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A review by davidr
Beggars Ride by Nancy Kress
4.0
I really like this trilogy of science fiction novels; the scope of genetic, biological, and moral issues is wide ranging and thought-provoking. This book is not as much about prejudice and divisions between various groups as the first two books; it is more about how one might lift oneself by one's bootstraps, and overcome one's limitations. This book is very fast-paced, and not as philosophical as the previous ones.
What I don't like about this book is the misguided approach that Miranda Sharifi chose. In the previous book (Beggars and Choosers), Miranda invented the "Change" syringe that gave humanity immunity to disease and the ability to feed directly from dirt and the sun. But, in this book she suddenly has a change of heart, and realizes that humanity is more isolated than ever, so she stops producing the Change syringe. This makes the whole world go "cold turkey", with babies getting sick, going hungry, without a sufficient supply of doctors. Why did she not continue to supply the syringes while she worked on an approach for gradual withdrawal? After all, she was perhaps the "smartest" person in the world.
What I don't like about this book is the misguided approach that Miranda Sharifi chose. In the previous book (Beggars and Choosers), Miranda invented the "Change" syringe that gave humanity immunity to disease and the ability to feed directly from dirt and the sun. But, in this book she suddenly has a change of heart, and realizes that humanity is more isolated than ever, so she stops producing the Change syringe. This makes the whole world go "cold turkey", with babies getting sick, going hungry, without a sufficient supply of doctors. Why did she not continue to supply the syringes while she worked on an approach for gradual withdrawal? After all, she was perhaps the "smartest" person in the world.