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schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I enjoyed it.
The existence of Expendables raises a lot of questions only some of which are addressed, if not answered.
It makes total sense that people would have religious objections to Expendables, and even that it would be a major tenant of a religion. Although I would think it would be problematic to
If a person can only become an Expendable to be a terrible kind of guinea pig which will always be killed over (and over and over) I can see why it wouldn't appeal to people. But it is more than a little surprising that it's not a technology utilized by the wealthy and powerful to extend their lifetimes indefinitely. Not to actually be expendable, of course, just to live.
It's more than a little surprising that there's apparently no one involved in mental healthcare as part of the colony. Leaving the position of the Expendable aside, the mental, emotional and physical stress of space travel and starting a colony would be tremendous. But taking the Expendable into account, especially an Expendable who is conscripted, which it sounds like most are, how is there not mandatory counseling for that person? Like every day. Even before you get to the Ship of Theseus problem, how many times can a person remember dying in terrible and painful ways or just watch a video of it even without the actual memory and not develop crippling PTSD or become catatonic? But there's no suggestion of that at all. (Either that it's a concern or that Mickey experiences it). I do get why there are occasions where it's important for the Expendable to remember what caused his or her death, but how does remembering being injected with different pathogens and then dying a long, painful death help. What are they supposed to avoid, going to the doctor who is going to use them as a test subject?
The sociology of it is interesting, too. Everyone (including the Expendable) is conditioned to think of the Expendable as the same person, which means that a) people resent their "immortality" and b) no one appreciates their sacrifices. And that sort of makes sense, too, from a good of the colony standpoint. If people are allowed to realize that someone is essentially being tortured over and over, especially if that person was conscripted, they may decide that's unacceptable. (Or they may well say if the Expendable is a prisoner he/she/they probably did something to deserve it and better someone who can be downloaded into a new body than a person with a finite lifespan).
It's also unclear what the term of service is. Is Mickey expected to stay in that position for the term of a natural lifespan, 1,000 years, 1,000 deaths? Until the sun burns out? Until the colony is firmly established?
It's clear that Mickey7 and Mikey8 are different people. Mickey7 is more empathetic by far. And maybe it's attributable to Mickey8 being closer to starvation, or Mickey7 being saved by the crawler and having the memory of it happen. It just seems like there should be more of an explanation since the difference in time between them is only six weeks.
Also, they're terraforming a planet with other sentient life and...it never occurs to them how doing so might affect that life?
Learning about the various colony failures was interesting.
The existence of Expendables raises a lot of questions only some of which are addressed, if not answered.
It makes total sense that people would have religious objections to Expendables, and even that it would be a major tenant of a religion. Although I would think it would be problematic to
If a person can only become an Expendable to be a terrible kind of guinea pig which will always be killed over (and over and over) I can see why it wouldn't appeal to people. But it is more than a little surprising that it's not a technology utilized by the wealthy and powerful to extend their lifetimes indefinitely. Not to actually be expendable, of course, just to live.
It's more than a little surprising that there's apparently no one involved in mental healthcare as part of the colony. Leaving the position of the Expendable aside, the mental, emotional and physical stress of space travel and starting a colony would be tremendous. But taking the Expendable into account, especially an Expendable who is conscripted, which it sounds like most are, how is there not mandatory counseling for that person? Like every day. Even before you get to the Ship of Theseus problem, how many times can a person remember dying in terrible and painful ways or just watch a video of it even without the actual memory and not develop crippling PTSD or become catatonic? But there's no suggestion of that at all. (Either that it's a concern or that Mickey experiences it). I do get why there are occasions where it's important for the Expendable to remember what caused his or her death, but how does remembering being injected with different pathogens and then dying a long, painful death help. What are they supposed to avoid, going to the doctor who is going to use them as a test subject?
The sociology of it is interesting, too. Everyone (including the Expendable) is conditioned to think of the Expendable as the same person, which means that a) people resent their "immortality" and b) no one appreciates their sacrifices. And that sort of makes sense, too, from a good of the colony standpoint. If people are allowed to realize that someone is essentially being tortured over and over, especially if that person was conscripted, they may decide that's unacceptable. (Or they may well say if the Expendable is a prisoner he/she/they probably did something to deserve it and better someone who can be downloaded into a new body than a person with a finite lifespan).
It's also unclear what the term of service is. Is Mickey expected to stay in that position for the term of a natural lifespan, 1,000 years, 1,000 deaths? Until the sun burns out? Until the colony is firmly established?
Also, they're terraforming a planet with other sentient life and...it never occurs to them how doing so might affect that life?
Learning about the various colony failures was interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Suicide, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
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