Chapter 8 is long. It is also one of the best chapters so far. After the emotional wreckage of Chapter 7’s therapy session, we are back on Gateway. And now Rob starts learning what it actually means to be a prospector.
After the Blue Hell party and the casino shock of Chapter 6, Pohl drops us right back on the therapy couch. And this time, Sigfrid goes deep. Really deep. This is the chapter where Rob’s armor starts to crack in places he did not even know existed.
After the intense therapy session of Chapter 5, Pohl switches gears completely. Chapter 6 is big, packed, and full of world-building. This is where we really get to see Gateway as a place where people live, work, gamble, and try not to die.
This chapter is short. Really short. But it packs a punch.
We are back in the therapy room with Rob and Sigfrid von Shrink. And this time, Sigfrid is not messing around.
After two therapy chapters and one backstory chapter, we finally get to see Gateway itself. And it does not disappoint.
This chapter is short. But it hits hard.
We are back in therapy with Sigfrid von Shrink, the AI psychiatrist. And this time, Sigfrid is not letting Rob dodge the hard questions.
Chapter 2 takes us back. Way back. Before the money, before Gateway, before the guilt. This is where we learn where Rob came from. And it is not pretty.
The very first line of Gateway tells you everything you need to know about the main character.
“My name is Robinette Broadhead, in spite of which I am male.”
I just finished reading Gateway by Frederik Pohl and I need to talk about it.
This book won the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Award when it came out in 1977. And honestly, after reading it, I get why. It hit different from most sci-fi I have read.
So we made it through all 11 chapters of “Singapore-China Relations: 50 Years.” That’s a lot of diplomatic history, economic data, and joint projects. Here’s what stuck with me after reading the whole thing.