The Best of Frederik Pohl by Frederik Pohl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another book of short stories by Frederik Pohl that I’ve read and he really doesn’t disappoint. I like his short stories much better than his novels, to be honest. “The Tunnel Under The World” was published in the mid-50s, but reads like The Truman Show. It’s quite interesting. “The Children of Night” is disturbing and spooky. Actually, there are several disturbing pieces in this book. “The Midas Plague,” however, is not one of them. In this story, there’s rampant over-consumption throughout the world and the poorer you are, the more you have while the wealthier you are, the less you have. The goal is to get the least amount possible. You see, robots are out of control making things like crazy and society has to consume or be overwhelmed. It’s an interesting concept. Pohl takes his usual skewering of advertising and PR to new heights in several of these stories, including the aforementioned “The Children of Night.” What won’t an advertising campaign buy, right? “The Census Takers” is ahead of its time in dealing with pollution and overpopulation. Really, there aren’t many weak pieces in this book. It’s a good collection, and it’s all comprised of stuff written from his first 50 years. (I think he’s close to 100 now.) So no newer stuff. That’s OK though. These stories stand the test of time and don’t feel dated. I strongly recommend this book if you like sci fi with some social commentary and humor, as well as some possibly disturbing ideas mixed in. It’s a good read.

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