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Loading... The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer…by Cordwainer SmithSeries: Instrumentality of Mankind
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. The third story in this volume takes place 16,000 years in the future. When you realize that the 33 stories are ordered chronologically, you begin to grasp the scale of Cordwainer Smith's creation. Regimes, technologies, planets, moralities, religions, histories all rise and fall through his millennia.   jegauthier76 | Jul 31, 2008 |  A fine idea to put all Smith's short stories together, although the lesser known work is certainly that for a reason. It is still good to see all the Instrumentality of Mankind stories in one place, as some of them are brilliant, and there isn't a bad piece in the lot. Even with the weaker unrelated stuff at the end, this still manages to average almost 3.75. Very nice. Rediscovery of Man : No No Not Rogov! - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : War No. 81-Q revised - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Mark Elf [Mark XI Vom Acht sisters] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Queen of the Afternoon [Vom Acht sisters] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Scanners Live in Vain - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Lady Who Sailed The Soul - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : When the People Fell - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Think Blue Count Two - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Colonel Came Back from Nothing-at-All - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Game of Rat and Dragon - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Burning of the Brain - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : From Gustible's Planet - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Himself in Anachron - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Golden the Ship Was— Oh! Oh! Oh! - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Dead Lady of Clown Town - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Under Old Earth - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Drunkboat - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Alpha Ralpha Boulevard - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Ballad of Lost C'Mell - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : A Planet Named Shayol - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : On the Gem Planet [Casher O'Neill] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : On the Storm Planet [Casher O'Neill] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : On the Sand Planet [Casher O'Neill] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Three to a Given Star [Casher O'Neill] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Down to a Sunless Sea - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : War No. 81-Q - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Western Science Is So Wonderful - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Nancy [The Nancy Routine] - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery of Man : The Good Friends - Cordwainer Smith Soviet science couple's brain needle journey. 4 out of 5 Licence to kill, robots, anyway. 4 out of 5 Manhunter not too helpful for old timer. 3.5 out of 5 Suspended animation Underpeople awakening gives girl an Instrumentality role. 3.5 out of 5 Monopoly is bad, and worth doing something about. 5 out of 5 Solo starnaut sheila's suitor. 4 out of 5 Chinese Venusian megadrop. 3 out of 5 I am sailing, I am spoiling, across the stars, should be freezed. 3.5 out of 5 Lost soul pinlighting. 4 out of 5 Another actual use for a live cat. Fight you little bastard. 4 out of 5 Mind destruction manoeuvre rescue transfer. 3.5 out of 5 I wish they'd duck off. 3.5 out of 5 Time enough for love Knot. 4 out of 5 Lost planet female cancer transsexual aggression solution is timeslip cat kill cull. 4 out of 5 Time for war, duckie. 4 out of 5 Witch woman and dead robot animal trial. 4.5 out of 5 Too happy is bad. 3.5 out of 5 Rage through space, really fast to dreams out of space. 4.5 out of 5 Old North Australia's mutant mad mink secret defense doesn't pussyfoot around with thieves and murderers. Or, Stop, You'll Eat Yourself. 5 out of 5 Hard to believe in France. 3 out of 5 Underpeople Lord assisted execution escapage. 4.5 out of 5 Pain punishment makes skin way more deep. 3.5 out of 5 Test dictated for horse help. 3 out of 5 Turtle girl's longevity vigil requires warrior assistant. 4 out of 5 Comeback confrontation dictated. 3.5 out of 5 Cackle-gabble telepathy search eating solution. 3.5 out of 5 Sacrifice power. 4 out of 5 Licence to kill, robots, anyway. 4 out of 5 Fascinated Martian chat. 3 out of 5 Virus life. 4 out of 5 Dainty noise weapon. 2.5 out of 5 Funny voice medium. 3 out of 5 No party mission. 3 out of 5 4.5 out of 5 http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2008/01... (  ) bluetyson | Jan 22, 2008 | hyperpat | Nov 16, 2007 | Masterful stuff. I don't know anyone so skilled at implying so much backstory in so few words. You read any given paragraph of Cordwainer Smith, and you immediately have a sense of the entire history and culture of his 'Instrumentality' lurking just offstage. I still don't know how he does it - these stories deserve close study. (  ) AsYouKnow_Bob | Feb 20, 2007 | Classic stories. Had Smith had a more immediate influence, SF would be more interesting today. ( ) bgbooks | Aug 6, 2006 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0915368560, Hardcover)The third story in this volume takes place 16,000 years in the future. When you realize that the 33 stories are ordered chronologically, you begin to grasp the scale of Cordwainer Smith's creation. Regimes, technologies, planets, moralities, religions, histories all rise and fall through his millennia.These are futuristic tales told as myth, as legend, as a history of a distant and decayed past. Written in an unadorned voice reminiscent of James Tiptree Jr., Smith's visions are dark and pessimistic, clearly a contrast from the mood of SF in his time; in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s it was still thought that science would cure the ills of humanity. In Smith's tales, space travel takes a horrendous toll on those who pilot the ships through the void. After reaching perfection, the lack of strife stifles humanity to a point of decay and stagnation; the Instrumentality of Mankind arises in order to stir things up. Many stories describe moral dilemmas involving the humanity of the Underpeople, beings evolved from animals into humanlike forms. Stories not to be missed in this collection include "Scanners Live in Vain," "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," "Under Old Earth," "The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal," "Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons," and the truly disturbing "A Planet Called Shayol." Serious SF fans should not pass up the chance to experience Cordwainer Smith's complex, distinctive vision of the far future. --Bonnie Bouman (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:54 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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