Review: Very interesting ethical issues
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 23, 2014
This is one of those novels that uses a disturbing possible future to make us think critically about our present and ourselves.After a pandemic kills the majority of the population, life has become sacred, something to be guarded at all costs.  If someone needs an new organ, for example, the huge medical database finds whoever is the best match, and that citizen must give the organ.  Kelsey, marked for a kidney transplant, decides that it should be her choice, so she tries to run away before the surgery.This introduces a host of ethical questions:  Is Kelsey right or wrong?  Selfish or not?  Is the well-being of society more important than the rights of the individual?  Is the government justified?  Is saving one life worth the risk to another?  I love how Crayton doesn't hesitate to give good arguments for the others side--sometimes even better than the main character's--so we're never sure what to think.I wish Kelsey had stuck to her position more, and made a stand, because these issues fade somewhat after the first part of the book.  However, even her choice to back off is interesting.  She doesn't try to change the world.  She tries to save herself.  And again I wonder:  selfish or not?The world-building is good.  I like the offhand references to survival statistics classes that seem to be the norm for school children.  There are also a few believability issues, but most derive from the what-ifs of a society like this, so they're up for debate.Repetition and over-explanation at times slow the pace.  The few errors or oddities in language and mechanics don't really interfere with enjoyment, as the book is well written overall.In the middle, the narrative takes a turn.  It becomes a legal drama with lots of talk and little action.  Some people might not like this, but I did, and congratulate Crayton for going where the story would go, instead of bowing to the Hollywood-action-at-all-costs mantra.  The courtrooms scenes are full of twisty logic, clever arguments, and verbal traps.  Very engaging.During this section, Kelsey doesn't really do much.  She's just an observer, thinking and reacting but making few choices.  Again, some readers might not like this, but it works here, and communicates the helplessness of not being in control.The ending is satisfying while leaving some questions unanswered for the sequel, Second Life.Though Life First isn't directly about a specific current issue, readers can draw many uncomfortable and thought-provoking parallels.  This is what good speculative fiction should do, and Life First accomplishes the task.*I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*