Saturday, December 18, 2010

Haberman - Technovelgy

"Haberman
Modified humans controlled by cybernetic implants.

A human that have been modified from most sensory reception, while their bodily functions are controlled by cybernetic implants. Habermans are needed to crew spacecraft, since unmodified humans would not be able to withstand the "pain of space". The Pain is a side effect of interstellar travel, which causes a desire for death in living beings."


3.5 out of 5

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1975

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Cordwainer Smith: The Ballad of Lost Linebarger Part 2 - Frederik Pohl

"There was a problem. After a few more fine stories about the associates of Lord Jestecost and C’Mell the cat lady and all, I got a saddening letter from him. He wouldn’t be writing any more stories about the Instrumentality, he said, because he had totally run out of additional story ideas. He hadn’t thought that would happen, he told me, because for years he’d kept this little pocket notebook with him, filling it with ideas as they occurred to him, including a number for additional stories in the series. But, alas. he’d been in a small boat somewhere — maybe it was on some Italian lake or Mediterranean bay — and he had leaned incautiously over the side … and the notebook had fallen out of his breast pocket into the water … and he been able to watch it dropping through the crystal-clear water until at last it was out of sight, and was gone. Along with all those never-to-be-written stories"


5 out of 5

http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/2010/12/cordwainer-smith-the-ballad-of-lost-linebarger-part-2/

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Underpeople

From Technovelgy

"An animal modified to be human in shape and intellect.


"...there had been the problem of the underpeople- people who were not human, but merely shaped from the stock of Earth animals. They could speak, sing, read, write, work, love, and die; but they were not covered by human law, which simply defined them as "homunculi" and gave them a legal status close to animals or robots...""


3.5 outof 5

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Content.asp?Bnum=1959

Planoforming

"A form of "faster than light" travel allows for interstellar travel.

"Planoforming was sort of funny. It felt like like— Like nothing much. Like the twinge of a mild electric shock. Like the ache of a sore tooth bitten on for the first time. Like a slightly painful flash of light against the eyes. Yet in that time, a forty-thousand-ton ship lifting free above Earth disappeared somehow or other into two dimensions and appeared half a light-year or fifty light-years off." "



3.5 out of 5

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1964

Monday, December 13, 2010

Cordwainer Smith: The Ballad of Lost Linebarger Part 1 - Frederik Pohl

"It was a story that had appeared in a semi-pro sf magazine from California called, if I remember aright, Fantasy Book. Its title was “Scanners Live in Vain.” It was about a bizarre kind of spaceflight, set in a bizarre future world, .and it was signed as by someone named Cordwainer Smith. So I included it in my lineup, and then had the problem of finding out who could sign a permission for the use of the story and accept the payment for it. “Cordwainer Smith” smelled very much like a pseudonym to me. But for whom? "


5 out of 5

http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/2010/12/cordwainer-smith-the-ballad-of-lost-linebarger-part-1/

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Cordwainer Smith and A. Bertram Chandler - Steve Davidson

"My second reason for raising Chandler is the homage he paid to Cordwainer Smith in no less than two of his novels.


That it was a deliberate tribute to his fellow author is without question; Chandler actually placed Cordwainer Smith’s name right on the page for everyone to see, and used it in a way that any but the most uneducated, ignorant and unconnected reader could possibly miss. (Well, back up a bit: that only applies if you’re already familiar with Smith and Chandler.)

The two novels in question are The Inheritors and The Far Traveler.

Allow me a few paragraphs for background so I can bring the few poor souls amongst you who have never read Chandler up to date."


4.5 out of 5

http://cordwainer-smith.com/blog/cordwainer-smith-and-a-bertram-chandler.html

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The Inheritors - A. Bertram Chandler

Apart from tangling with a nemesis, Drongo Kane, this novel is also a homage to Cordwainer Smith, including the names of the inhabitants of a planet, and cat-bred underpeople, among other things, so that is a nice touch.

Here, Kane is indulging in slavery - because currently the catpeople inhabitants are not classed as 'true' humans, so there are no laws against doing so.

This planet, Morrowvia, is a another Lost Colony, so likely to get away with it, until the Federation Survey Service and one John Grimes and crew come calling.


--

Large excerpt here :- http://www.webscription.net/chapters/0441370624/0441370624_toc.htm

The Ruined Queen of Harvest World - Damien Broderick

An online story and homage.


3.5 out of 5

http://www.tor.com/stories/2009/08/the-ruined-queen

The Lords of the Instrumentality - Ralph Benko

Find out just who is keeping down the Underpeople, here. Other than Lord Cordwainer of course.

Unfortunately has wretched performance in any browser I try. Interesting idea. Terry Dowling is Lord Afervarro, for one.


3 out of 5

http://www.instrumentality.com/

Cloud Permutations - Lavie Tidhar

"MJ: The narrative voice of Cloud Permutations is at times self-reflexive and almost non-fictional in style, often referring to where pieces of the story were collected from primary and secondary sources. Why did you choose to tell Kal’s story in this way?

LT: It’s partly homage to one of my favourite SF writers, Cordwainer Smith. And it’s an interesting way of telling a story. Settling on the right voice for a story is always challenging. Different stories need different approaches and this one just felt the most natural for a story that is as much about the world as it is about its hero. There is a lot more going on beyond Kai’s story – a lot of other stories, and some intersect with his and some are in the distant past and some have not happened yet."


Unseen.

http://www.apexbookcompany.com/2010/09/an-interview-with-lavie-tidhar-on-cloud-permutations/

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Short Story

Number of words : 2900
Percent of complex words : 10.3
Average syllables per word : 1.5
Average words per sentence : 16.0


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 10.5
Flesch : 64.5
Flesch-Kincaid : 8.2


PEOPLE

Goldsmith

Made the fife and died as a result.

Bodidharma the Blessed One

Ancient religious leader who is given the fife.

German explorer

Found the fife.

Wolfgang Huene

A nazi who hates Hitler and finds the fife.

Hagen von Griin

One of the German rocket scientists who worked at Huntsville, Alabama.



TECHNOLOGY

Magical fife

A musical instrument. A chancy prediscovery of psionic powers with sonic triggering. Made of gold.

Onyx

A type of quartz.

Case No. 34 of the Dorotheum

Where the fife resided in Germany.


PLACES

Cathay

Another name for part of China.

Loyang

Chinese city.

Anyang

City in South Korea.

Rhine

German river.

Cape Canaveral

Site of USA space launches.


ORGANISATIONS

Northern Wei dynasty

Ancient Chinese rulers.

Toba Tartars

Chinese barbarians.

Volkssturm

German military group.

Harappa

A proto-Indian culture.


ANIMALS

Tiger and wolf and fox and jackal and snake and spider

Encountered by the Bodidharma.


VEHICLES

B-29s

Allied planes.


PLOT

A goldsmith makes a fife with special properties which has different owners over time from Bodidharmas to nazis. Eventually a rocket scientist uses it as a replacement strut in a launch and wonders if it matters in what setting he left it.


2.5 out of 5

B-29s : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Allied planes.


3 out of 5

Tiger and wolf and fox and jackal and snake and spider : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Encountered by the Bodidharma.


3.5 out of 5

Harappa : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

A proto-Indian culture.


3 out of 5

Volkssturm : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

German military group.


3 out of 5

Toba Tartars : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Chinese barbarians.


3 out of 5

Northern Wei dynasty : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Ancient Chinese rulers.


3 out of 5

Cape Canaveral : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Site of USA space launches.


4 out of 5

Rhine : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

German river.


3 out of 5

Anyang : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

City in South Korea.


3.5 out of 5

Loyang : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Chinese city.


3 out of 5

Cathay : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Another name for part of China.


3.5 out of 5

Case No. 34 of the Dorotheum : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Where the fife resided in Germany.


4 out of 5

Onyx : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

A type of quartz.


4 out of 5

Magical fife : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

A musical instrument. A chancy prediscovery of psionic powers with sonic triggering. Made of gold.


4 out of 5

Hagen von Griin : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

One of the German rocket scientists who worked at Huntsville, Alabama.


4 out of 5

Wolfgang Huene : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

A nazi who hates Hitler and finds the fife.


4 out of 5

German explorer : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Found the fife.


3.5 out of 5

Bodidharma the Blessed One : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Ancient religious leader who is given the fife.


4 out of 5

Goldsmith : The Fife of Bodidharma - Cordwainer Smith

Made the fife and died as a result.


4 out of 5

Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

Short Story

Number of words : 4700
Percent of complex words : 8.5
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 10.5


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 7.6
Flesch : 77.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 5.1

PEOPLE

Gordon Greene

Originally Giordano Verdi. A Space Service officer.

Wallenstein

An old man.

Karl Vonderleyen

An old lieutenant of the service.



ORGANISATIONS

Space Service

Goes into the Up-and-Out.


TECHNOLOGY

Nancy

An imaginary virus created friend.

Sokta virus

Designed to be implanted in a person and released in the case of needing companionship in space.


PLANTS

Geraniums

A type of flower.


FOOD

Dago Red

A wine.


PLOT

Man cannot cope in space alone, so missions always have more than one person. However, if one dies then there is a problem. The sotka virus enables a person to experience an imaginary companion after it is triggered. In a military interview, such a story is recounted.


3.5 out of 5

Dago Red : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

A wine.


4 out of 5

Geraniums : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

A type of flower.


3 out of 5

Sokta virus : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

Designed to be implanted in a person and released in the case of needing companionship in space.


4 out of 5

Nancy : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

An imaginary virus created friend.


4 out of 5

Space Service : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

Goes into the Up-and-Out.


4 out of 5

Karl Vonderleyen : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

An old lieutenant of the service.


3.5 out of 5

Wallenstein : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

An old man.


3.5 out of 5

Gordon Greene : Nancy - Cordwainer Smith

Originally Giordano Verdi. A Space Service officer.


4 out of 5

Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Novelette

Number of words : 8100
Percent of complex words : 10.0
Average syllables per word : 1.5
Average words per sentence : 12.3


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 9.0
Flesch : 70.9
Flesch-Kincaid : 6.4


PEOPLE

Assistant

To Mr Spatz.

Mr Spatz

His boss.

Khruschev

Russian Prime Minister.

Secretary of State

USA cabinet member.

Undersecretary

Deputy to the Secretary of State.

Nelson Angerhelm

Of 2322 Ridge Drive, Hopkins, Minnesota. A 62-year-old retired poultry farmer. He had served in World I.

Colonel Plugg

A US army officer.

Lieutenant Colonel Potariskov

The Soviet Assistant Military Attache.

Colonel Tice Angerhelm

Nelson's younger brother, deceased.

Theiss Ankerhjelm

Swedish admiral a couple hundred years ago. A West Pointer in the Adjutant General's office.

Don Juan

Famous womaniser.

Soviet Ambassador

Head of the Soviet diplomatic mission.

Jensen

Angerhelm's pastor.

Mrs. Prai Jesselton

Tice's old girlfriend.


ORGANISATIONS

Department of the Army

US government department.

Signal Corps

Army intelligence gatherers.

Soviet Embassy

Diplomatic mission to the USA.

SAC base

Army facility.

FBI

Federal Bureau of Intelligence. USA national cops.


VEHICLES

Sputniks

Russian spacecraft.


CONCEPTS

Galactic clearance

Security rating. Galactic clearance came a little bit after Universal clearance.


PLACES

Minneapolis

US city.

Plattsburg

Town in New York.

Hopkins

A town in Minnesota, a diplomatic no travel zone.


VEHICLES

Chevrolet

A car.

Willys roadster

An old car.



PLOT

The intelligence communities of the USA and the Soviet Union are concerned about a message from a dead colonel to his retired brother in Minnesota. Especially as it doesn't matter what country you are in when you receive the broadcast and you can tell what it is.


3 out of 5

Willys roadster : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

An old car.


3 out of 5

Chevrolet : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

A car.


3 out of 5

Hopkins : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

A town in Minnesota, a diplomatic no travel zone.


4 out of 5

Plattsburg : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Town in New York.


3 out of 5

Minneapolis : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

US city.


3.5 out of 5

Galactic clearance : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Security rating. Galactic clearance came a little bit after Universal clearance.


4 out of 5

Sputniks : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Russian spacecraft.


3 out of 5

FBI : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Federal Bureau of Intelligence. USA national cops.


4 out of 5

SAC base : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Army facility.


3 out of 5

Soviet Embassy : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Diplomatic mission to the USA.


3.5 out of 5

Signal Corps : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Army intelligence gatherers.


3.5 out of 5

Department of the Army : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

US government department.


3.5 out of 5

Mrs. Prai Jesselton : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Tice's old girlfriend.


3 out of 5

Jensen : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Angerhelm's pastor.


3 out of 5

Soviet Ambassador : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Head of the Soviet diplomatic mission.


3 out of 5

Don Juan : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Famous womaniser.


3 out of 5

Theiss Ankerhjelm : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Swedish admiral a couple hundred years ago. A West Pointer in the Adjutant General's office.


3 out of 5

Colonel Tice Angerhelm : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Nelson's younger brother, deceased.


3.5 out of 5

Lieutenant Colonel Potariskov : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

The Soviet Assistant Military Attache.


3.5 out of 5

Colonel Plugg : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

A US army officer.


3.5 out of 5

Nelson Angerhelm : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Of 2322 Ridge Drive, Hopkins, Minnesota. A 62-year-old retired poultry farmer. He had served in World I.


3.5 out of 5

Undersecretary : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Deputy to the Secretary of State.


3 out of 5

Secretary of State : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

USA cabinet member.


3 out of 5

Khruschev : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

Russian Prime Minister.


3 out of 5

Mr Spatz : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

His boss.


3.5 out of 5

Assistant : Angerhelm - Cordwainer Smith

To Mr Spatz.


4 out of 5

Cordwainer Smith's Universe Timeline - J. J. Pierce

"Timeline From The Instrumentality of Mankind, Compiled by J.J. Pierce.

Note: With Smith's own notebooks lost, chronology is largely a matter of guesswork, based on internal evidence. But the order of stories and surounding events can be fairly well established."


4 out of 5

http://www.theweebsite.com/ragnar/smith_time.html