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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Lifeshaping" and another theme make this a landmark., 12 Oct 1998
By A Customer
This is a landmark piece of science fiction. It introduces two new themes which are likely to sweep the world of science fiction, eventually becoming part of its stock in trade.The first of these is 'lifeshaping" -- the author's felicitous alternative to terms like "genetic engineering" or "biotech". The very term suggests the immense possibilities opening up as the result of current developments in microbiology. Joan Slonczewski, a professional microbiologist, very capably projects the good things we may be able to do, and makes them plausible. Her exploration of the moral and social implications is, in my estimation, much deeper than much of what commonly passes for "bio-ethics". It's almost impossible to invent a theme that is entirely new to science fiction, and Slonczewski herself has written previously of "lifeshaping". However, sometimes a theme that's been around explodes into prominence because of developments that catch the public fancy -- in this case, the cloning of "Dolly". Cloning is (literally) a baby step towards lifeshaping, and may or may not be advisable in its own right, but it's important that the broader vision of lifeshaping figure into the discussion. "The Children Star" puts that vision forward eloquently. One subtheme which I find particularly important is that lifeshaping can serve as an alternative to "terraforming". The latter is set up in this story as a straw man: inconceivably rough handling of a planet to make it human-habitable, in circumstances where the planet is more than a lifeless rock to start with. Personally, I anticipate that most planetary bodies will be found initially lifeless, and that we will have to use all the tricks at our command to establish a space frontier at all. Lifeshaping looks like a welcome addition to our toolbox, not a substitute for other aids. Sooner or later, too, it will occur to somebody that if we can "lifeshape" human beings to fit extraterrestrial environments, we may be able to lifeshape diverse forms of human beings to fit an evolving ecology here on Earth. I can't comment on the second landmark theme (yes, "lifeshaping" was just the first), because it's the surprise solution to a mystery which builds up throughout the story. Suffice it to say that it's more speculative than lifeshaping, but would justify the book all by itself.
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