Stopping at Slowyear is a 1991 science fiction novel by American writer Frederik Pohl.
Author | Frederik Pohl |
---|---|
Cover artist | Rob Alexander |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Axolotl Press |
Publication date | 1991 |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
Pages | 150 |
ISBN | 0-553-29487-3 |
OCLC | 25808833 |
Plot summary edit
Stopping at Slowyear tells the story of an interstellar cargo vessel which runs between out-of-the-way worlds, as it visits a planet called Slowyear after its 19-year-long revolution around its star.
The crew explore the local culture and find several odd customs. Among these is of a sort of death lottery as a punishment for crimes. If someone commits a crime, they are sentenced to take a pill, which depending on the severity of the infraction will have a different probability of being lethal poison.
Slowyear's principal industry is raising sheep. During their isolation, their sheep have developed a form of scrapie which is lethal to humans without immunity.
Stopping at Slowyear addressed prion diseases years before public awareness of mad cow disease was widespread.
References edit
External links edit
- Stopping at Slowyear title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database