a SciFic classic done really well

I picked up this scifi classic as a way to begin filling in my knowledge of works from the past that inform the genre's current status and to see what things have dropped out. Pohl's work, like Bester's, is tough to read/listen to because the central character is not the usual hero figure. That said, Pohl's vision of the future from the fifties appears to be more accurate than Asimov's, and so maybe we are a lot more like his characters than Asimov's.

The performance of the story is quite good, making the story quite followable and giving nuance where it's called for.

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coffiest

Dear readers, this story shows exactly what working at an ad agency is all about.

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great recollection

Where does The Space Merchants rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the better ones. I've listened to Good fact and this is Good fiction.I read the novel in the sixties and couldn't remember it. This was better.

What other book might you compare The Space Merchants to and why?

I like SF and Fantasy. Some of them had the theme "you can sell anything with adequate promotion."

What three words best describe Dan Bittner’s performance?

Quite Good really.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen 30-45 min sessions.

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Classic satiric sci-fi

Pohl & Kornbluth's Space Merchants takes place in a not-so-distant future where the world is ruled by advertising agencies. It's a very satirical take on the commercial world and its possible future, in which corporations and governments don't manage advertising---the advertisers manage the corporations and governments.

One agency has won the contract for the planet Venus --- find the colonists, create commercial enterprises, and essentially make the biggest buck possible. Opponents include competing agencies and the "Consies" (conservationists).

The plot is interesting but the value of the story is in the satire and humor value. It's not a laugh-out-loud book, more of a OK-that's-our-society-taken-to-the-max kind of humor.

Bittner's reading is pretty good...maybe a little more editing in the sound booth was needed, but OK.

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You a New Crumb?

YOU DON'T GET PULLED TO VENUS, YOU GET PUSHED.
Turn off your Hypnoteleset, get your pot of Coffiest from your nightstand and listen to me rather your a Star Class or a Consumer. I am a slow reader of hard backs, so I can count on my fingers the number of hard copy books a have read more then once in the last 30 years. This book I read at least three times. I had a copy of this on cassette and I listened to it numerous times. I am so glad it is out in a new audible format. This should be on your top ten list of classic Science Fiction.

SHE WAS JUST A TOOL
This is a world taken over by advertising agencies and by corporations. Some may think it goes a little too far. I say it is spot on and is happening right now. Just before I listened to this, there was a story on the news about retail stores using cameras and face recognition to follow customers through the store and to keep track of where in the store consumers spend most of there time. This was written in 1952. One of the products talked about was called Pregnot. The pill was not approved until 1960. Another product was the Bolster Bra. Have you seen the padding in push up bras at Victoria Secret? Did you think 20 years ago that half naked women would be modeling panties and bras on TV? In the book, cops will not come investigate a crime unless you subscribe to them. Is there not places where you can not get firefighters to come out unless you subscribe to them? Are you one of the millions of people who must have caffeine in the morning, either through coffee or cola? Isn't one of the more recent books to come out, called Sugar and Salt, and doesn't it talk about how much sugar and salt is put in food, because it is addictive. One of my favorite parts of the book, is when they talk about congress. People are not represented by States. The congressmen represent companies, such as Yummy Cola. Don't many people believe that lobbyist from special interest groups and large corporations, own many of our congressmen? The president is just a figure head in this book with no power. The president is born to his position. How much power does today's president have? Until Obama didn't most of our presidents come from the same powerful families? The book has hypnotelesets and people go into a trance when they watch it. I have seen people do the same thing in front of modern television. In the book people sign a contract on the length of there marriage. Remember in 1952 it was very hard to get a divorce. How long do most marriages last today and how many times do most people marry? A big part of the book is the wide divide between Star Class (conservatives) and Consies (liberals). Is there not the largest divide today between the two?

SPLIT A SHOWER, BUD?
Pohl and Kornbluth did not get everything right. Like the Science Fiction writers of there day they thought space travel would be common place and they believed in overpopulation. Regular people don't travel to the moon or Venus and overpopulation is not what they tried to convince us it would be. Also like most writers of that time, Pohl was a huge liberal. Some of today's readers may not be able to get over there bias in that area.

The narrator did an excellent job and really got into the spirit of the book.

22 people found this helpful

Good build...peters out.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The author built an intriguing and terrifying world and could have used it to build a better story. The book ended suddenly and left me wondering what would have happened next.

What about Dan Bittner’s performance did you like?

Very good.

Was The Space Merchants worth the listening time?

Not really. I was disappointed. I expected a better read.

4 people found this helpful

"Mad Men" in outer space

The Space Merchants by the writing duo of Frederik Pohl and C M Kornbluth is a 1950's sci-fi epic with a surprisingly timeless appeal. The tale is set in the future when space travel is routine and colonization of Venus is being contemplated. Society is an extension of Auldous Huxley's Brave New World where corporations, run by an elite class, control the globe indirectly and advertising has been elevated almost to a science to maintain the "consumer" class in an indebted state as they are convinced to buy everything. The main character is an elite advertiser who gets the job of selling the colonization of Venus, but ends up being shanghai'ed and dumped with ordinary consumers. To survive and eventually escape, he must align himself with the radical conservationists who are mounting a violent insurgency against the ruling corporations.

Other than space flight and concepts about living on Venus, the tale focuses mainly on societal evolution as corporations rule the roost by corrupting government and subliminally and overtly influencing the general population. In addition, products are intentionally selected and designed for addictive qualities to further enhance their attractiveness. Ironically, the tale nails much of the development of a consumer society for the rest of the 20th century, the rise of conservation and environmentalism, as well as the corrupting influence of money and politics.

The narration is well done with excellent character discrimination and solid pacing. The is a quick listen, but in spite of the short length, the tale takes a number of unexpected twists and turns.

1 person found this helpful

Not bad. Just not how I remember it.

This was on my college Science Fiction Literature reading list in the late 70's. Written in 1952, the technology is dated. It has always been a book I wanted to re-read. The Audible version got me all of the way across Montana.

Solid Work

Solid corporate distopia that mostly keeps up an impressive pace. Interesting lead character whose character development could be better integrated with events. World building is pragmatic and detailed; the author may have a background in corporate sales. Recommended, but not passionately.

Funny satire, not much else

It's great satire of capitalism etc. the plot leaves something to be desired. the protagonist does develop and change, but just sort of all at once - it doesn't feel justified, really. finally, the ending seemed abrupt