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Man Plus (SF Masterworks) Paperback – January 1, 2000
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length215 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMillennium Paperbacks
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2000
- Dimensions5.28 x 0.67 x 7.76 inches
- ISBN-101857989465
- ISBN-13978-1857989465
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
* #41 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written.
* Frederik Pohl, one of the old pros of the genre, never takes unnecessary risks. For him, science fiction is a form of play an excusable indulgence since he plays it so much better than most people. The New York Times Book Review
* 'The most consistently able writer science fiction has yet produced' -- Kingsley Amis
* One of Frederik Pohl's best novels and my personal favourite. Complex people in tough situations on a marvelous and gritty world who could ask for more from any novel? Greg Bear
Product details
- Publisher : Millennium Paperbacks; New Ed edition (January 1, 2000)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 215 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1857989465
- ISBN-13 : 978-1857989465
- Item Weight : 7.1 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.28 x 0.67 x 7.76 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,617,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #169,075 in Science Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. (/ˈpoʊl/; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning more than seventy-five years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellite: Luna", to the 2011 novel All the Lives He Led and articles and essays published in 2012.
From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy and its sister magazine If; the latter won three successive annual Hugo Awards as the year's best professional magazine. His 1977 novel Gateway won four "year's best novel" awards: the Hugo voted by convention participants, the Locus voted by magazine subscribers, the Nebula voted by American science fiction writers, and the juried academic John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He won the Campbell Memorial Award again for the 1984 collection of novellas Years of the City, one of two repeat winners during the first forty years. For his 1979 novel Jem, Pohl won a U.S. National Book Award in the one-year category Science Fiction. It was a finalist for three other years' best novel awards. He won four Hugo and three Nebula Awards.
The Science Fiction Writers of America named Pohl its 12th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award in 1993 and he was inducted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1998, its third class of two dead and two living writers.[a]
Pohl won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2010, for his blog, "The Way the Future Blogs".
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by AllyUnion [Attribution, GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0), CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book enjoyable and entertaining. They appreciate the interesting premise and unexpected twist at the end. The book is described as a quick, well-written read with good pacing. Readers consider it worth reading even though it's an old story. They find the characters well-developed and fun, with positive female role models.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book enjoyable and thought-provoking. They describe it as entertaining, interesting, and satisfying. Readers mention that the narrative has a fun third act twist.
"...excellent reads that are hard to put down. This book will not disappoint." Read more
"...It's a pretty quick and enjoyable read...." Read more
"...of the characters and the final bit is the most intriguing and satisfying answering questions about the choice of narrative and having a fun third..." Read more
"...I really enjoyed it. Fun read if you like classic science fiction." Read more
Customers find the story interesting with an intriguing premise and neat ideas. They describe it as a classic sci-fi story with good pacing and fun characters. The ending is unexpected and satisfying. While some parts of the story seem unresolved, overall the story holds up well and is a fascinating cyborg in the making novel from a favorite author.
"...It's a fairly old work (1976) which makes it dated, but it holds up well as it's all about robot bodies and networked computers...." Read more
"...that way to evoke the tedium of the characters and the final bit is the most intriguing and satisfying answering questions about the choice of..." Read more
"...An apotheosis on Mars. A very unexpected twist in the end. You got us there Pohl. Man Plus gets an A Plus. Highly recommended." Read more
"...It is an interesting take on the Cyborg theme, without any Cyber-Punk. Several main characters are well developed in the story...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find it an enjoyable, quick read with good characters and well-written story.
"...were based on as well as all his other works are well written and excellent reads that are hard to put down. This book will not disappoint." Read more
"...It's a pretty quick and enjoyable read...." Read more
"...The book is well written and was well researched so it all makes sense, especially considering it was written so long ago...." Read more
"...So it's a quick read, but a fun escape." Read more
Customers find the book is worth reading even today. They say it's a wonderful book from the 1970s and a beautiful, obscure find.
"What a beautiful, obscure find!..." Read more
"...funny how 40 years lends a new perspective to an old story...worth a look still...and don't forget the sequel 'Mars Plus'..." Read more
"Pretty good, but with flaws..." Read more
"a wonderful book..." Read more
Customers like the well-developed characters and positive female role models in the book. They also mention good pacing and good fun characters.
"...Several main characters are well developed in the story...." Read more
"...Neat ideas, considering it was 1976. Some positive female role models, like Sulie Carpenter (see negatives too) Negatives:..." Read more
"...The point-of-view descriptions of the title character are simply excellent...." Read more
"...Characters have unique backstories, but just don't invoke a lot of feeling from the reader...." Read more
Reviews with images
As they say in DUNE, wheels within wheels within wheels....
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2022This book was written what? over 45 years ago but the story
seems to foretell what is happening today. Issues with over population,
resources growing ever more scarce, threats of war,
environmental issues and the like.
It is almost as if Frederick Pohl could see the future.
To be frank, I consider Frederick Pohl THE best sci-fi writer there is.
Books like his Gateway series (or the Heechee Saga) , of which two computer games
were based on as well as all his other works are well written and
excellent reads that are hard to put down. This book will not disappoint.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2014"Man Plus" by Frederik Pohl is an fictional novel about a government project to develop a Mars adapted cyborg. It's a fairly old work (1976) which makes it dated, but it holds up well as it's all about robot bodies and networked computers.
The book is predominately concerned with the transformation Roger Torraway undergoes, the people around him, and the ability to influence perception. It's particularly concerned with the sexual and romantic aspects of such a transformation. It's lite on details of what exactly is going on in the operation other than it's less than a brain in a jar but more than a penanggalan in a robot body that results in a both comedic and alienating moth man like appearance. There's a mystery for the reader that grows as the novel continue that isn't solved till the end. But, I suspect most will catch on by the halfway point and figure it out by the reveal.
It's a pretty quick and enjoyable read. Though it tends to be 70s at times (or older in the case of the female characters), I do like how it focuses more on the transformation and adapting than "well here's your awesome body go have fun."
- Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2017This book is all over the place. The first third is interesting but plants things that never payoff. The middle third is somewhat tedious but perhaps constructed that way to evoke the tedium of the characters and the final bit is the most intriguing and satisfying answering questions about the choice of narrative and having a fun third act twist. However as this is the most engaging part of the book it feels as if it ended early. There was no sequel and the first part could have been condensed to make room for more in the final act. In the end though so much was left hanging. Stories relationship with Roger was unresolved, Brad' s character never had to deal with the consequences of his actions, why was one even a priest as it wasn't integral to the plot or any themes. And Sulie was never explored more than a plot contrivance. Pohl has so much promise and its that reason why he is so frustrating. Except The Gateway. More and more I am loving that work.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2018What a beautiful, obscure find! 42 years ago, with a pessimistic doomsday seventies tone of voice, Frederik Pohl gave us this fascinating cyborg in the making novel, sparing us nothing in the process and giving us no reader discretion advised warnings.
So, what do we have in Man Plus? A man who literally and painfully both for him and the reader becomes less than a man, before he becomes more than a man.
A love story in the making, bizarre and poignant.
Roger, the cyborg playing Segovia guitar pieces.
A poor entourage that almost shaves one star from the novel, with the exception of a priest. You can safely skip all the parts of the book where USA presidents, CIA people and the like appear.
An apotheosis on Mars.
A very unexpected twist in the end. You got us there Pohl.
Man Plus gets an A Plus. Highly recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2018This was an interesting novel speculating on how man could be changed to adapt to Mars. It is an interesting take on the Cyborg theme, without any Cyber-Punk. Several main characters are well developed in the story. I would rate it higher if it had a slightly better ending, which of course I will not tell you here!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023This book was described to me as The Six Million Dollar Man meets David Bowie’s Space Oddity and that description is dead on accurate. I really enjoyed it. Fun read if you like classic science fiction.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2018Frederik Pohl's Man Plus is a 70's classic concerning a project to colonize Mars as a result of ever worsening global conditions. As part of the program, a human is modified, converted into a cyborg, in order to better function long term on Mars while some undefined terraforming is to occur. Many details on the process as well as the numerous problems that arise are described. Pohl touches on many psychosocial issues related to this transformation as well as outlining a general loosening of social taboos throughout society. While the heavy handed nature of the US president may seem a bit overly dramatic, the time period for the tale does somewhat reflect the geopolitical consensus.
Pohl also provides for a cryptic first person narration that is a bit of a surprise at the very end. As a sci-fi classic, the detail embedded in the cyborg adaptation is thoroughly engaging.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2015I was quite taken by surprise. All through the book there were these references like "we were expecting this" and "we put a lot of effort into this". I thought I missed the person of the book and went back to the beginning a couple of times but it was not revealed who the first person was. I began to have a thought of the person but it was quite faint. You will have to read the book yourselves to get that answer. The book is well written and was well researched so it all makes sense, especially considering it was written so long ago. I highly recommend the book to all Sci-Fi fans.
Top reviews from other countries
- GalamionReviewed in Germany on September 14, 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars A true masterpiece
It is hard to believe that 'Man Plus' has been written 25 years ago. The plot looks quite current and fully believable, which in itself speaks of the quality Pohl as a SF author has. The slight exception is Pohl didn't anticipate how far computer miniaturisation would progress - but still the book remains an impressive foresight performance. Mankind struggles to survive and one means is getting a man to Mars. For this reason an anstronaut's physiology is bioengineered into a 'Man Plus'. What makes the novel such a fascinating read is Pohl's focus on the emotional impact such changes have for all involved, from colleague to wife to oneself.
- Owen HughesReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2011
4.0 out of 5 stars The 29th best science fiction novel.
The long and short of it is, Earth has become overpopulated, there's a constant threat of the outbreak of global warfare from the Asians, and America has decided to counter this by setting up a programme to eventually populate Mars as although it's a smaller planet than Earth, there is a greater land mass due to there being no oceans, therefore more room etc
The story is told from the perspective of someone who isn't revealed until the final chapter, but the plot is basically from the viewpoint of Roger Torraway, who is an astronaut working on the "Man Plus" project. Which is essentially to create a cyborg capable of existing on the harsh plains of Mars to help establish a colony there. Things go wrong early on with the project and Roger steps in to become the cyborg. You're told how his physical alterations actually affect his relationship with his wife and colleagues, and how it actually changes his own psyche and character.
I enjoyed it, but it was a bit short at around 215 pages. I would have liked to have seen more about Mars, but I guess Pohl was more focussed on the character of Torraway than the actual mission itself. It did seem a little like a futuristic version of Frankenstein, to some extent. Man plays God and creates their own version of man who will be better, but it doesn't quite go exactly how they want it to due to their reliance on science.
It's also a little dated. Written in the 70's, set in the future... everyone reads like a character from a throwback to the 60s rather than being futuristic. But overall, I'd recommend it if you're into Science Fiction novels.
- T. Boy74Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars but I did in this case and I'm so glad I decided to buy it
They say never judge a book by its cover, but I did in this case and I'm so glad I decided to buy it. Easily one of the best novels, science fiction or otherwise that I have ever read. Really could not put this book down. Pohl's narrative is outstanding here. Very cinematic. I love the inclusion of the 'Carmarthenshire Freedom Fighters'! Kept me on my toes till the very last page. Definitely a 'Masterwork' for me.
- D. M. YorkReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 14, 2005
4.0 out of 5 stars A modern day Frankenstein
Man plus comes as the forebear to many novels about the colonisation of alien worlds. Although this book is far more political in its content than many others. It would have been very easy to immerse the story in the buildup of political tension occuring in the unimpossible future of Earth, just as it could have been very easy to allow Mars swallow the story entirely and in fact turn it into a fictional account of adapting to the environment of another world (try Ben Bova for such reading). However Man Plus looks at the personal and individual costs of beginning a colonisation.
As a volunteer for the Man Plus programme Roger must be stripped of his humanity, the flesh that identifies him and even his very perceptions of reality as he is remade to be a new life form. Through this the novel allows glimpses of both Roger's inner torment as well political debates that the team that must manufacture him face.
In some ways I wish that there had been more of Mars in this novel, as it is relegated to just two short chapters. Though the big point about this novel isn't about how man will live on Mars, it is about what he must face before he can live there. A very intelligent piece of science fiction.
- Robert BulloughReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars loved this. Surprised there isn't a film
WOW.. loved this. Surprised there isn't a film. It seems prime- could even stretch beyond into a series