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     So, once again, I've delved into that treasure trove of science fiction books that I bought for a buck apiece and have found a winner I'd like to share: Expendable by James Alan Gardner. Gardner is a Canadian with a penchant for writing science fiction and fantasy novels. He's been nominated for and won awards for his writing and I for one can see why.

     Expendable is set in the future - the year 2452 to be exact. Life in the future is grand! Under the able leadership of the League of Peoples, the universe has become a nicer place to live. The League is a pan-species corporation with very strict rules about killing. There is no war, no homicide. Only the need to spread far into the reaches of space, but this is dangerous, and how can peace-loving people dare to travel where they might have to fight? This technocracy has developed a way to deal with that. They have declared that all individuals who are born with some kind of flaw or defect should be trained as Explorers. If you have a birth defect of some kind, but a healthy and functional brain, you are trained to be the first to make contact with a new planet. Who better to send on a mission that does not ensure safe return than someone who is not easy to look at?

     Festima Ramos, born with a birthmark covering the entire right side of her face, was a perfect candidate for Explorer training. She was good at her job, landing on countless planets and gathering up enough information and intelligence to elevate her to the top of her field. She had never balked at an assignment, no matter how dangerous. Death or disfigurement was a hazard of the job. Until she met Admiral Chee and was informed that she would be escorting him to the planet Melaquin - a planet that no Explorer had ever returned from. A planet that was still uninhabited, though not for lack of trying. Many a mission was sent to Melaquin without success, earning the planet the nickname The Planet of No Return. Unable to curtail the mission, Festima vows to survive her journey and to make hers the only team ever to return from the planet.

     But someone has other plans for Festima and her team. She soon discovers the true reasons behind the frequent missions to Melaquin. But before she can disseminate the information to the public at large, Festima must survive the planet itself, and perhaps, people she had long trusted with her life.

     This book enthralled me from start to finish. Written in the first person, Expendable brings us directly into the mind of its main character and allows us to form a bond with her. Our journeys are entwined, her fate ours. The author is descriptive enough to allow us to actually see everything without being so descriptive as to bore the reader. The book flows as if it were a movie…in fact I think it would make an excellent movie or miniseries. The reader cannot help but root for Festima's survival, despite the cost. I definitely think Expendabl by James Alan Gardner is worth checking out!

     Send your comments and or questions about this article to wildkarrde3@hotmail.com.

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