ne of the most intriguing characters in James Alan Gardner's debut novel, Expendable, is a glassine woman named Oar. Effectively the last of her kind—her people succumb to everlasting coma at about the age of 50—Oar died a heroic death in her first outing, sacrificing her life to save her friend Festina Ramos. But now, in Ascending, she is back, roused from near-death by a mysterious outside intervention. Innocent, lonely and more than a little self-centered, she looks for Festina and finds that years have passed; she has been abandoned.
A widening political scandal on New Earth has made Oar a desirable commodity. She is visited by an alien named Uclod, who has come to retrieve her body for use as evidence against the human Admiralty. His dismay at finding her alive and recovered is short-lived, as he realizes that a live witness makes an even better exhibit than a corpse. With opposing forces already on their way to shut her up, Oar agrees to go with Uclod and testify.
Unfortunately, everyone in the galaxy has taken an interest in Oar's affairs. Not only is the government cover-up on her trail, but a cadre of religious slave-takers and some immensely powerful aliens have gotten into the chase as well. Oar can barely board a ship before it is attacked by
one faction or another, and staying one step ahead of her pursuers takes quick wits and dedication.
Worst of all, Oar is nearly 50 years old, and as Ascending progresses it becomes clear that she is succumbing to the same "Tired Brains" syndrome that has disabled all of her ancestors. No matter how serious the situation becomes, it seems probable that she will soon lose interest ... even in an outcome that could result in a second—and permanent—death.
A case of cultural contamination
Ascending is the fifth novel in Gardner's League of Peoples universe, and though it expands already-established storylines, it is also beautifully self-contained. Its role within the greater story arc is deliciously subtle and fully explained—readers unfamiliar with the other books can enjoy this one fully. Benevolent aliens have given the human race faster-than-light spaceships and other advanced technology. A full member of the League, Earth's society is falling apart. Other consequences of the alien intervention are still coming to light.
The primary rule of the League is that only non-murderous individuals can travel between the stars. A being can torture or maim another person as long as they do not commit murder or allow someone to die by willful neglect. Considerable intellectual energy is therefore expended by the villains of Gardner's novels on finding ways to disable their opponents by non-lethal means. The inventiveness required to stick to this one all-powerful law makes the antagonists of these tales far more interesting than typical homicidal maniacs.
In his previous novels, Gardner showed humans struggling to obey the letter of League law while abusing its spirit mightily. In Ascending, the villains are amped up—aliens, vastly more powerful than Oar's allies, they must still play by League rules. This enables readers to examine some interesting thought experiments. If a stronger species cannot invade its neighbors, should the weaker races trust them absolutely? What if their offers of help and peaceful cooperation are less benevolent than they appear?
Remarkably, the non-violence code in this universe does not detract from its adventure quotient. Ascending has high-stakes storylines and violence aplenty. As Oar hovers on the edge of species extinction, her narrative provides a mixture that is sometimes funny, sometimes thought-provoking and always exciting.
