I was initially inclined to dock this book one star for its reliance on parapsychology. The plot here leans very heavily on the protagonist's psychic powers (specifically, a type of telekinesis) which acts as the book's perpetuum mobile. Matt Keller's psychic powers are so fundamental to this story that without them there would be no story to speak of. But then I realized that when this book was written -- during the late 1960s -- the jury was still out on the legitimacy of parapsychological research. At that time mainstream science still allowed for the reasonable possibility that a phenomenon such as telekinesis might exist; the willingness to test this hypothesis scientifically would, over the next few decades, debunk its validity, but in 1968 it was still considered a subject for serious scientific inquiry. Thus, I was able to discount my initial objection and enjoy this in the spirit it was written. For the most part.Our knowledge of parapsychology is not the only thing that has changed in the intervening decades, after all. So, for example, Niven exhibits the sort of base-line sexism which was the norm 50 years ago. And while this may not have been perceived as a fault when the first edition of this novel was published, it is glaring from a present-day perspective. In addition, the idea that organ transplants would be so common as to result in the death penalty being applied to petty crimes in order to provide an organ harvest is far-fetched in any age. It implies a suspension of the basic morality without which any society would quickly descend into chaos. Organs for transplant are, indeed, in high demand in our present age, but it has not produced the massive state-funded organ banks which Niven portrays, let alone the butchering of miscreants who have accrued an overabundance of parking tickets.In short, not bad, but no masterpiece. Niven has gone on to better things.
49 out of 100.One of those 'the way the future was' novels. By that I mean a novel written forty plus years ago that fails to anticipate many technological advantages in the near future but still is set in the far future. People are living in distant planets in a galactic empire and still have hand held telephones and coffee tables. That being said, the premise of the novel is almost a philosophical question: does technology dictate ethics? In the universe of this novel, set in the far future on a colony world called 'Mt. Lookitthat,' a very small group of people, direct descendants of the original crew that piloted the first ships there, and the colonists, who are in such a different social stratum that they literally don't live the same place that crew do.The crew has also discovered a kind of immortality by harvesting organs of colonists who have broken the law. As a result of the insatiable demand for organs, amongst the colonist, the lower class masses, virtually anything is a death penalty offense. This has gone on so long that no one even questions the rightness or justification for it . . . until science evolves a way to generate virtually any organ from animal tissue, rendering organ donation obsolete. If the main justification for capital punishment goes out the window, what happens to the legal system?It's a thoughtful book, written while Larry Niven was still learning his craft (Niven is probably my favorite 'Hard' SF writer. The story is better than the author's ability to tell it at that point in his career. This is not a knock; the book is well worth reading. However, if you came to Niven through his truly great stuff like the earlier Ringworld books or 'The Integral Trees,' you'll be aware that the storytelling in this isn't quite as good as it is in later works.A good book from a good writer who will become a great one .. .
What do You think about A Gift From Earth (1984)?
In Niven's Known Space series, the organ banks allow the privileged to live forever, as long as doctors can replace old organs with new ones. In A Gift From Earth, he builds on that idea.On the planet "We Made It", only descendants of the Crew of the original colonist ship got to benefit from the organ banks, creating a distinct social gap between the have and have-nots. This is the story of a technological breakthrough that eliminated the need for the organ banks, and the resulting social upheaval on "We Made It".Niven doesn't consider himself very good at writing war stories, but he certainly handled a revolution well here. As usual, he came up with an interesting idea and explored the social, political, and technological ramifications while still telling an engaging story. I'll freely admit that Niven's character portraits aren't what they could be, but I don't think they detract from very interesting ideas that are fun (and scary) to ponder.
—Traummachine
Very readable pulp but I don't get how this era of science fiction authors thought human psychology worked! Everyone is so hyperrational or their emotions are, I don't know. And he's obsessed with ships' whores (see Ringworld) and ladies of the revolutionaries and non-sentient females (see Ringworld and Ptavvs).But a man blurting out that he's a 21-year old virgin? The most nervousness about sex, uh, ever. Also, the worst description of telepathy ever written. Optic nerve fibers? Seriously? That's your telepathy? But somehow that involves forgetting?And what a yawner of a divided society. You've come a long way, baby. Alpha Plateau is called the Capital District now.
—Gabriel C.
Niven has used the concept of organ banks & the resultant change in ethics/justice (i.e. death penalty for traffic offences) in several stories - most notably in the Long Arm of Gil Hamilton, but it fits in well with this society of Haves (decendants of the Crew) and Have Nots (the decendants of the colonists)on a challenging world. Niven loves to play with unusual habitats, and this world is no exception.I liked the relatively slow reveal of Matt's talent - even if it took the characters even longer to work it out. It felt at times a bit like a Heinlein juvie in terms of the action, even if the lines between good & evil were a bit blurry. I'd put this novel about in the middle of his body of work, quality-wise. I wouldn't recommend it as a starter read, but it was worth the time I spent on it.
—Tracey
