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John Grimes: Survey Service #6
The Inheritors
John Grimes tackles the slave trade on a lost world with some very feline like inhabitants.
129 pages
First published January 1, 1972
78 people want to read
About the author
A. Bertram Chandler
358 books53 followersArthur Bertram Chandler (28 March 1912–6 June 1984) was an Australian science fiction author. He also wrote under the pseudonyms George Whitley, George Whitely, Paul T. Sherman, Andrew Dunstan, and S.H.M.
He was born in Aldershot, England. He was a merchant marine officer, sailing the world in everything from tramp steamers to troopships. He emigrated to Australia in 1956 and became an Australian citizen. He commanded various ships in the Australian and New Zealand merchant navies, and was the last master of the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne as the law required that it have an officer on board while it was laid up waiting to be towed to China to be broken up.
He was born in Aldershot, England. He was a merchant marine officer, sailing the world in everything from tramp steamers to troopships. He emigrated to Australia in 1956 and became an Australian citizen. He commanded various ships in the Australian and New Zealand merchant navies, and was the last master of the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne as the law required that it have an officer on board while it was laid up waiting to be towed to China to be broken up.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 11, 2020
This volume in the series is the best novel I've read by Chandler so far. The problems with tone that occur in some of the earlier works in this oeuvre aren't here (until the end, but there the humor is appropriate and self-deprecating, and doesn't detract from the seriousness of the plot). This work is also timely in an era where there are significant struggles and discussions going on in the US and around the world about race and the history of slavery. (It should be noted, though, that Chandler was an Australian writer and that this novel was published 48 years ago; internal references indicate that Chandler was likely reacting to the Black Power movement in the early 1970s).
Grimes, still a Lieutenant Commander in the Federation Survey Service, is sent to investigate an apparent "Lost Colony" and only to observe (unless a crime is being committed, he has no ability to act in an official capacity). However, also on the scene is a ship captain who has a history of slave running, and this captain appears to be gathering in some of the people on this world to use them in a sex trafficking operation to another world.
All very well and good, of course, and all of us (I hope) can get on board with the anti-slavery message. However, there are two things that I found disturbing (and that I will relate without giving too many textual details to avoid spoilers). First, Grimes's first officer is of African descent, and from a world where Kane, the slave-running captain, helped "rescue" some of the population during an emergency only to sell them to citizens on another planet. So the first officer, Saul, is understandably bitter and touchy about the topic of slavery in general and Captain Kane in particular. Saul serves as the edge of Chandler's satire regarding how the history of slavery affects contemporary people of African descent: on the one hand, Chandler (through his European protagonist Grimes) can understand why this topic is disturbing to Saul, but he also thinks that Saul is _too_ touchy (in fact, Grimes worries that Saul's "prejudice" toward Kane will affect his ability to do his job). Quite clearly there is a strain of unconscious racism at work in Chandler's writing (I type this while being fully aware that this review, if anyone actually bothers to read it, will be attacked for my even having stated this fact): what business is it of a "white" person to judge a "black" person for how they feel about slavery and oppression? Although no one in the novel asks this question, Chandler assumes that Grimes has every reason to find Saul's attitude "tiresome" (he even looks at Saul "bitterly" towards the end of the book when the topic comes up). Yet neither Chandler nor Grimes (nor any of the white readers of this work) have any business _or even the right_ to judge a member of an historically oppressed people in this way. We just don't; there is no "normal" way to react to this situation; further, although I can understand why Grimes, as a commanding officer in charge of Saul within the context of a military hierarchy, worries about being able to control the reactions of his inferior officer under these circumstances, why even set up the plot of this novel in this particular way to drive this point home? This is insensitive to say the least.
The other problem I had for much of the book is that the people in this story who are in danger of being enslaved appear to be not human. I won't reveal how this is resolved, but it became less problematic by the end of the book. While Grimes and his crew feel understandably bitter about the apparent legal enslavement of a sentient race, the problem is that this race is not human and thus is capable of being subjected to the will of humans, even unpleasantly so (think about the historical analogy to slavery here: one of the bedrocks of the ideology of slavery was the unscientific, by today's standards, idea that people of African descent were not as "human" or "advanced" as people of European descent, and could thus be enslaved without moral qualms: if Chandler had held to this analogy in his story he would merely be replicating the ideology of slavery, a fate he must surely have been aware of since he closes that loophole definitively).
On the whole, though, this is an interesting and satisfying adventure story.
Grimes, still a Lieutenant Commander in the Federation Survey Service, is sent to investigate an apparent "Lost Colony" and only to observe (unless a crime is being committed, he has no ability to act in an official capacity). However, also on the scene is a ship captain who has a history of slave running, and this captain appears to be gathering in some of the people on this world to use them in a sex trafficking operation to another world.
All very well and good, of course, and all of us (I hope) can get on board with the anti-slavery message. However, there are two things that I found disturbing (and that I will relate without giving too many textual details to avoid spoilers). First, Grimes's first officer is of African descent, and from a world where Kane, the slave-running captain, helped "rescue" some of the population during an emergency only to sell them to citizens on another planet. So the first officer, Saul, is understandably bitter and touchy about the topic of slavery in general and Captain Kane in particular. Saul serves as the edge of Chandler's satire regarding how the history of slavery affects contemporary people of African descent: on the one hand, Chandler (through his European protagonist Grimes) can understand why this topic is disturbing to Saul, but he also thinks that Saul is _too_ touchy (in fact, Grimes worries that Saul's "prejudice" toward Kane will affect his ability to do his job). Quite clearly there is a strain of unconscious racism at work in Chandler's writing (I type this while being fully aware that this review, if anyone actually bothers to read it, will be attacked for my even having stated this fact): what business is it of a "white" person to judge a "black" person for how they feel about slavery and oppression? Although no one in the novel asks this question, Chandler assumes that Grimes has every reason to find Saul's attitude "tiresome" (he even looks at Saul "bitterly" towards the end of the book when the topic comes up). Yet neither Chandler nor Grimes (nor any of the white readers of this work) have any business _or even the right_ to judge a member of an historically oppressed people in this way. We just don't; there is no "normal" way to react to this situation; further, although I can understand why Grimes, as a commanding officer in charge of Saul within the context of a military hierarchy, worries about being able to control the reactions of his inferior officer under these circumstances, why even set up the plot of this novel in this particular way to drive this point home? This is insensitive to say the least.
The other problem I had for much of the book is that the people in this story who are in danger of being enslaved appear to be not human. I won't reveal how this is resolved, but it became less problematic by the end of the book. While Grimes and his crew feel understandably bitter about the apparent legal enslavement of a sentient race, the problem is that this race is not human and thus is capable of being subjected to the will of humans, even unpleasantly so (think about the historical analogy to slavery here: one of the bedrocks of the ideology of slavery was the unscientific, by today's standards, idea that people of African descent were not as "human" or "advanced" as people of European descent, and could thus be enslaved without moral qualms: if Chandler had held to this analogy in his story he would merely be replicating the ideology of slavery, a fate he must surely have been aware of since he closes that loophole definitively).
On the whole, though, this is an interesting and satisfying adventure story.
September 10, 2021
Another one that was decent! I enjoyed the story of this one, with lost colonies, pirate captains and Grimes wasn't a complete idiot. I hope that Grimes continues to grow into a good character as he hasn't been too bad in the last two books. Maggie is a little bit annoying with her supposedly funny quips and her emotional outbreaks that maybe shouldn't be part of the Survey Service. I enjoyed the story with the cat people and the foiling of a slave trade pirate captain. I would have liked a bit more wrap up in the end, since there was no actual legal action taken against the pirate captain, but I think we are supposed to assume that he lost his ship and went to jail. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.
January 13, 2024
This series concerned me more and more as I read one novel to the other. Writing is good but not among the best in the genre, interesting plot, but three things disturbed me. 1. Rather overt sexist attitude. 2. Equally persistent attitude toward race. 3. These factors are not just present, but seem to be major themes in each novel. I read SF for enjoyment and to encounter ideas that will broaden how I think, but I don't want to go in these directions. Although there are many stories remaining in this series, I am done with it.
December 13, 2016
Very Star Trekky, though not nearly as enlightened -- the Captain doesn't actually say his black first mate is being uppity, but he thinks it really hard, and the Japanese telepath, for some reason, dresses like he stepped out of the Taishou Era. And of course it's set on a planet where everyone's naked.
August 3, 2021
Storia banale e noiosa di fantascienza vecchio stampo.
May 20, 2019
Island of Doctor Moreau updated. People crossed with cats. A lost colony. Grimes famous luck holding. Maggy Lazenby pulls his chestnuts out of the fire and he gets his gold braid and promotion to Commander.
April 20, 2017
Confusing, convoluted and typical Grimes. If I weren't a fan of Chandler's work I would have never finished this. The way Grimes discovered the truth was very funny if you picture his reaction, that is trademark Chandler.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews