Frederik Pohl's most recent novel, Jem … is a little blurred and messy. It is essentially a political allegory describing the struggle between the world's three blocs, food producing, oil producing and third, each attempting to colonise a planet which itself holds three intelligent species. The narrative is more interesting than the allegory, and there is some first-class dialogue and characterisation, notably a gung-ho American fem combat commander who I trust was not, and never could be, drawn from the life or God help us all.

Alex de Jonge, "January SF: 'Jem'," in The Spectator (© 1980 by The Spectator; reprinted by permission of The Spectator), Vol. 244, No. 7905, January 12, 1980, p. 23.