|
|
 |
EUROPE'S MOST VISITED SF/F WEB SITE |
|
The Last Underclass by Dean Warren John Griffin - "Quiet" to his friends - barely survives as a Welfie, the economic underclass left disenfranchised, unemployed and dependent on Government rations in the wake of technological advances. But when he rescues one of the elite Achievers from an abduction attempt, Quiet gets the chance to go to the military academy. Despite being bullied and abused, Quiet graduates high in his class. Fresh from graduation, Quiet joins a mission that discovers the first inhabitable planet outside the Solar System: New Eden. Now the genetic engineers are taking their research a step further: altering somatic cells to differentiate as if the Achiever was 25 years old. This forms the basis of ‘whole body rejuvenation’ offering massively extended lifespans for those that can afford it. Despite the looming threat of civil war, Quiet decides he must ensure that the Welfies obtain their share of these technological wonders. Much of 'The Last Underclass' deals with a pressing and serious scientific, political and sociological issue: whether stem cell research and therapeutic cloning could be the first step on the slippery slope to eugenics, designer babies and, ultimately, vastly prolonged lifespans. Inevitably, this could lead to an underclass of people who cannot afford the new advances. Scientists counter that genomic research will help treat currently unmanageable diseases. Everyone has a view on stem cell research and cloning - and I should make mine clear. My day job is as a freelance medical and bio-science journalist, and I've written about the science, ethics and applications of genomic research. I'm also consulting editor on a magazine devoted to high-technology in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, including genomics. I'm firmly in favour of therapeutic cloning and stem cell research, within tightly defined guidelines. Indeed, I favour strictly controlled reproductive cloning in situations where there are no other reasonable alternatives. (To me, there seems little difference between a reproductive clone and an identical twin.) In other words, I admit that I brought numerous preconceptions to the book. Nevertheless, the 'slippery slope' argument, which seems to underpin 'The Last Underclass', is a difficult one for stem cell research's supporters to refute. After all, scientists' record isn't encouraging. We need think only of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to see how basic science can be turned against the humanity it's meant to serve. But, for me, Warren doesn't really clarify the issues surrounding genomic manipulation, although the 'The Last Underclass' effectively raises the topics. For example, I was never really clear whether Warren is against genomic improvement - even to eradicate diseases such as cystic fibrosis or inherited immune deficiencies - per se or whether he feels that the science requires strict regulation. After all, his central character is genetically enhanced and seems to exemplify humanity's ability to overcome inherited or environmental adversity. As Quiet comments, the advance of science and technology is inevitable. ‘We can't stop either advance, only regulate each,’ he says. On the other hand, on numerous occasions 'The Last Underclass' seems to regard genetic scientists and their research as inherently dangerous - or at least dominated by hubris. In places, 'The Last Underclass' portrays genetic scientists as, at best, unaware or uninterested in the ethical dimension. At worst, they're evil. But this view seems somewhat passé: few scientists, especially those in controversial areas, are unaware or ignore the ethical dimension. But that's not the view perpetuated in much of 'The Last Underclass'. For example, one character, a genetically modified biologist, comments about the genetic engineers: ‘The short-sighted bastards with their virus vectors, their modifying protein molecules, and their noble goals will make us all sorry they ever existed. They pre-empt natural evolution and need regulation.’ Elsewhere Warren writes: ‘...did science's record of progress for the last hundred years bring only a mad arrogance? Had the fantastic new understandings in physics, information processing, genetics and now of the brain made these scientists believe they were gods?’ Although I remain unclear about Warren's exact view, 'The Last Underclass' accurately reflects the moral, political and scientific ambiguity surrounding genetic modification. From a narrative point of view, I feel the arguments in 'The Last Underclass' could have been better made as a short story or novella - the constant repetition grates after a while. Moreover, in places, the argument descends into territory best left to cartoons. There's Leroy, for example, who is ‘genetically engineered to convert electrical signals to chemical ones. And vice versa. Something about eel genes.’ Other characters carry genes from the ‘Australian’ shepherd dog and weasels. Perhaps Warren aimed this as satire. But it too heavy-handed to work. Even if you ignore the idea of grafting a brain to someone else's central nervous system, which most biologists would consider, at the very least, inherently highly improbable, I noted a few minor scientific errors. (Although Warren clearly understands genomic research.) At the risk of seeming pedantic, I'll highlight two. Warren comments that humans ‘always killed off our culturally inferior variations - like the Neanderthals.’ However, modern humans did not necessarily kill off the Neanderthals: there is evidence of considerable inter-breeding over a long period especially in Iberia. There's also tantalizing evidence that elements of Neanderthal culture - for example, their use of herbal medicine - persisted into modern times. I'm also sure that many Native Americans, Australian Aborigines and African Bushmen would take exception to being descried as ‘culturally inferior’ later in the same sentence. Secondly, the brain's ‘wiring’ is not ‘set pretty much at birth.’ There is now a large and compelling body of evidence showing that the brain's neural architecture remains remarkably plastic throughout life, which allows it to respond to new stimuli, contribute to diseases, such as depression, and aid recovery from, for instance, strokes. 'The Last Underclass' isn't badly written. The nice, albeit somewhat predictable, twist that Quiet is the product of genetic manipulation is well done. The story moves along at a reasonable pace, although the constant and often unsubtle reminders about the dangers of genetic research hold up the narrative. However, the book comes to life in the action scenes. Indeed, I felt there was a decent adventure story yearning to escape from behind the polemic and I suspect that Warren could write an effective and intelligent techno-thriller. Nevertheless, there's no real depth to the characters, there is little detailed description of the world's new social structure and - for me, a fatal flaw in an SF novel - no real sense of wonder! Quiet helps discover the New Eden, but I didn't get the sense that this is important. Warren doesn't convey any real excitement about the potential of space exploration - in marked contrast to hard SF writers such as Bova - which sits uneasily in a supposedly SF book. The ethics and implications of stem cell research and cloning are important for us all. SF's ability to stand back and reflect upon current scientific issues could help inform the debate. 'The Last Underclass' examines an issue that needs to be addressed through legislation and sober, informed consideration. So I wanted 'The Last Underclass' to challenge or - at least - question my views. I wanted a 'Brave New World' or '1984' that clarifies, rather than just raises, the issues surrounding stem cell research and therapeutic cloning. It's a real shame that, for me, 'The Last Underclass' isn't that book. Mark Greener Check out website: www.xlibris.com
|
OTHER REVIEWS - May 2002
NEW NOVELS Bewitched
Forever by Herbie J. Pilato The
Last Underclass by Dean Warren Perceptualistics:
Art By Jael. Time
Tunnel by Murray Leinster The
Shadow Sorceress by L.E. Modestitt Effendi:
The First Second by Jon Courtney Grimwood The
Tomorrow People Volume 2: The Medusa Strain Star
Wars: Attack of the Clones - Visual Dictionary Star
Wars: Attack of the Clones - Incredible Cross-Sections
|
||||||||
Meanwhile,
Quiet discovers that something is rotten among the elite. Some aging
Achievers prolong their lives by triggering stem cells to differentiate
into neurones. Surgeons then transplant the rebuilt brain onto the
brain stem of a young human - usually a Welfie. And this ‘body switching’
conspiracy goes right to the top of the Achiever hierarchy. 
 |
|
| nest home | search engine | site directory | shop | library | tools | about us | | |
|
|
... www.sfcrowsnest.com © 2004 CWant a ? Then send an email to: hologramtales-subscribe@topica.com