Review: “The Cosmic Expense Account” by C. M. Kornbluth (1955)

Posted on January 13th, 2008

[Note- I think I’ve also seen this listed as The Cosmic Charge Account]

Authors write what they know, and here Kornbluth certainly took some potshots at the publishing industry. He also blasted New Age beliefs and randomly riddled other topics in this frenetic drive-by.

The story is written from the perspective of Norris, a young publishing agent, who is accompanying Professor Leuten, who is on his way to deal with a misguided student. Leuten’s book on Functional Epistemology has actually been read by someone and is being misused, forcing Leuten and Norris to go deal with the problem firsthand. Their main defense is a Pavlovian response developed wherein they stand on one leg, put their thumbs on their noses, and stick out their tongues. Don’t worry, it makes as much sense as anything else in the context of the story. The denouement is just as amusing as the story leading up to it and does not disappoint.

This short story goes beyond tongue-in-cheek and is more in the vein of farce. It is short and quickly paced, and I found it humorous and enjoyable. Recommended.

Available in a many formats at Manybooks.net

Tags: free science fiction, public domain science fiction, Review, speculative fiction
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