Niourk
Encyclopedia
Niourk is a science fiction
novel
by the French
writer Stefan Wul
. It first appeared as one of the Fleuve Noir "Anticipation" novels, a series published in France
from 1951 to 1960 which reflected the authors' attitudes towards the supposed post war rise of a "technocracy
" in the countryhttp://www.depauw.edu/sfs/abstracts/a49.htm.
and humans are hunter-gatherer
bands.
Haiti
is the mountain range "Hait", and New York City
becomes the ruins of "Niourk".
The "black child" goes to Niourk where he wanders through the ruins and the still functioning automatic devices.
He finds a pair of shipwrecked humans from a space-bound branch of mankind.
Their technological civilization has suppressed sexual reproduction
and sexual organs.
The child eats the radioactive brains of giant vertebrated mutant earth octopuses and becomes more intelligent.
He teaches himself reading and the rest of the ruined technology and evolves into a superior species of Homo
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer Stefan Wul
Stefan Wul
Stefan Wul was the nom de plume of French science fiction writer Pierre Pairault . He was a dental surgeon, but science fiction was his real passion. Most of his books reflect that, showing a deep knowledge of scientific data...
. It first appeared as one of the Fleuve Noir "Anticipation" novels, a series published in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1951 to 1960 which reflected the authors' attitudes towards the supposed post war rise of a "technocracy
Technocracy (bureaucratic)
Technocracy is a form of government where technical experts are in control of decision making in their respective fields. Economists, engineers, scientists, health professionals, and those who have knowledge, expertise or skills would compose the governing body...
" in the countryhttp://www.depauw.edu/sfs/abstracts/a49.htm.
Plot
It presents an Earth where the oceans have gone dryDesertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
and humans are hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
bands.
Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
is the mountain range "Hait", and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
becomes the ruins of "Niourk".
The "black child" goes to Niourk where he wanders through the ruins and the still functioning automatic devices.
He finds a pair of shipwrecked humans from a space-bound branch of mankind.
Their technological civilization has suppressed sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
and sexual organs.
The child eats the radioactive brains of giant vertebrated mutant earth octopuses and becomes more intelligent.
He teaches himself reading and the rest of the ruined technology and evolves into a superior species of Homo
Homo (genus)
Homo is the genus that includes modern humans and species closely related to them. The genus is estimated to be about 2.3 to 2.4 million years old, evolving from australopithecine ancestors with the appearance of Homo habilis....
.