Frederik Pohl's Gateway recalls the more spartan virtues of traditional SF. This is a post Freudian epic in which, from his position on the electronic analyst's couch, the narrator Robinette Broadhead recalls his experiences as a space-pilot. Humanity has embarked on interstellar exploration thanks to the genius of the Heechee (get it?), an extinct alien race who have thoughtfully left behind a spaceport full of computer-operated starships. The novel is remarkable for its portrayal of human explorers rushing into space in a mood of abject fear and greed, in machines they cannot understand or control. Given the inglorious antics of Broadhead, this must be the most anti-heroic space adventure ever written.

Patrick Parrinder, "Psychedelic Days: 'Gateway'," in The Times Literary Supplement (© Times Newspapers Ltd. (London) 1978; reproduced from The Times Literary Supplement by permission), No. 3957, January 27, 1978, p. 83.