Welcome to the strangest, most distinctive future ever imagined by a science fiction writer. An insterstellar empire ruled by the mysterious Lords of the Instrumentality, whose access to the drug stroon from the planet Norstrilia confers on them virtual immortality. A world in which wealthy and leisured humanity is served by the underpeople, genetically engineered animals turned into the semblance of people. A world in which the great ships which sail between the stars are eventually supplanted by the mysterious, instantaneous technique of planoforming. A world of wonder and myth, and extraordinary imagination.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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SALES POINTS * #10 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written * 'Read this. Cordwainer Smith is timeless' -- Terry Pratchett * 'Smith's Instrumentality is the most complex and lyrical of all future histories, redolent with future antiquity. It is a history of a mankind transformed, oddly convincingly, by a relentless series of changes - war, genetic engineering, interstellar travel, immortality - and Smith's remarkable, rich prose gives shivery hints of a darkly imagined universe extending far beyond the boundaries of the stories. Lush, strange, unique, a treasure.' -- Stephen Baxter
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Free SF Reader,
By Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rediscovery of Man (Sf Masterworks 10) (Paperback)
This is also the Best of Cordwainer Smith in a different edition - not to be confused with Rediscovery of Man : the complete stories. Yes, people who name collections the same as an existing collection are annoying.
However, this is outstanding, the story average is 4.04 thanks to not one, but two 5 star stories, in Scanners Live In Vain, and Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons. Smith is one of those amazing throw you in the middle of wonder kind of writers. (This is partly why I like Terry Dowling so much, someone who actually is one of the Lords of the Instrumentality.) These two gentlemen have two of the highest rated SF collections I have ever read, the other being a writer with a different style completely, in Greg Egan. Absolutely worth reading. Best of Cordwainer Smith : Scanners Live in Vain - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : The Lady Who Sailed the Soul - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : The Game of Rat and Dragon - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : The Burning of the Brain - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : Golden the Ship Was Oh! Oh! Oh! - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : The Dead Lady of Clown Town - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : Under Old Earth - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : Mother Hittons Littul Kittons - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : Alpha Ralpha Boulevard - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : The Ballad of Lost C'Mell - Cordwainer Smith Best of Cordwainer Smith : A Planet Named Shayol - Cordwainer Smith Monopoly is bad, and worth doing something about. 5 out of 5 Solo starnaut sheila's suitor. 4 out of 5 Another actual use for a live cat. Fight you little bastich. 4 out of 5 Mind destruction manoeuvre rescue transfer. 4 out of 5 Lost planet female cancer transsxual aggression solution is timeslip cat kill cull. 4 out of 5 Time for war, duckie. 4 out of 5 Witch woman and dead robot animal trial. 4.5 out of 5 Too happy is bad. 3.5 out of 5 Old North Australia's mutant mad mink secret defense doesn't pussyfoot around with thieves and murderers. Or, Stop, You'll Eat Yourself. 5 out of 5 Hard to believe in France. 3 out of 5 Underpeople Lord assisted execution escapage. 4.5 out of 5 Pain punishment makes skin way more deep. 3.5 out of 5
11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
be forewarned,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Rediscovery of Man (Sf Masterworks 10) (Paperback)
THIS IS NOT THE COMPLETE SHORT FICTION OF CORDWAINER SMITH, RATHER A COLLECTION BY THE SAME NAME!!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some Fragments of the Future.,
By
This review is from: Rediscovery of Man (Sf Masterworks 10) (Paperback)
First of all let me state that this is a British collection of only 12 short stories from the author, named "The Best of Cordwainer Smith" in other editions.Cordwainer Smith is the pen name of Mr. Paul M. A. Linebarger, who lived a comparatively short (1913 - 1966) and difficult life. He was educated in China, Germany and USA. He loose one eye in an accident being a child. Had a PH degree in Political Sciences, was a university professor and worked undercover for CIA. At the same time he wrote fascinating sci-fi stories. My first contact with the author's stories was "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" (included in this volume). It was obvious for me that this was a fragment of a greater story, full of mysterious and provoking ideas as the Rediscovery of Man, the Eketeli and so on. I was captivated by the imagery and searched for more works from Cordwainer Smith. Little by little they were appearing in different sci-fi magazines and short stories collections. There are various editions of collected short stories of the author. This book contains twelve of them, constituting a fair sample of the author's universe giving the reader a broad inkling to it. Each story of this publication has a short introduction by J. J. Pierce, editor of this collection. "Scanners Live in Vain" was Cordwainer's first published tale, situated around year 6000 AD, describes a crisis within the Scanners Guild and the emerging of a new type of interstellar flight. In "The Game of Rat and Dragon" humans and telepathic cats join forces against dreadful dragons of deep space. The story "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" is an overwhelming recreation Joan D'Arc story transferred to the Underpeople and my favorite one from the author. The second outstanding story in this volume is "Under Old Earth" describing the pilgrimage of agonizing Lord Sto Odin to the Gebiet a mysterious place under old Earth. "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" describes the Rediscovery of Man a sort of Cultural Revolution decided by the Instrumentality and focuses on a young couple trying to cope with the new situation. Last of my favorite tales in this book is "Ballad o Lost C'Mell" about the lovely cat-girl C'Mell and her impossible love for Lord Jestocost. Recently all Cordwainer Smith tales has been published in Spanish in a four volume edition and I obviously treasure them! This is a wonderful sample from an unjustly underrated author. Reviewed by Max Yofre.
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