Reviews

Beggars and Choosers Tor Books Paperback, Feb. 1996

Misty Massey Imagine never having to sleep/mistyit's a hard thing to do. In the America of Beggars and Choosers, millions of uneducated people are supported by the eforts of the educated genetically modified elite, who, in turn, live in fear of the powerful Sleepless, humans who have been engineered to never sleep, making them brilliant, creative and incredibly long-lived. The Sleepless live on a remote island developing new technology for which the rest of the world is resentfully grateful. Grateful because of the advances the Sleepless offer, but resentful of their greater skill and expertise, to which the rest of the world can never hope to aspire. The Sleeples have presented a preventive medicine called the Cell Cleaner, which can make even seriously ill people healthy, but they are denied permission to release it. At 67890 the same time, the automated diners and warehouses that are used to feed and clothe the millions of jobless "Livers" begin breaking down under mysterious circumstances. Are the Sleepless striking back? Is there another agent previously unknown? And how long before the world collapses? Beggars and Choosers is a remarkable novel. It is hard science fiction, yet the genetic research principles are explained clearly so that even a novice can understand. The possibilities of Sleeplessness are intriguing and exciting. According to the geneticists in the book, Sleeplessness provides greater intelligence, higher creativity and much longer lives. The idea of never sleeping is a little hard, but the reader can get used to it quickly. The underlying theme of racism is timely and touching. The prejudice has switched from hatred of color to hatred of intelligence, and the lowest common denominator, the Livers, determine social mores. Kress' portrayal of the welfare system gone out of control is frightening, with political power help solely by the Livers, who elect their officials according to which candidates can give them the most of anything. Beggars and Choosers, and its prequel, Beggars in Spain, are novels that must not be missed. This is science fiction of the highest order.

Copyright ©1999 Nancy Kress