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Highly imaginative literary art with deep, cynical fun as well as many insightful messages. Cordwainer Smith (Dr. Paul Linebarger) grew up in China and several other countries learning six languages as a teenager. His godfather was Sun Yat-sen and he was a legal adviser to Chiang Kai-shek. He later became one of America's leading experts on psychological warfare. Norstrilia combines his acute political sense with dramatic artistic flair.

A few examples:

"News is the mother of opinion, opinion the cause of mass delusion, delusion the source of war."
"they were strong on tradition and did not let mere facts boggle them"
"And wisdom, coeval with man, comes unannounced, unbidden, and unwelcome into every life."
"teach men to hate easily and lightly, as in a game, not sickly and wearily, as in habit"

Vivid descriptions spice up the narrative and maintain a playful humor:

"an initial sense of pleasure, followed rapidly by acute discomfort and the sudden wish that all their teeth would fall out."
"You won't overlook her. She's as wild as fire and twice as beautiful."
"Dehydrate my body, pickle my head, and freeze the whole mucking mess?" "That's it...That'll give you a real chance of getting there alive."
"drunk with wit when dead sober, sober with charm when dead drunk".

Norstrilia is one of the few books I would put in the category of "seminal, original, pioneering work". First published in the 1960's it remains a strong, positive influence on authors and a delight for readers.

Cordwainer Smith's Remarkable Science Fiction - the official Cordwainer Smith web site maintained by his daughter. Includes samples of his writing, biography and reminiscences, photographs, readers' comments, book ordering, etc.