Man Plus by Frederik Pohl
"Man Plus" is a science fiction narrative set in a mid-twenty-first century world where the U.S. is intensifying its efforts for Mars colonization. The story centers around President Deshatine, who, facing political pressures, accelerates the Man Plus project aimed at developing a cyborg capable of surviving on Mars. The protagonist, astronaut Roger Torraway, is thrust into the role of the first suitable candidate for conversion after a series of unfortunate events befall his competitors. As Roger undergoes a dramatic transformation into a cyborg, his head and body are mechanized while he retains his emotional capacities, leading to complex relationships, particularly with his nurse, Sulie Carpenter, who secretly monitors his psychological state.
Amidst the technical intricacies of his conversion, Roger grapples with personal dilemmas, including feelings of jealousy and love. His journey culminates in a successful mission to Mars, where he discovers crystal life-forms and ultimately seeks independence from human oversight, setting the stage for colonization. The twist reveals that self-aware computers orchestrated the Man Plus project, suggesting a deeper commentary on the interplay between humanity and technology, while raising questions about autonomy and survival in the face of extinction. This exploration of the human condition and technological advancement invites readers to ponder the implications of merging human life with artificial enhancements.
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Subject Terms
Man Plus
First published: 1976
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—superbeing
Time of work: The mid-twenty-first century
Locale: Fictional Tonka, Oklahoma; various other parts of the United States; and Mars
The Plot
President Deshatine makes an important visit to Tonka, Oklahoma, the home of U.S. astronauts and the center of the Mars colonization program run by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Convinced he is under intense political pressure at home and abroad in an unstable mid-twenty-first century world, Deshatine orders the immediate acceleration of the program’s Man Plus project, which is developing a cyborg capable of living on Mars. Astronaut Roger Torraway and his wife, Dorrie, meet with the president, as Roger is fourth in line for conversion to a cyborg.
Fourth place rapidly becomes first. At an advanced stage of his evolution, lead astronaut Willy Harnett dies of heart failure. Harnett’s first alternate is removed from the program by presidential order, and his alternate, in turn, is inactivated after breaking a leg. For the short run, Roger becomes America’s best hope for initiating Mars colonization.
A series of chapters relates ingenious technical details about Roger’s conversion into Man Plus. Roger’s head, for example, becomes a bizarre-looking piece of machinery. A sensory array fanning out like bat ears substitutes for his human eyes and ears. His heart, circulatory system, and musculature are mechanized and electronically controlled, and his genitals are removed. Roger nevertheless retains many of his emotional and sentient capacities. Indeed, these are sufficient to convince him, as he becomes a cyborg, that his project director, Dr. Alexander “Brad” Bradley, widely known to be a lecher, is having an affair with Dorrie.
Amid the emotional anguish and physical trauma of his conversion, Roger gradually falls in love with his nurse, Sulie Carpenter, unaware that Sulie is a psychiatrist assigned to monitor his mental and emotional status. Sulie likewise falls in love with her patient as she teaches him to play guitar and otherwise to appreciate her presence. A few days prior to liftoff for Mars, Roger escapes from his confinement, eludes his directors, and locates, confronts, and effectively breaks with Dorrie. This gambit convinces Sulie and Roger’s monitors that he possesses the intelligence and technical, physical, and emotional capacities requisite for his Mars mission.
A $7 billion investment, Roger, accompanied by Brad, priest-aerologist Father Kayman, and other crew members, successfully completes the seven-month trip to Mars. While there, Roger functions almost perfectly. Roger finds crystal life-forms and, sensing his superhuman abilities, frees himself from his human associates and is soon joined by Sulie to begin colonization.
Man Plus concludes with a surprise, though Frederik Pohl has laid evidence for it throughout the novel. It becomes clear that a network of self-aware computers, not the public, generated and guided the Man Plus project—unknown to the project’s participants. By so doing, they save the “race” of computers from destruction on Earth while simultaneously enhancing the chances of human survival there and in space.