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The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith

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Cordwainer Smith is the pen name of Mr. Paul M. A. Linebarger, who lived a comparatively short (1913 - 1966) and difficult life. He was educated in China, Germany and USA. Loose one eye in an accident being a child. Had a PH degree in Political Sciences, was a university professor and worked undercover for CIA. At the same time he wrote fascinating sci-fi stories.
My first contact with the author's stories was "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard". It was obvious for me that this was a fragment of a greater story, full of mysterious and provoking ideas as the Rediscovery of Man, the Eketeli and so on. I was captivated by the imagery and searched for more works from Cordwainer Smith. Little by little they were appearing in different sci-fi magazines and short stories collections.
With this book you have the opportunity to read almost all the "fragments" constituting Cordwainer's universe, with consistent references to the underpeople, the Instrumentality, the Scanners and the rest of the interlaced icons of this particular Myth.
Remarkable stories are: "Mark Elf", "The Game of Rat & Dragon", "Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons" and "Under Old Earth".
A speciall mention must be done for "Ballad of Lost C'Mell" and "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" both dealing with the relationship of humans and underpeople. Mr. Smith had a very particular relation with cats and dogs. He loved them and his underpeople characters show this love.
A final note "The Dead Lady..." is a forceful recreation of Joan D'Arc martyrdom.
A wonderful collection from an unjustly underrated author.

Lyrical and stunning. I remeber many of the characters years after reading the book

These are not just the best science fiction novelettes ever written, they may well be the best stories ever written. 'The Dead Lady of Clown Town' is the only object in print that has ever made me cry. These are true "miracles of rare device," and if you do not fall in love with C'mell, you have no soul

Arthur C. Clarke for his ability to inspire awe. Isaac Asimov for his unsurpassable cleverness. Robert Heinlein for his thunderous humanity. A host of others for their inspired moments.

But ultimately Cordwainer Smith is the finest writer, the best poetic craftsman of the language, ever to write a science fiction story. And that's from someone who never made it through NORSTRILIA, because I don't think Smith could sustain a single extended work. It's the short story cycles he mastered that gave free reign to his bizarre and passionate imagination.

If "The Burning of the Brain" doesn't bring together a piece of every human experience, don't read this review.

Like Heinlein, Smith built a detailed future history of the human race as a backdrop for his writing. It starts at the end of WWII and continues tens of thousands of years into the future. Smith
spent much of his childhood in Asia, as the son of a diplomat,
and grew up to become an expert in Asian culture and affairs, as well as politics in general and psycology in particular. Many of Smith's stories are rewrites of Chinese myths and fables, with casts of characters out of his dreamlike human universe governed by the omnipresent Instrumentality. Interestingly, even within this vast sweep of time, Smith's Instrumentality never chances upon a single truly alien race, despite the eventual development of various and increasingly efficient techniques of FTL travel.
At a few points in "The Rediscovery of Man" Smith makes mention of the Instrumentality's preparations for possible alien encounters, but only modified and/or forgotten sub-species of humans are ever discovered.
The word "dark" gets used a lot in describing Smith's future vision, but I don't believe that there is more darkness in his writing than would/will actually occur. Smith's personal history is one of witnessing human affairs from the viewpoint of those who are leading (or manipulating) the rest of us, and it is the
appearance of this unique understanding in his writing that gives it both it's dreamlike quality and it's realism - but perhaps also that element of darkness. But the wonderfully offbeat technology is pure imagination - such as the
"laminated mouse brain" in the story "Think Blue, Count Two",
or Old North Australia's strange and fearsome defense system in
"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons".
One could actually hope that humanity really turns out as exotic, abstract and imaginative (and as long-lasting!) as Smith's vision. If you are a scifi buff but are unfamiliar with Smith's work, there is a gaping hole in your expertise that you can now remedy with a single, chronologically-ordered volume of stories. If scifi really isn't your bag, I guarantee you still will be seduced and enchanted and transfixed by this relatively small body of work which, like the writing of Stanislaw Lem, raises speculative fiction to the level of true literature.

Like Heinlein, Smith built a detailed future history of the human race as a backdrop for his writing. It starts at the end of WWII and continues tens of thousands of years into the future. Smith
spent much of his childhood in Asia, as the son of a diplomat,
and grew up to become an expert in Asian culture and affairs, as well as politics in general and psycology in particular. Many of Smith's stories are rewrites of Chinese myths and fables, with casts of characters out of his dreamlike human universe governed by the omnipresent Instrumentality. Interestingly, even within this vast sweep of time, Smith's Instrumentality never chances upon a single alien race, despite the eventual development of various and increasingly efficient techniques of FTL travel.
At a few points in "The Rediscovery of Man" Smith makes mention of the Instrumentality's preparations for possible alien encounters, but only modified and/or forgotten sub-species of humans are ever discovered.
The word "dark" gets used a lot in describing Smith's future vision, but I don't believe that there is more darkness in his writing than would/will actually occur in a future interstellar civilization. Smith's personal history is one of witnessing human affairs from the viewpoint of those who are leading (or manipulating) the rest of us, and it is the
appearance of this unique understanding in his writing that gives it it's edge - but perhaps also that element of darkness. But the wonderfully offbeat technology is pure imagination - such as the
"laminated mouse brain" containing a guardian hologram for a young girl on an interstellar journey in the story "Think Blue, Count Two",
or Old North Australia's strange and fearsome planetary defense system in
"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons"; a directed-telepathy weapon powered by the lethal hostility harvested from the minds of specially-bred psychotic weasels.
One could actually hope that humanity turns out as exotic and abstract and imaginative (and as long-lasting!) as Smith's vision. If you are a scifi buff but are unfamiliar with Smith's work, there is a gaping hole in your expertise that you can now remedy with a single, chronologically-ordered volume of stories. If scifi really isn't your bag, I guarantee you still will be seduced and enchanted and transfixed by this relatively small body of work which, like the writing of Stanislaw Lem, raises speculative fiction to the level of literature.

Cordwainer Smith is one of the most unique and original authors to ever write science fiction, and is definitely among my favorites. These stories are the best of Cordwainer Smith, though he also wrote Nostrilia, a good book that nevertheless pales in comparison to the selections in The Rediscovery of Man. What I like about Smith is that he has a sense of the epic in science fiction, while still maintaining the focus of his writing: humans and near-humans (the underpeople). Many of his stories deal with love, something to be admired in a genre that often ignores this important concept. Especially in "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell", "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard", "The Burning of the Brain", and "Three to a Given Star", Smith shows his competency in this area, giving often heart-wrenching accounts of the survival of love in this far flung future. Other key stories include "The Crime and Glory of Commander Suzdal", the horrifying "A Planet Named Shayol", and "The Dead Lady of Clown Town". Such stories show an incredible depth of imagination, though Smith never loses touch with his characters, imbuing them real emotion and intelligence. If I had one complaint it would be that Smith sometimes lets his imagination run wild, creating a story that is a little too abstract. This is shown in "Under Old Earth", the only story I had trouble finishing. This, however, is a minor grievance, and the pure brilliance of the other stories occludes this one misstep. Give yourself a chance to appreciate this often overlooked genius.

At the age of thirteen, I fell on a beat up copy of Norstrilia, and fell in love with Smith's works. I soon got a copy of "The Best of Cordwainer Smith" and it vanished on a summer camp trip. It took me years to replace it. Imagine my delight to have all those loved stories in one (heavy) volume, unlikely to go astray!

As you probably know, Smith was actually Dr. Paul M.A. Linebarger, a Johns Hopkins professor and specialist in Asian affairs. He was a master of psychological warfare.

His stories fit no easy category. They are not fantasy, they are not hard science fiction, they are not alternative history. They incorporate bits and pieces of Asian culture and myth. They are often troubling, haunting. "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" ends with most of its characters dead or with their minds wiped, yet it is a happy ending for all that, with Joan's views obviously spreading through the underpeople. "Under Old Earth" is a fascinating tale, filled with allusions that must be beyond the scope of this note. Even "War No. 81-Q", the original version of which was written by Smith as a teenager, is an excellent story. "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" is simply one of the great SF short stories of all time. I could go on, but . . .

The volume also includes the Casher O'Neill trilogy, that I had read of, but not seen before.

If you haven't read Smith before, this is how to buy his stories, so that you have them all. If you have--well, again, you'll have them all.

It's worth it. Buy it.

I picked up one of Smith's books years ago because of the titles
of the stories: "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" and "The Ballard of Lost C'mell." Boy, was I in for a treat. Ostensibly science-fiction, in reality it's more along the lines of mythology, even religion. The world that Smith (whose real name was Paul Linebarger) recreates is vivid and realistic. In fact, it is the most vivid and realistic world I have ever encountered in fiction. His visions are astonishing. I've never encountered anything like his writing, in all that I have read, and I doubt I ever will again.

When I picked up this book (after getting it from a friend), I had some doubts, even if the person in question never had let me down before with book recommendations.
After reading the introduction, about all the "unspoken and unwritten" clues and history events, I was even more sceptical.
However, I was completely wrong in my premonition.
Smith combines modern philosphy, avant-garde thinking and religion in what to me is one of the greatest dreams of our time.
A Sci-Fi writer is often forced to grapple and come to terms with todays problems so that a future can be presented and Smith does that in a finely tuned, delicate and yet enchanting and engrossing way.
His interest in religion and populatory control shine like a guiding light in darkness. What must happen with religion? How must a state operate in order to contain and control a potentially destructive (as humans often are) population when it is spread across the stars?
What happens to love? Love - in sci-fi, where it often is just a bonus the hero picks up after the adventure, plays an important role in Smith's work. So does religion. And morality.

After finishing the short stories and frantically reading my way through Norstrilia, my first feeling was a deep sadness. This was all you see. The two books are the only things that are easily available to the savvy or not-so-savvy reader today. I know that Smith wrote other things under other names, but the fiction left me tear-eyed, shaking, laughing and thinking.
Smith sits on my Sci-Fi throne together with Herbert and Dick, not having Asimovs slow, almost stuffy style, but keeping it serious but playful, strange but enchanting.

Read it. And read it again. And again. And again... and again.