Midas World: A Novel

by Frederik Pohl

After acquiring the limitless energy provided by controlled nuclear fusion, the people of Earth create a surfeit of consumer products that strips the earth of its resources and threatens to bury its people.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Frederik George Pohl, Jr. was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy magazine and its sister magazine IF winning the Hugo for IF three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is billed as "a brilliantly, darkly satiric novel about a future ruined by inexhaustible plenty," but the problem is that it isn't a novel at all, it's a collection of thematically-adjacent short stories. Due to free, unlimited power and robotic manufacturing assistance, consumerism has become an inversely mandated stipulation. The book contains two classic stories from H.L. Gold's Galaxy from the 1950s, The Midas Plague and The Man Who Ate the World, four from the early 1980s and a brief introductory piece. Pohl is at his satiric best, but the thematic repetition grew a bit thin after a while, and I didn't think the newer stories had the same punch or feel as the earlier ones. I preferred them in their individual appearances.

[Sarah Astley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why hadn't I heard of this book before? Checks a number of boxes for me: it's dystopian sci-fi, it's short stories, it has moments of absurdity and pathos worthy of George Saunders and Aldous Huxley. Would recommend for any reader fond of the former two authors, and I'm ready to be a proselytizer for this book getting its due in the canon.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess this was supposed to be a story about consumption or consumerism or something, but it turned out to be a story of what happens with virtually unlimited energy and really, really bad management. Apparently once everyone in the world has ready access to more than they could ever want, that is still not enough. Someone in this world seems to think that production itself, and not quality of life or access to goods, is the real measure of economic success, so production must continue, until class is turned upside down, with the poor forced to consume the excess. The solution to that problem is as ridiculous as the problem itself, and after that the world pretty much falls apart, as you might have expected from the beginning. That's not a spoiler, it's what the book is about.
There were some interesting moments, but mostly I was bogged down by the complete absurdity of it. I set the book down and finally picked it up to finish it about four years later when I finally got over the stupidity.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas executed in a comical way. In fact, its impossible for the reader to appreciate this book if serious in tone. However its shows its roots as a collection of short stories that were only loosely related.

Pohl loves his satire and its in full effect- here he goes for excess consumerism, white flight / economic segregation, hedonism, ecology parables.

However the satire sometimes overrides the setting - things just dont seem to make sense, even given the absurdities in the stories presented as fact. For example, in the short story about where all humans have lived off planet - why not have all the fusion reactors run on the moon and beam power that way? Seems kinda silly to destroy the earth with thermal pollution and others.

But i get the point hes trying to make, and its enjoyable enough. Just not as succesful as The Space Merchants.

[A.R. Yngve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frederik Pohl is one of my major literary influences – I started reading his satirical SF stories when i was a kid.

MIDAS WORLD is a collection of stories set on an imaginary future Earth where the energy problem has been solved, and intelligent robots can take care of all our needs... that is, all our needs except being happy.

My favorite story in the book is ”The Midas Plague,” in which accelerated material wealth has turned the idea of ”poverty” and ”riches” upside down. The poor are forced to consume obscene amounts of food and goods, living in palaces, while the rich can afford a simple life without servants.

(Is that really so far-fetched? Obesity is a growing problem in the Western World. Only the rich can afford to stay thin...!)

What’s so great about MIDAS WORLD is that it works both as a satire of our consumer society, with its obsession about ”growth” at any cost, and as a credible speculation about the future.

Heartily recommended!

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

"We have infinite energy, what should we make it with it?"

"Robots."

"And what else?"

"I said make some freaking robots. As many as possible!"


I read this in two days, but that's not really a good measure of how well I enjoyed it. Pohl makes for an easy read with lots of ideas that go no where.

The book is a series of short tales that share a universe which unfortunately don't have much to say until the last couple pages. There's some slight overlap, but not quite what I was hoping for. Plot points were often left dangling, never to be seen again aside from cursory side comments.

I do agree with the final message though. I once believed with more free time humans would spend it on creative endeavors, but the pandemic proved that false. Instead it seems humans waste time on 24 hour news and conspiracy theories. Frankly I can't wait either Amadeus

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old school pulp science fiction, a collection of short stories that has been woven into an overall story arc (after the fact, apparently). These stories deal with a post-scarcity robot-based society and a world that is increasingly polluted. They are lighthearted and short but do deal with the human (and robot!) feelings that a society like that could trigger. Well done, and felt surprisingly relevant at times even 40+ years later.

[Earl Truss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This "novel" is really a collection of five short stories which describe the result of the invention of free fusion power. All the stories are good except for The Lord of the Skies. I see how it fits in with the other stories but it seems very long and wordy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 1 out of 5]

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Midas World is a collection of short-stories by Frederick Pohl. None of these short stories have glaring flaws really, but at the same time I was never really pulled in, with one exception.

In Midas World Amalfi Amadeus discovers a way to bring extremely cheap (basically free) energy to our society by using nuclear fusion. There is a big catch - because energy is so cheap the world is forced into mass-consumption. Each person is rationed to consume many goods, everything from plays to sleeping pills. This creates a unique scenario where poor people own extremely large properties, nice cars, etc and rich people can afford their way into a more simple life.

Here are the list of stories -

"The Fire Bringer" - I don't really consider this to be a story really. It's only a couple pages and all it talks about is Amalfi's discovery of cheap energy (no rating)

"The Midas Plague" - Mass-consumerism takes hold of human society. The poor are forced to consume rabidly, the rich live more simple lives. (3.5/5)

"The Servant of the People" - Aging congressman Fiorello O'Hare is trying to keep his seat. His challenger, Mayor Thom is a robot. (3)

"The Man Who Ate The World" - Mass-consumerism isn't a problem like it used to be, but one character named Anderson Trumie is a bit indulgent. (3)

"The Farmer On The Dole" - A robotic farmer named Zeb is forced out of farming and into a new profession as a mugger. (3.5)

"The Lord of the Skies" - Nuclear fusion has turned Earth into a wasteland. People now live in stations orbiting Earth, which draw power from Earth. Michael Perkins has an accident while hunting a probe and crashes on Earth. Michael meets up with his brother, whom he doesn't get along with all that well. Robots are everywhere, humans are few and far in between. This is my favorite story in this collection. (4)

"The New Neighbors" - Humans move to an apartment building where all other tenants are robots. Robots are unable to harm the humans, though they don't like them all that much. (3)


None of these stories are real stinkers, but none of them are really all that memorable either. If you're a fan of Pohl then check this out!

[Tom Groff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was merely ok. The premise of what would the world look like, given a source of limitless free energy, is a very interesting one. Unfortunately Pohl's extrapolations seem very unlikely and not well thought out. This would be ok, if the book was at least consistently entertaining, but some of the sections were a drag to get through, where neither the characters nor the events of the plot were particularly compelling.
It seems like it wanted to be a story of ideas, but when the ideas fell short, there wasn't enough story to hold it all together.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

An older book (1983)with short stories built around a central theme of unlimited energy. Some of it seems naive. Specifically about how masses of people will react to unlimited energy at their disposal. Pohl's take is that it will turn the haves and have-nots upside down, making it more desirable to be a have-not. The book shows people abusing this power, but assumes there is plenty of space for everyone without any of the abuse directed toward other people. Overall, it was interesting, but it was hard to suspend my disbelief at points.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't remember why I wanted to read this book until I got to part 5.

Things I learned from this book:

1) The League of Women Voters will still be hosting debates when robots run for Congress.
2) Robots who are programmed to be muggers will assault students at Illinois Institute of Technology and use their ill-gotten gains to buy McDonald's hamburgers.
3) Hunting Von Neumann machines can be fun.

Interesting book, but I can see why it's kept in the stacks.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pohl's writing is intriguing as ever, but the premise of this short story collection is not based in an understanding of economics. Expect to set aside real-world knowledge in order to play some far-fetched "what if" mind games. Pohl does have some neat ideas about what happens when the rate of technological change outpaces the rate of social adaptation.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great speculative fiction -- Pohl takes a simple idea (energy so cheap it's basically free) and runs with it. And runs with it. And runs with it. Some of it borders on ridiculous, but most of it is funny and/or thoughtful. The story about people having consumption rations has some hilarious surprises.

[Pingupappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it credible? Not really. Is the language like a balm to the mind. No.
But some of the core ideas of this book has come back to me so many times the last twenty years that I have to say that it has been a fantastic read! I love the way Pohl helped me envision life with endless resources, bored robots, expert house AI:s, von Neumann machines. My life is richer after reading this book.

[John Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopian view of the future where having everything you could want means you are poor.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damned decent sci-fi, although it may have been better as a short story, which explains why the first few chapters are stronger.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why did I pick up this book? I hate Frederik Pohl. Still, it's okay.

[Will Boncher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trippy idea, fun story. Wasn't a fun of the abrupt ending though.