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Great Science-Fiction
& Fantasy Works
a critical list with discussions
Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by
Cordwainer Smith
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Standard Disclaimer:
This is a brief discussion of Cordwainer Smith and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Cordwainer Smith This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Smith: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn't think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what's what.) I don't pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Smith tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Smith worthy; in sum, to help you rank Smith (and the works by Smith listed here) on your personal literary "to do" list. |
A Few Words About Cordwainer Smith
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the "Other Resources" section below will lead you to some information about the "Notable Books" listed farther down this page.
Other Cordwainer Smith Resources
Cordwainer Smith Resources on the Web
There is a pleasing sufficiency of material available--pleasing, because one sometimes gets the impression that Smith is almost forgotten today, but the resources inspire hope that such is not the case.
The principal resource is Cordwainer Smith and His Remarkable Science Fiction, a dedicated site webmastered by a daughter of Smith's. Besides that, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at UC Davis Alan Elms has a highly utile Cordwainer Smith Unofficial Biography Page, which is in fact not a "page" but a solid mini-site, with a biography, a bibliography, essays, links, and more: quite a treasure trove.
There is also a lengthy and useful Smith page at The Templeton Gate site. And there are not a few extensive, insightful essays around, such as Graham Sleight's Yesterday's Tomorrows: Cordwainer Smith at the Locus magazine site; "Cats, cruelty and children" by Angus McIntyre; and Christianity In the Science Fiction of "Cordwainer Smith" by James B. Jordan.
There are also numerous individual appreciations of Smith's work: it seems that scarcely anybody can read it and not feel moved to comment on its wonders and delights. I don't usually just give a roll-call of pages for an author, but these each deserve mention on two counts: first, each contributes at least something toward an understanding of, or at least feeling for, Smith's works; and second, they each evince that intensity that Smith seems so universally to evoke. Note, incidentally, that quite a few are by writers who are themselves published authors. They include (and I apologize if I've left any meaningful ones out):
Jeff VanderMeer's Ecstatic Days, Cordwainer Smith;
Chris Roberson's "Interminable Ramble" for February 13, 2006;
Dani Zweig's Belated Reviews #8: Cordwainer Smith;
Ragnar's Weeb Page: Cordwainer Smith (this site also has a useful timeline for Smith's future history);
John Robinson's The Rosy Gloom of Cordwainer Smith;
Anthony G Williams's Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith;
Brandon Barr's The Masters: Cordwainer Smith, which contains a neat and cohesive analysis of the religious symbolism of one of Smith's best-known stories ("Scanners live in Vain");
Joel Segal's Cordwainer Smith;
William Alan Ritch's Paean of Found C'Smith, a review of We the Underpeople;
Cynthia Ward's review of Norstrilia at SciFi.com;
Plok's Madness as Allegory: Cordwainer Smith's "Alpha Ralpha Boulevard" (note that the reader responses are at least as interesting and useful as the main entry);
There is also a very brief but nonetheless interesting note at the self-descriptive page The Religious Affiliation of Cordwainer Smith.
An absorbing and unusual site is the graphic 160th Century Worlds Tour, a "work-in-progress" by virtual reality artist Corby James Waste that consists of a visual "tour" of of Smith's imagined far-future universe. It's impressive, informative, and a lot of fun, too.
Let me also mention the site of The Cordwainer Smith Foundation, which annually awards the Cordwainer (in full, The Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award) "to a science-fiction or fantasy writer whose work displays unusual originality, embodies the spirit of Cordwainer Smith's fiction, and deserves renewed attention or 'Rediscovery'."
Cordwainer Smith Resources In Print
There are several books:
Concordance to Cordwainer Smith by Anthony R. Lewis
The Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith by Karen Hellekson
Exploring Cordwainer Smith by Andrew Porter, John Foyster, and John Bangsund
Stroon, edited by David Lubkin [claimed as "forthcoming" from Unreasonable Books, but that seems an old page, so who know? I've inquired . . . .]
Notable Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by Cordwainer Smith ****
Smith's work has been published in numerous collections with overlapping contents. NESFA Press put out a nice two-volume set with all the works, including a couple of previously unpublished stories and some often-omitted content in the novel; those are the two books listed below. But read anything you can get by this wonderful writer.You loaded this page on Tuesday, 7 October 2008, at 08:52 GMT
it was last modified on Friday, 15 August 2008, at 10:47 GMT
