Jem

Rating:
Summary: Could have been more
Review: I liked this novel. The new planet Jem and its strange new lifeforms were written very well. Jem orbits a tiny, not-very-hot star the same way our Moon orbits Earth. That is, with one side always light and the opposite side dark. Three sentient species inhabit the planet: mole-like Creepies who live underground in burrows, crab-like Krinpit on the surface, and flying Balloonists who never land. If the story had been more about the interesting animals, I would have enjoyed the book better. I did not like any of the human characters. By the second hundred pages, I was already hoping they would all die. But of course they don't. People on Earth bomb each other to bits and the related factions on Jem almost follow suit, being stopped only by a natural disaster. The resulting civilization is an utopian parody; it reminds me of "Animal Farm". Everything is "freely given" or not given at all. The native sentients of Jem work for the humans because they can't do otherwise after their planet is subdued by humans. It's repulsive, but realistic, to imagine that humans would do no better with a new planet than they have with their first one, even after all their experience and knowledge. I prefer happier fantasies.

Rating:
Summary: Could have been more
Review: I liked this novel. The new planet Jem and its strange new lifeforms were written very well. Jem orbits a tiny, not-very-hot star the same way our Moon orbits Earth. That is, with one side always light and the opposite side dark. Three sentient species inhabit the planet: mole-like Creepies who live underground in burrows, crab-like Krinpit on the surface, and flying Balloonists who never land. If the story had been more about the interesting animals, I would have enjoyed the book better. I did not like any of the human characters. By the second hundred pages, I was already hoping they would all die. But of course they don't. People on Earth bomb each other to bits and the related factions on Jem almost follow suit, being stopped only by a natural disaster. The resulting civilization is an utopian parody; it reminds me of "Animal Farm". Everything is "freely given" or not given at all. The native sentients of Jem work for the humans because they can't do otherwise after their planet is subdued by humans. It's repulsive, but realistic, to imagine that humans would do no better with a new planet than they have with their first one, even after all their experience and knowledge. I prefer happier fantasies.

Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: Not many authors can "build" a planet in enough detail to make it seem realistic to the reader. If they can, however, their names are often spoken with reverance among SF fans for their brilliance and ingenuity. Herbert, Niven, Robinson, and now Pohl.

But JEM is more than just the detailing of a planet, it is the creation of a civilization, where Earth can no longer support people and so they have to move on and try to start again, only our petty human disagreements get in the way and we almost risk utopia for the sake of being superior to someone else.

There is so much going on in this novel that it's almost impossible to discuss, but Pohl handles everything perfectly, from the charactization of the humans, to the imaginative aliens that inhabit the world of Jem. Yes, there are setbacks, there are fights, and the people almost fail, the black night bearing down on them, but the novel ends with a ray of light, the final few lines certain to resonate long after the novel has been closed (that's a cliche thrown around a lot, but here it is completely applicable.) It's a must for anyone and everyone.