Tuesday, 12 September 2023 05:48 pm
Book Review: Falling Free
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deckardcanineI was under the impression that this Lois McMaster Bujold work lay outside the Vorkosigan saga, but a timeline at the back tells me it's set about 200 years before Barrayar. I see no further connections yet. Maybe it's like how the Foundation series follows the Robot series but feels different enough not to be bunched together. At any rate, no other volumes are set before this 1988 one, so you don't need to know anything in particular going in. And Bujold wastes little time getting to the key premises.
At a time when humans have colonized multiple planets but not apparently met any aliens, corporation GalacTech has genetically engineered some workers fit to spend their entire lives on a space station in free fall. Their most obvious feature: extra arms where their legs would be, hence the nickname "quaddies." People with legs, in turn, are called "downsiders." So far, the oldest quaddies are 16 and have started reproducing, mostly according to company directions.
The most frequent focal character is Leo Graf, the quaddies' new mechanical engineering teacher. The more he learns about how they live as property, the less he likes it. When a technological advancement renders them "obsolete" and Leo becomes privy to plans for an even worse fate for them, he starts engineering an initially stealthy rebellion to let the quaddies -- and any downsiders who volunteer to stay with them -- have a distant civilization unto themselves. Of course, GalacTech is loath to part with that many resources....
The executive position is understandable. The quaddies' own creator deemed them a separate species, and we have no proof that they could interbreed with downsiders, so it's a legal gray area. But anyone who spends enough time around quaddies can see that their emotions and intellects are quite human. Any detectable differences reflect upbringing, not innate neurology. The fact that most quaddies act pretty content makes no moral difference.
OK, the bulk of the villainy stems from new project head Bruce Van Atta. That's hardly a spoiler; he garnered my suspicion from his first scene. He has little patience for anyone who doesn't do as he bids, including higher-ups, and his actions get more vehement as the story progresses. He also has sex with at least one quaddie, Silver, which would be controversial enough given their age and power differentials, but it also means that he either commits bestiality by his own sights or recognizes quaddies' humanity and still treats them like dirt.
Mind you, some of the good guys take a similar interest in Silver. Even Leo has a crush on her, and he's more than twice her age, so I can't find that heartwarming. Personally, I'm having trouble picturing a sexy quaddie at any age.
Not that I'd mind making their friendly acquaintance. Once you get past the shock of first seeing quaddies (without warning in many cases), you can appreciate their elegance within their quasi-natural environment. They sure don't envy downsiders on a physical level, tho they take interest in fictional depictions thereof.
As simple as the plot is, the 307 pages move quickly. I'm relieved to say that the disturbing elements don't nearly outweigh the pleasant ones for me. I can kinda tell that it was an early effort for Bujold, but it's by no means amateur. If you want a casual introduction to her, this makes a fine choice.
Feeling ready for another tome, I have selected A Game of Thrones, which I'm sure already means something to you.
At a time when humans have colonized multiple planets but not apparently met any aliens, corporation GalacTech has genetically engineered some workers fit to spend their entire lives on a space station in free fall. Their most obvious feature: extra arms where their legs would be, hence the nickname "quaddies." People with legs, in turn, are called "downsiders." So far, the oldest quaddies are 16 and have started reproducing, mostly according to company directions.
The most frequent focal character is Leo Graf, the quaddies' new mechanical engineering teacher. The more he learns about how they live as property, the less he likes it. When a technological advancement renders them "obsolete" and Leo becomes privy to plans for an even worse fate for them, he starts engineering an initially stealthy rebellion to let the quaddies -- and any downsiders who volunteer to stay with them -- have a distant civilization unto themselves. Of course, GalacTech is loath to part with that many resources....
The executive position is understandable. The quaddies' own creator deemed them a separate species, and we have no proof that they could interbreed with downsiders, so it's a legal gray area. But anyone who spends enough time around quaddies can see that their emotions and intellects are quite human. Any detectable differences reflect upbringing, not innate neurology. The fact that most quaddies act pretty content makes no moral difference.
OK, the bulk of the villainy stems from new project head Bruce Van Atta. That's hardly a spoiler; he garnered my suspicion from his first scene. He has little patience for anyone who doesn't do as he bids, including higher-ups, and his actions get more vehement as the story progresses. He also has sex with at least one quaddie, Silver, which would be controversial enough given their age and power differentials, but it also means that he either commits bestiality by his own sights or recognizes quaddies' humanity and still treats them like dirt.
Mind you, some of the good guys take a similar interest in Silver. Even Leo has a crush on her, and he's more than twice her age, so I can't find that heartwarming. Personally, I'm having trouble picturing a sexy quaddie at any age.
Not that I'd mind making their friendly acquaintance. Once you get past the shock of first seeing quaddies (without warning in many cases), you can appreciate their elegance within their quasi-natural environment. They sure don't envy downsiders on a physical level, tho they take interest in fictional depictions thereof.
As simple as the plot is, the 307 pages move quickly. I'm relieved to say that the disturbing elements don't nearly outweigh the pleasant ones for me. I can kinda tell that it was an early effort for Bujold, but it's by no means amateur. If you want a casual introduction to her, this makes a fine choice.
Feeling ready for another tome, I have selected A Game of Thrones, which I'm sure already means something to you.