Starlady

Starlady is a science-fiction novelette by George R. R. Martin, first published in the August 1976 issue of Science Fiction Discoveries. It takes place in the "Thousand Worlds" universe, and is set on the Jambles planet of Thisrock during the post-Interregnum period. It is about a young woman who finds herself trapped on a dangerous crime-ridden planet and is forced into a life of prostitution.

Plot Summary
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Publication History
Starlady was first published in the August 1976 issue of Science Fiction Discoveries.

It was included in Martin's short story collection Sandkings, published in 1981.

In 2008, it was also published in a collection alongside another Martin novelette, in the tête-bêche style popularised by Ace Doubles. The volume was entitled Starlady and Fast-Friend.

Adaptations
In 2016, an audiobook version of Starlady was released by YouTuber Preston Jacobs:

Connections to the "Thousand Worlds" Universe
Starlady is set on the artificial planet Thisrock, created by the Federal Empire for use as a naval strike-base during the Double War. At the time the story is set, it is governed by Prometheus. Several of the characters within the story have been genetically altered by Promethean surgeons.

The story mentions duralloy, a technology which is ubiquitous throughout the "Thousand Worlds" universe.