Regenesis (1)

[mindstalk]

I expect to enjoy this, since I liked Cyteen (this is the sequel), but man, the political economy of the intro doesn't make any sense to me. "Frontier conditions" on space stations -- stations with no obvious economic import. 3/4 million people in Alliance! Millions in Union! Vs. billions on Earth! Though Union's *trends*, with azi birthlabs and an apparent monopoly on rejuv, make sense.

But if you've got half a million people around Pell, why are you settling tens of thousand in other solar systems? Aaaargh.

Giving your old enemy a trade monopoly in your own space? Especially when you were more or less winning? I hope I don't have to re-read Downbelow Station and Cyteen.

Comments

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

I'm about to re-read Cyteen myself. I hope I won't be disappointed.

At worst, at least her fiction uses actual stars in their real locations.

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

But if you've got half a million people around Pell, why are you settling tens of thousand in other solar systems? Aaaargh.

Oh, that's simple, and has numerous precedents in real history. One would establish small settlements to claim priority on a world or system, both to benefit from future expansion of those settlements, and to forestall the expansion of rivals into those systems. Given the whole Alliance-Union hostility, strategic issues might also drive such colonization, and the economic benefits to be obtained by serving strategic consideration.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

I suppose that makes some sense. But I don't think it was given as reasons. It's more about building the economy and the trade routes with Earth, except it's never ever clear what stations produce that's worth interstellar trade. And the territory is the Hinder Stars, the pre-FTL stations between Pell and Earth.

(not much spoilers here, it's the first 4 pages of the book.)