The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was published in 1952. It’s a short book at just 186 pages, but not a quick read. 

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.

Man Plus by Frederik Pohl

Earth does not have much time. Factions are killing each other. A computer predicts that our only hope would be to move to Mars. And so, a race to achieve Mars colonisation begins. 

I assume there would be thousands of aspects that would have to be planned, from transportation, computers, fuel, terraforming technologies, and so on. However, in Man Plus, we follow closely the creation of a transhuman, someone capable of surviving Mars inhospitable environment without equipment. We learn about this man’s modifications, being them a mixture of computer technology and some other kind of biotechnology. The process is painful, physically and psychologically. I think the cover art does a good job of depicting the main character. Along with the Man Plus will travel other “normal” human beings who will monitor and manage the cyborg. 

I enjoyed this novel very much. I was hooked from beginning to end. And there is a nice twist in the last chapter worth an extra star. This isn’t a perfect read, though. There were quite a few instances in which the situations were bizarre, and the characters acted in unrealistic ways, as if they were made of cardboard not bone and flesh, for example, the protagonist’s reactions to some of his body modifications were hard to digest. Regardless, I recommend this read to anyone open to suspending their disbelief. 

And I almost forgot, my main takeaways are 1. Obviously, a question about what makes us human? and 2. Another question, how come it is a better option to modify a human, plan a gigantic terraforming project on Mars than to fix the problems we have on earth, with psychopathic states trying to kill each other? - Rhetorical questions? Food for thought?

Gateway by Frederik Pohl

Good, good! I like how Pohl intercalates the narrative about the Gateway, the aliens and the trips with psychotherapy sessions of the protagonist with an AI/robot therapist. Actually I found these sessions a very interesting narrative tool of past and present events as well as uncovering the psychological effects the trips and the gateway had on the protagonist. Thought provoking and surprisingly entertaining.