Merchants of Space

A classic from the golden age of sci-fi. The year is 2050, and the biggest deal in human history is about to unfold – the right to colonise Venus. Mitch Courtenay, from a major advertising agency, is tasked with recruiting as many volunteers as possible. But the advertising business rules the world, and the competition is out for Mitch's blood. Do we want to raise future passionate smokers so the cigarette industry can thrive even more? Let's get children hooked on Šlučík brand cigarettes! Such is the task of advertising, which parasitically infects rational thought and controls society. This classic from the golden age of sci-fi was written in the 1950s, and its authors set the story in the distant year of 2050, where advertising agencies battle each other for consumers because the ad business runs the world. The biggest deal in human history is on the horizon – the right to colonise Venus. Mitch Courtenay, a star copywriter at one of the largest advertising agencies, is tasked with recruiting volunteers for life on the distant planet. His competitors are after him, and Mitch must disappear. But his life is in danger not only in the USA, but also at the South Pole, on plantations in Costa Rica, and on the populated Moon. Seen from today's perspective – can this book have a happy ending?