 First edition | |
| 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 |
Stopping at Slowyear is a 1991 science fiction novel by American writer Frederik Pohl.
Plot summary
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.
External links
- Stopping at Slowyear title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database