We Read Science Fiction

Last night I finished reading The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and CM Kornbluth. This one has been on my list for a very long time. I’m not sure where I got the recommendation, but whoever told me about it — Thank You! It’s a short book and probably could be described as a novella since it is less than 200 pages. The main theme revolves around the characters living in a dystopia created by gluttony, greed and overcrowding. It’s a disturbing and cautionary tale that is well worth your time.

Summary: The Space Merchants is an excellent story warning of the consequences of our ongoing rampant consumerism. Written over 50 years ago the messages contained within continue to become more true with each passing day.

Written in 1952, the story revolves around one man in an advertising agency trying to sell the population of the USA on the benefits of being on the first colony ship to Venus. The Earth is overcrowded, basic resources like water and fuel are extremely scarce and society is divided not by race, religion or politics, but instead by how far up the corporate ladder you are. Some careers carry more prestige than others, and nepotism is rampant.

The advertising agencies form the highest rung of the ladder because they are the ones who delude the population of “good little consumers” into believing that all of the products on the market improve their quality of life, rather than destroy their future. Deliberately addictive products extend the truth of tobacco, alcohol and drug addition into everyday things like clothing and meat.

The main character, star-class copywriter Mitch Courtenay, becomes the victim of corporate espionage and as a result we see the dystopian underbelly of society. He discovers and fights the “consie” (Conservationist) movement, but in the end is left utterly changed by his experiences as a “lowly consumer”.

The Space Merchants is a short, quick read with a single straight-line plot and no flashbacks. Nothing is as it seems, and all the twists and turns that are obvious in hind-sight are relatively unpredictable while you’re reading forwards from page to page. It’s well written, has sufficiently deep characters for it’s length and remains relevant 50 years after it was written. Not quite a must-read, but certainly a classic.

My only caution is that the politics of the era are certainly present in this book. If you don’t agree with (and can’t read past) some of pro-conservationist, anti-consumerism sentiments you might not enjoy the book as much as I did. Whenever I read one of these older works I try to remember when it was written so that I can keep everything in perspective. Just a suggestion.

At least try and borrow it from the library, a week ought to be enough for even the slowest readers.

Enjoy!