Pages : 275
Overall Mark : 9/10
Rod McBan 151st is the last scion of one of the oldest farming families on Nortstrilia, only source of the immortality drug ‘stroon’. But he’s also a telepathic cripple, ever at risk of being culled under the government’s draconian population laws. To protect himself, he uses his not-strictly-legal computer to play the market and amass an unimaginable fortune. But after an assassination attempt, McBan discovers that having enough money to literally buy the Earth is no good if you’re too dead to spend it.
CORDWAINER SMITH (1913-66)
Cordwainer Smith was the most famous pen name of US foreign policy adviser Paul Linebarger. Smith held a PhD in Political Science from Johns Hopkins, served in the US military during the Second World War and acted as an advisor to President Kennedy. Although he only published one novel, Norstrilia, Smith is well regarded for his short fiction, the majority of which is set in his future history of the Instrumentality of Mankind.
VERDICT
This is one of the best SF or fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time. McBan’s transformation into a simple farmer to the owner of the entire planet earth is cleverly executed and paced so well that it makes the unlikely storyline feel plausible and makes for a fascinating, though short, read. Once you’ve read this, you’ll find yourself believing in cat people, talking apes, and giant sheep with the ability to extend human lifespans.
