Norstrilia
Norstrilia is a science fiction novel by American writer Paul Linebarger, published under the pseudonym Cordwainer Smith. The novel takes place in the universe of Smith's Instrumentality of Mankind. It was heavily influenced by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Norstrilia is in part a sequel to Smith's 1962 short story "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell", which features some of the same characters and settings. The novel was first published as a single book in 1975, after appearing earlier as two short novels in 1964 and 1968.
Book · Open Library
- Author
- Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger
- First published
- 1975
- Editions
- 9
- Subjects
- Fiction, science fiction, general
via Open Library
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Plot
- Publication history
- Reception
- References
- Sources
- External links
Norstrilia is a science fiction novel by American writer Paul Linebarger, published under the pseudonym Cordwainer Smith. The novel takes place in the universe of Smith's Instrumentality of Mankind. It was heavily influenced by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Norstrilia is in part a sequel to Smith's 1962 short story "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell", which features some of the same characters and settings. The novel was first published as a single book in 1975, after appearing earlier as two short novels in 1964 and 1968.
==Plot== The immensely wealthy planet Old North Australia ("Norstrilia") is the only place in the universe which produces the precious immortality drug "stroon". The Norstrilians cull their young in order to prevent overpopulation, and only those who pass the test of the "Garden of Death" are allowed to enter adulthood.