Man Plus

In an effort to finish more Grand Masters and Masterworks, and relating to other Mars books read this year, I dove into this pool of Pohl. The water is lukewarm at best.

This story is about establishing a long-term presence on Mars, by altering a Man to fit the environment instead of vice-versa. The added cyborg equipment leads to the title, Man Plus. There is some suspense and a few plot twists, but really this is a novel of relationships. Man to his body, and to his soul (a Catholic Priest is along on the mission). Man to his wife, his best friend, and his wife cheating on him with his best friend. Towards the end, Man to society itself.

Climate change, politics and the mutual destruction of two countries (and the planet) also come into play. The Teddy Roosevelt-like president pokes into the story at odd times, at first a caricature, but later truly concerned for the astronaut and his mission.

Flowery words aside, I liked the story. The science is a little off, and it felt dated at times, but in general I liked it. A sequel was co-written many years afterward, and it is perhaps telling that I have no interest in reading further into this universe. 3¼ stars.