Product Description
This volume collects three of Cordwainer Smith's finest tales: "Scanners Live in Vain," "The Game of Rat and Dragon," and "Mark Elf."Cordwainer Smith was the pseudonym used by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (1913-1966) for his science fiction works. Linebarger was a noted East Asia scholar and expert in psychological warfare.Linebarger also employed the literary pseudonyms "Carmichael Smith" (for his political thriller Atomsk), "Anthony Bearden" (for his poetry) and "Felix C. Forrest" (for the novels Ria and Carola)."Scanners Live in Vain" was Linebarger's first published SF story as an adult (his short story "War No. 81-Q," which he wrote at age 15 was published in his high school magazine), and the first appearance of the Cordwainer Smith pen name. It was written in 1945, and had been rejected by a number of magazines before its acceptance and publication in Fantasy Book in 1950. It was in that obscure magazine that it was noticed by SF writer Frederik Pohl who, impressed with the story's powerful imagery and style, subsequently re-published it in 1952 in the more widely read anthology Beyond the End of Time. ... Read more

Product Description
Cover art by Van Dongen for "The Lonely" by Judith Merril. Also, "The Night of the Trolls" [Bolo] by Keith Laumer; "The Hermit of Mars" by Stephen Bartholomew; "The Good Friends" by Cordwainer Smith; "Orphans of Science" (essay) by Stephen Barr; "All We Marsmen" (serial, part 2 of 3) by Philip K. Dick (book publication as Martian Time-Slip); "To Save Earth" by Edward W. Ludwig; "The Masked World" by Jack Williamson; essay by Frederik Pohl. Interior art by Nodel, Virgil Finlay, Lutjens, Van Dogen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unusual Rod
Rod McBan is sixteen and in many ways just like any other wide-eyed youth of that age.But Rod lives on the planet Old North Australia, or as the inhabitants commonly call it, Norstrilia.People need to be tough on this harsh, dry planet.In order to make the people tough the government had long ago banned all luxuries, so now everyone lives simple, hard-working lives that vaguely resemble those lived in that long-gone, original, rural region of Northern Australia.Rod's property, like all those in Norstrilia, raises sheep, or what passes as sheep.They aremutated animals, now huge in size.The sheep are not breed for wool, but for stroon.This is a substance produced by a virus that infects the sheep.When consumed stroon has the effect of extending the life span of humans indefinitely.The virus that produces stroon, however, can only survive in the unique atmosphere of Norstrilia.Stroon means that people can live as long as they want, but in Norstrilia, before an individual becomes an adult, they must pass a test which proves that they are mentally and physically fit.If they fail the test the youths are sent to the 'giggle room', a place where they are drugged and experience a happy and quick death.Rod has a major handicap and so it seems that he might not see seventeen.How can Rod pass the test and what adventures await him after that?

This book explores the issue of social rules.Most societies demand that people behave in certain ways, for example that couples pair of in monogamous relationships.These 'rules' usually exist for the benefit of the members of the society.Monogamous relationships, foe example, provide a stable environment for the raising of children.The question arises, however, are the 'rules' always right in all circumstances, and indeed are there other ways of doing things that might be equally effective?Life on Norstrilia is greatly restricted and the reader finds himself asking: "Should things really be like that?"

Also the question of eugenics is explored in some detail.Should we end life on the basis of handicap?In doing so we prevent suffering and, by purifying the gene pool, prevent reoccurrence of the problem.But how much do the handicapped suffer?Indeed, what if the individual concerned also possessed characteristics of giftedness?What if, in unforeseen circumstances, the 'handicap' was itself an advantage?In this world of abortion and in-uterus genetic testing these questions are less academic than they seem.

The plot of the book moves along in an interesting way.Often a new chapter takes the story in new and unexpected directions.Smith manages to convincingly draw the Norstrilians as 'red-neck' characters, though they come out more like 'backwoods' Americans than 'outback' Australians.Considering the connection with 'real' Australians is, in the story, in the very remote past this does not really matter.

If you feel that this novel ends up-in-the-air and rather suddenly that is because the story continues in a sequel, called The Underpeople, which takes up exactly where this novel leaves off.Smith later combined these two novels, added extra text and published the resulting book under the title Norstrilia (1975). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unusual Rod
Rod McBan is sixteen and in many ways just like any other wide-eyed youth of that age.But Rod lives on the planet Old North Australia, or as the inhabitants commonly call it, Norstrilia.People need to be tough on this harsh, dry planet.In order to make the people tough the government had long ago banned all luxuries, so now everyone lives simple, hard-working lives that vaguely resemble those lived in that long-gone, original, rural region of Northern Australia.Rod's property, like all those in Norstrilia, raises sheep, or what passes as sheep.They aremutated animals, now huge in size.The sheep are not breed for wool, but for stroon.This is a substance produced by a virus that infects the sheep.When consumed stroon has the effect of extending the life span of humans indefinitely.The virus that produces stroon, however, can only survive in the unique atmosphere of Norstrilia.Stroon means that people can live as long as they want, but in Norstrilia, before an individual becomes an adult, they must pass a test which proves that they are mentally and physically fit.If they fail the test the youths are sent to the 'giggle room', a place where they are drugged and experience a happy and quick death.Rod has a major handicap and so it seems that he might not see seventeen.How can Rod pass the test and what adventures await him after that?

This book explores the issue of social rules.Most societies demand that people behave in certain ways, for example that couples pair of in monogamous relationships.These 'rules' usually exist for the benefit of the members of the society.Monogamous relationships, foe example, provide a stable environment for the raising of children.The question arises, however, are the 'rules' always right in all circumstances, and indeed are there other ways of doing things that might be equally effective?Life on Norstrilia is greatly restricted and the reader finds himself asking: "Should things really be like that?"

Also the question of eugenics is explored in some detail.Should we end life on the basis of handicap?In doing so we prevent suffering and, by purifying the gene pool, prevent reoccurrence of the problem.But how much do the handicapped suffer?Indeed, what if the individual concerned also possessed characteristics of giftedness?What if, in unforeseen circumstances, the 'handicap' was itself an advantage?In this world of abortion and in-uterus genetic testing these questions are less academic than they seem.

The plot of the book moves along in an interesting way.Often a new chapter takes the story in new and unexpected directions.Smith manages to convincingly draw the Norstrilians as 'red-neck' characters, though they come out more like 'backwoods' Americans than 'outback' Australians.Considering the connection with 'real' Australians is, in the story, in the very remote past this does not really matter.

If you feel that this novel ends up-in-the-air and rather suddenly that is because the story continues in a sequel, called The Underpeople, which takes up exactly where this novel leaves off.Smith later combined these two novels, added extra text and published the resulting book under the title Norstrilia (1975). ... Read more

Product Description
Cover art by Van Dongen for "The Lonely" by Judith Merril. Also, "The Night of the Trolls" [Bolo] by Keith Laumer; "The Hermit of Mars" by Stephen Bartholomew; "The Good Friends" by Cordwainer Smith; "Orphans of Science" (essay) by Stephen Barr; "All We Marsmen" (serial, part 2 of 3) by Philip K. Dick (book publication as Martian Time-Slip); "To Save Earth" by Edward W. Ludwig; "The Masked World" by Jack Williamson; essay by Frederik Pohl. Interior art by Nodel, Virgil Finlay, Lutjens, Van Dogen. ... Read more