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Product Description
Book Description
Award winning account of a man changed beyond all recognition so that he can be part of a bold experiment to live on Mars.
Product Description
Ill luck made Roger Torraway the subject of the Man Plus Programe, but it was deliberate biological engineering which turned him into a monster -- a machine perfectly adapted to survive on Mars. For according to computer predictions, Mars is humankind's only alternative to extinction. But beneath his monstrous exterior, Torraway still carries a man's capacity for suffering.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There has been one really nice thing about both Frederik Pohl entries in the SF Masterworks series - they are good old-fashioned stories that I understand, with no bizarre concepts or abstractions for me to get my head round. However, that in no way diminishes their brilliance or their impact - this was a gripping read from start to finish, that had me laughing on some occasions and almost crying on others. What person could read this book and not feel the pain and suffering inflicted on Roger in the name of science ? When Roger realises that he is the next candidate for the Man Plus project, his terror is both palpable and understandable - who among us would not react the same way ? There is only one thing about the book that makes it less than perfect - the problem of the computers. Pohl refers to complex, room sized IBM's (of which only two exist in his entire United States), and the problem of providing even moderately powerful mobile computers for the mission to Mars. That may have been reality in the 60's and 70's, but it's a bit laughable to those of us who live amongst laptops and Palm Pilots, and detracts from the feel of the future the author is trying to convey. Still, it's a minor quibble, and the gobsmacking surprise of an ending more than makes up for it. All in all, a brilliant addition to the 'man on Mars' idea.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read my first Frederik Pohl; "Jem" earlier this year, I was keen to read more, and Man Plus doesn't disappoint. It's a precursor to many more recent Martian novels and unlike the Barsoomian nonsense of Edgar Rice Burroughs which I read as a boy, or the politically intense Kim Stanley Robinson, Man Plus explores the individual cost and emotional journey of a single Martian colonist. It really is a unique and clever approach, with Mars itself being relegated to a supporting role in the story. Pohl handles the alien [as a concept] very well and there's an overarching strangeness and a sense of isolation to this novel that could only be conjured by a writer with a soul, for which, I can only admire him.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This really is a well written and entertaining book.
Set in the near future in a world living under the shadow of a world war, the race is well and truly on to colonise Mars with the political orientation of the Americans very subtle and true. The politicians and Scientists are using technology to adapt a human for the rigours of living on Mars. Often refered to in the narrative as a 'monster' the human experiment is gradually altered in to a half human/machine - a cyborg - fully changed and prepared for life on another planet. We are taken under the skin of the main character and how he deals with the transformation and leaves his human side and family behind.
I felt that there were similarities to 'Frankenstein' in that human interferance and the gradual change into the 'monster' were fully addressed and also a vague memory of 'Robocop' with the human alterations still having a very human side to the whole story. There does also appear to be a dark humorous side to the novel as well - very tongue in cheek.
The Sci-fi masterworks has at the moment two classic releases by Pohl in its stable - certainly Man Plus and Gateway are superb examples of the Sci-fi genre. Another Must!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
What a twist! What a finish!
In the final chapter, which is about three or four pages long, there is a twist which sets this entire book in context and made me think about rereading it immediately with this in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lark
How Thin the Line Between Monster and Man
Roger Torroway is a man, at the outset of Man Plus. A man with a man's problems. He worries about why his wife, Dorrie, doesn't seem to want intercourse with him any more; his... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Niall Alexander
Not for the faint hearted
Protagonist is - somewhat against his will - transformed into a robot that can exist on Mars. Repulsive and shocking, but also well thought out and not completely unrealistic. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Christian Wendt
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... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Owen Hughes
man plus
absolutely fascinating book im on my fourth copy at the moment as i lend them to friends who keep them.
Published 19 months ago by J. Crookes
Simply brilliant
This book has to be one of the best SF novels ever. It is fast-paced, exciting and stuffed to overflowing with provocative ideas. Read more
Published on 12 May 2010 by Ariadne Tampion
A must-read for any sci-fi fan
Like many best of breed sci-fi stories, this book has the human condition in the centre. It is enjoyable for the great story telling, plausible but good sci-fi plot, a good bunch... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2009 by Zendon Dendon
Pohl at is best - a great read
I'm a big fan of Frederik Pohl, I think mainly because his stories work at many levels. This book is one of his best and deserves to be in an S.F.Masterworks series. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2007 by Crazy Seahorse
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. Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2005 by D. M. York
Shows how a well written story will always work.
In a Science Fiction novel, humanity is often measured by the fall of empires and the turn of the galactic wheel. Man Plus focuses on humanity as it affects an individual. Read more
Published on 9 July 2003 by Johnny Cockayne
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