Flesh and Gold

Phyllis Gotlieb Flesh and Gold (1998) I didn’t finish this book. The premise is interesting, involving many beings co-operating more or less in a future interstellar federation of sorts. Humans (Solthrees) have been bioengineered to adapt to different planetary habitats. Interstellar commerce profits only when the trade-ware is people, many of which are conveniently labelled as animals. Bribery and other forms of corruption abound. But the book holds only intellectual interest for me; it does not engage my empathy or sympathy for the characters. It is a clever book, a merely clever book. I can’t quite put my finger on what’s lacking, really. I think it is the language: Gotlieb writes competently, but she hasn’t the knack of making a place become vividly present, such as Heinlein and Kipling have. Those writers could make the most alien landscape and lifestyle seem familiar within a page or two. Gotlieb can’t do that, so although the alien setting is an interesting one, and she has done a lot of work to make it plausible, it is not believable. ** (2000)