The Merchants of Venus

"The Merchants of Venus" is a science fiction novella by American writer Frederik Pohl and published in 1972 as part of the collection The Gold at the Starbow's End#Short [story collection|The Gold at the Starbow's End].
It is a satire of runaway free market capitalism. It also features the first appearance of the Heechee.

Plot

The story is about Audee Walthers, an "airbody driver and tour operator", who scams Earth tourists who visit Venus. He needs a new liver, so he is seeking a rich client to profit from. He is pleased to meet the seemingly well-off Boyce Cochenour, but Walthers finds out that Cochenour also needs money.

Publication

Novella

In 1972 by Ballantine Books included the novella in the anthology, ''The Gold at the Starbow's End.''

Adaptation

The story was adapted as a graphic novel by Victoria Petersen and Neal McPheeters in 1986, as the fourth title in the DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel series.

Nomenclature

Though user-curated databases claim the work was also known as The Merchants of Venus Underground, authoritative databases do not list it by that name.