Rating: 
Summary: Faraway so close
Review: Reminiscent of GATEWAY in its juxtaposition of incongruously comic elements with rapidly mounting intensity, EXPENDABLE suffers from the problem of its own strengths: the question is always more interesting than the answer.
You can pinpoint the exact moment at which EXPENDABLE jumps off the cliff of its own devising: for the record, it's page 96 (Avon Nova paperback). Up to that point the building mystery of the characters and their stories is so carefully constructed, so addictively fascinating, you're page-turningly hooked. Then the answers come, and your worst fears and best hopes are sacrificed to those of the author. Odds are they're different from yours, and by definition less effective. I'd like to be able to say this is unavoidable, but it isn't -- indeed, GATEWAY and EON, just to name a random two, are all-too-rare examples of stories which transcend this limitation. Likely this is just a matter of raw talent, experience, or, of course, my own unilateral prejudices.
So read EXPENDABLE as a 96-page novella of great skill and charm, then just try to stop -- you won't be able to, but you'll wish you had. Remember how you felt about the Matrix sequels? There ya go.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: The League of Peoples keeps an eye on all species. There is no war, little crime, and life is sacred ... unless you are an Explorer. Humans' morale takes a sharp nose dive if someone beautiful and loved dies. Therefore, the Human race takes those among themselves who are considered to be the misfits, the deformed, the ugly, the flawed, and trains them to be ECMs (Expendable Crew Members).
Festina Ramos has a red birthmark that covers one side of her face. She belongs to the well-trained, always-dwindling ranks of the ECMs. Her partner is Yarrun Derigha. They are ordered by the High Council to escort the mentally unstable Admiral Chee to Melaquin. All information about Melaquin is classified. The only thing publically known is that it seems to be a duplicate planet of Old Earth. Everyone who has ever went to Melaquin has disappeared. No one seems to know why. But once or twice a year, a small party of ECMs is sent to investigate.
Of course, this is meant to be the LAST mission for Festina and Yarrun. But Festina has other ideas.
***** Excellent! James Alan Gardner brought all the characters to life, especially Festina! This is one of the best sci-fi books I have read this year. This novel came out in 1997. It was the author's debut novel. However, it is so hard for me to believe this was his first!
This story was written to stand alone. A second novel of this type was not even considered by the author (per his short interview with SFBC). Indeed, James Alan Gardner went on to write other books. But so many readers cried out to him and his publisher for more about the ECMs that the author finally broke down. Therefore, this year (2004) a second ECM novel came out titled "Radiant" (Review forthcoming.) Sci-Fi fans should not miss out on this fabulous story! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: A bland SciFi to fill in a few hours
Review: Explorer Festina Ramos, her partner and a crazy Admiral are all exiled to the planet-of-no-return. They are expendable because they are ugly or freaks. I have to admit I had somewhat expected a comedy with this novel, and while it does raise the odd mild laugh in the end its not a really memorable novel or one that I really want to keep.
Somehow Festina and her woes of being exiled fail to raise a great deal of tension. Her problems turn out to mostly reasonably easily solved and the book slides by like a bland desert. I know that there are other books in this series, but I have to say that this first instalment does not make me inclined to seek them out.
Rating:
Summary: An Absolutely Brilliant Debut Novel
Review: Expendable is an absolute brilliant novel; that it is the debut novel for James Alan Gardner makes it even more spectacular. Many science-fiction novels, television series, and films present the future as something which should be desired by the people of our present time. Expendable, however, shows the future as not-so-desirable in two pertinent ways: 1.) Humanity can rule itself, but must constantly act within the strict guidelines established and summarily enforced by The League of Peoples, which take on a nearly-mystical, nearly-godlike role, knowing all without ever being seen; 2.) Not everyone is "beautiful," and those with both the aptitude and the lack of beauty are made into Explorers, also known as Expendable Crew Members because of the logic that "no one will miss someone who is not beautiful" - this despite the easy availability of numerous surgical procedures to essentially MAKE someone beautiful. This second point is what truly grabbed my attention from the second page. The main character, Festina Ramos, was born with a "birthmark" condition which has left "a lurid port-wine birthmark covering the right half of my face from cheekbone to chin." A very close friend of more than a decade has the same "birthmark," so the tale spun by Gardner is particularly personal. Gardner's writing style is excellent - easy to follow, providing technological explanations without being deeply detailed, and split into short segments (ranging from several paragraphs to - rarely - several pages in length) grouped together as chapters to enable the reader to stop at really any point and feel it is a good stopping point (thus making it a great book for those who are often interrupted when reading). Unfortunately, however, the story is told in the first person in flashback, which takes some of the "danger" element away from the overall mood of the narrative. Overall, Expendable is a very good read. The primary world Gardner creates is both familiar and foreign, and the narrative twists mostly unexpected. Especially for those with or those who care deeply for someone with the "birthmark" condition, this mark of "disfigurement" takes on a new light and helps to cause the reader to consider concepts of beauty in our present reality.
Rating:
Summary: The Planet of No Return
Review: Expendable is the first novel in the League of Peoples series. Festina Ramos is an Explorer, a first-in specialist, who is used to check out unknown worlds; the Explorers call themselves Expendable Crew Members. Ramos has a port-wine colored birthmark covering the right side of her face; in a society that demands perfect appearance, she is an anomaly. Most Explorers have such imperfections; the Explorer Corps is the wastebin of humanity. The League of Peoples have imposed bans on Terrans and other peoples within their jurisdiction. The most dramatic is the ban against the interstellar transportation of persons who have committed homicide. Such people just die as soon as their ship goes into interstellar space and so does everybody who assisted in their transport. Their attitude is: kill each other as much as you desire, but don't export the killers. In this novel, Festina and Yarrun Derigha, her subordinate, are ordered to accompany Admiral Chee to the surface of Melaquin. The orders are a little disconcerting, for Chee is 150 years old with declining mental faculties; in addition, though many Explorers have gone down to the planet's surface, none has ever returned; but, what the heck, Explorers are expendable. When Festina, Yarrun, and their batty Admiral reach the surface, Chee immediately discards his tightsuit and breathes the air. Festina and Yarrun ignore him and start a survey of their surroundings. Nothing dangerous appears on the bumbler, so they start sampling the soil and lifeforms. Suddenly, they notice that the Admiral is no longer with them and is nowhere in sight. This story is a tale of official corruption and unofficial bigotry. The Admiral is a hoot; he has lost almost all his inhibitions and tells it as he sees it. Underneath his cynical remarks, however, works a very shrewd mind. Recommended for anyone who enjoys nitty-gritty yarns of people in a no-win situation.
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good!
Review: I loved this story about a future in which the expolorers are all slightly deformed, so that they won't be missed when they die. A ridiculous premise, of course! But it makes for a wonderful group of characters. And I loved the thought of universe in which anyone who kills another is labelled "nonsensient" and can no longer travel. This is just a fine old fashioned science fiction yarn. I recommend it highly.
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