The story follows an advertising executive who is tasked with creating a marketing campaign to convince people to emigrate to Venus. Obviously, we know Venus is an uninhabitable hellscape, but in this world, nobody seems to know that.
The executive comes from a wealthy, privileged class, while the people he is trying to persuade to move to Venus are at the very bottom of society. He knows very little about them and is genuinely surprised when things don’t go according to plan. As the story progresses, he is forced to confront the reality of his “customers” and, ultimately, the world outside his privileged bubble.
What I found less appealing was that the focus wasn’t really Venus, but Earth and its political and social situation. The novel explores themes such as consumerism, corporate power and advertising. To be honest, these aren’t my favourite subjects to read about, which is probably why I had to make a bit of an effort to finish it.
hat I enjoyed, though, was the protagonist’s struggle and the realisation he came to. He became more human and, as a result, less annoying. I also found the ending a bit surprising. Not a happy ending but satisfying. A redemption of sorts.
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