the tales of those perilous journeys and marvelous discoveries, as those intrepid pioneers followed the trail of the elusive Heechee and changed the course of human history forever!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The most successfully realized universe that Pohl ( Gateway ) has created as a solo writer has been that of his Heechee series. This book contains his one pre-Gateway Heechee story, the novella "The Merchants of Venus," and nine short entries under such titles as "The Gateway Asteroid," "The Starseekers" and "Other Worlds" that provide background on the characters and settings of the Heechee novels. The narrator of the novella , Audee Walthers, makes his living on Venus by showing tourists around the Heechee ruins, abandoned 500,000 years earlier. He hopes that wealthy, surly Boyce Cochenour will pay him enough to provide for surgery to replace his failing liver. There's only one problem, an ethical one: Cochenour wants to dig for illegal artifacts. The story has the zip and humor of vintage Pohl. The short pieces that comprise the rest of the volume are not narratives but glossings on the Heechee novels. Although Pohl is careful not to give away plot elements of those books, at the same time he presents new details to enhance that universe for familiar readers. Still, it would be preferable to read the novels first. Illustrations, by Frank Kelly Freas, not seen by PW .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The discovery on Venus of artifacts created by an ancient alien race prompts a galaxy-wide search for more intriguing remnants of the vanished "Heechee" culture and gives rise to the Gateway Corporation as a means of encouraging exploration by bold and sometimes foolhardy explorers. This collection of short tales serves as a tantalizing companion piece to Pohl's other Heechee volumes (among them, Heechee Rendezvous , LJ 5/15/84 and Annals of the Heechee , Ballantine, 1987) and belongs in libraries owning the earlier works.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (December 13, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345375440
• ISBN-13: 978-0345375445
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not his best work, July 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gateway Trip (Mass Market Paperback)

Mostly dry and repetitive narrative, but does fill in some detail in the history of man's investigation of the Heechee, and does include at least one good short story. A fairly light and quick read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Marginal at best - only for die-hard Heechee lovers, February 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Gateway Trip (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is an overview of how the discovery of Heechee artifacts affected human history. If you've already read the Heechee novels, the only part of interest is a single short story; the rest is mere repetition. If you haven't read the Heechee novels, pass this over and start with Gateway

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Gift To Diehard Heechee Fans, November 11, 2002

By 

William Vanderwhelm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gateway Trip (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is not a continuation of the Heechee saga. However, it does provide a wealth of background material. Much of the book will already be familiar to readers of the Saga. Two bonuses are noteworthy. There is a long short story (around 100 pages) detailing the life of Audie Walthers when he was an airbody pilot on Venus. This story is pretty engrossing, and gives further insight into the goings on on Venus in the world of Gateway. Also, for those curious after reading Gateway as to the adventures of the other prospectors, there is a section that deals with the successes and disasters encountered by these people. If you are a [big] fan of Gateway, this book should be obtained. Otherwise, the short story about Audie and some additional background material might still convince you to get the book.