Hi, Jill.
Yeah, I read it, and liked it a lot. The key to the story (imo) is that
societies must have scapegoats to do their less pleasant/more dangerous
jobs. In the world Gardiner has created, the society has to create
scapegoats, more or less. So people with birth defects, speach
impediments, terrible b.o. etc., aren't 'repared', although they could
be with the technology of the time, they are nurtured as explorers. The
premise is that their deaths will not cause the pain that the deaths of
the best, brightest and most beautiful would.
While I don't really buy the premise, I was willing to accept it for the
sake of enjoying the book. And it was still a terrific book. I
reminded me a lot of the reading experiences of early Heinlein etc.
Jill Gillham wrote:
>
> Anyone else read Expendable by James Alan Gardner? Light reading, but
> enjoyable. The basic premise is that humanity has become part of the
> League of Peoples and life is very good for most people. However, there
> is still need for a group of people who do the dirty and dangerous work
> within society. That's where the Expendable Crew Membes like out
> protagonist Festina Ramos come in.
>
> Jill Gillham
> jilkey@grfn.org jillmari@aol.com http://members.aol.com/ferndock2
> "Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies."
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