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ncrabb 's review for:
Oath of Fealty
by Larry Niven
My first impression of this book was that it was outdated science fiction that hasn’t held up well. And yet there is something powerful and thought-provoking in the plot.
Todos Santos is a vast protected community built by a huge corporation. Its goal is to protect those who live inside. In return, those who live inside must give up certain personal liberties and agree to be constantly surveilled. But the clean luxury of Todos Santos is so superior to the gritty crime-ridden horror of Los Angeles where Todos Santos exists that there is no dearth of people willing to toss aside their personal liberties to live there.
But the corporation that runs it is not without its enemies, and as secure as it is, the vast housing complex comes under attack by those on the outside who can’t qualify to live there. It’s an interesting look at the conflict between the haves and have-nots. There seems to be a serious Libertarian tone to this. We have similar things in our world today with the gentrifying of neighborhoods and the creation of gated communities. Full disclosure, I rent in one of those and offer neither apology nor regret for having made that decision several years ago. While much of this book is outdated, much of it is prescient in its portrayal of conflicts like those we see in our society today.
Todos Santos is a vast protected community built by a huge corporation. Its goal is to protect those who live inside. In return, those who live inside must give up certain personal liberties and agree to be constantly surveilled. But the clean luxury of Todos Santos is so superior to the gritty crime-ridden horror of Los Angeles where Todos Santos exists that there is no dearth of people willing to toss aside their personal liberties to live there.
But the corporation that runs it is not without its enemies, and as secure as it is, the vast housing complex comes under attack by those on the outside who can’t qualify to live there. It’s an interesting look at the conflict between the haves and have-nots. There seems to be a serious Libertarian tone to this. We have similar things in our world today with the gentrifying of neighborhoods and the creation of gated communities. Full disclosure, I rent in one of those and offer neither apology nor regret for having made that decision several years ago. While much of this book is outdated, much of it is prescient in its portrayal of conflicts like those we see in our society today.