Originally appeared in Edward L. Ferman's F&SF. Reprinted by Isacc Asimov and Edward L. Ferman in different retrospectives. It was up for the Nebula. James Frenkel considered it one of Pohl's best.
Summary:
Jeremy Shaffery is a jack of all sciences and master of none. He attempts cock-eyed experiments with outlandish predictions in hopes that one of his crazy theories pans out. He has a theory that he looks and acts like Einstein and tries to be Einstein, but all of
Discussion (with spoilers):
This quote captures the tone, the protagonist's incompetence and treatment yet his persistent, resilient attitude (which makes him look the part of an educated fool--in multiple senses of the term):
“ 'Your trouble, Jeremy, is you're a horse's ass.' But he knew that wasn't it. Who was to say Isaac Newton wasn't a horse's ass, too, if you looked closely enough at his freaky theology and his nervous breakdowns? And look where he got.”
Only one experiment works, sort of. He's been irradiating mushrooms to make them hardier except they've become infectious, kill him others exponentially, and becomes his claim to fame, however dubious, as they name the plague after him.
The story is perhaps too long for what it accomplishes, but it actually has some contemporary relevance to the challenges and difficulties in modern academia.
It also straddles two modes of writing--combining how he used to write toward how he would write. It has satire, but also combines a newer style of writing SF that becomes more and more meticulous, perhaps to the betterment of some works and detriment to others. "The Merchants of Venus" falls on the side of strength, here less so. But the story is effective enough, nonetheless, to catch the attention of several editors and writers.
In terms of the story's ideas accomplish, it feels closer to one of his "velocity exercises." Contrast this to something like "The Tunnel Under the World" or "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" which are comparatively idea-rich.
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