Customer Reviews

Norstrilia

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cordwainer Smith deserves the widest possible recognition. Perhaps the most highly literary of all science fiction writers before the New Wave of the sixties (and still, for my money, a better read than most of that failed revolutionary literature), Smith's single novel "Norstrilia" is utterly unlike any other science fiction novel. Rod McBan becomes the richest man in the universe through the economic warfare of his inherited computer; the novel largely concerns itself with the need to survive the acquisition of wealth. Funny, poetic, and touching, "Norstrilia" is a bittersweet read, because it starts to show how Smith would have continued the expansion and collation of his future history, the Instrumentality of Mankind. Unfortunately, his early death deprived us of what would have been the most lyrical of all future histories. At least we have his stories, which is where any new reader should start (there's a new collection in print now); much of the emotional resonance of the novel comes from recognizing characters from the shorter works, especially the cat-girl C'mell. When you're done with those shorter glories, then come to "Norstrilia" and experience the longest swim in Smith's pool. You won't regret it!

CAUTION: MAKE THIS YOUR LAST CORDWAINER SMITH BOOK! This novel was a rather late addition to Smith's expansive and self-contained literary universe, which he had been constructing for decades, and mostly in his voluminous short stories. All interested persons should first become familiar with the stupendous omnibus collection "The Rediscovery of Man: The Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith." (His short stories are collected in a variety of other editions, and at least one is also titled "The Rediscovery of Man," but these are partial collections of varying usefulness.) Over his career, Smith built an immense and astonishing future history spanning tens of thousands of years, during which humanity had spread throughout the universe and pockets of human society became isolated. A group known as the Instrumentality initiated the Rediscovery of Man to bring far-flung human culture back together. This is all mapped out in an astonishing array of Smith's short stories, and "Norstrilia" (his only full-length novel) must be considered an extension of just one portion of that vast literary universe.

For the newbie, I'm not sure if "Norstrilia" fully functions as a stand-alone novel because I was lucky enough to experience the short stories first. Thus I can understand a few of the less favorable reviews here, claiming that the story is diffuse and doesn't make sense. One issue for the newbie is the great source of Smith's genius - his mythology-like non-Western storytelling technique that is laid out more logically in the short stories, while appearing rather abruptly here. That's why fans should become familiar with Smith's progression of short stories first, because then this novel will make more sense, as it's merely piece of a much larger puzzle. Also note that this novel is a bit lighter and more comical as compared to the largely dark and foreboding nature of many of Smith's short stories. In any case, the sci-fi community has criminally overlooked Smith's literary achievements, and "Norstrilia" fits in perfectly as a masterpiece of social observation and an exploration of the enduring quality of humanity, through the lens of a future history in which humanity has been dispersed nearly to the point of extinction. Smith's universe is astonishing in its depth and breadth, and all serious fans of the genre would find great satisfaction in exploring its wonders. It's just important to remember that this novel may not be the best place to start. [~doomsdayer520~]

Harlan Ellison (one of my other favorite authors) brought Cordwainer Smith to my attention sometime in the 70s. Fortunately for me, both "Norstrilia" and "The Best of Cordwainer Smith" were available in paperback somewhere (used-book store?).

Ellison pretty much worshipped Smith, and I pretty much worshipped Ellison, so...

Until that point, I had considered Ray Bradbury the best user of language among the authors I read extensively.

Cordwainer Smith leaves even Bradbury in the dust. His lyrical narratives would make even mundane stories read wonderfully.

Fortunately, Smith's stories -- both short fiction and Norstrilia, his only novel-length effort -- are anything but mundane. His background and interests led him to create worlds utterly unlike any others I've encountered in 2o-some years of avid reading of speculative fiction.

Cordwainer Smith was the pen name of Dr. Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, godson of Sun Yat Sen.

He got his Ph.D. in political science at age 23, and wrote extensively about Chinese political issues, worked for the American intelligence community, produced a classic text about psychological warfare that was used by the U.S. Army for decades, and was a professor of Asiatic Politics at Johns Hopkins University and an advisor to John F. Kennedy. He died in 1966, far too early.

Dr. Paul Linebarger was the son of American diplomats in China (his godfather was President Sun Yat-sen), advisor to Chiang Kai-shek, intelligence analysis in World War II and Korea (he sat out Vietnam), and a linguist and published poet. On top of all that, he wrote science fiction of very high quality under the name "Cordwainer Smith." All his stories are set some 15,000 years hence, in a perfectly managed world of perfect, long-lived people and their "underpeople" servants. And it's all become stale, bland, boring, and decadent. So the Lords of the Instrumentality establish the Rediscovery of Man, allowing disease, accident, anger, and multiple languages and cultures back into the world, just to make things interesting. In this, his only novel, the author brings together all those themes and characters -- Lord Jestocost, C'mell, D'joan, Alpha Ralpha Boulevard, and all the others -- and orbits them around Rod McBan CLI, an enormously wealthy hayseed from the planet of Old North Australia, home of stroon (the drug responsible for near-infinite life), and his leveraged purchase of nearly the whole of Old Earth. Will he find his heart's desire? Originally published as two separate, hacked-up short novels, the whole story is brought back together here. What made Linebarger's work so much above average is that he wasn't so much a story-teller as a myth-maker, creating amazing yarns about larger-than-life characters, telling the history of our maybe-future.

I encountered Cordwainer Smith when I was very young, in Galaxy magazine (the Game of Rat and Dragon). I was later to learn that that particular story was a comeback story (that page was missing from the copy I read) and that there was a body of work behind the story. And what a body of work!!!!!The mythos of which this is the centerpiece was as richly detailed and inventive as of those of the great worldbuilders (Niven, Tolkien,et al), and the Eastern-influenced storylines by Dr. Linebarger sang. This is one of the best science fiction novels of all time. I own thousands, and this one leaves the shelf more often than most..

There's really no way to explain the brilliance of Cordwainer Smith's work; it's so different, so lyrical, and so completely refreshing even now, decades after his death. This is unique science fiction, but it really almost crosses over into fantasy.
What can I say? Try it, and I think you'll be hooked.

It's worth mentioning that Paul Linebarger (who wrote under the pen name of Cordwainer Smith) was the son of an American diplomat and a godson of pre-Communist Chinese leader Sun Yat Sen. He wrote a definite textbook on psychological warfare, among other things. He wrote mysteries as well, all unfortunately long out of print.

However, all of his science fiction has been made available PERMANENTLY by NESFA, the New England Science Fiction Association; "The Rediscovery of Man", a large hardcover collection of all of his short science fiction, and "Norstrilia" (which, by the way, is the name of the planet that the hero comes from, which was colonized by Australians and was originally called "Old North Australia"), his one novel. This is a definitive edition, including all the text from the two paperbacks that were originally released by hacking the original maniscript into two halves. This edition includes all linking text that was written just for the two separate editions, as well as the original version and all variants.

NESFA has announced that they have arranged to print new copies of these books on demand. They're quite high quality, too, well bound and printed on acid-free paper.

Incidentally, Smith's daughter has set up a web site about him and publishes a newsletter. P>Although nobody else is like Cordwainer Smith, for those who like him I'd highly recommend "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny and "Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart.

This book has been published several times yet it's always difficult to find. The world created by Smith is fascinating and compelling on every level. Animals fighting for their own rights, benevolent (we hope) dictators pulling everyone's strings, and a young man who corners the market on the most valuable commodity in the galaxy - by accident. If you only read new science fiction I would really recommend that you broaden your horizons by trying this oldie.

I liked this book, and it was good enough that it deserves a second reading (its also short enough). Some times the story doesn't make sense, sometimes its just really too bizarre. But when you think about when it was written its just amazing to think of how ahead of his time the author was. I would have wished for the story to be more epic because the preface set you up for an epic story and some parts of the story didn't get as developed as they might have. This is mainly because the book has so many characters that it jumps back and forth between, that at points you expect more to be done with a certain character. I would have liked to see more be done with the space pirates which at first you think are going to be major players in the book but then are seemingly cast aside. And with all the villians in the novel the main character never really seems to be in much danger even though the author clearly wants you to believe that he is. Then there are of some stupid parts to the book. For instance, I thought that the old wise catman part was nonsence and never came accross as meaningful as it was suppose to be. Besides the flaws, I think this book has a really cool universe, which has many interesting, yet underdeveloped characters, and a lot of very strong questions on the human condition that seem suprising applicable in the present even though the book was written some 40 years ago. Probably the reason most people wish that the author would have written more novels is not because this is the greatest book ever (because its not) but because it offers so many excellent questions yet never develops itself to the point of answering them. While there are better novels out there this one is so unique, short, and easy to read that no true sci-fi fan has an excuse to not read it.

Cordwainer Smith belongs to a rare group of truly original voices in the world of speculative fiction. In real life, a covert operative, graduate instructor of international studies at Johns Hopkins, advisor to the President, and all around worldly fellow (right down to the eye patch)...in fiction, a gifted writer of short stories and this one novel...a novel I've read many times over the years and each time I find new marvels...if you haven't discovered CS, read Nostrillia, then move on to his short stories...how i envy the discovery that awaits you.

The first piece I ever read by Cordwainer Smith was a short story called "The Ballad of Lost C'mell," a story of intrigue and unrequited love featuring the cat-derived undergirl C'mell (underpeople: animals genetically altered to have human form and human intelligence, oppressed and treated as second-class citizens) and her unlikely ally Jestocost, a Lord of the reigning Instrumentality. My only fault with the story was that there wasn't enough of it. Imagine my delight on finding that there was an entire *book* set in this colorful future universe! "Norstrilia" (short for Old North Australia, the homeworld of the protagonist Rod McBan) has some of everything--intrigue, romance, adventure, philosophy, poetry, complex characters and a detailed and fascinating world. The cast of characters alone is wild and varied: the theatrical Lord Redlady; the godlike E'telekeli and his believing daughter E'lamelanie; the late unlamented Tostig Amaral; Jestocos! t, a Lord of the Instrumentality who has a passion for justice and a secret cause; Rod McBan himself, the sixteen-year-old who bought Earth (with the help of his computer and the galactic stock exchange) and who now wants nothing more than normal telepathy like everyone else and an antique postage stamp; and my personal favorite, C'mell, the fire-haired cat-girl whose beauty is matched only by her intelligence and determination. Others: Crudelta the mental pickpocket. Comissioner Teadrinker, bored with a thousand-year lifespan. The Catmaster, owner of the Department Store of the Heart's Desire. And those are just a few of the people you'll find, to say nothing of what happens to them and what they do. I can give you the plot; I can detail the characters; I can tell you what the story is about. Cordwainer Smith does as much in the prologue. But as he says, that's only what *happens*. For the story (the fun part), read "Norstrilia." You won't be disappointed.