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loonyboi's review
4.0
This book was a lot of fun. A sort of sci-fi Mad Men, with a dash of Sullivan's Travels thrown in for good measure.
fisk42's review
4.0
Good book, written in the 50s but very ahead of its time with the whole advertising/corporate based dystopia.
lintkaurea's review against another edition
4.0
Una brutal sátira sobre un mundo no tan diferente del nuestro, en el que las corporaciones manejan el cotarro y los gobiernos se inclinan ante ellas. La publicidad que aparece aquí ha quedado un tanto obsoleta, pero sus principios básicos de engaño, exceso de control, recopilación de datos personales, y otros fraudes notables se muestran aquí sin pudor, y en ocasiones se quedan incluso cortos en comparación. Y pensar que se escribió en 1953...
kodermike's review against another edition
4.0
There's talk these days of good retro-scifi, and in its own way I think this accidentally fits. Not because it's retro - it was written in its time - but because it has that perfect blend of 50's vernacular with future society problems. Pohl and Kornbluth took a stab at what the future would look like, and for all that they failed and missed with, they still managed to hit a few things dead on. A good read.
whippycleric's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Of anyone asks me what my favorite genre is I inevitably say dystopian fiction / Sci fi and this definitely comes under that heading. It's beautiful story telling with a great character arc. Is it the best example of the genre? No, unfortunately not but it's still a great read and sets up the universe nicely for what I hope to be a great series. Given the date of publication it's not surprising that not everything in it is pc, but I actually found it surprisingly progressive. The world itself is king of a near 1984 world but with space technology a few decades in advance in what we have now. The idea of advertising companies holding so much power is so on the nose of where it looks like we're going you can't fault the authors vision. I have the next in the series on a shelf in the office and I'll happily pick it up soon.
phamnewan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
moorelaborate's review against another edition
3.0
It's fun to see what retro sci fi thought of consumerism, but as usual the other problems of the era shine brighter. I would have preferred a different ending although not enough to invest time into the next in the series.
mrising1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It's a kitchy Sci-fi from the 50's. Plot conveniences, and heavy-handed messages, but it's fun and makes some solid critiques on society both at the time and currently.