C. M. Kornbluth Boeken

In this golden age sci-fi novel, war has rendered significant portions of Europe either uninhabitable or barbaric. The U.S. Government has failed, to be replaced by organized crime--Syndic is short for Syndicate.

CAUTION! You are about to enter a world... where all engineering ingenuity has been employed for public spectacles of torture and death where the stock market operates with pari-mutuel machines where a court clerk transcribes testimony on punch cards, then feeds it to a jury machine where the dream real-estate development of today has become a cracked-concrete savage jungle In this world, young lawyer Charles Mundin battles a great combine of corporate interests—battles them in board meetings and in dark alleys—in a struggle that lays bare some brutal promises of the future...promises we are beginning to make right now. “...wholly admirable, in both thinking and execution.”—Galaxy “Reminiscent in vigor, bite and acumen to THE SPACE MERCHANTS”—Anthony Boucher. “...possessed of a bite and savage vigor which makes it one of the outstanding science fiction novels of the year.”—The New York Times “...a powerfully convincing story.”—New York Herald Tribune

In an overcrowded America of the near future a few advertising agencies control the population of drug and ad-conditioned consumers. Mitchell Courtenay's job is to sell the development and exploitation of Venus but a rival ad group also want Venus

An alternative cover edition with the same ISBN exists here. Something Was Very Wrong, Out There Among The Stars...The interstellar transport had touched down on six other colony worlds - and all six had been devoid of human life. Where was everybody? It was almost as if humankind, when separated by cosmic distances from Mother Earth, could not survive.

"The Marching Morons" is a look at a far future in which the world's population consists of five billion idiots and a few million geniuses - the precarious minority of the "elite" working desperately to keep things running behind the scenes. "The Marching Morons" is a direct sequel to "The Little Black Bag": it is easy to miss this, as "Bag" is set in the contemporary present while "Morons" takes place several centuries from now, and there is no character that appears in both stories. The titular black bag in the first story is actually an artifact from the time period of "The Marching Morons": a medical kit filled with self-driven instruments enabling a far-future moron to "play doctor". A future Earth similar to "The Marching Morons" - a civilization of morons protected by a small minority of hidden geniuses - is used again in the final stages of "Search the Sky".

This replica of the June 1958 VANGUARD SCIENCE FICTION digest magazine showcases a selection of classic sci-fi stories. Featured works include "SOS, PLANET UNKNOWN" by A. Bertram Chandler, exploring themes of survival in the cosmos, and "REAP THE DARK TIDE" by C. M. Kornbluth, which delves into the consequences of human actions. Other notable contributions include James E. Gunn's "WHEN THE SHOE FITS," Raymond F. Jones' "THE STRAD EFFECT," and Richard Wilson's "FAREWELL PARTY," each offering unique narratives that reflect the era's imaginative spirit.

Set in a unique culture adrift, the narrative explores a savage code that governs its inhabitants. However, the true brutality emerges when outcasts venture onto land, revealing a harsher reality. This thought-provoking tale, nominated for the 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, delves into themes of survival and societal norms, contrasting the life at sea with the challenges faced on land.