7 Cordwainer Smith stories for free

[mtravellerh]

You Can Read Several Cordwainer Smith Science Fiction Stories Online Free. Again thanks to the mighty Baen editions, here are seven of his stories:

No, No, Not Rogov!

War No. 81-Q (Rewritten Version)

Mark Elf

The Queen of the Afternoon

Scanners Live in Vain

The Lady Who Sailed The Soul

When the People Fell

[wallcraft]

See Cordwainer Smith at webscription.net. These two ebooks, We the Underpeople and When the People Fell, contain all of Smith's science fiction (his novel, Norstrilia, is included in We the Underpeople).

[NormHart]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

See Cordwainer Smith at webscription.net. These two ebooks, We the Underpeople and When the People Fell, contain all of Smith's science fiction (his novel, Norstrilia, is included in We the Underpeople).

Wow, thank you! I had noted the two Cordwainer Smith books at Baen and they were part of my Baen purchasing plans but I did not recognize the titles and assumed they were small short story collections.

I've owned Norstrilia and The Rediscovery of Man several times and given away them to friends several times and was hoping to rediscover them as ebooks eventually. I checked the TOC of both the Baen books and you are correct, these do appear to contain all the Science Fiction works of C. S. They even include both versions of War No. 81-Q! Although they do not contain the original versions of The Planet Buyer and The Underpeople which were eventually combined to make Norstrilia. The introductions by Robert Silverberg and Frederik Pohl, respectively, are a delight to read too.

For anyone who enjoys Sci Fi and has not read any Cordwainer Smith, you are in for the treat of your life!

[NormHart]

BTW if you click on More Info for We the Underpeople and then click on Sample Chapters you can read two more short stories as well as Mr. Silverberg's inrto;

The Dead Lady of Clown Town and
Under Old Earth.

[sirbruce]

Frederick Pohl's introduction is really a touching story. I always wondered who Cordwainer Smith was...

[starrigger]

Thanks for pointing this out. I love Cordwainer Smith's stories, and I went over to look and quickly decided to buy the two volumes for my 700 and my PDA (even though I already have most or all of the stories on paper, including the wonderful NESFA Press collection The Rediscovery of Man). If you haven't read this man's work, you're in for a treat. Among my favorites:

The Ballad of Lost C'Mell
The Game of Rat and Dragon
On the Gem Planet
Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons

Highly recommended!

[Moejoe]

I was recommended this author by Xenophon, and he wasn't wrong in saying I'd enjoy the work. This guy is brilliant. Why hadn't I heard of him before?

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

I was recommended this author by Xenophon, and he wasn't wrong in saying I'd enjoy the work. This guy is brilliant. Why hadn't I heard of him before?

I didn't hear about him until well after my "formative" SF-reading years. He died young, in...what, 1966, I think. His total body of work was only enough to fill two slim volumes or one fat one. It isn't always in print, or wasn't until NESFA collected their volume.

But what work! Although his earliest stories, like "Scanners Live in Vain," didn't really grab me, as soon as I got to the Instrumentality stories, I was hooked by the pure quirkiness and originality. It's a real shame we didn't have him for a couple more decades.

[mtravellerh]

Originally Posted by starrigger

But what work! Although his earliest stories, like "Scanners Live in Vain," didn't really grab me, as soon as I got to the Instrumentality stories, I was hooked by the pure quirkiness and originality. It's a real shame we didn't have him for a couple more decades.

Ah, you van never be too sure about that outcome, alas! Look at Robert Silverberg. See his early work and then compare it to his later doings. Another example to show that time does not always enhance a writing oeuvre is Alan Dean Foster. It may sound incredible, but that guy could really weave a fine story in his time!