Certainly not Pohl's best collection. There is too much relying on 'funny' twists at the end of almost all of these stories. Still some of the future societies, most of which are described in a deceptively light tone, are worth a read, like The Midas Plague, where 'not-consuming' has grown to be a privilege of the highest upper class. The Census Takers is flat as a tundra. The Candle Lighter tries a territory which has been done much better by Keith Laumer. The Celebrated No-Hit Inning makes fun of no-brains sportstars, quite funnily, actually. Wapshot's Demon tries to be very serious and funny simultaneously, but does not really succeed. The venom is saved for the closing My Lady Green Sleeves, in which the description of a prison uproar is painted with credible strokes, but without bringing the message across of which you feel it must be there.
Pohl did much better elsewhere. ( )

Pohl is often a hit or miss author for me, and this collection was no exception. I thought two of the stories, "The Midas Plague" and "The Census Takers," were quite strong, with each providing a clever and original take on an issue that still resonates (and the "group therapy" session in The Midas Plague was certainly good for a chuckle). On the other extreme, I found "The Candle Lighter" to be heavy-handed, sexist, and borderline offensive. The other stories fell somewhere in between.

Pohl deserves credit for openly tackling segregation and racism in a way which feels quite ambitious for 1956, although I finished "My Lady Green Sleeves" uncertain as to what he was trying to say on the topic. ( )