pretext that the test was biased and administered unfairly. Rod survives one assassination attempt. To escape the danger, he amasses an immense fortune overnight by playing the futures market in stroon, following a plan formulated by his ancient computer (which has certain more-or-less illegal quasi-military capabilities) which was passed down to him by an eccentric ancestor. By the next day, he is the wealthiest person in history. Noticing this, the Instrumentality changes the rules so it cannot happen again, but in typical fashion, lets him keep his money to see what he will do with it. Wild rumors begin to circulate about him. He is believed to have "bought Old Earth" (the home planet of mankind), though the reality of his convoluted financial deals and investments is considerably more complex. For his safety, Rod is sent to Earth, where his unprecedented fortune quickly makes him a magnet for all manner of crooks and revolutionaries. After a series of adventures among the "underpeople" (animals genetically modified to resemble humans and possessing intellects that sometimes surpass their masters', used as slaves and generally despised) in the company of the bewitching Cat-woman C'mell, he meets their leader, E'Telekeli, an experimental creature of bird origin with enormous psychic powers. In exchange for most of Rod's immense fortune (to be used to campaign for the rights of the underpeople), E'Telekeli and Lord Jestocost, a Lord of the Instrumentality who is sympathetic to the underpeople's cause, send Rod safely back to Norstrilia, after fixing his telepathic disability and providing a psychological remedy for Rod's enemy. Publication history Portions of Norstrilia were published as two short novels. The first half appeared as The Planet Buyer in 1964, after a shorter version was published in Galaxy as the novelette "The Boy Who Bought Old Earth". The Planet Buyer was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The second half was also published in shorter form in 1964, in Galaxys sister magazine If as "The Store of Heart's Desire", before seeing posthumous publication as The Underpeople in 1968. It was not until 1975 that the complete text of the novel was published in one paperback volume. The chief differences between the two versions are: Norstrilia has a slightly longer prologue. The Planet Buyer has additional scenes added to the end of the final chapter, "The High Sky Flying". The Underpeople has an additional opening chapter, "Lost Music in