Jem

Frederik Pohl

1979 • 312 pages

Ratings7

Average rating3.7

The discovery of another habitable world might spell salvation to the three (Food Bloc, Fuel Bloc & People Bloc) bitterly competing power blocs of the war torn & resource-starved 21st century. But when their representatives arrive on Jem, with its three intelligent species, they discover instead the perfect situation into which to export their rivalries. Subtitled, with savage irony, 'The Making of a Utopia', Jem is one of Frederik Pohl's most powerful novels.

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William

An excellent story that looks at the constant drive for competition in our society and looks just that little bit in the future to show it's logical ends. Does for unbridled competition what 1984 did for authoritarianism and surveillance.

August 4, 2014

Montgomery Webster

Simply a remarkable book, even better than Gateway and probably one of the top 10 scifi books I have ever read (as of March 2012). The contributions are both anthropological and political. I also always enjoy Pohl's futurology settings, taking place at the beginning of the interesting part of the Space Age. Also, the main character is very accessible, a lot like other space inclined people without a real valuable trait that would earn them a spot in space. There is so much more...
Will be reading the rest of his work soon.

March 4, 2012