The Space Merchants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Space Merchants | |
 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
|
| Author | Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Space Merchants |
| Genre(s) | Science Fiction/Satire |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Publication date | 1953 |
| Media type | print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 179 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Followed by | The Merchants' War |
The Space Merchants is a science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth that was first published in book form in 1953 (having been a Galaxy Science Fiction magazine serial entitled Gravy Planet in 1952).
The book is widely regarded as an SF classic. In his study of the pioneers of SF, New Maps of Hell (1960), the novelist Kingsley Amis states that The Space Merchants "has many claims to being the best science-fiction novel so far."[1] It is also ahead of its time in stressing the importance of limiting population growth and conserving natural resources.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
In a vastly overpopulated world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold all political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge trans-national corporations. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and by far the best-paid profession. Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that the quality of life is improved by all the products placed on the market. However, the most basic elements are incredibly scarce, including water and fuel. The planet Venus has just been visited and judged fit for human settlement, despite its inhospitable surface and climate; the colonists would have to endure a harsh climate for many generations until the planet could be terraformed.
The protagonist, Mitch Courtenay, is a star-class copywriter in the Fowler Schocken advertising agency who has been assigned the ad campaign which would attract colonists to Venus. But a lot more is happening than he knows about. It soon becomes a tale of mystery and intrigue, in which many of the characters are not what they seem, and Mitch's loyalties and opinions change drastically over the course of the narrative.
[edit] Reality Testing
This book was published before the Venera probes were sent to Venus, returning reports that the surface temperature is over 480 °C (860 °F).
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ Kingsley Amis: New Maps of Hell, p. 124.
