Frederik Pohl

November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013.

A great writer, and by “great” I mean not only that he shaped and steered a substantial amount of a single genre through guidance and mentoring and penning riveting novels and short stories, but that he made me despair of ever writing half as well as he could. But that’s a compliment, ‘cuz I still want to do it.

Anyway, from what little I knew of him despite knowing about him for a while, he was witty, acerbic, and generally well-liked by the SF writers of his generation and later ones. Though he wasn’t of the Glorified Trifecta in the Science Fiction Pantheon (that’d be Asimov-Bradbury-Clarke-Heinlein, pick yer favorite three outta four), he would undoubtedly be the Shield Bearer, the Executive Officer, the Special Guest Star. If Science Fiction were Olympus, he’d be Hephaestus, sweatily and thunderously hammering out his wares on some hellish forge for the gods to use.

I’ve read very little Pohl over the years. The only reason I can think why is that he just wasn’t found in the library I lived at as a kid. Least I don’t remember him. So the personal backstory wasn’t there. But as an adult I learned he won a few Nebulas and Hugos (those’re the Oscars and Peoples Choice Awards of science fiction writing) so I decided to check him out. Read Gateway, the 1977 winner, and thought it was interesting. Read Man Plus, the 1976 winner, and was absolutely, completely, overwhelmingly floored. See here. No, really, see here. In between I read a fantastic novella, “The Merchants of Venus.” Dug that one too. On the shelf behind me is his 1990 novel The World at the End of Time, bought in late 2009 but still unread.

Now – I think I have a follow-up to my great Philip Jose Farmer Experiment of 2013. Beginning this January 1, I’m going to read a dozen Fred Pohl books and stories to get to the quintessence of the man and the writer. Then I’ll compare the two experiments.

If you’re a book nerd like me, I know you’re quivering with excitement!

Mr. Pohl, you did not write in vain. Loved your stuff and looking forward to reading more (all) of it.

RIP