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Instrumentality of Mankind
Norstrilia
This is the only novel Cordwainer Smith ever wrote during his distinguished career. It tells the story of a boy form the planet Old North Australia (where rich, simple farmers grow the immortality drug Stroon), how he bought Old Earth, and how his visit to Earth changed both him and Earth itself.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1975
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5775 people want to read
About the author
Cordwainer Smith
236 books323 followersPseudonym of:
Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
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).
Linebarger was also a noted East Asia scholar and expert in psychological warfare.
Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
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).
Linebarger was also a noted East Asia scholar and expert in psychological warfare.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
November 8, 2021
A fun, funny, and deeply quirky book, Norstrilia is, regrettably, the only novel-length work ever written by the great under-appreciated SFF author Cordwainer Smith, whose output was dominated by short stories. Norstrilia is part of Smith’s Instrumentality series, and is preceded by two collections: The Instrumentality of Man (the first in the series), and The Rediscovery of Man (the second).
As Norstrilia contains many allusions to characters and events from these preceding volumes, I would definitely recommend reading them first (although unfortunately, in my ignorance of the correct order of the Instrumentality cycle, I did not, and thus missed a lot of references I would otherwise have understood. Here’s to a reread!)
However you read it though, Norstrilia is an engaging, thoughtful, and slyly funny book. The prose and style reminded me of a less-polished version of Kurt Vonnegut: chock-full of humor, irony, absurdity, and, of course, preposterously madcap hijinks of every sort.
In the end, for all its (literally) alien strangeness, Norstrilia is very much a human story, and one of the central questions it explores is almost as old as mankind itself (or as old as wealth and commodity are, anyway). One could characterize this quandary as Epicureanism—or to be less charitable, hedonism—versus Stoicism—or to be less charitable, asceticism. Which is the more rewarding path? What good is money and wealth if you live a frugal and spartan existence? On the other hand, what good are indulgence and self-gratification, the fruits of wealth, if one becomes inured to the pleasures they afford? Which path leads to happiness and fulfillment; which to misery and sorrow?
Norstrilia explores these questions and many more in Smith’s uniquely entertaining, irreverent, and hilarious way.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
(The writing and the narrative can both be a bit sloppy at times, and some plot points are either under-explained or not very well thought out. Smith would have done well to have hired a better editor!)
As Norstrilia contains many allusions to characters and events from these preceding volumes, I would definitely recommend reading them first (although unfortunately, in my ignorance of the correct order of the Instrumentality cycle, I did not, and thus missed a lot of references I would otherwise have understood. Here’s to a reread!)
However you read it though, Norstrilia is an engaging, thoughtful, and slyly funny book. The prose and style reminded me of a less-polished version of Kurt Vonnegut: chock-full of humor, irony, absurdity, and, of course, preposterously madcap hijinks of every sort.
In the end, for all its (literally) alien strangeness, Norstrilia is very much a human story, and one of the central questions it explores is almost as old as mankind itself (or as old as wealth and commodity are, anyway). One could characterize this quandary as Epicureanism—or to be less charitable, hedonism—versus Stoicism—or to be less charitable, asceticism. Which is the more rewarding path? What good is money and wealth if you live a frugal and spartan existence? On the other hand, what good are indulgence and self-gratification, the fruits of wealth, if one becomes inured to the pleasures they afford? Which path leads to happiness and fulfillment; which to misery and sorrow?
Norstrilia explores these questions and many more in Smith’s uniquely entertaining, irreverent, and hilarious way.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
(The writing and the narrative can both be a bit sloppy at times, and some plot points are either under-explained or not very well thought out. Smith would have done well to have hired a better editor!)
June 8, 2024
I found Smith's The Rediscovery of Man collection, set in his Instrumentality of Mankind far future universe to be incredibly rich and imaginative. Full of stories of strange and curious oddities, they are emotionally stirring, frequently sentimental and motivated by concepts of humanism, ethics, social justice and equality.
Norstrilia, Smith's only novel, also set within his Instrumentality of Mankind universe, was a bit of a letdown unfortunately. It offers glimpses of his wildly bizarre and often farcical imagination, and some interesting plot lines, yet ultimately felt pieced together and plodding. It was with no great surprise that I learned he cobbled it together from two distinct stories. In keeping with many of the themes of social justice from other stories set in this universe, Smith largely focuses here on the subjugated status of the hybrid human/animal races of "underpeople". He also has fun playing with the notions of wealth in a post scarcity (and near post mortality) economy, and a society which has languished and is in need of unconventional infusions of vitality.
If you are looking for something different and truly out there, I highly recommend checking out Smith. You would do well to start with his short stories.
Norstrilia, Smith's only novel, also set within his Instrumentality of Mankind universe, was a bit of a letdown unfortunately. It offers glimpses of his wildly bizarre and often farcical imagination, and some interesting plot lines, yet ultimately felt pieced together and plodding. It was with no great surprise that I learned he cobbled it together from two distinct stories. In keeping with many of the themes of social justice from other stories set in this universe, Smith largely focuses here on the subjugated status of the hybrid human/animal races of "underpeople". He also has fun playing with the notions of wealth in a post scarcity (and near post mortality) economy, and a society which has languished and is in need of unconventional infusions of vitality.
If you are looking for something different and truly out there, I highly recommend checking out Smith. You would do well to start with his short stories.
August 8, 2007
What I learned from this book:
1. Inflation has its uses.
2. Sometimes the best computer for the job is the laminated brain of a mouse . . .
3. The economic significance of mutant sheep.
4. Go big or go home.
A sideways and roundabout look at a strange and twisted future involving everything from telepathic mink to bird-men with hypnotic mandalas to a man who literally bought the planet earth. I don't know why it works, but it most certainly does - this is a must read for anyone who appreciates a unique imagination of the world to come.
1. Inflation has its uses.
2. Sometimes the best computer for the job is the laminated brain of a mouse . . .
3. The economic significance of mutant sheep.
4. Go big or go home.
A sideways and roundabout look at a strange and twisted future involving everything from telepathic mink to bird-men with hypnotic mandalas to a man who literally bought the planet earth. I don't know why it works, but it most certainly does - this is a must read for anyone who appreciates a unique imagination of the world to come.
September 9, 2018
Rod McBan es un joven que vive en el planeta Norstrilia, el más rico del universo gracias al stroon, una sustancia que alarga la vida indefinidamente. Los habitantes de Norstrilia son telépatas, algo que a Rod le resulta casi imposible, y como todo joven del planeta, deberá pasar una prueba de vida o muerte. Ante esta perspectiva, Rod, junto a un viejo ordenador, decide comprar la Tierra. A partir de aquí, entramos en el viaje de Rod a la Tierra, en un viaje de maduración y descubrimiento.
‘Norstrilia’ (1964) es el tercer volumen dedicado a Los Señores de la Instrumentalidad del escritor Cordwainer Smith. El estilo de este autor resulta fascinante, con esa manera de narrar como si te estuviese contando una leyenda que todo el mundo conoce. Quizá esta novela, la única que escribió Cordwainer, no me haya impactado tanto como sus relatos, pero me quedo con esa primera parte en Norstrilia, y con algunos de los percances que le acontecen a Rod en la Tierra.
‘Norstrilia’ (1964) es el tercer volumen dedicado a Los Señores de la Instrumentalidad del escritor Cordwainer Smith. El estilo de este autor resulta fascinante, con esa manera de narrar como si te estuviese contando una leyenda que todo el mundo conoce. Quizá esta novela, la única que escribió Cordwainer, no me haya impactado tanto como sus relatos, pero me quedo con esa primera parte en Norstrilia, y con algunos de los percances que le acontecen a Rod en la Tierra.
September 12, 2023
Norstrillia reads like a science fiction fairy tale.
Lots of absurd, madcap adventures like a teenage boy buying the entire planet earth, changing himself into a cat person and engaging in what must have been the world’s first “furry” erotic fiction.
This is preceded by a bunch of short stories set in the same universe called the instrumentality of mankind, reading those first would help make sense of this but they’re just as crazy.
If you’re down for something way out there that defies classic western sci-fi tropes check it out.
Lots of absurd, madcap adventures like a teenage boy buying the entire planet earth, changing himself into a cat person and engaging in what must have been the world’s first “furry” erotic fiction.
This is preceded by a bunch of short stories set in the same universe called the instrumentality of mankind, reading those first would help make sense of this but they’re just as crazy.
If you’re down for something way out there that defies classic western sci-fi tropes check it out.
January 12, 2015
"Tells the story of a boy from the planet Old North Australia (where rich, simple farmers grow the immortality drug Stroon), how he bought Old Earth, and how his visit to Earth changed both him and Earth itself."
A very eccentric novel, a bit frustrating at times, but quite entertaining. It was frustrating in that there were so many potentially interesting issues that could have been pursued--and they were left unexplored. For instance, telepathy is just a given in Norstrilian society and if you are judged to be disabled (i.e. not a telepath), you are executed at age 18. The reason given for this is population control--but surely that is easier to do before the children are born, rather than executing 18 years olds? Once they have passed this test, they have qualified to take the longevity drug, Stroon, and live a long life producing more of the drug for export. Population control and extreme long life seem to be at odds with each other, and no discussion of this conflict happens.
Rod McBan has great difficulty passing this test--he is an irregular telepath, although he is a nice enough fellow and his friends and family are distressed that he is likely to be executed instead of becoming the head of the farm and family. Except one man, a childhood frenemy, who really has a hate on for Rod.
After passing through the Garden of Death unscathed, Rod must deal with realities--he needs to get off Old North Australia in order to remain safe. With the help of his antique computer, he uses his Stroon wealth to buy the planet Earth (aka Manhome) and sets off on a wild adventure.
The most interesting part of the book for me was the "Underpeople" class, developed from animals such as cats, dogs, cows, even rats. They are treated as disposable, used to do the messy or boring work that "real" humans are reluctant to perform, despite their obvious human-ness. Once again, the history & development of these persons is glossed over, but the exploration of discrimination is well developed and the critique of institutionalized discrimination is organic and not preachy. (There were also a number of religious themes that might interest some).
Nowadays, this story would be done as a series, exploring all the history and fleshing out all of the characters. This book rattles from beginning to end in less than 300 pages, just hitting the high spots.
Things I particularly liked: attention to Australia, a country which rarely gets mentioned in science fiction; Rod's sensual appreciation of the environment of Old Earth.
Other observations: this books follows in a tradition of the 1960s science fiction that deals with telepathy as a real thing; it joins books like Kurt Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House in dealing with longevity and population control issues.
A fun, fast, and quirky read.
A very eccentric novel, a bit frustrating at times, but quite entertaining. It was frustrating in that there were so many potentially interesting issues that could have been pursued--and they were left unexplored. For instance, telepathy is just a given in Norstrilian society and if you are judged to be disabled (i.e. not a telepath), you are executed at age 18. The reason given for this is population control--but surely that is easier to do before the children are born, rather than executing 18 years olds? Once they have passed this test, they have qualified to take the longevity drug, Stroon, and live a long life producing more of the drug for export. Population control and extreme long life seem to be at odds with each other, and no discussion of this conflict happens.
Rod McBan has great difficulty passing this test--he is an irregular telepath, although he is a nice enough fellow and his friends and family are distressed that he is likely to be executed instead of becoming the head of the farm and family. Except one man, a childhood frenemy, who really has a hate on for Rod.
After passing through the Garden of Death unscathed, Rod must deal with realities--he needs to get off Old North Australia in order to remain safe. With the help of his antique computer, he uses his Stroon wealth to buy the planet Earth (aka Manhome) and sets off on a wild adventure.
The most interesting part of the book for me was the "Underpeople" class, developed from animals such as cats, dogs, cows, even rats. They are treated as disposable, used to do the messy or boring work that "real" humans are reluctant to perform, despite their obvious human-ness. Once again, the history & development of these persons is glossed over, but the exploration of discrimination is well developed and the critique of institutionalized discrimination is organic and not preachy. (There were also a number of religious themes that might interest some).
Nowadays, this story would be done as a series, exploring all the history and fleshing out all of the characters. This book rattles from beginning to end in less than 300 pages, just hitting the high spots.
Things I particularly liked: attention to Australia, a country which rarely gets mentioned in science fiction; Rod's sensual appreciation of the environment of Old Earth.
Other observations: this books follows in a tradition of the 1960s science fiction that deals with telepathy as a real thing; it joins books like Kurt Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House in dealing with longevity and population control issues.
A fun, fast, and quirky read.
June 25, 2010
4.5 Stars. The only novel ever written by Cordwainer Smith which is a real tragedy for fans of excellent, imaginative science fiction. This is a great big story full of great ideas and cool concepts.
Nominee Hugo Award Best Novel (1964) (The Planet Buyer)
Nominee Hugo Award Best Novel (1964) (The Planet Buyer)
September 8, 2016
I described Norstrilia to a friend as 'a charming kind of bonkers', and for me it was. Nevertheless I understand why it was problematic in a number of ways (particularly the 1960s sexism and portrayals of slavery and xenophobia, albeit much of this was deliberately echoing older pulp sci-fi) as well as giving the impression of a rushed and cobbled-together mess at times. It also had one of the most passive protagonists in recorded history and a villain who was so underdeveloped as to be essentially an off-screen character. Some people aren't feeling the same charm I did underneath those issues and I don't blame them.
Perhaps we can mostly agree that much of the book is at least bonkers, whether charming or not. The portrayal of such absurdities as thousand-tonne giant mutant sheep being shorn with lawnmowers was enough to engage me in the world. It does throw these loopy ideas at you frequently and many of them are neither explained nor expanded upon, though I understand much of it ties into the short stories collected in The Rediscovery of Man. Apparently it was one of the more ambitious early examples of a sci-fi universe and the novel is meant to be read within that broader context.
Smith's prose tends to the literary and his influences and style are uncommon. He is clearly inspired by Chinese literature, not least Journey to the West. His interests in psychology, pscyhological warfare and political activism also inform the novel. There are hints of Christian allegory but he seems to retreat from embracing them. At times he arguably subverts them. Rod McBan is not the messiah, he's just a very naive (and rich) boy.
I for one was amused by the humorous (though at times severely dark) portrayal of a future culture based on the Crocodile Dundee image of 20th century Australians. Like so much in the book, the portrayal is consciously mythic and mythopoeic. This is a universe as people perceived it after the fact, with exaggerated characters and cultural self-images that would break down under critical scrutiny. The Chinese influence manifests in this aspect.
It's certainly a book with a convoluted publishing history, having taken about six years to write as a novel, then being hacked apart for various different versions in magazines and being split into two novellas not once but twice. Thus I'm privileged to have got my hands on the 1994 NESFA Press hardcover which is apparently the 'definitive' edition. I highly recommend it if you can find a copy as it includes an extensive introduction and an appendix with extracts from alternative versions of the text.
All things considered I would say this book may still appeal to fans of sci-fi of the irreverent variety (Douglas Adams et al), of space opera, of cool settings with a range of possibilities, and of 'New Wave' more generally.
Perhaps we can mostly agree that much of the book is at least bonkers, whether charming or not. The portrayal of such absurdities as thousand-tonne giant mutant sheep being shorn with lawnmowers was enough to engage me in the world. It does throw these loopy ideas at you frequently and many of them are neither explained nor expanded upon, though I understand much of it ties into the short stories collected in The Rediscovery of Man. Apparently it was one of the more ambitious early examples of a sci-fi universe and the novel is meant to be read within that broader context.
Smith's prose tends to the literary and his influences and style are uncommon. He is clearly inspired by Chinese literature, not least Journey to the West. His interests in psychology, pscyhological warfare and political activism also inform the novel. There are hints of Christian allegory but he seems to retreat from embracing them. At times he arguably subverts them. Rod McBan is not the messiah, he's just a very naive (and rich) boy.
I for one was amused by the humorous (though at times severely dark) portrayal of a future culture based on the Crocodile Dundee image of 20th century Australians. Like so much in the book, the portrayal is consciously mythic and mythopoeic. This is a universe as people perceived it after the fact, with exaggerated characters and cultural self-images that would break down under critical scrutiny. The Chinese influence manifests in this aspect.
It's certainly a book with a convoluted publishing history, having taken about six years to write as a novel, then being hacked apart for various different versions in magazines and being split into two novellas not once but twice. Thus I'm privileged to have got my hands on the 1994 NESFA Press hardcover which is apparently the 'definitive' edition. I highly recommend it if you can find a copy as it includes an extensive introduction and an appendix with extracts from alternative versions of the text.
All things considered I would say this book may still appeal to fans of sci-fi of the irreverent variety (Douglas Adams et al), of space opera, of cool settings with a range of possibilities, and of 'New Wave' more generally.
July 22, 2025
Science fiction with a plot determined to push the laws and theories of physics and cosmology to one side in favour of a good story – and with scenery by Salvador Dali and Heironymus Bosch. I am unable to get the picture of thousand ton sheep, strapped to immense platforms to support their enormous bulk, blissfully chewing away while being sheared by motorized mowers the size of combine harvesters, out of my mind. It is almost enough to make me forget what the story was about.
But I’m made of sterner stuff. Young Rod McBan, sheep farmer of Old North Australia, or Norstrilia, the 151st of his ilk is guided by an ancient military computer to use the futures market in stroon. Stroon is an elixir for near eternal life secreted by the giant sheep and I assume the word is derived from strewth, the exceptionally mild Australian expletive uttered when first seeing giant sheep. Rod plans to buy the Earth and much else besides. The story is built around his adventures in Norstrilia and other locations on Earth as countless people, and perhaps not quite people, try to wheedle his wealth from his inexperienced grasp.
The whole is a wonderful concoction of inventiveness, humour, ethics - and the lack of them – and morality - and the lack of it. There are so many memorable characters: C´mell, Catwoman and Girlygirl are a step above most of the sordid inhabitants of Earth; the ambivalent Lord Jestocost, whose heart is somewhere and every now and again it may be in the right place; the Etelekeli, part human, part bird, part deity, part the Lord knows what. The cast goes on and on. Each outrageous, each equally abstract. And what on Nostrilia were Mother Hitton´s Littul Kittons? Goodness knows. I’m convinced Cordwainer Smith didn’t.
I can only finish recommending you read the book and conclude with that old Norstrilian philosophical remark, “May the great sheep sit on you.” Whatever that may mean.
But I’m made of sterner stuff. Young Rod McBan, sheep farmer of Old North Australia, or Norstrilia, the 151st of his ilk is guided by an ancient military computer to use the futures market in stroon. Stroon is an elixir for near eternal life secreted by the giant sheep and I assume the word is derived from strewth, the exceptionally mild Australian expletive uttered when first seeing giant sheep. Rod plans to buy the Earth and much else besides. The story is built around his adventures in Norstrilia and other locations on Earth as countless people, and perhaps not quite people, try to wheedle his wealth from his inexperienced grasp.
The whole is a wonderful concoction of inventiveness, humour, ethics - and the lack of them – and morality - and the lack of it. There are so many memorable characters: C´mell, Catwoman and Girlygirl are a step above most of the sordid inhabitants of Earth; the ambivalent Lord Jestocost, whose heart is somewhere and every now and again it may be in the right place; the Etelekeli, part human, part bird, part deity, part the Lord knows what. The cast goes on and on. Each outrageous, each equally abstract. And what on Nostrilia were Mother Hitton´s Littul Kittons? Goodness knows. I’m convinced Cordwainer Smith didn’t.
I can only finish recommending you read the book and conclude with that old Norstrilian philosophical remark, “May the great sheep sit on you.” Whatever that may mean.
November 6, 2025
One of the weirdest books ive ever read. Absurdity with some intelligence. It is almost impossible to summarize. Superficially, its about a farmer boy named Rod who somehow buys the Earth (planet) and then has to figure out what to do next.
Deeper however this is packed with ideas- maybe overstuffed. We have commentary on religion, slavery, what it means to be human, the good and bad of sticking to your principles ans ao much more. Its intelligent satirical laced with social critique and psychology. Best way to explain this book is like a string of lucid dreams strug together to somehow form a universe and story. The universe is deep and well realized. There was a great ending but the beginning was a mess.
Not for everyone but I appreciate it.
Deeper however this is packed with ideas- maybe overstuffed. We have commentary on religion, slavery, what it means to be human, the good and bad of sticking to your principles ans ao much more. Its intelligent satirical laced with social critique and psychology. Best way to explain this book is like a string of lucid dreams strug together to somehow form a universe and story. The universe is deep and well realized. There was a great ending but the beginning was a mess.
Not for everyone but I appreciate it.
January 17, 2026
Norstrilia was Smith's only novel length story and wasn't published as he intended until almost a decade after his death. I hesitate to call it a fix-up novel, even though it's comprised of two short novels (The Planet Buyer from 1964 and The Underpeople from 1968), because his originally vision was for a single long novel. The Planet Buyer was on the Hugo ballot for best novel of the year but lost to The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber. (I would've voted for Davy by Edgar Pangborn.) I'm in the minority in preferring the two shorter versions as separate books; they seem to me to be very different halves of a story with very different tone and style and theme. It's essentially the story of a young man who is incalculably wealthy and buys the planet Earth. He's more interested in collecting stamps than in chasing girls, which may explain why philately is no longer as popular as it once was. It's a quirky and zany story, with the first half being much more cohesive than the second and seems altogether less serious than Smith's other, shorter, works. The cat woman C'Mell, one of his most famous characters, appears in this one, too. In fact, reading at least some of his Instrumentality/Underpeople/immortality stories to get an idea of what's going on might be important to appreciating this one. Rod McBan is the heir to one of the richest houses of Old North Australia (hence the title), the only planet that produces the immortality drug, stroon. There's a lot of political and economic debate, but the ending doesn't live up to the build-up.
May 9, 2015
Norstrilia: The only novel set in the “Instrumentality of Mankind” universe
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
I’ve always wanted to read the work of Cordwainer Smith (pen name of Paul Linebarger, a scholar and diplomat who was expert in East Asia and psychological warfare), who also moonlighted as a quirky SF author who wrote a number of short stories mainly in the 50s and 60s set in the Instrumentality of Mankind, a full-fledged galaxy-spanning far-future universe.
He has something of a cult following, but really only has a few books to his credit, the collected short stories that can be found in The Instrumentality of Mankind (1974), The Best of Cordwainer Smith (1977), and The Rediscovery of Man (1993). He wrote only one novel, Norstrilia (1975), which itself was initially two shorter books The Planet Buyer (1964) and The Underpeople (1968).
Not knowing which to read first, I decided to start with the novel Norstrilia, but I now think that was a mistake. Although Smith has created a rich and imaginative world that doesn’t resemble anything else I’ve read before, I think he really established his reputation with his short stories, and having just read the most famous one, Scanners Live in Vain (1950), I’d say that Smith’s skills lie in the short form, not the long. That is a poignant, bizarre, and haunting story that really is an amazing creation. I found more to like in that story than in the entire book, so I am now reading The Rediscovery of Man collection. If you want a taste of Cordwainer Smith, start with his short stories instead.
Norstrilia features an immortality drug called stroon (derived from a fungus that infects giant sheep) cultivated by hardy, frugal and conservative and now ultra-wealthy settlers from Old North Australia, space travel via planoforming, telepathic spieking and hiering, and a permanent underclass of Underpeople on Old Earth genetically engineered from various animals. Ruling over this is the Instrumentality of Mankind, a quasi-government body of immortals that seek to keep mankind vigorous by introducing imperfections and problems into what had become a stagnant and decadent utopia, and also reviving some of the ancient cultures of man, a process known as The Rediscovery of Man.
The protagonist of Norstrilia is Rod McBan the 151st, a young man born into the most venerable family on Old North Australia (“Norstrilia”), who lacks the telepathic ability to spiek and hier like his fellow Norstrilians, and thus faces a life-and-death test (“The Garden of Death”) at age 18 that determines whether he can a full-fledged man and citizen, or be given a lethal injection of the giggling death. Suffice to say he survives due to extenuating circumstances, but after that gets targeted by an assassin jealous of his status and immortality.
He decides to let his ancient computer, which has been idly calculating various scenarios to accumulate vast wealth for thousands of years out of cybernetic boredom, to leverage all of Rod’s considerable assets contained in his farm’s stroon fortune to do a byzantine series of futures transactions to corner the market for stroon. Incredibly, the computer manages to pull this off and makes Rod into the wealthiest individual in the universe overnight. With this new fortune, he literally buys Old Earth and everything it contains, and decides to travel through space via planoforming to visit his new acquisition.
Of course Rod’s incredible wealth attracts all sorts of thieves, gold-diggers, and revolutionaries, all who want something from him, so he genetically alters himself into a cat-man to travel Earth anonymously, with a gorgeous girlygirl cat-woman named C’mell and a tiny monkey physician named L’Agentur. He undergoes various adventures with aristocrats and underpeople, learning of the harsh inequalities that permeate Old Earth society, and finds himself sympathizing with the underpeople, who actually keep decadent human society functioning but get treated only with contempt in return. In the end Rod finally takes decisive actions that change the fate of the underpeople and himself.
I give the author full credit for creating an unusual and quirky universe, but I found the ultra-rich but stubbornly-frugal farmers of Norstrilia pretty hard to believe 15,000 years in the future. The idea that their society would be sustainable as a group of independent-minded sheep farmers sitting on vast wealth but prevented from spending it by a 20 million percent tax on imports seems pretty ridiculous, don’t you think? Yes, they allow citizens to cash out and lead an opulent life offworld, it’s hard to picture anyone not taking this option over time. Even more absurd is the idea that an antique semi-military computer could manipulate the stroon futures market of a galactic civilization spanning thousands of worlds, overnight. This is the equivalent of the NYSE or NASDAQ being taken over by a nerdy kid with a Commodore 64.
Norstrilia also betrays its origins as two different stories cobbled together. The first half featuring his trials on Norstrilia and the second half with his adventures with the Lords of the Instrumentality and the underpeople don’t really mesh well together. I’d have to say the second half is more interesting, but neither really captured my interest like I was hoping. If I was feeling harsh I would give it 2 stars as it feels a bit slapped together, but will be generous and assign 3 stars for the overall unique vision of the future he gave us.
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
I’ve always wanted to read the work of Cordwainer Smith (pen name of Paul Linebarger, a scholar and diplomat who was expert in East Asia and psychological warfare), who also moonlighted as a quirky SF author who wrote a number of short stories mainly in the 50s and 60s set in the Instrumentality of Mankind, a full-fledged galaxy-spanning far-future universe.
He has something of a cult following, but really only has a few books to his credit, the collected short stories that can be found in The Instrumentality of Mankind (1974), The Best of Cordwainer Smith (1977), and The Rediscovery of Man (1993). He wrote only one novel, Norstrilia (1975), which itself was initially two shorter books The Planet Buyer (1964) and The Underpeople (1968).
Not knowing which to read first, I decided to start with the novel Norstrilia, but I now think that was a mistake. Although Smith has created a rich and imaginative world that doesn’t resemble anything else I’ve read before, I think he really established his reputation with his short stories, and having just read the most famous one, Scanners Live in Vain (1950), I’d say that Smith’s skills lie in the short form, not the long. That is a poignant, bizarre, and haunting story that really is an amazing creation. I found more to like in that story than in the entire book, so I am now reading The Rediscovery of Man collection. If you want a taste of Cordwainer Smith, start with his short stories instead.
Norstrilia features an immortality drug called stroon (derived from a fungus that infects giant sheep) cultivated by hardy, frugal and conservative and now ultra-wealthy settlers from Old North Australia, space travel via planoforming, telepathic spieking and hiering, and a permanent underclass of Underpeople on Old Earth genetically engineered from various animals. Ruling over this is the Instrumentality of Mankind, a quasi-government body of immortals that seek to keep mankind vigorous by introducing imperfections and problems into what had become a stagnant and decadent utopia, and also reviving some of the ancient cultures of man, a process known as The Rediscovery of Man.
The protagonist of Norstrilia is Rod McBan the 151st, a young man born into the most venerable family on Old North Australia (“Norstrilia”), who lacks the telepathic ability to spiek and hier like his fellow Norstrilians, and thus faces a life-and-death test (“The Garden of Death”) at age 18 that determines whether he can a full-fledged man and citizen, or be given a lethal injection of the giggling death. Suffice to say he survives due to extenuating circumstances, but after that gets targeted by an assassin jealous of his status and immortality.
He decides to let his ancient computer, which has been idly calculating various scenarios to accumulate vast wealth for thousands of years out of cybernetic boredom, to leverage all of Rod’s considerable assets contained in his farm’s stroon fortune to do a byzantine series of futures transactions to corner the market for stroon. Incredibly, the computer manages to pull this off and makes Rod into the wealthiest individual in the universe overnight. With this new fortune, he literally buys Old Earth and everything it contains, and decides to travel through space via planoforming to visit his new acquisition.
Of course Rod’s incredible wealth attracts all sorts of thieves, gold-diggers, and revolutionaries, all who want something from him, so he genetically alters himself into a cat-man to travel Earth anonymously, with a gorgeous girlygirl cat-woman named C’mell and a tiny monkey physician named L’Agentur. He undergoes various adventures with aristocrats and underpeople, learning of the harsh inequalities that permeate Old Earth society, and finds himself sympathizing with the underpeople, who actually keep decadent human society functioning but get treated only with contempt in return. In the end Rod finally takes decisive actions that change the fate of the underpeople and himself.
I give the author full credit for creating an unusual and quirky universe, but I found the ultra-rich but stubbornly-frugal farmers of Norstrilia pretty hard to believe 15,000 years in the future. The idea that their society would be sustainable as a group of independent-minded sheep farmers sitting on vast wealth but prevented from spending it by a 20 million percent tax on imports seems pretty ridiculous, don’t you think? Yes, they allow citizens to cash out and lead an opulent life offworld, it’s hard to picture anyone not taking this option over time. Even more absurd is the idea that an antique semi-military computer could manipulate the stroon futures market of a galactic civilization spanning thousands of worlds, overnight. This is the equivalent of the NYSE or NASDAQ being taken over by a nerdy kid with a Commodore 64.
Norstrilia also betrays its origins as two different stories cobbled together. The first half featuring his trials on Norstrilia and the second half with his adventures with the Lords of the Instrumentality and the underpeople don’t really mesh well together. I’d have to say the second half is more interesting, but neither really captured my interest like I was hoping. If I was feeling harsh I would give it 2 stars as it feels a bit slapped together, but will be generous and assign 3 stars for the overall unique vision of the future he gave us.
November 27, 2019
7/10 en 2007.
Nada nuevo que decir respecto a los anteriores. Os pueden gustar más o menos un libro u otro en función de que los relatos incluidos en cada tomo os gusten más o menos, pero todos merecen la pena.
Nada nuevo que decir respecto a los anteriores. Os pueden gustar más o menos un libro u otro en función de que los relatos incluidos en cada tomo os gusten más o menos, pero todos merecen la pena.
September 23, 2023
This novel may have been highly relevant when it was published, but it has aged badly.
October 22, 2014
To our detriment, this is Smith’s only novel, his output otherwise being a large number of quirky short stories mostly set in this universe of The Instrumentality of Mankind. Having said that, ‘Norstrilia’ has a complex origin since it was originally published in two shorter separate parts in 1964 as ‘The Planet Buyer’ (which itself was expanded from a shorter piece ‘The Boy Who Bought Old Earth’) and ‘The Store of Heart’s Desire’
Roderick Frederick Ronald Arnold William MacArthur McBan to the Hundred and Fifty-First (known as Rod McBan) is a boy living on the peculiar world of Norstrilia, heir to one of the prosperous mutant sheep ranches.
Norstrilia, or Old North Australia, where the people are still subjects of Queen Elizabeth II, (despite the fact she’s been dead for at least fifteen thousand years) was originally an Australian farming world until a virus attacked the sheep. What could have been tragedy changed the fortunes of mankind as a by-product of the sheep’s illness was Stroon, a longevity drug. Thus Norstrilia became the richest planet in the galaxy. The Norstrilians did not want to change their way of life however, and so incredibly high taxes are paid on any imported items to their world. Their children are tested in their teens to see if they are physically and mentally fit to survive, and those that fail get sent to a painless death.
Rod McBan is about to be tested, and his family are worried. Rod seems unable to hier or spiek. In other words, unlike the other telepathic natives of Norstrilia, he can neither hear thoughts nor project them. A girl who loves him, Lavinia, knows that this is not strictly true as there are times when Rod can hier everyone’s thoughts for miles around and when he is angry his mind is powerful enough to disable or kill.
Having survived the test, with the help of Lord Redlady, a member of the ruling body – The Instrumentality of Mankind – it seems Rod is still in danger from one Houghton Syme, an old schoolmate of Rod’s who is determined to kill or destroy him. Rod has access to an ancient computer, hidden on his land which, when Rod asks it for help, puts a financial scheme in motion. By the next day, Rod McBan is the owner of virtually all of Old Earth and therefore has to travel there to take ownership of his prize and escape the murderous attentions of Houghton Syme.
Once on Earth he becomes acquainted with the Underpeople; races of bioengineered animals who have a prophecy of a rich man coming to Earth to set them free. Could this be Rod McBan?
Smith certainly had a facility for creating well-defined characters. Norstrilia is set in a marvellously detailed if slightly unrealistic landscape. The narrative is peppered with songs and poetry which adds to a certain undercurrent of joy that suffuses the book.
Eccentric and fascinating figures appear and disappear, such as The Catmaster, who is a kind of guru/healer figure and the only Underperson allowed (by special dispensation of The Instrumentality) to take Stroon.
Smith throws in ideas right. left and centre, such as the giant alien architects who once visited human worlds and built indestructible buildings on various planets (on a whim) before leaving.
It’s a marvellously clever mix of comedy, drama, satire and romanticism, interspersed with poetry and song.
At the end of the day, however, it is simply the story of a young man who (much like Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’) travels to another world, has adventures, makes friends and enemies and ultimately realises that what he wants and needs has been at home in his own back yard all the time.
Roderick Frederick Ronald Arnold William MacArthur McBan to the Hundred and Fifty-First (known as Rod McBan) is a boy living on the peculiar world of Norstrilia, heir to one of the prosperous mutant sheep ranches.
Norstrilia, or Old North Australia, where the people are still subjects of Queen Elizabeth II, (despite the fact she’s been dead for at least fifteen thousand years) was originally an Australian farming world until a virus attacked the sheep. What could have been tragedy changed the fortunes of mankind as a by-product of the sheep’s illness was Stroon, a longevity drug. Thus Norstrilia became the richest planet in the galaxy. The Norstrilians did not want to change their way of life however, and so incredibly high taxes are paid on any imported items to their world. Their children are tested in their teens to see if they are physically and mentally fit to survive, and those that fail get sent to a painless death.
Rod McBan is about to be tested, and his family are worried. Rod seems unable to hier or spiek. In other words, unlike the other telepathic natives of Norstrilia, he can neither hear thoughts nor project them. A girl who loves him, Lavinia, knows that this is not strictly true as there are times when Rod can hier everyone’s thoughts for miles around and when he is angry his mind is powerful enough to disable or kill.
Having survived the test, with the help of Lord Redlady, a member of the ruling body – The Instrumentality of Mankind – it seems Rod is still in danger from one Houghton Syme, an old schoolmate of Rod’s who is determined to kill or destroy him. Rod has access to an ancient computer, hidden on his land which, when Rod asks it for help, puts a financial scheme in motion. By the next day, Rod McBan is the owner of virtually all of Old Earth and therefore has to travel there to take ownership of his prize and escape the murderous attentions of Houghton Syme.
Once on Earth he becomes acquainted with the Underpeople; races of bioengineered animals who have a prophecy of a rich man coming to Earth to set them free. Could this be Rod McBan?
Smith certainly had a facility for creating well-defined characters. Norstrilia is set in a marvellously detailed if slightly unrealistic landscape. The narrative is peppered with songs and poetry which adds to a certain undercurrent of joy that suffuses the book.
Eccentric and fascinating figures appear and disappear, such as The Catmaster, who is a kind of guru/healer figure and the only Underperson allowed (by special dispensation of The Instrumentality) to take Stroon.
Smith throws in ideas right. left and centre, such as the giant alien architects who once visited human worlds and built indestructible buildings on various planets (on a whim) before leaving.
It’s a marvellously clever mix of comedy, drama, satire and romanticism, interspersed with poetry and song.
At the end of the day, however, it is simply the story of a young man who (much like Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’) travels to another world, has adventures, makes friends and enemies and ultimately realises that what he wants and needs has been at home in his own back yard all the time.
August 2, 2024
The wheels of fate are spinning around.
Between them the souls of men are ground
Who strive for throats to make some sound
Of protest out of the mad profound
Trap of the godmachine!
Uniquely bizarre. Norstrilia delves into class struggle and stratification, culture and human adaptation, economics, and frankly, a whole bunch of themes. The prose is very good, but occasionally I felt a bit lost, like I was missing out on something important, which often is the case with these “classic” novels (they tend to be very clever, and I tend to be, well, not).
The nature of the Instrumentalities universe is slowly revealed as the story progresses, with one large revelation following another. Everything feels very well established, even though not everything is clearly explained. The story alternates between delightful and dreadful, as the protagonist is carried along by events that are often none of his own making (even though on the surface they might appear to be). All in all, an impressive achievement, and a very well realised example of “world universe building”.
I suspect that if I were a scholar I would give this book 5 stars, but as it stands I am going to have to settle for 4. I suspect that another read, at some point, will be in order. I enjoyed it, but I think there are some layers that I have yet to tap into.
Between them the souls of men are ground
Who strive for throats to make some sound
Of protest out of the mad profound
Trap of the godmachine!
Uniquely bizarre. Norstrilia delves into class struggle and stratification, culture and human adaptation, economics, and frankly, a whole bunch of themes. The prose is very good, but occasionally I felt a bit lost, like I was missing out on something important, which often is the case with these “classic” novels (they tend to be very clever, and I tend to be, well, not).
The nature of the Instrumentalities universe is slowly revealed as the story progresses, with one large revelation following another. Everything feels very well established, even though not everything is clearly explained. The story alternates between delightful and dreadful, as the protagonist is carried along by events that are often none of his own making (even though on the surface they might appear to be). All in all, an impressive achievement, and a very well realised example of “
I suspect that if I were a scholar I would give this book 5 stars, but as it stands I am going to have to settle for 4. I suspect that another read, at some point, will be in order. I enjoyed it, but I think there are some layers that I have yet to tap into.
October 17, 2011
Ever read Dune? Like it? In particular, did you like the world, the spice concept, the idea of spaceflight powered by precognitives, a universal economy based on a life-extending substance, etc? Well, good. Because then you already like most of Norstrilia.
I can only imagine Frank Herbert liked this book a whole lot, because he borrowed a shocking amount of it wholesale. Norstrilia is basically Dune without the pretension, long monologues, weird social-political diatribes, and giant worms. Instead, it is fast-paced, humorous, and has super-giant sheep. A masterpiece, in my opinion, from an utterly forgotten sci-fi great.
I can only imagine Frank Herbert liked this book a whole lot, because he borrowed a shocking amount of it wholesale. Norstrilia is basically Dune without the pretension, long monologues, weird social-political diatribes, and giant worms. Instead, it is fast-paced, humorous, and has super-giant sheep. A masterpiece, in my opinion, from an utterly forgotten sci-fi great.
December 10, 2025
Another eccentric science-fiction novel from the 1960's/1970's era, when the fashionable thing in the genre was to completely abandon traditional standards of narrative structure and focus more on "soft" sociological science than the "hard" natural sciences. This one takes place on a planet colonised by people from rural Australia, having carried along with them the particular cultural norms of that place... except that the sheep they farm are grotesque gigantic mutants, whose fleas carry a virus from which people produce a drug conferring immortality in humans. This drug called "stroon" is in turn the most valuable commodity in the known universe. Oh, and humans have in this setting evolved telepathy and people without telepathic powers are discriminated against as much as blind or deaf people are. The plot then follows a sheep rancher who is such a "telepathic cripple", and how he has to navigate the galaxy's convoluted bureaucratic system to avoid being euthanised under its eugenics laws.
Well, that was certainly something. The easiest way to describe "Norstrilia" is as a simultaneous parody of "Dune" and the Australian soap opera TV series "McLeod's Daughters" except written before either ("Norstrilia" might have been published in the 1970's but is cobbled together from several short stories author Cordwainer Smith wrote in the 1960's) with a sense of humour that probably served as a major inspiration source for Douglas Adams when he wrote "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Both works satirise the clichés of science-fiction literature as well as the public bureaucracies of the United Kingdom and other countries with a legal system derived from it in many similar ways. Both also use a similar storytelling approach of constantly throwing new and wacky audacious ideas in the direction of the reader and heading off into another weird eccentric plot tangent just when you think you've figured out where it's going.
At any rate I have a difficult time imagining fans of absurdist humour and science-fiction literature not enjoying this. I don't think this is quite on the level as "The Hitchhiker's Guide" but that might just be a result of more of the humour and references going over my head.
Well, that was certainly something. The easiest way to describe "Norstrilia" is as a simultaneous parody of "Dune" and the Australian soap opera TV series "McLeod's Daughters" except written before either ("Norstrilia" might have been published in the 1970's but is cobbled together from several short stories author Cordwainer Smith wrote in the 1960's) with a sense of humour that probably served as a major inspiration source for Douglas Adams when he wrote "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Both works satirise the clichés of science-fiction literature as well as the public bureaucracies of the United Kingdom and other countries with a legal system derived from it in many similar ways. Both also use a similar storytelling approach of constantly throwing new and wacky audacious ideas in the direction of the reader and heading off into another weird eccentric plot tangent just when you think you've figured out where it's going.
At any rate I have a difficult time imagining fans of absurdist humour and science-fiction literature not enjoying this. I don't think this is quite on the level as "The Hitchhiker's Guide" but that might just be a result of more of the humour and references going over my head.
March 23, 2026
4/5
An absolute acid trip of a book. Cordwainer Smith packs the pages so full with fantastical, fun, and outlandish ideas that I have a hard time understanding how he made it fit into the svelte 275 page size. Every ten to twenty pages, Smith hits you with something new and wacky, that takes you the next ten to twenty pages just to absorb and half understand. Invisible palaces, massive sick sheep that produce an immortality drug, animal-human hybrids that act as servants for mankind, dehydrated space travel, bird assassins, and bird gods. If you can believe it, all of these ideas are used to explore wealth, and it's impacts on society. How does wealth and power corrupt the individual? Can society function when individuals are free from any adversity? What role does mutual hardship play in our lives?
I think if this book has a major flaw, it's that there's simply too much to tie together. It feels a little clumsy at points, as Smith tries his best to make sense of it all. I've heard that most of his short stories are set in this same universe, and precede the events in Norstrilia. I'm looking forward to diving into some of those other works, and then giving Norstrilia a re-read, which should give me way more perspective.
Even so, I highly recommend this one. I've never read anything like it, and I suspect I won't ever.
*Re-Read Update 2026*
I'm pleasantly surprised with how well Smith's imaginative world has held up against the many titles that I've read over the years. I think that some of my critiques about its clumsiness are warranted, though I think that most of that is due to its format; that being short stories tied up both into a novel and into a broader universe. There are many references to things that go completely unexplained, which I'm sure are explored more in his many other short stories. I'll wait to read Norstrilia again until after I have the broader context of the Instrumentality under my belt. Still, this was loads of fun to dive back into, and I'm maintaining the score I gave it initially.
An absolute acid trip of a book. Cordwainer Smith packs the pages so full with fantastical, fun, and outlandish ideas that I have a hard time understanding how he made it fit into the svelte 275 page size. Every ten to twenty pages, Smith hits you with something new and wacky, that takes you the next ten to twenty pages just to absorb and half understand. Invisible palaces, massive sick sheep that produce an immortality drug, animal-human hybrids that act as servants for mankind, dehydrated space travel, bird assassins, and bird gods. If you can believe it, all of these ideas are used to explore wealth, and it's impacts on society. How does wealth and power corrupt the individual? Can society function when individuals are free from any adversity? What role does mutual hardship play in our lives?
I think if this book has a major flaw, it's that there's simply too much to tie together. It feels a little clumsy at points, as Smith tries his best to make sense of it all. I've heard that most of his short stories are set in this same universe, and precede the events in Norstrilia. I'm looking forward to diving into some of those other works, and then giving Norstrilia a re-read, which should give me way more perspective.
Even so, I highly recommend this one. I've never read anything like it, and I suspect I won't ever.
*Re-Read Update 2026*
I'm pleasantly surprised with how well Smith's imaginative world has held up against the many titles that I've read over the years. I think that some of my critiques about its clumsiness are warranted, though I think that most of that is due to its format; that being short stories tied up both into a novel and into a broader universe. There are many references to things that go completely unexplained, which I'm sure are explored more in his many other short stories. I'll wait to read Norstrilia again until after I have the broader context of the Instrumentality under my belt. Still, this was loads of fun to dive back into, and I'm maintaining the score I gave it initially.
May 27, 2009
It is one of the enduring tragedies of science fiction that the man who wrote as Cordwainer Smith died so young. His life was weird and fascinating - from living in China during the revolution to writing what is still considered to be one of the fundamental texts on psychological warfare - and his experiences with such a variety of people and cultures comes through in his stories. He takes perfectly believable aspects of people and twists them so far out of proportion that they are barely recognisable in order to show them in high relief - like the Norstrillans in this story, who are the wealthiest people in the known universe by orders of magnitude, but deliberately keep themselves in a simple lifestyle by imposing an import tax of 2 million percent on everything coming in to the planet. Or people whose lives are so perfect they have no challenge, so they deliberately re-introduce accidents and disease to their world to keep things interesting. He also tackles (in one of those strange coincidences of unknowingly reading two books about the same theme back-to-back, which seem to happen to me inordinately often) the same sticky question of how immortality would change human society that Elizabeth Moon was delving into in her Serrano books.
This is a story which describes a young man who buys the earth and goes to visit it, becomes a cat, meets some people, and goes home. That's not what its about, but thats how the story goes; to find out what its about you'll just have to go and read it - I can't imagine summarising it in any way that wouldn't do it an injustice.
This is a story which describes a young man who buys the earth and goes to visit it, becomes a cat, meets some people, and goes home. That's not what its about, but thats how the story goes; to find out what its about you'll just have to go and read it - I can't imagine summarising it in any way that wouldn't do it an injustice.
January 19, 2025
A diferencia de los otros tres tomos deLos Señores de la Instrumentalidad este si era una novela que se editó en dos partes: The planet buyer y The underpeople.
En la primera parte se cuenta la historia de Rod McBan es un joven habitante de Norstrilia, un planeta único en el universo debido a su inmensa riqueza, generada por el stroon, una sustancia capaz de otorgar una vida prácticamente eterna. En Norstrilia, la mayoría de los habitantes son telépatas aunque Rod no tiene esa habilidad. Pero por suerte tiene un mega computador prohibido (Yihab Butleriana?) con el que especula en bolsa con futuros de “stroon” y se hace megamultimillonario.
En la segunda parte va a la Tierra a intentar cobrar sus ganancias.
Se me hizo largo y rollo. Una novela de aventuras un poco tonta donde lo mejor es estar en ese universo del que sabes más que sus propios habitantes después de haberte leídos los otros dos tomos.
Se queda en 3 estrellas ***.
En la primera parte se cuenta la historia de Rod McBan es un joven habitante de Norstrilia, un planeta único en el universo debido a su inmensa riqueza, generada por el stroon, una sustancia capaz de otorgar una vida prácticamente eterna. En Norstrilia, la mayoría de los habitantes son telépatas aunque Rod no tiene esa habilidad. Pero por suerte tiene un mega computador prohibido (Yihab Butleriana?) con el que especula en bolsa con futuros de “stroon” y se hace megamultimillonario.
En la segunda parte va a la Tierra a intentar cobrar sus ganancias.
Se me hizo largo y rollo. Una novela de aventuras un poco tonta donde lo mejor es estar en ese universo del que sabes más que sus propios habitantes después de haberte leídos los otros dos tomos.
Se queda en 3 estrellas ***.
March 27, 2014
This is essentially a coming-of-age story with a difference. And what a difference! Roderick Frederick Ronald Arnold William MacArthur McBan to the Hundred and Fifty-First is a typical teenager in a most atypical place and time. By turns arrogant, naive, very intelligent, warm, clever, depressed, and ultimately very likeable, Rod McBan solves a personal problem by conniving with the McBan Family Computer to buy the entire planet Earth - lock, stock, and underpeople. The main narrative traces his growth to responsible adulthood as he comes to Earth to manage his purchase.
The story is set in Smith's marvelous alternate universe, the Instrumentality of Mankind (see The Rediscovery of Man). In his journey, Rod McBan meets personages both high and low, from the great Lords of the Instrumentality who ceaselessly work to help mankind reach its full potential, to the underpeople - genetically engineered animals bred to do the dirty work that mankind no longer wants to do. His interactions with them inform his own growth and the growth of mankind as it comes to inhabit the entire galaxy.
Cordwainer Smith has many axes to grind in his alternative universe, although he usually grinds them with considerable subtlety. Injustice, the advantages and disadvantages of religion, technology, duty, pride, power, lust, and dedication are but some of the big issues he takes up. Smith's own rather unique life gives some interesting twists to his opinions.
Norstrilia can be enjoyed on its own, but its constant references to Smith's larger universe suggest that the reader would get more meat out of the story by reading The Rediscovery of Man first.
The story is set in Smith's marvelous alternate universe, the Instrumentality of Mankind (see The Rediscovery of Man). In his journey, Rod McBan meets personages both high and low, from the great Lords of the Instrumentality who ceaselessly work to help mankind reach its full potential, to the underpeople - genetically engineered animals bred to do the dirty work that mankind no longer wants to do. His interactions with them inform his own growth and the growth of mankind as it comes to inhabit the entire galaxy.
Cordwainer Smith has many axes to grind in his alternative universe, although he usually grinds them with considerable subtlety. Injustice, the advantages and disadvantages of religion, technology, duty, pride, power, lust, and dedication are but some of the big issues he takes up. Smith's own rather unique life gives some interesting twists to his opinions.
Norstrilia can be enjoyed on its own, but its constant references to Smith's larger universe suggest that the reader would get more meat out of the story by reading The Rediscovery of Man first.
November 17, 2017
Interesting book, the author's only novel. Feels like a serial adventure, collected tales - and indeed this universe is detailed through the author's other short stories.
Set in the far future, this coming-of-age story fits in the space opera mold at times. Bigger ideas from the author's world are only hinted at. Originally written in 1960 and published in two parts, I read the restored version but have yet to read more than a few of Smith's short stories.
Dr. Paul Linebarger, aka Cordwainer Smith, died 8 years before this restoration was published. Norstrilia is considered an SF masterwork and is on David Pringle's list of 100 best SF novels. A solid 3½ stars, with a possible increase after reading the collected short works.
Set in the far future, this coming-of-age story fits in the space opera mold at times. Bigger ideas from the author's world are only hinted at. Originally written in 1960 and published in two parts, I read the restored version but have yet to read more than a few of Smith's short stories.
Dr. Paul Linebarger, aka Cordwainer Smith, died 8 years before this restoration was published. Norstrilia is considered an SF masterwork and is on David Pringle's list of 100 best SF novels. A solid 3½ stars, with a possible increase after reading the collected short works.
August 1, 2011
Rod McBan, master and owner of a farm on the planet Norstrilla where giant sick sheep exude a drug which refined gives people immortality, is at risk to his life due to an old quarrel in his 3rd childhood. What does he do? He turns his old computer on the world and lets it buy up Old Earth itself. Even that isn't enough, as he has to escape to it. Once there, he gets involved in the wild plots of the Instrumentality of mankind and might just find himself.
The book is a riot of color and language. It is more than just a novel, but a mythic tale of a future world that feels like a legend. The characters are unforgettable, each one. From the girlygirl C'mell. derived from a cat but one of the most perfect women in the universe, to the Catmaster, master of the Department Store of Hearts Desires and the last psychologist on earth, and to Rod McBan himself, a boy from a world where they kill their own people to keep the population down and a handkerchief costs more to import than a if he bought a planet. He has a gift for making what would seem to be absurd and outrageous believable and epic.
It also has some profound meditations on what it means to be human, and is one of the most religious SF novels I've ever red. Perfect people live 400 year lives free of worry and want, but are dying inside, while the poor oppressed Underpeople, derived from animals, live full and rich lives under the sign of the Fish. The rediscovery of man involves teaching them imperfection and suffering so they can live again. It's like almost every chapter you find something.
It gets even more meaning when you read his short stories, and you know who Joan is, or who Paul loved and lost on top of Alpha Ralpha Boulevard. The world is rich and linked together like a living thing, and only Dickson's Childe Cycle novels come close. There's honestly nothing like it, from his wild creativity to his poetic use of language. A forgotten masterpiece of SF.
The book is a riot of color and language. It is more than just a novel, but a mythic tale of a future world that feels like a legend. The characters are unforgettable, each one. From the girlygirl C'mell. derived from a cat but one of the most perfect women in the universe, to the Catmaster, master of the Department Store of Hearts Desires and the last psychologist on earth, and to Rod McBan himself, a boy from a world where they kill their own people to keep the population down and a handkerchief costs more to import than a if he bought a planet. He has a gift for making what would seem to be absurd and outrageous believable and epic.
It also has some profound meditations on what it means to be human, and is one of the most religious SF novels I've ever red. Perfect people live 400 year lives free of worry and want, but are dying inside, while the poor oppressed Underpeople, derived from animals, live full and rich lives under the sign of the Fish. The rediscovery of man involves teaching them imperfection and suffering so they can live again. It's like almost every chapter you find something.
It gets even more meaning when you read his short stories, and you know who Joan is, or who Paul loved and lost on top of Alpha Ralpha Boulevard. The world is rich and linked together like a living thing, and only Dickson's Childe Cycle novels come close. There's honestly nothing like it, from his wild creativity to his poetic use of language. A forgotten masterpiece of SF.
October 31, 2010
I felt like I had stumbled into the middle of something here, and then I read that Nostrilia, Smith;s only novel, is tied into a web of short stories that more fully explains the future world setting. Given that, he does an excellent job of establishing that world with enough information without weighing down the action with ponderous exposition and elaborately developed back stories.
Who wouldn't like a story about a boy who buys the planet Earth? And I love the self-imposed austerity of the Nostrilians, the wealthiest people in the universe thanks to stroon, a drug they derive from gigantic deformed sheep. Stroon allows earthlings to live thousands of years instead of the allotted 400 or so.To limit their wealth and keep to their simple farming ways, Nostrilians impose a 2 mllion per ent tariff on all inboud goods. (I maybe got that figure wrong, it could be two thousand or twenty million.) The hero, Rob McBan, is the innocent country lad who has to make his way through a decadent earth filled with those who want to exploit him, kill him, or who think of him as a kind of messiah.
The story is fun from beginning to end, but Smith does not stint on the dark background of his future world. Earth is maintained by a genetically engineered race of underpeople, human-like creatures derived from animals, Humans themselves, freed from disease and want, are given to boredom, intrigue, and entertainments that allow them to pretend they have actual problems. They are elitist and racist, and only a handful of them sense that the days of their civilization are justifiably numbered.
Who wouldn't like a story about a boy who buys the planet Earth? And I love the self-imposed austerity of the Nostrilians, the wealthiest people in the universe thanks to stroon, a drug they derive from gigantic deformed sheep. Stroon allows earthlings to live thousands of years instead of the allotted 400 or so.To limit their wealth and keep to their simple farming ways, Nostrilians impose a 2 mllion per ent tariff on all inboud goods. (I maybe got that figure wrong, it could be two thousand or twenty million.) The hero, Rob McBan, is the innocent country lad who has to make his way through a decadent earth filled with those who want to exploit him, kill him, or who think of him as a kind of messiah.
The story is fun from beginning to end, but Smith does not stint on the dark background of his future world. Earth is maintained by a genetically engineered race of underpeople, human-like creatures derived from animals, Humans themselves, freed from disease and want, are given to boredom, intrigue, and entertainments that allow them to pretend they have actual problems. They are elitist and racist, and only a handful of them sense that the days of their civilization are justifiably numbered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2014
Wonderfully strange book; I suspect it is deceptively simple. However, it is overly long. Glad I had some idea about its melieu from reading "The Quest of Three Worlds" just prior.
March 7, 2026
For a moment I thought I jumped midway into new series with Norstrilia, but in the afterword it is made clear this was a centerpiece novel for the Instrumentality of Mankind. Further expansions were made by Smith via short story collections. Did I like this one enough to dive in deeper?
For what is supposed to be an all-important drug enabling longevity, Stroom certainly doesn't get much spotlight in the story. It is only acquired on Old North Australia aka planet Norstrilia where it is harvested from diseased sheep. Did I say "sheep"? Well, these weigh hundreds of tons and drug has made Sirs and Masters of the planet very wealthy indeed... except they've thrown away decadence and luxury to instead embrace simple farmer's life venerating the Queen. Our protagonist, Roderick Frederick Ronald Arthur William McArthur McBan the 151st, lives in such a place and endures possibly the worst malady - being a psychic cripple since he cannot do the one thing seemingly every human being, and others, can more than 15 000 years in the future. Surviving the "Garden of Death" trial meant to cull his planet's population, our boy Rod finds himself being targeted by an official with a grudge and thus concocts an outlandish plan involving his family's ancient computer. Liquidate their already vast assets, play the market like no person can and make enough money to buy Old Earth. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue for the new 16 year old owner.
It should be noted Norstrilia is very much a tale of two halves. First one covers the above summary, but the other has Rod traveling to Old Earth under very peculiar circumstances and that's where we get most of the story development. Something that kept me confused throughout was the tone. I'm not exactly sure how SERIOUSLY I should be taking it. The way novel balances straitlaced and bizarre while telling a deeply personal story that ends up influencing the entire world is astounding, and I can with certainty say not an execution you come across often. Inclusion of poems is also a relevant factor, but what I liked the most were in-between chapters offering POVs from other characters and their takes on current events.
Speaking of characters I found Rod to be rather likeable which is a positive considering he's at the front and center. Lad's answer to "What do you want to do with all the money?" is so simple and in-character for someone who, ultimately, just wants to be normal so he can belong. Sadly, his newfound riches mean he's in more danger than he realizes. From Lords of Instrumentality, seemingly aloof but absolute rulers of all, to underpeople down below, each with their own agendas. Thanks to lessons of a cat girlygirl C'mell as well as others from every strata of this weird caste society, Rod will learn forgiveness and find his place. Defining trait of all characters is just how genuine they come across with none of the modern cynicism. From an annoyed guard who still makes time to give direction to a lost cat underperson, to space thief chiefs genuinely being shocked they struck an honest deal with the government. It's oddly charming and never lets up.
Would I recommend Norstrilia? Despite my poor attempt at covering it here, yes. It's difficult to actually talk about because the novel covers so many subjects both alien and universal. It appears to be more of an appetizer for bits of the setting because there were so many hooks just laying about I wanted to read into.
For what is supposed to be an all-important drug enabling longevity, Stroom certainly doesn't get much spotlight in the story. It is only acquired on Old North Australia aka planet Norstrilia where it is harvested from diseased sheep. Did I say "sheep"? Well, these weigh hundreds of tons and drug has made Sirs and Masters of the planet very wealthy indeed... except they've thrown away decadence and luxury to instead embrace simple farmer's life venerating the Queen. Our protagonist, Roderick Frederick Ronald Arthur William McArthur McBan the 151st, lives in such a place and endures possibly the worst malady - being a psychic cripple since he cannot do the one thing seemingly every human being, and others, can more than 15 000 years in the future. Surviving the "Garden of Death" trial meant to cull his planet's population, our boy Rod finds himself being targeted by an official with a grudge and thus concocts an outlandish plan involving his family's ancient computer. Liquidate their already vast assets, play the market like no person can and make enough money to buy Old Earth. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue for the new 16 year old owner.
It should be noted Norstrilia is very much a tale of two halves. First one covers the above summary, but the other has Rod traveling to Old Earth under very peculiar circumstances and that's where we get most of the story development. Something that kept me confused throughout was the tone. I'm not exactly sure how SERIOUSLY I should be taking it. The way novel balances straitlaced and bizarre while telling a deeply personal story that ends up influencing the entire world is astounding, and I can with certainty say not an execution you come across often. Inclusion of poems is also a relevant factor, but what I liked the most were in-between chapters offering POVs from other characters and their takes on current events.
Speaking of characters I found Rod to be rather likeable which is a positive considering he's at the front and center. Lad's answer to "What do you want to do with all the money?" is so simple and in-character for someone who, ultimately, just wants to be normal so he can belong. Sadly, his newfound riches mean he's in more danger than he realizes. From Lords of Instrumentality, seemingly aloof but absolute rulers of all, to underpeople down below, each with their own agendas. Thanks to lessons of a cat girlygirl C'mell as well as others from every strata of this weird caste society, Rod will learn forgiveness and find his place. Defining trait of all characters is just how genuine they come across with none of the modern cynicism. From an annoyed guard who still makes time to give direction to a lost cat underperson, to space thief chiefs genuinely being shocked they struck an honest deal with the government. It's oddly charming and never lets up.
Would I recommend Norstrilia? Despite my poor attempt at covering it here, yes. It's difficult to actually talk about because the novel covers so many subjects both alien and universal. It appears to be more of an appetizer for bits of the setting because there were so many hooks just laying about I wanted to read into.
October 3, 2015
Cordwainer Smith was an odd anomaly of his time in the world of SF. An expert on East Asia and the author of a pretty well regarded book on psychological warfare, he basically wrote SF in his spare time (along with some other scattered novels under other pen names) and didn't accumulate many of them in his somewhat short life (he died in his early fifties in 1966) . . . all of his short SF works can be found in a single six-hundredish page volume and he only had one slim SF novel to his credit.
But what sets his writing apart from his peers who were operating in the genre at the time was his dedication to a very wide-spanning and elaborate future history featuring what he called "The Instrumentality" . . . pretty much all of his stories can be set somewhere on that chronology which he had seemed to work out to a fairly thorough extent. But if all he was capable of doing was coming up with great ideas for a future history that wouldn't have been too notable, bargain basement SF and fantasy authors do that kind of thing all the time. Without having the stories to back up the weight of the history, he probably would have faded into obscurity (well, more than he already has . . . while he's highly regarded among people familiar with the history of the genre, it's not like he's a household name) but those stories do exist and they are strange things, infused with an off-kilter sensibility that can be oddly playful or vicious in equal measure and featuring that seems to be truly alien, as weird to us as this century would be for someone born a hundred years ago and transplanted suddenly into today.
The best place to experience him is probably in the short stories but with only this novel to his credit it's fair to say that pretty much everything he did is worth exploring. Reading the short stories first probably will expose you to that history and let you settle in easier but in my case I read the novel first (hey, it was shorter) and while some people seemed to have issues settling into the setting, it didn't throw me too much. Smith tends to write in an elusive, strangely roundabout style that feels ahead of its time but never self-consciously literary or stiflingly academic. He's not experimenting or being overly lyrical for the sake of trying to impress us with his education, it seems that he found this was the best way to tell the story. It feels much less forced than later attempts in the 60s and 70s by other authors to prove that incomprehensible writing was the sign of great intelligence and that being willfully obscure was no longer purely the domain of post-modern writers.
Smith presents his tale at the start as almost mythology and one gets the sense that he's immersed his characters in traditions that long pre-date them and are the result of strange societal circumstances. To that end, we encounter the planet of Norstilia, an out of the way world where everyone lives forever thanks to their ill sheep (as goofy as this sounds, the novel plays it straight and succeeds brilliantly at it). The production of this immortality granting substance has made everyone on the planet stupidly rich but thanks to extraordinarily high taxes nobody lives like an endless production of "Wolf of Wall Street" but basically makes their living as ranchers with noble titles. Because of this longevity some decisions have to be made, and there's a test all the young have to go through where if they fail they're poisoned in such a way that they die in hysterics, so at least they go happy. Oh, and everyone's telepathic.
This is all background for the novel that Smith manages to convey in about twenty pages, with a lyrical economy that is quite stunning. Other authors would have based entire series around this scenario but he merely uses as the jumping off point to show us Rod McBan, who after passing the test after his third attempt (thanks to wonky telepathy), manages to become the richest person of all time by basically gaming the stock market and appears to buy the entire planet Earth in the process. Being a proud new owner and needing to get briefly out of Dodge, he heads over to Earth to find that being rich is a little more complicated than having a lot of money and gives the Instrumentality some headaches in the process.
One thing interesting about the novel is that for a relatively simple plot (it boils down to Rod becomes richer than he expects, has some adventures on Earth and feels bad about screwing someone over who is trying to kill him and seeks to make it right) Smith invests it with a lot of complexities, not only from the differences in the societies of the two planets but even within the planets themselves . . . Earth features "underpeople" basically augmented animals and everything is fairly stratified unless you're somehow affiliated with the Instrumentality in which case it sort of shifts how everyone reacts to each other. The underpeople alone could probably populate their own volume (and probably feature in some of the short stories) but we spend a lot of time here with them while Rod gets turned into one so he can go into disguise (he also gets chopped up for shipping purposes but seems cool with that). Meanwhile we're treated to interludes in various segments of society (or back in Norstrilia) to give a more complete picture of what's going on (along the lines of what John Brunner often did) and what impresses is how completely Smith seems to have worked everything out . . . all the background material seems to extend off the edges of the pages, as in the best fictional worlds and even the moments that seem to be satirical (the intersections of the economies and how Rod may not be as rich as he thinks he is) have a weight to them.
On the surface the tale is a lark, with the drama sometimes seeming episodic (perhaps reflecting how long it took him to write it . . . it was eventually published as two separate volumes, one of them posthumously) but there's an underlying seriousness to the affair that suggests even if the story never seems to be taking itself seriously (for all his travails, Rod never really loses his cool and maintains a steady aura of pluck and confidence) the transpired events are serious indeed (if the story can be "about" anything, it's as much about the underpeople trying to be recognized as more than second-class citizens and the efforts of some of the Instrumentality to take advantage of the chaos Rod causes to further that end), as are all their resolutions. Even Rod's inability to properly use telepathy is treated as nearly crippling in a society where such things have evolved to be nearly commonplace.
For all its seeming simplicity, there's a scope to it that demands closer reading. It's rare that SF from this era is this immersive and this strange yet clear enough in how it relates to us. It brings us a future that is alive in every way, one that we glimpse the smallest fragment of its numberless dramas and lets us be content with that, while it continuously spreads out of our view both forwards and backwards. To that end, the ending is perhaps the starkest slap of all, calm yet heartstoppingly sad and not tragic at all in this context. Because as lighthearted as this story can be on the surface, as much fun as everyone seems to be having at times (he's big on songs and poetry, most of which is not bad), the ending seems to take place in a field as wide as forever where the gathering of everyone you know is still very small indeed compared to it, and reminds us of the one fact that we all have to endure, now and in the future, in light or in darkness, on our street or in a world so far away that we can't even see where we once came from: life goes on no matter what and sometimes it isn't very fair. But it's the same for us all, and that's the fairest thing about it.
But what sets his writing apart from his peers who were operating in the genre at the time was his dedication to a very wide-spanning and elaborate future history featuring what he called "The Instrumentality" . . . pretty much all of his stories can be set somewhere on that chronology which he had seemed to work out to a fairly thorough extent. But if all he was capable of doing was coming up with great ideas for a future history that wouldn't have been too notable, bargain basement SF and fantasy authors do that kind of thing all the time. Without having the stories to back up the weight of the history, he probably would have faded into obscurity (well, more than he already has . . . while he's highly regarded among people familiar with the history of the genre, it's not like he's a household name) but those stories do exist and they are strange things, infused with an off-kilter sensibility that can be oddly playful or vicious in equal measure and featuring that seems to be truly alien, as weird to us as this century would be for someone born a hundred years ago and transplanted suddenly into today.
The best place to experience him is probably in the short stories but with only this novel to his credit it's fair to say that pretty much everything he did is worth exploring. Reading the short stories first probably will expose you to that history and let you settle in easier but in my case I read the novel first (hey, it was shorter) and while some people seemed to have issues settling into the setting, it didn't throw me too much. Smith tends to write in an elusive, strangely roundabout style that feels ahead of its time but never self-consciously literary or stiflingly academic. He's not experimenting or being overly lyrical for the sake of trying to impress us with his education, it seems that he found this was the best way to tell the story. It feels much less forced than later attempts in the 60s and 70s by other authors to prove that incomprehensible writing was the sign of great intelligence and that being willfully obscure was no longer purely the domain of post-modern writers.
Smith presents his tale at the start as almost mythology and one gets the sense that he's immersed his characters in traditions that long pre-date them and are the result of strange societal circumstances. To that end, we encounter the planet of Norstilia, an out of the way world where everyone lives forever thanks to their ill sheep (as goofy as this sounds, the novel plays it straight and succeeds brilliantly at it). The production of this immortality granting substance has made everyone on the planet stupidly rich but thanks to extraordinarily high taxes nobody lives like an endless production of "Wolf of Wall Street" but basically makes their living as ranchers with noble titles. Because of this longevity some decisions have to be made, and there's a test all the young have to go through where if they fail they're poisoned in such a way that they die in hysterics, so at least they go happy. Oh, and everyone's telepathic.
This is all background for the novel that Smith manages to convey in about twenty pages, with a lyrical economy that is quite stunning. Other authors would have based entire series around this scenario but he merely uses as the jumping off point to show us Rod McBan, who after passing the test after his third attempt (thanks to wonky telepathy), manages to become the richest person of all time by basically gaming the stock market and appears to buy the entire planet Earth in the process. Being a proud new owner and needing to get briefly out of Dodge, he heads over to Earth to find that being rich is a little more complicated than having a lot of money and gives the Instrumentality some headaches in the process.
One thing interesting about the novel is that for a relatively simple plot (it boils down to Rod becomes richer than he expects, has some adventures on Earth and feels bad about screwing someone over who is trying to kill him and seeks to make it right) Smith invests it with a lot of complexities, not only from the differences in the societies of the two planets but even within the planets themselves . . . Earth features "underpeople" basically augmented animals and everything is fairly stratified unless you're somehow affiliated with the Instrumentality in which case it sort of shifts how everyone reacts to each other. The underpeople alone could probably populate their own volume (and probably feature in some of the short stories) but we spend a lot of time here with them while Rod gets turned into one so he can go into disguise (he also gets chopped up for shipping purposes but seems cool with that). Meanwhile we're treated to interludes in various segments of society (or back in Norstrilia) to give a more complete picture of what's going on (along the lines of what John Brunner often did) and what impresses is how completely Smith seems to have worked everything out . . . all the background material seems to extend off the edges of the pages, as in the best fictional worlds and even the moments that seem to be satirical (the intersections of the economies and how Rod may not be as rich as he thinks he is) have a weight to them.
On the surface the tale is a lark, with the drama sometimes seeming episodic (perhaps reflecting how long it took him to write it . . . it was eventually published as two separate volumes, one of them posthumously) but there's an underlying seriousness to the affair that suggests even if the story never seems to be taking itself seriously (for all his travails, Rod never really loses his cool and maintains a steady aura of pluck and confidence) the transpired events are serious indeed (if the story can be "about" anything, it's as much about the underpeople trying to be recognized as more than second-class citizens and the efforts of some of the Instrumentality to take advantage of the chaos Rod causes to further that end), as are all their resolutions. Even Rod's inability to properly use telepathy is treated as nearly crippling in a society where such things have evolved to be nearly commonplace.
For all its seeming simplicity, there's a scope to it that demands closer reading. It's rare that SF from this era is this immersive and this strange yet clear enough in how it relates to us. It brings us a future that is alive in every way, one that we glimpse the smallest fragment of its numberless dramas and lets us be content with that, while it continuously spreads out of our view both forwards and backwards. To that end, the ending is perhaps the starkest slap of all, calm yet heartstoppingly sad and not tragic at all in this context. Because as lighthearted as this story can be on the surface, as much fun as everyone seems to be having at times (he's big on songs and poetry, most of which is not bad), the ending seems to take place in a field as wide as forever where the gathering of everyone you know is still very small indeed compared to it, and reminds us of the one fact that we all have to endure, now and in the future, in light or in darkness, on our street or in a world so far away that we can't even see where we once came from: life goes on no matter what and sometimes it isn't very fair. But it's the same for us all, and that's the fairest thing about it.
October 5, 2025
Norstrilia is a difficult book to review. It is probably brilliant, but at the same time, I am not sure that I would say that I enjoyed the experience of reading it. It contains many unique and interesting ideas, and a strong plot from a very high level, yet some parts of the story just fell flat for me. Perhaps I was too distracted at times during my time with the book, and this is not good, because Norstrilia truly demands the full attention of the reader. I would say that it falls on the scale somewhere between Philip K. Dick and Gene Wolfe.
It is also incredibly difficult to summarize what this book is about. It is set many of thousands of years in the future, and contains so many elements that are very unfamiliar to us as readers. The author also does not hold our hands at all, so a great deal has to be gleaned from context. Norstrilia stands for Old North Australia. which, due to an immortality drug called stroon, which can only be cultivated there, has made the people there unimaginably wealthy compared to the rest of the vast populated universe of this far-future story. The protagonist, Rod McBan, through some sort of market shenanigans, manages to become the most wealthy man in the universe. He buys Earth, including Norstrilia and its stroon trade, and decides to visit the planet that he has purchased. There is so much more depth to the book than just this, but it would take many paragraphs to go into the details.
Cordwainer Smith wrote mostly short stories, Norstrilia being his only full-length novel, and even that is two smaller books/novellas joined together. If I am being honest, for me at least, Smith's ideas work better in smaller stories. I recently read a collection of many of his short stories, which all take place in the same universe and along the same timeline that gets us to this book. In fact, the publication of Norstrilia that I read also contains the story The Ballad of Lost C'Mell, which I did reread. It is his short story that is most closely linked with the plot of Norstrilia. In some ways, I like that story more than much of what is contained in the novel. However, I do feel that Smith's works, and especially this novel, likely require at least several readings to really understand and appreciate his writing.
It is also incredibly difficult to summarize what this book is about. It is set many of thousands of years in the future, and contains so many elements that are very unfamiliar to us as readers. The author also does not hold our hands at all, so a great deal has to be gleaned from context. Norstrilia stands for Old North Australia. which, due to an immortality drug called stroon, which can only be cultivated there, has made the people there unimaginably wealthy compared to the rest of the vast populated universe of this far-future story. The protagonist, Rod McBan, through some sort of market shenanigans, manages to become the most wealthy man in the universe. He buys Earth, including Norstrilia and its stroon trade, and decides to visit the planet that he has purchased. There is so much more depth to the book than just this, but it would take many paragraphs to go into the details.
Cordwainer Smith wrote mostly short stories, Norstrilia being his only full-length novel, and even that is two smaller books/novellas joined together. If I am being honest, for me at least, Smith's ideas work better in smaller stories. I recently read a collection of many of his short stories, which all take place in the same universe and along the same timeline that gets us to this book. In fact, the publication of Norstrilia that I read also contains the story The Ballad of Lost C'Mell, which I did reread. It is his short story that is most closely linked with the plot of Norstrilia. In some ways, I like that story more than much of what is contained in the novel. However, I do feel that Smith's works, and especially this novel, likely require at least several readings to really understand and appreciate his writing.
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