Northwest Smith is a fictional character, and the hero of a series of stories by science fiction writer C. L. Moore. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Catherine Lucile Moore (January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. ...

Story setting

Smith is a spaceship pilot and smuggler who lives in an undisclosed future time when earth has colonized the solar system. Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... These lollipops, above, were found to contain heroin when inspected by the DEA. Smuggling is illegal transport, in particular across a border. ... Presentation of the solar system (not to scale) The solar system comprises our Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it. ...

The stories are set in a milieu common to science fiction stories of the pulp era. All of the planets of the system are able to support life and have their own civilizations. Many of the intelligent races living on the planets have comparitively primitive cultures. The relationship of the planetary primitives to the earth colonists is analogous to the situation of Native Americans, Africans and other indigenous people facing colonialism. Exceptions to this rule are the planets Mars and Venus which Moore depicts as having ancient and decadent cultures. This general melieu was shared by a number of other writers, including Moore's friends Edmond Hamilton and Leigh Brackett. Pulp can refer to: Soft shapeless substances in general. ... A Hupa man, 1923 The scope of this indigenous peoples of the Americas article encompasses the definitions of indigenous peoples and the Americas as established in their respective articles. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... World map of colonialism at the end of the Second World War in 1945. ... For the Roman god, see Mars (god). ... Adjective Venusian or (rarely) Cytherean (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... Decadence was the name given, first by hostile critics, and then triumphantly adopted by some writers themselves, to a number of late nineteenth century fin de siècle writers associated with Symbolism or the Aesthetic movement. ... Edmond Hamilton (November 21, 1904 - February 1, 1977) began writing science fiction with the story The Monster God of Mamurth in 1928. ... Leigh Brackett (December 7, 1915 - March 18, 1978), was a writer of fantasy and science fiction, mystery novels and - best known to the general public - Hollywood screenplays, most notably The Big Sleep (1945), Rio Bravo (1959), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). ...

Character description

Northwest Smith is an anti-hero who is ruthless, self-serving, and cynical. Despite this, he has a core of goodness and often does the right thing in spite of himself. His stories often involve ancient alien beings who have been worshipped as gods. This theme is similar to the tales of H.P. Lovecraft though, unlike Lovecraft's tales, Moore provides a hero who always manages to win out over hopeless odds. The classic Northwest Smith story is Shambleau in which Moore plays with themes of sexuality and addiction in Smith's encounter with a strange female alien. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. ...

The story Quest of the Starstone is also worth noting because it connects Smith with Moore's other most famous character, Jirel of Joiry. Catherine Lucile Moore (January 24, 1911 - April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. ...

There are some interesting parallels between Northwest Smith and Han Solo from the Star Wars series of movies. Smith's physical description as a dark haired man with "space bronzed" skin and pale eyes, who wears brown spacer's leathers and carries a blaster at his side like an old west gunfighter roughly fits Solo. Likewise, Smith's ship, the Maid is small and unspectacular but surprisingly fast and agile, like Solo's Millennium Falcon. Both men are cynical loners who smuggle spices and other goods for a living. Han Solo (born 29 BBY), a character in the fictional Star Wars universe, is played by Harrison Ford in the Star Wars film series. ... The cover of the 2004 DVD widescreen release of the modified original Star Wars Trilogy. ... The word blaster can mean more than one thing. ... Categories: Stock characters | Stub ... The Millennium Falcon is a starship in the fictional Star Wars universe, piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca after Solo apparently won it from Lando Calrissian in a high-stakes game of sabacc. ...

The name "Northwest Smith" also bears some resemblance to the name of Indiana Jones. Like Solo, Jones was created by George Lucas and played by Harrison Ford. Despite the similarities, Smith does not seem to have been an inspiration for either character. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones Indiana Jones is a fictional bullwhip-toting, fedora-wearing archaeologist with an overdeveloped ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor who, between 1977 and 1983, appeared in what were then the top ten highest-grossing movies of all time. ...

Moore originally created Smith as a western character and kept the name when she switched to science fiction. She reportedly liked the absurdity of a character named "Northwest" in space, where compass points are meaningless. The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ...

Story Listing

The Northwest Smith stories include the following:

• Shambleau (Weird Tales, November 1933)
• Black Thirst (Weird Tales, April 1934)
• Scarlet Dream (Weird Tales, May 1934)
• Dust of Gods (Weird Tales, August 1934)
• The Cold Gray God (Weird Tales, October 1935)
• Julhi (Weird Tales, March 1935)
• Yvala (Weird Tales, February 1936)
• Lost Paradise (Weird Tales, July 1936)
• The Tree of Life (Weird Tales, October 1936)
• Quest of the Starstone (Weird Tales, November 1937)
• Song in a Minor Key (1957)

Northwest Smith stories appear in the following collections: This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ...

• Northwest of Earth (1954): Dust of Gods, Julhi, Lost Paradise, The Cold Gray God, Yvala (collection also includes The Dark Land and Hellsgarde, two Jirel of Joiry stories)
• Scarlet Dream (1981): Black Thirst, Dust of Gods, Julhi, Lost Paradise, Shambleau, The Cold Gray God, The Tree of Life, Yvala, Scarlet Dream, Song in a Minor Key