Nostromo
Nostromo (1904) is a novel by Joseph Conrad.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Conrad sets his novel in the mining town of Sulaco, an imaginary port in the occidental region of the imaginary country of Costaguana. This town and its denizens are believed by many to be amongst Conrad's greatest literary creations.
The book has more fully developed characters than any other of his novels but two characters still dominate the narrative, Señor Gould and the eponymous anti-hero, the 'incorruptible' Nostromo.
Señor Gould is an English ex-patriot who owns the silver mining concession in Sulaco. He is tired by the political instability in Costaguana and its concomitant corruption and puts his weight behind the Ribierist project which he believes will bring stability to the country.
In doing this he sets himself up against the revolutionary Montero who then invades Sulaco. Señor Gould adamant that his silver should not become spoil for his enemies entrusts it to Nostromo, his trusted capataz de los cargadores.
Nostromo is an Italian ex-patriot who has risen to the position of capataz de los cargadores through his daring exploits. He is what would nowadays be called a shameless self-publicist.
He is believed by Señor Gould to be incorruptible and for this reason he is entrusted with hiding the silver from the revolutionaries. He accepts the mission not out of any loyalty to Señor Gould, his employer, but rather because he sees an opportunity to increase his fame.
In Conrad's universe however nobody is incorruptible. The exploit does not bring Nostromo the fame he had hoped for and he feels slighted and used. He feels that he risked his life for nothing and the resentment that burns within him will lead to his corruption and ultimately his destruction.
The names of starships Nostromo and Sulaco from the movies Alien and Aliens were taken from this book.
