Platinum Pohl - by Frederik Pohl (Paperback)

About the Book

The crème de la crème of the short fiction of one of the most acclaimed, best-selling science fiction authors of all time

Book Synopsis

Frederik Pohl, the bestselling author of The Boy Who Would Live Forever, is famous for his novels, but first and foremost, he is a master of the science fiction short story.

For more than fifty years he has been writing incisive, entertaining SF stories, several hundred in all. Even while writing his bestselling triple-crown (Hugo, Nebula, Campbell Award) novel Gateway and the other Heechee Saga novels, he has always written short fiction.

Now, for the first time, he has gathered together the best of his many stories in Platinum Pohl. Spanning the decades, these tales are in their way a living history of science fiction. Because Frederik Pohl has been on the frontlines of the field since the halcyon days of the late 1930s, and has written short stories in every decade since. And because he has always been a keen observer of the human condition and the world that is shaped by it, his stories reflect the currents of political movements, social trends, major events that have shaken the world . . .

Yet at their core, all his stories are most acutely concerned with people. All sorts of people. Some are people you'll love, some you'll hate. But you will need to find out what happens to the people who inhabit these stories. Because Frederik Pohl imbues his characters with a depth and individuality that makes them as real as people you see every day. Of course, he also employs a mind-boggling variety of scientific ideas and science fictional tropes with which his characters must interact. And he does it all with seemingly no effort at all. That's some trick. Not everyone can do that . . . but that's why he was named a Grand Master of Science Fiction by his peers in the Science Fiction Writers of America.

Here are his two Hugo Award winning stories, "Fermi and Frost" and "The Meeting" (with C. M. Kornbluth), along with such classic novellas as the powerful "The Gold at the Starbow's End" and "The Greening of Bed-Stuy," and stories such as "Servant of the People," "Shaffery Among the Immortals," and "Growing Up in Edge City," all finalists for major awards. And dozens of other wonderful tales, like "The Mayor of Mare Tranq" and the provocative "The Day the Martians Landed" and many others.

Altogether, a grand collection of thought-provoking, entertaining science fiction by one of the all-time greats!

Review Quotes

"SFWA Grand Master Pohl's latest is a pure delight, miraculously combining wry adventure and compassionate satire. Pohl believes we can learn to live with extraordinary challenges; his tempered, hard-won faith in humanity makes this book especially satisfying." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Boy Who Would Live Forever

"An astonishing eyeful, rich and absorbing . . . a feast for Gateway travelers." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Boy Who Would Live Forever

"Gateway is one of those rare gems: a deeply human story set against the wonders and beauty of the infinite starry universe. Fred Pohl, Old Master that he is, has broken new ground for the science-fiction novel." --Ben Bova, Editor, Analog Magazine

"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 better than most people. His new novel is based on a wonderfully satisfying SF premise . . . The Heechee space station--known as Gateway--is the ultimate roulette wheel. The odds are lousy, but the jackpot is so large that there are always gamblers willing to try their luck." --The New York Times Book Review on Gateway

"The plot combines mystery and adventure with an excellent profile of a very lucky anti-hero. An outstanding work which is highly recommended." --Library Journal on Gateway

"This is a great tale loaded with adventure, mystery, futuristic technology and emotion--a Grand Master at his finest." --Charleston, SC Post and Courier on The Far Shore of Time

About the Author

Bestselling, multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning SF author Frederik Pohl has written over thirty successful novels, has been the award-winning editor of SF magazines and anthologies, and has collaborated on classic SF novels such as The Space Merchants as well as having written such fine solo novels as Gateway, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon and Man Plus. Mr. Pohl is a former president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and has been active in myriad other ways in the field for many decades. He lives in Palatine, Illinois.