# The Patchwork Girl, by Larry Niven



## Omphalos (May 6, 2010)

The Patchwork Girl by Larry Niven is a 1980s short-novel entry in the author's Known Space sequence. This three-pronged story is basically a murder mystery set on the moon, but it also delves quite deeply into the legal arena, both legislative and judicial. The novel is fairly typical for a Niven story; it is hard science fiction that deals with manufactured social issues - specifically Niven's organbank controversy - that handles its internal conflicts in a procedural, almost workmanlike manner, that shows a slightly liberal society with loose sexual mores, and that resolves unambiguously, and positively. My main reason for picking this story was because I am very interested in legal issues in speculative fiction. Take a look here for a legal analysis of this story. But there is definitely something about Larry Niven's stories that appeals to the younger, more innocent part of me. I think I have mentioned before that Larry Niven's Ringworld was the story that really got me interested in SF as a young man. This one particular story never really floated my boat, at least until I became interested in legal issues in SF. With that in mind, this story now has more interest for me than it ever did before...Please click here, or on the book cover above, to be taken to the complete review.

There is also a separate legal review of this story; see below:  





In the ephemeral annals of legal-related SF, Larry Niven’s short novel The Patchwork Girl is a rare find indeed. Not only does it provide a Sherlock Holmes style murder mystery and police investigation/procedural, but it also deals with legislative approaches to the death penalty, and provides extended court-room trial scenes with cross examination of the defendant, witnesses and experts. It is everything that a legal themed piece of fiction should be and it is also SF. I have written a book review of the SF elements here. You should read that first to get the gist of the story, then come back here for the legal analysis. The legal issues are not of paramount importance here, but coupled with the criminal investigation they are the main vehicle by which Niven pushes the story along. The legal issues have to deal with fundamental fairness in the judicial system, particularly the processes by which society guarantees the rights of those accused of crimes, and the social utility of the death penalty. Niven does this through a three-pronged approach. One of those prongs is a legislative process, and another is a criminal trial. The third is detailed in the literary review that is linked above...Please click here, or on the book cover above, to be taken to the complete review..


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## The Ace (May 6, 2010)

*Spoiler alert*

I hated the way that, although the accused was innocent, she still lost out to a spoiled brat.


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## Omphalos (May 7, 2010)

That actually was not a very constructive comment you put into my review there, Ace. I put an awful lot of work into those essays I write, and it would really be nice to see some more substantial comments. Anyway, since I absolutely did not reveal the result of the investigation, or what Gil thought of the evidence or his final analysis thereof, or even the real guilty party, It's not really "spoiled" now, is it? I don't think so anyway.

And in any event, neither one of those were "reviews" really. They were actually more in the vein of criticism (especially the latter), which I think is not necessarily held to the same standards as reviews. 

Plus, I've been writing them like that for, like, five years now. The barn door has been swinging open for quite some time. I assure you, the horses have already escaped.


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## The Ace (May 7, 2010)

That wasn't my intention, Omphalos.  I found your essay both interesting and informative.  It's just that  I found that particular point in the book unpleasant.

I apologise if I gave you the wrong impression.


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## Omphalos (May 7, 2010)

This is Greg's embarassed shame!  

I am so sorry, Ace. Until this moment I did not even notice that you had something there hidden under a spoiler tag. The only thing I thought you put there was "*spoiler alert*" Im looking at it this moment, and I still can barely tell that if I mouse over it and click, something will appear. 

In my defense, that spoiler tagged sentence is _really_ hard for me to see. but I still feel like an idiot. Sorry again, Ace. 

So, if we could please start over, Thanks for the comment!


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