The Merchants of Venus
Encyclopedia
"The Merchants of Venus", also known by the title "The Merchants of Venus Underground", is a science fiction
novella
by American writer Frederik Pohl
published in 1972 as part of the collection The Gold at the Starbow's End.
It is a satire
of runaway free market
capitalism
. It also features the first appearance
of the Heechee
.
It was adapted as a graphic novel
by Victoria Petersen and Neal McPheeters in 1986, as the fourth title in the DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel series.
A story by the same title was published in Galaxy magazine, March 1954 by A.H. Phelps and is available, with color cover art, from Project Gutenberg. In it, an advertising man takes on the problem of getting colonists to go to Venus. The story was dramatized on the radio series XMinus One, which was affiliated with Galaxy.Mp3 available.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by American writer Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
published in 1972 as part of the collection The Gold at the Starbow's End.
It is a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of runaway free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
. It also features the first appearance
First appearance
In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a fictional character.-Monetary value of first appearance issues:...
of the Heechee
Heechee
The Heechee are a fictional alien race from the science fiction works of Frederik Pohl. The Heechee are portrayed as an exceedingly advanced star-travelling race that explored Earth's solar system millennia ago and then disappeared without a trace before humankind began space exploration.The...
.
It was adapted as a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
by Victoria Petersen and Neal McPheeters in 1986, as the fourth title in the DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel series.
A story by the same title was published in Galaxy magazine, March 1954 by A.H. Phelps and is available, with color cover art, from Project Gutenberg. In it, an advertising man takes on the problem of getting colonists to go to Venus. The story was dramatized on the radio series XMinus One, which was affiliated with Galaxy.Mp3 available.