Call number
Genres
Publication
Del Rey (1977), Mass Market Paperback
Pages
xix; 377
Description
Welcome to the strangest, most distinctive future ever imagined by a science fiction writer. An insterstellar empire ruled by the mysterious Lords of the Instrumentality, whose access to the drug stroon from the planet Norstrilia confers on them virtual immortality. A world in which wealthy and leisured humanity is served by the underpeople, genetically engineered animals turned into the semblance of people. A world in which the great ships which sail between the stars are eventually supplanted by the mysterious, instantaneous technique of planoforming. A world of wonder and myth, and extraordinary imagination.
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1975-07 (collection)
Physical description
xix, 377 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
0345272021 / 9780345272027
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User reviews
LibraryThing member duhrer
"The Rediscovery of Man" is a collection of short stories (all set in the same universe at different time periods) by Cortwainer Smith. This universe is largely ordered by the Instrumentality, a governing body spanning centuries and controlling in fine detail the lives of almost every living
Like Huxley before him, Smith imagines a world in which genetics and behavioral conditioning sanitize life to the point where individual achievement is nearly meaningless. Smith's Instrumentality extends the control of science over nature somewhat further than Huxley, to the point where everyone is allocated 400 years of life (instead of the roughly 80 years of youth the denizens of Huxley's "Brave New World" lived). They live without fear of disease, weather, aging, hunger or the lack of material goods. Access to history is tightly controlled, and all divisions of language and culture have been more or less erased. At the height of the Instrumentality, the only human individuals not perfectly adjusted to the needs of their society and their own ability to fulfill those needs are extreme aberrations (and extremely rare).
The title "The Rediscovery of Man" refers to the reemergence of chance and diversity as means of allowing the human race continued growth. This relaxation of some of the controls on their society arises in no small part from the study of undermen, animals modified to resemble, interact with, and serve humans. Early in the timeline of the Instrumentality, undermen are slaves, less than human, destroyed when they fail or become inconvenient. They are utterly disposable labor, and only those who are strong, witty, and lucky survive. Thus it is that the various species of underpeople grow while the human race in its perfect control over heredity and environment stagnates.
The reemergence of human progress and the rise of the underpeople are two of the major themes. Minor themes include telepathy, the mob mentality and the progress of societies and technologies over millenia. Like Tolkien's Middle Earth, you get the sense that Smith had a full vision of this universe stretching over millenia, and that each story was just a window into a fully-realized world.
This is a great collection of stories, well worth reading and rereading. I look forward to reading the small collection of additional fiction works by the author.
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human.Like Huxley before him, Smith imagines a world in which genetics and behavioral conditioning sanitize life to the point where individual achievement is nearly meaningless. Smith's Instrumentality extends the control of science over nature somewhat further than Huxley, to the point where everyone is allocated 400 years of life (instead of the roughly 80 years of youth the denizens of Huxley's "Brave New World" lived). They live without fear of disease, weather, aging, hunger or the lack of material goods. Access to history is tightly controlled, and all divisions of language and culture have been more or less erased. At the height of the Instrumentality, the only human individuals not perfectly adjusted to the needs of their society and their own ability to fulfill those needs are extreme aberrations (and extremely rare).
The title "The Rediscovery of Man" refers to the reemergence of chance and diversity as means of allowing the human race continued growth. This relaxation of some of the controls on their society arises in no small part from the study of undermen, animals modified to resemble, interact with, and serve humans. Early in the timeline of the Instrumentality, undermen are slaves, less than human, destroyed when they fail or become inconvenient. They are utterly disposable labor, and only those who are strong, witty, and lucky survive. Thus it is that the various species of underpeople grow while the human race in its perfect control over heredity and environment stagnates.
The reemergence of human progress and the rise of the underpeople are two of the major themes. Minor themes include telepathy, the mob mentality and the progress of societies and technologies over millenia. Like Tolkien's Middle Earth, you get the sense that Smith had a full vision of this universe stretching over millenia, and that each story was just a window into a fully-realized world.
This is a great collection of stories, well worth reading and rereading. I look forward to reading the small collection of additional fiction works by the author.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kencf0618
It's difficult for me to do justice to the richness of Linebarger's unique mythos. It's even more difficult for me to get across just how much some of these stories meant to me (some of them with Chinese narrative techniques!); they are eschatological fiction of the highest water. (Heck, the cover
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of the Ballantine edition is one of the great science fiction mass market paperback covers -kudos to the illustrator!) Forest of Incandescent Bliss, was unique; it would take a Hayao Miyazaki to bring the likes of "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," "Under Old Earth," "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" or "The Ballad of Lost C'mell" to the big screen. A unique treasure. Science fiction used to have a positivistic click -and to think that the man died in 1966! Show Less
LibraryThing member baswood
12 short stories set in a universe created by Cordwainer Smith. A timeline at the front of the book grounds the stories in the milieu created by the author. All the stories are worth reading and some are excellent. Smith has a unique writing style that at times borders on greatness. take the story
"The churn and the burn and the hot return.........."
"The surge and the urge of the erotic dirge..........."
This heightened style of writing is also present in "Alpha ralpha boulevard" A story where humans who have lived in a world where everything is done to make them happy and secure are suddenly given back to them situations where they experience danger, fear and anxiety.
Smiths universe is populated by scanners, pinlighters Go-captains and controlling them all the Lord of the instrmentality an underworld of semi-humans bubbles under the surface. The last of these stories were written in the 1970's, however they do have a contemporary feel about them and Smiths big ideas and themes running throughout are universal. Also some of the stories are quite horrifying and linger in the imagination. By the time I read the final story in the timeline "A planet named Shayol" I felt at home in Smiths' universe and wanted to read more
Certainly recommended for all lovers of science fiction and the powerful writing and imagination at work here will appeal to many other readers.
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entitled "under the earth" where hypnotic sound and light becomes central to the plot and the writing echoes this theme :"The churn and the burn and the hot return.........."
"The surge and the urge of the erotic dirge..........."
This heightened style of writing is also present in "Alpha ralpha boulevard" A story where humans who have lived in a world where everything is done to make them happy and secure are suddenly given back to them situations where they experience danger, fear and anxiety.
Smiths universe is populated by scanners, pinlighters Go-captains and controlling them all the Lord of the instrmentality an underworld of semi-humans bubbles under the surface. The last of these stories were written in the 1970's, however they do have a contemporary feel about them and Smiths big ideas and themes running throughout are universal. Also some of the stories are quite horrifying and linger in the imagination. By the time I read the final story in the timeline "A planet named Shayol" I felt at home in Smiths' universe and wanted to read more
Certainly recommended for all lovers of science fiction and the powerful writing and imagination at work here will appeal to many other readers.
Show Less
LibraryThing member salimbol
An absolutely fascinating collection of short stories set in the far future, when humankind, stifled by ennui, learns to stretch and re-define what it means to be human. Not an easy read, but surely a rewarding one. By turns lyrical, bizarre, creepy, moving and compelling, this has been one of the
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real stand-outs of the Science Fiction Masterworks series for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lyndatrue
This has "The Lady Who Sailed the Soul" and "The Ballad of Lost C'mell" (both originally published in Galaxy). It has that marvel, "Scanners Live in Vain" which was his first short story. Cordwainer Smith's early death was a loss to us all.
LibraryThing member ragwaine
A Planet Named Shayol (Heavy, people punished grow limbs and then the extra limbs are harvested. They are either in extreme pain or under the influence of a super-pleasure drug. Everyone forgets about them and then when some children are sent they revolt.)
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Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (Abrupt ending, not
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Golden the Ship Was--Oh! Oh! Oh! (Don't remember much but it wasn't very good. Huge ship that is really fake just to scare enemies into surrendering.)
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Mother Hitton's Little Kittons (Really bad except for the idea of breeding rabid animals and then using telepathy boosters to defend things.)
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Scanners Live in Vain (Cool, serious, emotional. Reminded me of _Aye and Gomorah_. Use crimals to travel into space. Original.)
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The Ballad of Lost C'mell (Not sure I get what the plot was, the telepathic animal man got into the mind of the instrumentality so as to give the animal people more rights.)
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The Burning of the Brain (Weird and original but not that cool and ending was kind of unexplained (passing power).)
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The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal (Very fantastical, send cats back in time 2 million years with dna instructions to help humans. Strange world of men-women. Brave and original but if they could do that they would be far more advanced by now.)
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The Dead Lady of Clown Town (Weird and original and also emotional. It seems like part of a bigger story, like reading a part of a novel. Joan of arc leads the 1/2 animal people into freedom. Her martyrdom makes way for future respect.)
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The Game of Rat and Dragon (Telepathic cats help protect against space dragons. Cool but ending kind of corny.)
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The Lady Who Sailed the Soul (Helen America and Mr Grey no more. Cool love story again space takes it toll. Cool pokes at feminist.)
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Under Old Earth (A lord of the Instrumentality challenges the stale happiness of the new Utopia. Really weird, includes a human that has made himself a god and calls himself Akhenaton. Weak links between elements.)
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Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (Abrupt ending, not
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sure I get it Evil guy trys to lead them to old machine that is the devil. Birds (angels) and C'mell (cat woman) try to stop them from going.)-
Golden the Ship Was--Oh! Oh! Oh! (Don't remember much but it wasn't very good. Huge ship that is really fake just to scare enemies into surrendering.)
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Mother Hitton's Little Kittons (Really bad except for the idea of breeding rabid animals and then using telepathy boosters to defend things.)
-
Scanners Live in Vain (Cool, serious, emotional. Reminded me of _Aye and Gomorah_. Use crimals to travel into space. Original.)
-
The Ballad of Lost C'mell (Not sure I get what the plot was, the telepathic animal man got into the mind of the instrumentality so as to give the animal people more rights.)
-
The Burning of the Brain (Weird and original but not that cool and ending was kind of unexplained (passing power).)
-
The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal (Very fantastical, send cats back in time 2 million years with dna instructions to help humans. Strange world of men-women. Brave and original but if they could do that they would be far more advanced by now.)
-
The Dead Lady of Clown Town (Weird and original and also emotional. It seems like part of a bigger story, like reading a part of a novel. Joan of arc leads the 1/2 animal people into freedom. Her martyrdom makes way for future respect.)
-
The Game of Rat and Dragon (Telepathic cats help protect against space dragons. Cool but ending kind of corny.)
-
The Lady Who Sailed the Soul (Helen America and Mr Grey no more. Cool love story again space takes it toll. Cool pokes at feminist.)
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Under Old Earth (A lord of the Instrumentality challenges the stale happiness of the new Utopia. Really weird, includes a human that has made himself a god and calls himself Akhenaton. Weak links between elements.)
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LibraryThing member Andrew_C
I find it remarkably difficult to explain why I love a book, but I'm going to have a try because Cordwainer Smith's Instrumentality of Mankind is such a wonderful and overlooked (outside of fandom) work of science fiction.
The stories contained here are related to his Instrumentality of Mankind
While some of the stories have not aged as well as the others, overall they are remarkably timeless and there is a sense of alienness and wonder to the stories that few of his contemporaries managed to create. And the stories are extremely readable and draw you right into the worlds Smith created.
The Instrumentality itself is a remarkable strange, alien, perhaps mystical yet essentially human and immensely believable universe. You think "Yes, this is a direction humanity could take".
Anyway, read this book, you will see why I love it.
The stories contained here are related to his Instrumentality of Mankind
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universe, and contain almost all of them, with the notable exception of the novella Norstrilia. While some of the stories have not aged as well as the others, overall they are remarkably timeless and there is a sense of alienness and wonder to the stories that few of his contemporaries managed to create. And the stories are extremely readable and draw you right into the worlds Smith created.
The Instrumentality itself is a remarkable strange, alien, perhaps mystical yet essentially human and immensely believable universe. You think "Yes, this is a direction humanity could take".
Anyway, read this book, you will see why I love it.
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LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
This is the 1975 collection published by Doubleday/Del Rey and republished by the Science Fiction Book Club. It is a marvelous collection as were all done in that series. It has the following stories:
Scanners Live in Vain
The Lady Who Sailed The Soul
The Game of Rat and Dragon
The Burning of the
The Crime And the Glory Of Commander Suzdal
Golden the Ship Was Oh! Oh! Oh!
The Dead Lady of Clown Town
Under Old Earth
Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons
Alpha Ralpha Boulevard
The Ballad Of Lost C'mell
A Planet Named Shayol
All of these are part of his grand history, The Instrumentality of Mankind. Scanners Live in Vain is a classic; I first read it in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame. The Game of Rat and Dragon should be read by any cat lover; they should continue on to The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal. Commander Suzdal also appears A Planet Named Shayol. I loved the plot of Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons. The Dead Lady of Clown Town is quite powerful. Finally, The Ballad of Lost C'mell pulled at my heart.
Smith's writing is quite lyrical at times and his storytelling techniques may take some getting used to. But give him a chance and you'll find a fascinating history of the future of mankind. You'll find yourself regretting the author's early death.
If you enjoy science fiction, I believe you'll enjoy this book. If you love well-told stories, I would suggest you try it. It held my attention through various doctors' appointments, so the stories are compelling.
Scanners Live in Vain
The Lady Who Sailed The Soul
The Game of Rat and Dragon
The Burning of the
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Brain The Crime And the Glory Of Commander Suzdal
Golden the Ship Was Oh! Oh! Oh!
The Dead Lady of Clown Town
Under Old Earth
Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons
Alpha Ralpha Boulevard
The Ballad Of Lost C'mell
A Planet Named Shayol
All of these are part of his grand history, The Instrumentality of Mankind. Scanners Live in Vain is a classic; I first read it in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame. The Game of Rat and Dragon should be read by any cat lover; they should continue on to The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal. Commander Suzdal also appears A Planet Named Shayol. I loved the plot of Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons. The Dead Lady of Clown Town is quite powerful. Finally, The Ballad of Lost C'mell pulled at my heart.
Smith's writing is quite lyrical at times and his storytelling techniques may take some getting used to. But give him a chance and you'll find a fascinating history of the future of mankind. You'll find yourself regretting the author's early death.
If you enjoy science fiction, I believe you'll enjoy this book. If you love well-told stories, I would suggest you try it. It held my attention through various doctors' appointments, so the stories are compelling.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mkfs
Pretty odd stuff, a lot of it downright silly - like the existence of mind-destroying monsters in the space between stars, and mankind's use of cats to combat them.
So much of it is so dated or so innocent that one gets caught off-guard by the occasional critique of modern life:Don't think about the
The highlight of the collection is the final story, A Planet Named Shayol. Putting aside for the moment some amusement about a member of the Mercer family being sent to eternal punishment for treasonous crimes, this is an excellent examination of the notion of retribution, and of the cruelty and humanity that organically arise within any system of justice.Don't think that I am punished any more. This place is not a punishment. It is something else.
Quite a departure from the fixation on cats that appeared in most of the previous stories.
So much of it is so dated or so innocent that one gets caught off-guard by the occasional critique of modern life:Don't think about the
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roads. Think of the millions of vehicles that ran on those roads, the people filled with greed and rage and hate, rushing past each other with their engines on fire. They say that fifty thousand a year were killed on the roads alone. We would call that a war.The highlight of the collection is the final story, A Planet Named Shayol. Putting aside for the moment some amusement about a member of the Mercer family being sent to eternal punishment for treasonous crimes, this is an excellent examination of the notion of retribution, and of the cruelty and humanity that organically arise within any system of justice.Don't think that I am punished any more. This place is not a punishment. It is something else.
Quite a departure from the fixation on cats that appeared in most of the previous stories.
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