Beggars and Choosers (Beggars Trilogy) [Hardcover]

Nancy Kress (Author)

Book Description

Series: Beggars Trilogy | Publication Date: September 15, 1994

The sequel to the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Beggars in Spain is set in a future America, radically altered by technology, where the nearly superhuman powers of the gene-modified Sleepless threaten the security of all humanity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This welcome sequel to Kress's acclaimed Beggars in Spain (which itself was based on a novella that in 1993 won both a Hugo and a Nebula) picks up 13 years after the events of the earlier book. The genetically engineered SuperSleepless-who need no sleep and have vastly increased cognitive powers-have established a protected island enclave where they can work on their beneficent plans for humanity away from the prying eyes of the genetic-purity police. Meanwhile, in the States, sharply divided into the "Livers" (who subsist on the dole but consider themselves aristocrats) and the "donkeys" (genetically enhanced, highly educated public servants who sneer at the Livers even as they support them), society's infrastructure is breaking down because the machines that feed, clothe and care for the Livers have stopped functioning. As conditions worsen, so do tensions between the donkeys and the Livers. Events are viewed through several characters who must confront the collapse of their society and (perhaps) the birth of another. Kress takes an admirably complex look at controversial issues-genetic engineering, the distribution of wealth and power, racism and political hatred-while offering no easy answers. Based on the real possibilities of genetic modification, nanotechnology and current social and economic trends, her latest novel isn't merely an excellent and thoughtful work of science fiction but is also an important commentary on some of the key issues we'll be facing in the next century.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?A futuristic fantasy that is frighteningly close to life as we know it. What is the morality of empowerment? In this thought-provoking novel, the genetically enhanced may have the ability to choose for all of us?by giving us all the ability to choose?but do they have that right? Using a variety of viewpoints, Kress simultaneously develops characters and theme while maintaining a plot that hums like a high-tension cable. The miracle is that this excitement is generated by readers' own moral confusion. Is Drew right to feel manipulated by his super-intelligent lover, whose thought processes he can never truly understand? Which of Vicki's various moral stands is justifiable? Is there a workable future for Lizzie? For Miri? For Billy? The plot makes concrete the dilemmas inherent in a society where "equality" is no longer a possibility. Although this book is a sequel of sorts to Beggars in Spain (Morrow, 1993), it stands on its own and explores a new ethical swamp. Kress is unique in her daring charting of these moral morasses, and given YAs' fascination with morality, she is of particular interest to them. Beggars and Choosers will terrify, delight, enrage, and engage.?Cathy Chauvette, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (September 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312857497
• ISBN-13: 978-0312857493
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,180,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mmmm...great sci fi..., May 27, 2000

By 

JK (Groton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beggars and Choosers (Beggars Trilogy (also known as Sleepless Trilogy)) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was actually the first Kress book I read (I went out and grabbed 4 more almost immediately afterward, including Beggars in Spain)...so, the book definately stands on its own two feet and I still enjoyed the series tremendously despite not reading them in their intended order. Maybe it's because I read this one first, but it stands out as my favorite - a well-crafted future (usually missing from a lot of sci fi), a compelling plot (again, often absent from a lot of sci fi...no alien invasion/war/global cataclysm/blah/blah here, just a very interesting look at what the advances in our own existing technology may one day bring us), really great lead characters, particularly Diana Covington who I felt I sort of followed through this story in progress, and hey, some actual science! I'm no genetic engineer, but it seems that the material has been very well thought out and is a running theme in the Kress books I've read so far - being central to this book and the others in the series, I like the fact that the concept is used so thoughtfully...genetic engineering didn't destroy the world, but it certainly did change it. I suppose it would...perhaps it will, depending on how far we take it. This book has a ring of realism and science fact mixed in with fiction, as well as the central question 'what will the technological and social advances of the future really mean to us and how will they affect us?' - I just don't seem to find much science fiction like that these days. I was looking for some new material to read, and after picking up four or five complete duds by other authors, I picked this one up initially because the cover intregued me...boy am I glad I did. I have a feeling Kress will keep me in good sci fi for a while.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bleak but Provocative Middle for the Beggar's Trilogy, September 24, 2009

By 

Gary Shea (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beggars and Choosers (Beggars Trilogy) (Hardcover)

BEGGARS & CHOOSERS is more disturbing than satisfying, as perhaps the middle book of a trilogy should be. I'm looking forward to the conclusion in BEGGARS RIDE.

First person narration is delivered from several characters, mostly Livers. The only one returning from BEGGARS IN SPAIN is the Lucid Dreamer, Drew Arlen. It's fitting, not getting any direct view from a sleepless or a supersleepless. It makes for balance, credibility, mystery, and food for thought. My recommendation is to dig in and enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ok, October 29, 2008

By 

Ryan Costa "a serious guy" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beggars and Choosers (Beggars Trilogy (also known as Sleepless Trilogy)) (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the most compelling features of the Beggars trilogy is that the specific technological achievements in it are not required for the themes to ring true. However in this book humanity has nigh-infinite cheap energy, reliable eugenics for intelligence and aesthetics in humans, and robots that replace nearly all labor. You can guess where that leads.