Smith's only novel, later lengthened to the celebrated, and reprinted "Nostrilia". The prose is better than the standard of 1964, the year of publication in the USA. A boy destined to be culled uses a illegal computer to become fabulously wealthy and solve a whole planet's problem, and fulfill a sexual fantasy. I read the original 1964 Pyramid edition. ( )

"The story is simple. There was a boy who bought the planet earth. We know that, to our cost. It only happened once, and we have taken pains that it will never happen again. He came to Earth, got what he wanted, in a series of very remarkable adventures. That's the story." - Cordwainer Smith, The Planet Buyer, "Theme and Prologue", p 7.

This opening is one of the greatest understatements that I have encountered in a science fiction novel, or any novel for that matter. This book, the original novel that would later be combined with further material in the now classic Norstrilia, is one of the most unusual examples of speculative fiction that I have encountered. The ideas that drive this story include mutated sheep that are the source of immortality, mental telepathy among the inhabitants of Norstrilia, gigantic attack birds, computers capable of outwitting traders throughout the universe, and more. The story hangs together, just barely, as the weight of various flights of imagination risk overwhelming it. The main thing that I can say for certain is that this book is exciting and once read requires the reader to return to the works of Cordwainer Smith for more. ( )

This started so well, with exciting narrative style. It broke rules and I was really looking forward to seeing where it took me. And then, it just meandered and eventually fizzeled out. I was sad. ( )