Illustrator Gray Morrow
Author Cordwainer Smith
Year 1978 (first published 1975)
Publisher Del Ray/Ballantine
ISBN 0-345-27800-3
ROD McBAN THE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIRST
The Richest Boy in the Galaxy
He passed the test of the Garden of Death, but was still a telepathic cripple—a danger to Norstrilia his enemies claimed, as owner of the guarded planet’s key landholding: the Station of Doom.
The only road to safety, his computer told him, was to become the richest man in the universe… and he did, in one crowded, unbelievable night.
The computer’s logic was faultless… but Man isn’t logical. And now Roderick Frederick Ronald William MacArthur McBan 151st had a galaxy of people—and other beings—out to rob him, to use him… or to kill him!
Norstrilia available on Amazon
Thanks to Still Books for the cover
But, more importantly, did you like the work? I haven’t read any of Smith’s works yet….
When scrolling through my reader I misread the title of this book as “Nostrilia”…I was looking forward to a cover design depicting a planet full of nostrils….I must admit I am now slightly disappointed 🙂
gargoylebruce, I thought along those very same lines! In fact it was the title that first drew my attention in the book store. Joachim, I think I will be reading this one – my curiosity won’t let up! This is one I may have to go back to the book store to buy. It seems that this is Cordwainer’s only novel, the rest of his science-fiction work consists of short stories – Norstrilia itself is a merge of two shorter stories.
Norstrilia refers to the planet Norstrilia, or ‘Old North Australia’ which is populated by virus-infected sheep, who are the source of a drug that bestows immortality. Now that there is enough to get my curiosity aroused!
I knew about the book 😉 I just didn’t know if you had read it or not — people generally adore it or despise it as a poor pulp homage that hat should have been written back in the 50s not expanded from 60s stories.
He wrote a fair amount of other short works collected in a variety of collections. I have The Space Lords waiting to be read on my shelf…
WHAT??? I find this remarkably antagonistic toward my countryfolk…virus-infected sheep indeed….The idea was dreamt up by a Kiwi, no doubt…..
I won’t tell you where I am from then! 😉 The virus does give one immortality, so not a bad virus in the usual sense of the word. It is odd that the author chose Australia, being American himself I would have thought New America would be more apt – would that make it Nomerica then? 🙂